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Kara and Alex had always been competitive when it came to sports. They had the same passion, the same drive to win and be the best at what they undertake. The only time they did not follow the same path was in college. Alex had chosen to go to medical school while Kara had chosen to join the police academy. But eventually, they ended up working together in the National City Police Department.Kara had been the best student, then the best rookie and now, she was one of the best Detectives the National City PD had ever had the pleasure of working with. Alex had joined a few years ago, after their father’s disappearance and was now trying to work in the same department as Kara. Jeremiah would have been proud of them. Eliza though, would rather have her daughter working being an office, far away from the flying bullet and murders. But her daughters were too stubborn to listen to her concern.The Danvers family had adopted Kara when she was 13. Her childhood had been full of love and laughter until the fateful day her parents died in an explosion. She had been sent to the Danvers family in the middle of the night. Their connection began when her father started working with Jeremiah, before Kara’s birth and the Danvers had agreed to be Kara’s legal guardians if anything happened to them. With a father working in the Police and a journalist mother, Kara could not be expected to choose another path than the one of finding the truth and bringing justice to people.And now, years later, she was working as a Homicide Detective with her mentor, J’onn J’onzz, who worked with her father and Jeremiah, Nia and Querl, two fellow Detectives and Winn, their technical agent. Alex was two exams away from officially joining the team as an officer but for now, she was appointed as a “blue jacket assistant”, an unofficial title for someone who was already part of the team but not allowed to lead an investigation.The only person Kara was close to as much as she was with Alex, was Lena Luthor, the Chief Medical Examiner. At first, the Detective thought Lena was awkward, weird even, but now they were practically glued to each other’s hips. Lena comes from a rich and poshy family which did not approve of her career either. Her father had died a few years ago and she was stuck with the only two remaining members of her family, Lilian and Lex. From what she had told her, growing up in the Luthor household was not really fun. The only distraction allowed was chess and science. This led to Lena being one of the smartest people Kara had ever encountered and yet, she did not know a single thing about Pop Culture or Video Games, or everything that could make a childhood livable.The Danvers had always treated Lena like one of their own. They forced her out of her shell, thanks to Kara’s friendship with her and they created a dysfunctional but loving family all together. It was beautiful to witness, really, seeing them all playing games once a week, Lena asking for the rules and grasping them so fast she was winning round two, frustrating everyone else but Kara, who looked at her with a proud smile every time.Working together as a family has its ups and downs, obviously but they always could count on each other.Now would have to be one of those times.They were gathered at Eliza’s house for lunch, chatting and finally having a relaxing time when Kara’s phone rang. The first thing which could be heard in the house was Eliza’s loud ‘Humpf’ of frustration. She knew what was about to come, they can never truly have some days off.-”Danvers.”-”Luthor”-”There goes lunch time I guess…” Eliza prided herself in being a good cook and enjoyed having them around, even more since Jeremiah’s disappearance but it would never last long enough. “I’ll make you all lunch boxes then.”As Kara hung up, she stepped closer to her adoptive mother and put a hand on her shoulder.-“I’m so sorry.. “-”I know, you have to go save the world. Be safe! And take care of your sister!”-”Hey! I’m older than her Ma’!”-”Yup but you don’t have that badge yet!” Kara said showing her Detective badge to Alex before running away knowing Alex would run after her.-”If I catch you Kara I swear!”The two sisters ran through the house causing quite a commotion as always.-”I don’t know how you guys deal with the two of them at work!”-”They are afraid of having their salaries cut off.” J’onn half joked. They were professional at work and they respected his authority but with their mother, they still acted like children. “And we have guns!”-”Good point!”They shared a laugh before Eliza started handing lunch boxes to everyone.-”Nia and Querl, those are for you, and Lena? Grab those two please, I don’t know where they ran off but I’m sure you will see them before I do.’-”Thank you Mrs Danvers.”-”For the hundred times Lena, call me Eliza!”The Doctor smiled and blushed but took the three boxes before heading to the car. As Eliza heard the door close, she saw Kara and Alex running inside the house to say goodbye to their mother.-”Finally! Though you were going to leave without saying goodbye!”-”I will never do that Ma’! Kara would if Lena did not tell her to come back but not I!”-”Hey! You did not have to rat me out!”