"Hi Kara." Lucy smiled from the doorway.
"Lucy! When did you get back into the city?"
"A few hours ago. Is this a bad time?"
"No."
"You sure? Because you look really stressed."
"Sorry, it has been a rough few weeks."
"I heard about Alex being switched with the shapeshifter, is she okay?"
"Yeah. Frustrated at not being able to work though."
"So that isn't the thing causing you stress?" Lucy probed.
"Well, yes, but not just that. Just before Christmas a man warned me off the investigation and threatened to hurt Alex. While that conversation was taking place Malaise got to Alex and then she was pushed in the water at the pier and almost drowned."
"Is she okay now?" Lucy asked.
"Well she is terrified of water and has lost her confidence. Plus she was having nightmares all night."
"Sorry, I had no idea." Lucy said. "How are you doing?"
"Honestly, I don't know anymore. It just feels like everything is falling to pieces. Sorry you didn't come here to listen to me complain. How come you are in National City?"
"That can wait." Lucy said. "You sound like you need to talk."
"Did you come here having made progress?" Kara asked.
"Yes."
"Then let's focus on that."
"Okay, but we will talk later." Lucy said.
00
"It's not entirely true to say that Major Hutber didn't keep notes. He kept notes they were just unintelligible." Lucy said putting some images on the screen as several DEO agents sat in the briefing room.
"No they're not." Kara said. "That's Grattlok." She said walking towards the screen and looking closely at the image.
"It's what?" Lucy asked.
"Grattlok."
"Which is?"
"The main language of Stols."
"So you think Major Hutber was writing in Grattlok?"
"Or someone gave him this notebook." Kara said.
"Is there a chance Hutber was from Stols?" Vasquez asked.
"Unlikely." Kara said. "I mean he'd stand out. They are ten feet tall, bright purple and have six arms."
"That's definitely not what Hutber looked like." Lucy said pulling up his service record.
"I take it they can't shapeshift?" Vasquez asked Kara.
"Not that I know of."
"Can you read this?" Lucy asked pulling some of the notes back up.
"Not really. It's a very complex language so I can only make out odd words only. It's also a three dimensional language, meaning the original notebook is needed."
"Three dimensional?" Lucy asked.
"The depth of the character changes it's meaning."
"But you are sure it Grattlok?"
"I can't be one hundred percent sure, but Grattlock is the only language I have come across with these markings." She said pointing. "J'onn may have more to add."
"I'll give him a call." Ruby said leaving the briefing room.
"I'll get the notebooks sent over." Lucy said. "But that isn't what I actually came to talk about."
"So what was?"
"We analysed the parts and chemicals that were shipped to the Major. We think we know the ingredients used to make the chemical and where they were purchased from. Just not the recipe. I thought if we gave you the quantities you may be able to pull things together."
"We'll start looking." Vasquez said as J'onn flew into the room.
"Hi J'onn." Lucy smiled.
"It's good to see you." He smiled back before asking. "How can I help?"
"Do you recognise this?" Lucy asked pointing to the screen.
"No. Should I?"
"I think it is Grattlok." Kara said.
"I don't know what that is." J'onn said.
"What about Frax?" Vasquez suggested.
"Who is Frax?" Lucy asked.
"Alex's uncle." Kara replied. "He may be able to help."
"How do you know Grattlok?" Lucy asked.
"It was one of the languages Astra knew. I remember her teaching it, well trying to anyway, to me."
"Could you mother know it?" Vasquez asked.
"It's possible." Kara said. "But things were a little weird on Argo. I'll try Frax first."
"Is that wise?" Ruby asked.
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.
"If that notebook is what we think it is, it contains information needed to kill every alien and meta. Do you really want Frax to have that information? I mean we still don't know much about him."
"I trust Frax." Kara said.
"Does Alex?" Lucy countered. "As in the Director one."
"She doesn't trust anyone." Kara reminded her. "But if it makes you happy I'll just ask if he knows Grattlok." She said standing. "I'll let you know what he says." She added as she left.
