"What's going on?" Alex asked when she and Kara entered the briefing room and saw Lena, Vasquez and Ruby.
"We think we have something on Cyberwalk."
"You do? What?"
"We have no idea if this is even possible, but based on what we could find there is a chance it is designed to allow the transfer of consciousness from one body to another."
"That seems a little far fetched." Alex said.
"I agree. But I have been going through everything in the archives and the alien race that machine belongs to were capable of doing it." Vasquez said.
"So we are looking at someone who wants a new body?" Kara asked.
"Maybe." Lena said, although she sounded less convinced.
"Why would you need a new body?"
"Sickness or accident." Vasquez said.
"Or upgrade." Ruby added.
"Lets start looking through records." Alex said walking off to her office, followed by Kara and Lena who asked.
"How's Alex?"
"Okay, I think."
"And how is she dealing with the MJ situation?"
"She says fine." Kara replied.
"But?" Lena asked.
"But, I don't know, she seems more shut off or that she is hiding something. I don't know, maybe I'm being paranoid."
"I'm sorry, I should have seen what was happening." Alex sighed as they entered the office.
"So should I." Kara said.
"How are you doing?" Lena asked Alex.
"How do you mean?"
"I know what MJ said to you. I know that it hurt."
"Well it is probably karma."
"For what?"
"Everything I put Kara and mom through."
-00-
As MJ sat in solitude in the canteen his cousin sat own opposite him.
"Aren't you on the wrong table?" MJ asked. "Your friends are over there."
"Not really, I mean it was only Martin was was brave enough to be seen with me." She reminded her cousin. "Besides if I ignored you I'd be more of a jerk than you'd been."
"I don't think ignoring me would put you in the same scale of jerkiness." MJ said. "But thanks."
"Things will go back to normal soon."
"Not sure they agree." MJ said glancing back at the other table.
"They need time." Alex said. "But if they see you making an effort they'll come round. Probably."
"I doubt it. I ditched them and then was a mega jerk."
"It wasn't all your fault."
"Most of it was. You really don't have to commit social suicide as well."
"It's fine." The teenage Alex said as Reeves walked past MJ roughly elbowing his back as he did.
"Your new friends didn't take being ditched well?" Alex asked.
"No."
"So, what's your plan?"
"Keep a low profile until I graduate." He said. "Although that is likely to be a year later than it should be."
"Not if you study."
00
As Alex limped through the control room Cork waved her over to where he Keane and Vasquez were sitting.
"Ma'am I think I have something."
"What?"
"Plenty of accidents have happened. But seeing Supergirl seems to be the key, I correlated for accidents that occurred in the proximity to Supergirl." Cork said.
"And?"
"In recent time nothing. But I also expanded our Tycho search, back in time."
"How far back?"
"Over twenty years. And I found something."
"What?"
"Proof that he is, or was, real."
"That is progress." Alex said looking at the screen.
"But here's the thing. After that all physical traces of him disappeared."
"So what happened?"
"I don't know. But around that time was when the Daxamites tried to invade."
"You have a theory so spit it out." Alex said.
"What if he suffered some terrible injury during the invasion and he blames Supergirl and that is why he seems obsessed with her? Maybe he is trying to get a new body and that is why he got Cyberwalk."
"I've heard worse theories." Vasquez said.
"But then who did Supergirl see when she was captured?" Alex asked.
"Well Tycho had a deal with Lane that he would get first look at alien tech. That includes Kryptonian hologram technology." Keane said.
"We should increase the guard round Warehouse 13." Vasquez said before muttering. "Damn it Kara." Then louder she said. "I mean lab theta."
"Actually I don't think there is much need." Cork said.
"Why?"
"When we were going through the items Tycho may have got there was something that sounded very much like the Cyberwalk machine. My guess is they already have their own version and the reason they wanted the notes was to understand how it worked."
"Lets hope our complete lack of progress on that disappointed them." Alex said dryly.
00
"So Tycho is real and needs a new body?" Kara asked once her sister had finished explaining the theory.
"Possibly. I mean it is still far fetched,but we need to consider it. And if he is what if he is after your body?" Alex asked. "If he is going to trade up, he can't do much better."
"Then why focus on the drugs?"
"Maybe he tried to make a human version thinking that would be more successful? Or maybe the drugs were just one big decoy." Alex said.
"What if he wants Argo?"
"What?"
"If he wants super powered bodies, Argo gives him that."
"Yeah, but why does he need multiple bodies?" Alex asked.
"Insurance? Or maybe he is going to sell people new powered bodies." Kara suggested.
"Even if this is even possible and even if you are right, first he has to get to Argo." Alex reminded her.
"When you and Harris were swapped out, could the imposter have done anything that could help give him Argo?" Kara asked.
"We never even considered it." Alex confessed. "But I get Vasquez on it."
"Thank you." Kara said, mulling possibilities over in her head. "I have to get back to CatCo, let me know if anything comes up."