-”You’re the bad daughter! Not me!”-”Okay, enough you two! Give me a hug and go! Don’t cause any more trouble!”-”’Kay, bye Ma’!”-”Bye Eliza!”The last thing she could hear was Kara yelling at everyone to go change and be at the station in 30 minutes top, followed by door closing and engine starting.  30 minutes later, they were all gathered in front of the station, waiting for the instructions. When Kara arrived, she was dressed in a black suit, with a light blue t-shirt and boots, her blond hair was hazily tied into a bun and she was walking fast. The first person she noticed was Lena. She was carrying a huge bag with the NCPD logo on it. But that was not what caught Kara’s eyes.-”Hum Lena? Why are you dressed like you are going to a five star restaurant?”-”What do you mean? you don’t like my dress?”-”It’s not like I… The dress is beautiful but we are going to a crime scene.”-”Is it not appropriate? I always work with heels and this dress is new and I never had the opportunity to put it on so I did.”-”I can tell yes.”-”Kara, is this dress ugly or something? Does it have a hole or did I forget to remove the tag?”Lena started to turn around herself, trying to identify some kind of eventual problem with her brand new dark blue dress.-”I.. hum, no, no the dress is perfect.”-”So it is me, it’s not complimenting me or something?”All Kara could think about was Lena’s dress and she desperately needed to focus back on the case. She could not tell her bestfriend that yes, the dress was beautiful, yes it was actually complimenting her body very well, she could not tell her it was a huge discretion right now. Her thoughts were interrupted by a whistle right beside them.-”Hell yes, if all cops look like that I might get arrested more often!”-”Hey get him inside!” Kara’s voice was loud and commanding, she would not accept this kind of behavior especially directed toward Lena. Lena, her best friend, right. She needed to focus.-”I guess the dress is fitting me then. Come one Kara, we need to go.”The brunette did not wait for her answer and took the passenger seat of the car.
‘Why does she always have to be this distracting? Get it together Danvers! There is a victim who needs our help!’
-”Okay everyone, I texted you the name of the victim and the address, Nal and Dox, you stay here to gather the information, get Winn to start digging everything about this address and we’ll text you more details as soon as we have them. J’onn, you take Alex with you?”-”Alright, let’s go, everyone!”  -”So. what do we get?”-”Danvers!”-”Olsen”-”What are you doing here?”-”I believe we were called for Detective Danvers to examine the crime scene and I to examine the body, Detective Olsen.”-”Miss Luthor, I did not see you there!”-”Doctor Luthor, and please, don’t mind me, just let me work.”Lena stepped around Olsen and entered the house without looking back.-”Still cold as ice I see.”-”She warms up after some time.”-”Well I guess I’m just not her kind of person then.”James Olsen’s ego must have been bruised. He was a tall muscular black man, always well dressed. Kara had to admit, he was a good Detective, but he could be really arrogant. He often hypothesized and Lena hated people who guessed the motive or weapon of the murder.-”What do we have?”-”Patricia Arias, 68, killed in her home. There is a lot of blood here, looks like she was tortured with different weapons, probably stabbed to death.”-”Don’t let Lena hear you guess, she is going to rant about it all the way back to the station! Please, for my own sanity, be careful”James let out a laugh before speaking again.-“I’ll try! Must be complicated at home!-”You have no idea!”-”She had a daughter, Samantha Arias, 32 who has a daughter, Patricia adopted her when she was a baby and according to the neighbors.” He turned to the old couple standing nearby on the other side of the Police tape. “They were not close. they had not seen Samantha for a while.”-”Okay. I’ll get Winn on it. I supposed they can not give us her address or anything?”-”Nope, barely a description. They claim the last time they saw her was ten to fifteen years ago.”-”What could drive her daughter away from her?”It hit close. Too close to home for Kara. She could not picture herself ignoring Eliza for ten years but she did not know what happened between them. She was adopted as a baby, maybe they could try to trace the orphanage or the birth parents of Samantha.-“Any idea of where she works or where she lives?”-”Not yet. Maybe your tech guy would do better than mine.”She picked up her phone and called Winn. She could hear the clicking on the computer and the constant beeping in his office. Winn was a genius. He was really smart with computers and engineering. He creates robots on his time off and video games for them to try on game nights. He was a tall blond guy, not really into sport but still muscular and so nice. He was one of Kara’s favorite people. He was so funny and always up to have fun.-”Hey Winny boy.”-”Supergirl!”-”Winn, don’t call me that! You know I hate that nickname!”-”Not my fault if you’re a heroine! What can I do for you?”