"Is she okay?" Lucy asked. "And is there anything I can do to help?"
"Right now she needs a friend." J'onn said. "I'm training with Alex tonight so she will be free."
"I'll stop by." Lucy said.
00
"Hi." Lucy said when Kara opened the front door.
"Lucy? Didn't you get the message? Frax doesn't know Grattlok." Kara said.
"I got the message. That's not why I'm here." Lucy said as Kara let her into the apartment.
"It's not?"
"No, I thought we could catch up. I know Alex is training with J'onn. And I know the other Alex is sitting alone stewing so I thought we could do games night maybe?"
"I don-"
"Kara, it has been ages since we hung out." Lucy said. "And I am only here tonight." She said before adding. "You really want Alex to stew over the road alone?"
"Okay." Kara said. "Just let me save my article."
00
What are you doing?" Kara asked her sister when she saw her limping round the kitchen.
"I was hungry." She shrugged. "What are you doing here? I thought you were working." She added before turning and seeing who was standing with her sister.
"Lucy? How are you? What are you doing here?"
"In National City? Well I had some breakthroughs, but here tonight, I am here to make sure you two have fun."
"What breakthroughs?" Alex asked.
"Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow, your team are already working on it." Lucy said. "So tonight no work."
"Or we can look at what you found and make progress."
"Alex you do remember I am a lawyer? I make my living successfully arguing cases. You aren't winning this one." Lucy said. But seeing Alex was going to argue further she added. "You also seem to forget that Lois is my sister and all we do is argue. You can not win."
"Fine." Alex said.
"Good." Lucy smiled. "So how are you doing? Actually don't answer, pretty sure I can figure that out for myself. And you two definitely need a distraction, so what games?"
"Games?" Alex asked confused.
"Yes, games as in games night."
"There are only three of us." Alex pointed out.
"Okay, then no team games. What about a board game?" Lucy asked.
"I don't know." Alex said before having an idea. "Actually okay. But the winner can make a request that has to be obeyed."
"Okay." Lucy said as Kara muttered. "This is not going to be a relaxing night."
00
"And that is mine. And there is a hotel on it, which means you-" Alex started to say a couple of hours later.
"Okay, fine I concede." Lucy said.
"That would make me the winner." Alex said. "And as such I get a request. So tell me everything that is happening on the investigation, including the breakthrough."
"You know I would have told you anyway?" Kara asked.
"Yeah, but destroying you two is so much more fun." Alex replied. "So what do you have?"
"Major Hutber had a notebook, but it is written in Grattlock, which is a 3D language no one can read. I have asked Frax and he can't. Neither can J'onn. Your team are working on it."
"Hutber had a notebook? That's huge. Wait, where is it?" Alex asked.
"Being shipped to the DEO." Lucy said.
"With what security?"
"Full DEO escort. And only Vasquez knows all the details." Lucy said.
"And yes we did test her and her blood is her own." Kara added.
"And yes we did consider sending Kara to collect them, but seeing what Hutber's work did to her we didn't want to risk exposing her to something on the notebook." Lucy chipped in.
"Like I said everything is in hand." Kara said.
"Hang on if no one can read it, how do you know it was Grattlock?" Alex asked her sister.
"I recognised the symbols, but not enough to read it."
00
"Hi." Kara said when she went back to the apartment with Chewie.
"Hi." J'onn said.
"I didn't think you'd be here? Everything okay?"
"Alex was tired after training and fell to sleep pretty quickly. I was just staying to make sure she was okay."
"Thanks."
"Actually, that's not entirely true. I wanted to talk to you."
"Everything okay?" Kara asked.
"I'm not sure." J'onn said.
"What's wrong?"
"We were working on her memory projection power and she shared a memory she had previously shared, but this one felt different. Before after she shared it, I felt a sense of joy, but tonight it wasn't quite dread, but it wasn't far off. My guess is her feelings about the drowning and Malaise are colouring everything. I tried asking her about it, but she shut the conversation down pretty quickly. But I thought you should know."
"Thanks." Kara replied, wondering how she could help her daughter.