00
"Why do you look confused?" Kara asked when her sister entered her apartment that evening.
"Alex is at my place tutoring MJ."
"Is it MJ studying or Alex helping him that's confusing you?" Kara asked.
"Both. Are you okay with this?"
"MJ wasn't entirely to blame." Kara said. "And if Alex is okay, I'm okay."
"You are taking this very well."
"You want me to be mad with MJ?"
"No, but I'd understand it. I mean I'm mad with MJ."
"Well so am I, but it is up to Alex to decide how this goes." Kara said before asking. "How are you doing?"
"I don't understand why they did it. What did they hope to achieve?" Alex asked. "If it is Tycho he always has an ulterior motive, but I can't see it."
"What if they wanted us to fall out over it?" Kara asked.
"There must be easier ways of doing that." Alex said. "What worries me is previous we have been bombarded by distraction techniques. If this is another example of that, what on Earth are they trying to distract us from?"
00
"Hi." Kara greeted when her daughter got home.
"Hi." The teen said.
"I hear you were helping MJ with his homework."
"Is that okay?" the teen asked.
"Of course. I was just a little surprised."
"That MJ was actually studying?" The teenage Alex asked.
"Well yes, but I was thinking more about you helping." Kara said. "You sure you are okay with it?"
"Yes." The teenager said before yawning.
"Are you okay?" Kara asked frowning.
"Just tired."
"Perhaps we should go to Len-" Kara started only for Alex to cut her off.
"I promise you I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well last night." The teen said.
"Nightmares?" Kara guessed. When Alex nodded she asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You were asleep."
"You could have woken me. You should have woken me." Kara said hugging her.
"I didn't want you to worry."
"Promise me you'll wake me next time." Kara said.
"I promise."
"Good." Kara said finally releasing her.
00
"We are making basically no progress on that compound." Vasquez said to Alex the next morning. "You okay if we ask your mom for help?"
"Um, sure." Alex said looking up before asking. "When you say no progress what do you mean?"
"Nothing we do counteracts the effects. If anything it makes it worse. If someone gets exposed to the full chemical, we have no way to help."
"Damn it, I really took my eye of it." Alex confessed.
"You have a lot going on and we are working on it, but your mom could help."
"I'll ask her to come down." Alex said.
"How are you holding up?" Vasquez asked, but when she saw Alex's defeated look she said. "Actually don't answer, I can guess. But we will get them."
"We don't even know who we are looking for." Alex said.
"Maybe we are looking for too much." Vasquez said. "Maybe we should focus on specifics."
"Like what?"
"Like, when you were taken there was a cell phone at your location. We have been tracking that cell phone, hoping it'd lead us to someone important. It hasn't, but maybe it is time to bring them in. Also, Jess we can't find, but maybe Malaise we can."
-00-
"You staying for dinner?" Alex asked her sister as they walked into the house.
"Unless Alex has plans." Kara said as they entered the lounge where MJ was sitting doing his homework.
"Where is everyone?" Alex asked her son.
"Grandma is walking Chewie and Alex is at Chess practice." He said standing.
"Okay. Well do your homework, we'll eat after mom gets back." Alex said, only MJ stood uncomfortably in the lounge.
"What's wrong?" Alex asked.
"I have something I want to say." MJ said.
"What?" His mother asked.
"The night Alex nearly drowned, I was there. I was part of the group that threw her in the water. I mean I didn't throw her in, but I didn't stop them or help her either." MJ said avoiding all eye contact. "Alex doesn't want to tell you as she doesn't want me to get into anymore trouble. But she hates hiding things from you."
Hearing the words Kara silently stood and looked at MJ before saying.
"Stay the hell away from Alex." With that she marched out of the house.
"I'm sorry." MJ said looking at his mother who stood and hugged him.
"Why are you hugging me?" He asked confused.
"Because I am tired of yelling at you." Alex said before pulling away. "Is there anything else I need to know?"
"No."
00
"Where have you been?" The teenage Alex asked when her mother flew into the apartment a couple of hours later.
"In the desert." Kara said.
"Why?"
"I needed to destroy some rocks."
"Why?" The teen asked frowning.
"MJ told us."
"Told you what?"
"About the night you nearly drowned."
"Why?"
"So you didn't have to hide things. But that's not the point. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I knew you'd act like this." The teenager said.
"How am I meant to act?" Kara asked. "You lied to me and kept the fact your cousin tried to kill you from me."
"That's not what happened. I mean he just didn't help." The teen said.
"How long have you known?"
"MJ only confessed when we were in the tunnel."
"But you knew before hand?"
"I didn't know, not for sure, but I thought he was involved."
"And you said nothing?"
"What if I had been wrong?" The teen asked. In a response her mother silently looked at her before saying.
"I was thinking we should go to Argo for a while."
"How long is a while?"
"I don't know."
"I have school."
"They have schools on Argo." Kara countered.