-”Can you look for Samantha Arias, daughter of our victim, she has seen her for more than ten years according to the noisy neighbors.” She turned to them, smiling with her lips tight when she noticed them looking intensely at her. “She was adopted as a baby, we need to know everything you can find for-”-”I know, for yesterday, got it! I will call you back as soon as I find something. Hey Kara, before you hang up, is the cute blond cop here?”-”Who?”-”Ayla Ranzz, a little bit smaller than you, blond hair, brown eyes and-”-”Winn!”-”Yes, sorry, I’ll call you back Supergirl!”-”Don't ca- … Shit” She did not have time to yell at him once again before he hung up.-”Danvers, Wednesday is calling you inside!” She followed Olsen inside and found Lena bent over the victim’s corpse, studying her face. All of a sudden, Lena’s head hunched forward and she put her cheek millimeters above the victim’s lips.-”She has been poisoned.”-”Then why are you sniffing her?”-”It was Truth Serum, it’s not harmful anymore. Also, tell Olsen I was born on a Friday, not Wednesday.”-”Lena, that’s a-... never mind, I’ll make you watch the movies and series, I’m sure you’re going to love it.”-”I still don’t understand why a random day of the week is relevant here.”-”You know what? We’ll talk about it at home. Do you have any other information you can share?”-”Of course. She was tortured. Someone made her drink a Truth Serum and proceeded to break her fingers one by one. She has been hit in the head, in the ribs and multiple times on the legs. She was stabbed on the chest too”-”Someone must have really wanted her to talk.”-”Yes about what? What can a 68 grandmother hide that is so important it got her killed?”-”Well, at least we know what killed her.”-”And what do you think killed her Detective Olsen?”-”You just said she was stabbed!”-”Yes, but I did not say it was the cause of death. You should listen more carefully to Detective Olsen. I would not want your investigation reports to be full of mistakes when I am the one examining the corpse.”-”What else Lena?”-”I would need to confirm the cause of death but from the elements we have so far, it appears to be a heart attack.”-”See! You guessed that one!”Lena looked up at Olsen, her face severe and her eyes dark.-”No I did not. My hypothesis is based on multiple exams I just did on the victim and as I just said, it would need confirmation. And until then, I would not write on my report an official cause of death.”-”Okay this time I’m out! Good luck with her, Danvers! She only likes you anyway!”-”Once again, he is wrong. I quite like Winn and Querl even though he has an uncommon name. And Nia and J’onn, and your mother. Alex scares me so I don’t know if I should count her among the people I like.”-”If you like spending time with her, talking with her or when she is around then you can count her in. And by the way. I’m scarier than her!”-”You are to the suspects, but not to me.”Kara could not help the smile that formed on her lips. Every time Lena opened up, it was a victory. Lena deserves the world but the world doesn’t deserve Lena Luthor.  Kara was sitting at her desk, looking at the pictures of the crime scene. Something was bothering her. She may not know what happened between Patricia and Samantha, but Kara knew people. A 68 years old person would only fight that much for her child, adopted or not. This had to do something with Samantha.-”Hey Kara.”-”Alex, what did you and J'onn find?”-”Apparently Samantha Arias worked for Luthor Corp before working for Obsedian.”-”Who knows about it?”-”Winn, J’onn and I.”-”Okay, hum… don’t tell anyone else. I need to talk to Lena first okay?”-”Of course.”Alex handed a file to Kara and left quickly, not wanting to witness her reaction. Fuck. Of all jobs Samantha could have had, she had to work for the Luthors at some point. Lena was not going to be pleased. At all. If she knew her, she might have to step aside and let another medical examiner take over the case. Kara closed her eyes for an instant. She needed to focus on the case. She took a deep breath, then another, then another. She was ready. She walked to the elevator and pressed the button of Lena's floor. The morgue was in the same building as the homicide department to make work easier for everybody. The budget cut had been rough on every department so they decided to regroup the homicide and scientific department. They worked together half the day anyway so it was just saving time from going from one place to another.When she walked into the morgue and was met with cold air and death’s smell. She was used to it but she still felt a little uneasy for the first few minutes. She waited by the door for Lena to notice her. The brunette was still wearing her heels but she had a white lab coat and protections on her hair and face. Kara could still see her eyes from her place and she could tell the scientist was focused. She would have to make her presence known. But it could wait for a few more seconds. Watching Lena in her environment was always mesmerizing. She was handling every victim so respectfully and with so much care.-”Did you bring me tea Kara?”-”How did you know it was me?”-”Well, the hairs on my neck did not stand up so I know it was not Olsen, Querl and Winn never dare to come down there because they say it’s creepy and Detective Nal tends to have a gag reflex.”