"Anything?" Supergirl asked as she flew into the DEO control room the next morning.
"No. Sorry." Alex said. "But the good news is if Duggin did tell them, they haven't acted on it."
"Yet." Supergirl said frowning.
"We'll get them." Alex said as Harris approached the pair.
"We think we have identified the shipment." Harris said.
"You have?" Alex asked.
"Yes ma'am, based on the shoe models you gave us only five shops are taking delivery of those as a single shipment. Three are large chains which we have discounted."
"So you have it narrowed down to two?"
"No ma'am. We looked on the shops' websites and one of them has a huge sale on. The other is charging way too much for the shoes."
"While that sounds more likely, keep both shops under surveillance." Alex ordered.
"Yes ma'am."
"Do you know when the delivery is leaving the warehouse?" Alex asked.
"Yes ma'am. We were planning on following the truck as well."
"Good." Alex said.
"What do you want us to do about the other shops?"
"Are they franchises?" Alex asked.
"Um …. yes ma'am." Harris said double checking his notes.
"Work with the FBI and let's monitor them as well, just in case the managers are up to something."
"Yes ma'am." As she walked off Alex turned to Supergirl and said.
"See, progress."
"I guess." Supergirl said. "I'm going to work. I'll see you later."
-00-
"You okay?" J'onn asked as he entered Alex's office later that day.
"Yes. No. I'm trying to decide if I made the right choice or if I am doing what they want."
"What do you mean?"
"When I was attacked he said I was getting in the way." Alex said.
"Yes." J'onn agreed.
"And then Kara got taken by Duggin right when we started to have a break through. Was that coincidence?"
"Have you found any proof Duggin was involved with his rescue party before Kara was taken?" J'onn asked.
"No." Alex said. "And Frax claims to not know any of them. But that doesn't mean there isn't a connection. Especially as Duggin was freed by the missing metas."
"Freed and killed." J'onn reminded her. "There's not much to go on."
"We need to find the evidence." Alex agreed before sitting up straighter and asking. "Where is his ship?" Alex asked.
"What?" J'onn asked.
"To get to Earth he either had his own ship, hitched a ride or used a portal. If he came by ship and we can find it, his computers might tell us what he was up to. And if he came by portal, well then we have problems." She standing.
"Where are you going?" J'onn asked.
"I'm going to talk to Frax. See if he has any ideas."
"You trust him?" J'onn asked.
"No. But if he is a bad guy and he tries something we will be watching. And if he is a good guy them he may be able to help."
"I'm coming with you." J'onn said.
"Thanks."
"It's for my car as much as you." J'onn said as they left the office.
-00-
"Hi MJ." Kara said as her nephew sat down next to her in a school hall. "Isn't this going to damage your street cred?"
"Entering this hall did that already." He pointed out.
"So why are you here?"
"I wasn't sure if you'd be able to make it." He shrugged as the chess team started to populate tables.
"Thank you for looking out for Alex." Kara smiled.
"Sure. Just don't hug me."
"No hugs. I promise." Kara said as a bell rang and the matches started.
As she silently watched her daughter play Kara started to lose herself in the false memories of Alex dying and she felt the world starting to close in as her chest tightened.
Feeling herself lose control she ran from the hall.
-00-
"Alex, J'onn." Frax greeted. "Are Kara and Alex okay?"
"Yes. For now anyway." Alex replied.
"For now?" Frax asked frowning.
"Duggin knew who Kara is. He may have told whoever killed him."
"Could it be a coincidence?" Frax asked.
"Maybe but your brother's hitman is still in custody and no one has tried freeing him. And he knows nothing."
"How can I help?"
"We need to find Duggin's ship." Alex said.
"I don't know where it is. Or if he had one. It is just as likely he was just a passenger. There are many crafts that come towards Earth. All I know for sure is there is no one else from Dakran is here. But I can rerun the scans if that helps."
"Please." Alex said.