-”What about J’onn?”-”He always sends you instead of coming if he can.”-”Okay smartass” Lena turned around and removed her gloves, her protections and walked to Kara.-”So tell me, what do you want to talk about Kara?”-”What? Why would you…”-”You did not barge in there like usual, you did not bring tea, which you usually do when you need something and you are obviously nervous.”-”Can we talk in your office?”-”Sure, come with me.”The brunette led her to an office separated from the autopsy room by a large wall with a huge window. The desk was not as important as one would have thought for a Luthor. A computer and papers sat on the desk along with a framed picture of Lena and Kara, the only personal item that belonged to the scientist. A small couch was put against the window wall and two chairs were facing Lena’s one.-”Take a sit”-”We have some development. Winn found something about Samantha Arias. She was working for Luthor Corp.”-”Oh.”-”Yeah… and now she works for Obsedian.”Lena sighed. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.-”She is working for Andrea.”-”Andrea? Who is that?”She opened her eyes and leaned back on her desk. Her face was unreadable to most people but Kara could tell it was a subject Lena would rather not talk about.-”Andrea Rojas. We were studying at the same boarding school. Her father built a technological empire before it collapsed due to concurrence. They created the first smartphones at the time but my family and many others expanded the market and ultimately led to his downfall. Until Andrea stepped in. Obsidian is the leader of virtual reality. They created the technology and now are expanding it to the general public.”-”Do you think someone could go after Samantha because of that?”-”I don’t know, but my family has many resources. And we both know they don’t really play by the rules.”-”Damn.” Kara sighed too this time. It was not looking good. She despised Lena’s family and now, she would have to interrogate them. She kept her eyes on Lena, seeing her expression shift from neutral to panicked.-”You don’t have to do anything. I’ll go to Luthor Corp with J’onn or Nia.”-”They will never let you in with a warrant.”-”I don’t want you to come, Lena!”This may have sounded a little more harsh than she wanted but she needed to protect her. They had treated her so badly her whole life, she was not going to give them any more opportunity to do so. Not as long as she was around.-”Kara….” Lena still looked panicked and it was breaking Kara’s heart.-”I don’t want you near them.”-”I am not made of sugar Kara! I can handle them!”-”But you don’t have to!”-”I…I have to. I’m the only one they would let enter the building.”-”Lena… Please… Let me handle this.”-”Fine. But you will need to know exactly what to say to them to enter the building and get to Lex.”-”I just have to tell them I’m Supergirl! I’m sure they’ll love it!”That managed to get a small laugh out of Lena but Kara could see her eyes were still dark from the phantoms of her past.-”Or maybe I could tell them I kidnapped you and forced you to be on the good side of the law?”Another small laugh. She would not leave this office until she makes sure Lena is not having a panic attack.-”What if I ask them if they saw a guy wearing Armani, and a head so bald we could use it to see the future?”This time, Lena’s laugh was deep and sincere. Mission accomplished. Kara smiled back at her, both from Lena’s laugh and the fact that she was the one who managed to make her let out that sound.-”Are you okay?”-”I will be. I need to focus on our victim, she deserves to be treated respectfully and I need to give my best.”-”Okay. I’ll keep you updated. Also, movie night tonight? You need to watch the Addams Family.”-”Is that a documentary?”-”You could say that.” Kara’s smile was wide and mischievous. She could not wait to witness Lena discover this classic and realize she was exactly like Wednesday. Lena frowned, she looked confused but also intrigued.-”If you say so.”-”What, you don’t believe me?”-”Go.”-”Yeah, right, you can not lie! See you later.”She left Lena’s office with a smile plastered on her face. For a moment, she forgot about the case, about Lena’s complicated family and everything else. She was just content to be in her presence, to have a moment of lightness and jokes with her beautiful best friend. Her best friend. She coughed at the thought and shook her head before stepping back in motion. Next step, Luthor Corp.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kara and Alex arrived at Luthor Corp with the firm intention to enter the building and talk to either Lillian or Lex. But the Luthor being one of the richest families of the world made the task more complicated. The security system was designed to keep everyone without an accreditation out. For a brief instant, Kara regretted not bringing Lena along. But the thought was rapidly watched by the want of keeping her safe and far away from them. The main door was guarded by four security members in uniform, with a Luthor Corp logo on the chest and shoulders instead of the police department one but otherwise, they looked like cops. As soon as Kara took a step too close for their liking, she was stopped by one of the guards with a hand against her chest.-”Where do you think you are going?”-”Kara Danvers, Homicide Detective and this is Alex Danvers.” She said showering her badge and Alex showing hers. “We need to speak to someone in charge.”-”For what?”-”None of your business…”She read the name on his badge and spoke again. “Johnson.”-”Do you have a warrant?”Here we go. Lena had told her they would say that. But she also had told her how to get in.-”No, we don’t. We would like to speak to someone who might know our victim. They worked here and we need help.”Help. The only reason she would need their help would be to save Lena if it was a dead or alive situation. And even then, she knew she could find another way to avoid getting them involved. But she had to play along. According to the brunette, if Lex felt like he could be the hero of the situation, he would help without even noticing.-”Help? Isn’t solving crime what you are paid for? With our taxes?”One of the other guards stepped aside, far from ear reach and spoke into his talkie walkie. She could not hear the conversation but he was looking straight at her while speaking so she knew it was about her.-”We need help and we would like to speak to Lex Luthor please. I’ve heard he is always kind on helping the government and his fellow citizens.”Next step, flattery. Lex was known to have a huge ego. He called himself the ‘Man of Tomorrow’ and wanted nothing more to be worshiped by the whole world. Unfortunately for him, he was also a greedy impulsive man who could not stand being said no too.-”Yeah, right! As if Mr Luthor would have time for dumb cops who cannot do their job on their own.”So Lex was in the building. The guard might want to act like a smartass but he just confirmed Lex’s presence here. If he was not, he would have simply said he was away. Before any of them could say another word, the guard who was talking on the talkie walkie came back and whispered something in Johnson’s ear. He grunted and looked at Kara with a disgusted expression.-”Fine. The boss says you have five minutes. Follow me.”Kara turned to Alex and smirked. It had worked. Playing with Lex’s ego had gotten them into the building. Now, they would have to make sure he actually speaks. Johnson led them through the hall, into the elevator to the 25th floor. Of course Lex would have an office at the top of the building, overlooking the city like he was some kind of King on his high tower. Once on the 25th floor, they were greeted by a bubbly blond woman in her 30's. She was wearing a dress and heels and Kara was sure Lex hired her because she was pretty. It would not be surprising.-”Follow me Detectives.”Alex elbowed her sister and leaned into her to whisper. ”See, I already look like a Detective.” She said half joking but still proud to fit the part. Kara let out a small laugh and shook her head, the banter with her sister was never finished and she had so many jokes to tell her right now but it was not the moment.-”Mr Luthor is waiting for you.” The assistant knocked on the door and they heard a faint ‘Let them in.’ coming from a male voice inside the office. Lex had his back turned to the windows, looking at the city, his hands clasped behind his back. He was wearing a grey suit and the sun was reflecting on his bald head. Kara debated taking a picture to show Lena later and make fun of him but her thoughts were interrupted by Lex. Without turning his back to them, he spoke with irony in his voice.-”Well, well, well. I’ve heard my sister's little side-kick needs my help.”He waited for a few seconds, trying to create an effect on Kara who already hated him.-”What do you need me for Kara? Oh! I see you brought your own sister. Tired of mine already?”Kara took a deep breath and clenched her fists. She had a part to play and he was not making it easy. She tried to focus on Lena’s instruction, giving him the opportunity to be a hero, flattery and most importantly, not showing any reaction.-”Your sister has a job to do. She can not afford to leave her office whenever she wants.”-”Well, if she had chosen to work with her true family, she would be able to. But you know Lena, always trying to be rebellious. Anyway, remind her her presence is mandatory at the Gala next month please.”-”I will.” Kara could feel Alex tense too. They may not be as close but Lena was still her friend in some weird kind of way and when you knew Alex, you knew no one touches her family.-”I believe you are here to ask questions about Samantha Arias?”-”Yes, I see you’ve done your research.”-”I never let a valuable employee leave without knowing where and why, Kara. A Luthor needs to be precocious. We have a lot of enemies.”-”What could you tell us about Mrs Arias?”-”Well” He said, walking to his desk and opening a drawer. “This is her personal folder from when she worked at Luthor Corp. I may have added a few pieces of information that I’ve obviously obtained via legal procedures.” He handed the folder to Alex who took it without breaking eyes contact once.-”Thank you Mr Luthor. You are being very helpful.”-”Just so you know Kara. I would never hurt a child and leave it motherless.”-”I know.” For the first time since they met years ago, they shared a sincere and knowing look, without any second thought or hidden intentions.