-00-
"You okay?" MJ asked joining his aunt outside.
"I just needed some air." Kara said trying to forget the images plaguing her mind.
In response MJ sat next to his aunt and after a moment said.
"Alex told me what happened to you. What you saw." When Kara didn't respond he added. "I get like this too." He paused again before explaining. "After the accident mom was in the hospital all the time with Kara. I used to wake up convinced they were dead as well. And I'd go to their rooms, which would be empty and become even more convinced they were dead. Grandma was there telling me they were fine, but I couldn't believe it. Not until I saw them and even then sometimes I doubted it." He paused and said. "Even now sometimes I wake up convinced they are gone." He confessed.
"Does your mom know?" Kara asked looking at her nephew.
"No. No one does, apart from you."
"What do you do?"
"Tell myself I'm stupid."
"You're not stupid." Kara said.
"Doesn't feel that way." MJ said.
"Maybe, but you haven't had to run out of a chess match with a panic attack."
"I said I was stupid not nuts." MJ smiled looking at his aunt.
"Ouch." Kara smiled back.
"So what do you do?" MJ asked. "I mean to help get over it."
"Hug." Kara said before adding. "Don't worry, I remember my no hug promise."
Before MJ could respond they heard footsteps approaching moments before the teenage Alex asked.
"What's wrong?"
"I just needed some air." Kara said before standing and hugging her tightly. She then pulled back and asked. "Why aren't you playing chess?"
"It's over."
"Chess is never that quick." MJ said.
"It is if you lose."
"You don't lose."
"I did tonight." The teen said.
"You threw the match?" MJ guessed.
"You don't throw pieces." Alex said confused having not heard that expression before.
"He means you deliberately lost." Kara said.
"Yes. So I could check on you." The teen explained.
"I'm fine. Let's go back in."
"Actually I told Mr Bruce that I wasn't feeling well." The teenage Alex said.
"Then let's go get some food." MJ suggested.
-00-
"Something bothering you?" J'onn asked as they flew back to Earth.
"Seeing we thought we had our defensive shield set up a lot of ships seem to be getting to Earth with out us knowing."
"Every systems take time to find all the faults." J'onn reminded her.
"I know. But what if it has been sabotaged? We know there were operatives across all federal departments. There would have been plenty of opportunity to sabotage it."
"Why?"
"To distract us?" Alex suggested. "Or to force Supergirl out into the open."
"What are you going to do?"
"Get a team to run full diagnostics on it. I might need you to fly around and we'll see if we can detect you."
"Of course." J'onn nodded. When Alex didn't say anything else he asked. "How are you doing?"
"You're a telepath, pretty sure you already know the answer." Alex said.
"What I can read from you is pure anger, yet you are acting much calmer."
"Kara needs me to be calm." Alex shrugged. "But that doesn't mean when I find Malaise he won't see just how angry I am. He will pay for what he did to Kara."
"How is that investigation going?" J'onn asked knowing better than trying to persuade Alex against revenge.
"About as well as all the other investigations. But something tells me there is one piece holding everything in place. As soon as we find it everything will fall into place. Until then we just need to keep everyone safe."
"I'm here however you need me." J'onn smiled.
-00-
The teenage Alex woke in the middle of night with a feeling of being watched. Turning she saw a figure in the doorway.
"Mom?" She asked confused.
"What are you doing awake?" Kara asked stepping into the room.
"Something woke me." The teen said, pretty sure that something was her mother. "Why are you up?"
"I was just checking on you." Kara said.
"I'm fine." The teen said sitting up and looking at her clock. Seeing the time she said. "It's three am."
"You should get back to sleep." Kara said kissing her head. "You've got school soon." With that she left the room leaving the teen feeling awake and confused.
For a few minutes the teenager lay on the bed stroking Chewie before getting out of bed and walking to her mother's room. As she entered Kara asked.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." The teen said hopping into her mother's bed and hugging her. "I'm fine."