-”Now, if you ‘ll excuse me, I have a meeting I need to attend.”-”Of course. Thank you for your help Mr Luthor.”They walked to the door in silence, eager to finally leave this place and be able to act normally without restraints.-”Oh! Before I forget! Welcome to the family Kara.”He said in an amused tone, making her turn around just in time to catch an object he threw at her. The two sisters left without another word, walking back past the bubbly blond who was tapping rapidly on her computer. Kara could feel Alex’s insistent eyes on her and prayed the older one would not talk before they were in the car. The guard watched go out, still wearing a disgusted look and as soon as they sat in the car, with closed door, Alex snapped.-”What the hell was that?”Kara took her time inspecting the object and the moment she realized what it was, she could feel every color being drained from her face. Lex had given her, more so thrown at her, a badge with her face on it. It was a badge from the Karaoke place they always went too. But instead of her name, it was written Kara Luthor. She showed the badge to Alex without a word.-”What is that? Why is your name Luthor on it?”Kara huffed and leaned back in her seat. That bastard. -”When I met Lena, after the first case we worked on, we went to celebrate at the Karaoke bar. And the bartender messed up our names. But I lost the tag a few weeks after that night. I don't know where he found it but I think the message is clear.”-”What message?”-”Don’t break Lena’s heart a second time.”  Meanwhile in the morgue. Lena was still focused on the autopsy. The poor victim had suffered way too much. She was still counting the broken bones when she heard the door opened, followed by a ‘Oh God’ and a gag reflex. Nia Nal was here. Lena liked Nia. She was a strong headed woman. And the first transgender Homicide Detective. But Lena liked her because despite the fact that she threw up almost every time she stepped a foot in the morgue, she kept pushing through and was now stepping closer and closer to the bodies, even on crime scenes. She was curious and had a good sense of deduction, and she never guessed. She always waited for Lena’s analysis before hypothesizing. Although Lena was not good at reading people, she could see how Nia was driven to bring justice, how important it was for her to be there, to be an example to her community and to bring them justice. She also could see how Querl was looking at her. According to her research, the two could be perfect for each other. But love was such a complicated factor.-”Nia Nal. Do you have any questions?” She stopped working on the victim to turn around and look at Nia’s green face with a small smile.-”Hum.. yes I hum… Did the result from the poisoning come back?”-”Not yet. But I did notice something unusual, would you like to see?”-”I’m not really sure.”-”Come on, you can do it. Put some lotion under your nose for the smell, same shelf as usual and try to focus on the victim. We need to bring her justice and I need to keep my sink clean.”-”Okay” Nia was not convinced she was going to keep it all inside but she had to. She could not keep being the only Detective who vomited on crime scenes. She walked to the shelf, put the lotion under her nose and joined Lena by the autopsy table.-”You know Nia, six months ago you were not able to be this close without feeling sick. You should be proud of yourself and celebrate the small victories.”-”Thank you Doctor Luthor.” They shared a smile and Lena went back to look at the body.-”See this bruise here? The color is different from the others. I’m still running some tests obviously but this is not a natural bruise.”-”What do- Sorry, what do you mean?”-”The bruise come from the inside. The tissues are marked differently. See, it is a perfect line, almost too perfect. If I were to guess, which I do not!” Nia laughed at Lena’s seriousness. “I would say that something was underneath her skin and they used some kind of magnet to get it back to the open wound and take it out.”-”It makes no sense.”-”Nothing makes sense in a murder. But criminals have way more imagination than me. Last year, I was called to a murder case where the body was found in an aquarium tank because Piranhas eat flesh.”-”Oh God..”-”You should try to call Patricia Arias’ doctor to see if she has ever had an MRI or an X-ray. We can try to find an anomaly on the scans.”-”Okay I’ll work on that.”-”Keep me Updated, and Nia? Be proud of yourself! Don’t tell Kara I said that but the first time she stepped a foot in here she almost threw up too!”-”My lips are sealed. Thank you Doctor Luthor.”-”Good I don’t like when she goes all vendetta against me!”  -”What happened at Luthor Corp?”J’onn pulled Kara out of her thoughts, she had spent the last minutes thinking about the first night she saw Lena outside of work, the first case they closed together. It was a long time ago but this night was forever engraved in her mind. She had seen Lena so carefree, so relaxed. The first time she saw her, she was wearing a dark blue suit with heels, of course, and walked into the crime scene like she was the owner of the whole department. Lena had this commanding persona she used to protect herself from the outside world. Her walls were so high back then Kara thought she was never being able to get past them. But the moment they stepped into that bar, on Karaoke night, Kara’s bubbly personality managed to break down those walls. She was still toying with her long lost badge when J’onn put a hand on her shoulder while his other hand was holding a Donut she noticed right away.-”Hey, are you okay?”-”Yes, hum, sorry.”-”What happened?”-”Lex gave us a folder. He already knew about Patricia’s death and gathered every information about her daughter.”-”What happened between you two?”-”He is all play and shocker. He gave me that.” She said, showing the badge to J’onn. “I lost that years ago.”-”He wants you to know he can mess with you.”-”Yes, in his weird creepy way, he showed me he can do anything he wants, even dig into the past to hurt me, or worse, to hurt Lena. Or do anything to protect her from me”-”Why would he need to protect her from you?”-”Because I hurt her once already. And he did not do anything back then but he wants me to know he can.”-”Do you want to talk about it?”-”She… I hurt her when I started to investigate her family. She thought I was using her, that I was not sincere and only wanted to get into the family.”-”But now, we know Lex was a part of the Weapon traffic.”-”Yes, but we still can not prove it. And Lena being Lena, is still afraid people would only see her as another Luthor who infiltrated the NCPD.”-”But she knows we don’t think that of her, she knows you want to protect her.”-”Yeah…” Kara said, unsure.-”She does, Kara. You two are a good team both at work and outside.”Kara smiled, her eyes lost in the memories of her times with Lena.-”Yes we do.”-”So, what about that folder?”-”Samantha graduated from the National City University with a double major in Research and Management while raising her daughter. There is no sign of her mother’s name in the folder so I guess they were not in contact. Her daughter was registered at the Luthor Corp daycare when she was young and her emergency contact is someone named Jack Spheer. Winn and Querl are looking him up.”-”Any address we can use?”-”I’ll send Nia and Alex to the address but it was registered years ago. Nia talked to Lena, she found something weird with the body, Querl will go see her doctor to talk to him.”-”That leaves us to go to Obsedian than.”-”Lena knows the owner of the company.”-”Okay then, go with her, I’ll handle the paperwork.”-”Thank you J’onn.” She looked at him, then at his hand and back at his face then nodded to the donut he was holding. “Are you gonna eat that?”-”Take it kid! But bring me back a sandwich from the Deli across the street on your way back!”Kara stood up, took the donut and walked to the elevator.-”This is not good for your health Papa Bear!”J’onn laughed, shook his head and muttered. “Damn kid! They are going to kill me!”  -”Hey Lena, do you want to get out of your Batcave and go see the real world?” She was leaning against the doorway, her hands in her pockets, hoping Lena would not ask about Luthor Corp just yet.-”Do you think they would allow me to raise real bats here?”-”Who would want to do that?”-”Bats are impressive. They are the only mammals who can fly and the biggest species are almost as tall as me!”-”With or without heels?”-”Very funny Kara!”-”Hey you’re the smart one, I'm the funny one!”-”I can be funny!”-”I know Lena, you make me laugh all the time.”One of her hands was still toying with the badge in her pocket while she looked at Lena with a fond smile. Lena took off her gloves and coat and stood in front of Kara.-”So where are we going Supergirl?”-”Really?! You too?”  They walked out of the morgue, Kara updating her about Lex’s folder without revealing too much about their interaction and led the way to the underground parking. She walked to her car and instinctively opened the driver door.-”Can we take my car?”-”Why?”-”Well, Obsidian is like Luthor Corp. Andrea knows me and she would expect me to drive another car.”-”Another car? You mean one which costs the same price as my apartment?”-”Maybe?”-”Lena!”-”What? They will let us in if they see a Luthor driving an expensive car.”-”Oh God… Okay you win! Where are you parked?”Lena took her car keys from her bag and with a smirk, pressed the unlock button. A loud sound resonated in the parking lot and Kara followed the direction of the sound. The shock was evident on her face.-”When did you buy a Mustang GTD?”-”I did not, they wanted me to try it because I corrected some of their development mistakes.”-”How did you even have access to that?”-”Remember the time you bailed on me because your basketball team was playing?”-”Please don’t tell me I chose to stay at home, watch them lose while you were at Ford working on a Mustang?”-”I did not work on it. They presented the project and as an investor I was invited. I noticed a mistake in the calculus they showed us and I told them. I could not risk them blowing up a car with someone inside.”-”Show off!”-”Be nice and you might be allowed to drive it on the way back!”-”Did I ever tell you that I love you?”Lena simply smiled and got into the car, starting the engine which roared loudly into the underground parking lot.-”Wow”-”Yeah, I know!”She said looking at Kara with a smug expression and started driving toward the exit. Kara felt electricity running through her body. No only because of the car, but also because she was one of the only ones allowed to witness this side of Lena. The confident side of her who geeked about cars and got excited because the new model was made in dark blue. The flicker in her eyes could be enough to light up the whole place and Kara’s heart.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Lena was right. She was always right anyway. The Obsedian security team let them in pretty easily. They arrived at the entry of the parking lot and all she had to do to be granted access was telling them who she was. The infamous Luthor child who chose to use her brain to solve crime wanted to get into the building.-”I should bring you around more often!”-”You know it only works with rich annoying people, right?”-”I don’t know how you survived this long with those people.”-”Let’s get it over with. I don’t want to spend too much Time with Andrea.”They led them to Andrea Rojas’s office and they waited for her in the middle of a room that could easily fit the whole floor of the NCPD. Much like Lex’s office, the room was lit by the huge windows and a desk was sat in the middle of the room. The only difference was a wall, full of Tvs showing the news from all around the world. Sensing Kara's scruting eyes beside her, Lena explained.-”Andrea loves to know what is going on everywhere. She claims it helps her know where to develop her brand.”-”I do not claim it Lena, this is the reality of the market. You have to be ready for every event worldwide if you want to dominate in this field.”-”Andrea.” She was a tall Latina woman with brown and clear eyes. She was wearing a couture dress and high heels. Kara noticed her gaze, fixed on Lena and wondered if there was something she did not know about their relationship.-”Not That I don’t like seeing you, but that was unexpected. What are you doing here?”-”Samantha Arias’s mother is dead. We are looking for her.”-”Oh, how disappointing. I thought you were there to ask me to be your date for the Gala.”Kara’s expression remained neutral but the ignorance Andrea showed to her and the implication that Lena and her might go on a date started to make her feel out of place and tense. She did not like the way the Latina was looking at Lena.-”You won’t be my date Andrea. We ended things a long time ago.”Oh, okay this was brand new information for Kara. She did not know Lena dated her. I could complicate the investigation but it also did not make her feel good to be standing in this office. Andrea still ignored her, not even sparing a glance in her direction.-”Too bad, we were good together. Anyway, Samantha Arias you said?”-”Yes, we can't reach her and we would like to tell her face to face about her mother’s passing.”-”Let me check.” Andrea walked to her desk and started typing on her computer. “She did not clock in to work this morning and as you know, you can’t enter the building without having a badge.”-”What does she do here? What’s her job at Obsedian?”Kara still has not uttered a word. Lena was leading the questioning and she was doing a good job at it. But again, she was a smart woman and was good at almost everything she tried, except for sports maybe.-”She is a commercial executive, she handles the sales in the country for us.”-”Would it be possible to forward us her personal files?”-”For you, I’ll do it Lena.” Kara groaned. She did not like Andrea. At all. Who did she think she was to flirt so openly with Lena and ignore her?-”Andrea, stop it. I’m here for work.”-”If you agreed to a date with me I would not have to flirt with you on the job.” Please say no Lena, please. -”Does Samantha have any enemies? Any conflict inside Obsedian?”-”No that I know of. But it’s a tough world and a tough business. You know that.”-”What about her daughter?”-”Every information we have about her will be on the file.”Andrea picked up her phone and pressed a button. Her face was less expressive than before, probably from the rejection or simply because she was talking to one of her employees, Kara did not know. But she was still standing awkwardly beside Lena, totally ignored by the CEO.-”Can you print Samantha Arias’ file? Hand it to Mrs Luthor. She will be on her way out in a minute.” The message was clear. They needed to leave.-”Well, I won’t keep you longer.”-”Thank you Andrea.”-”I assume you will bring your minion to the Gala?” She said finally looking at Kara with daggers in her eyes and maybe jealousy.-”Detective Danvers is free to join me if she wants. But she has a job to do you know, save people and bring justice.”-”Please, it’s not like being a cop requires being that smart.” Just as Kara was about to say her first word, she felt a hand taking hers and her head snapped at Lena.-”You have no idea how smart she is. Now, we are going to leave. Thank you for the file.”She led Kara out of the office with a word, still holding her hand. She did not let go of it in the elevator, nor when an assistant handed them the file. She only let go when they were in front of Lena’s car in the parking lot.-”What was that?”-”Long story. We used to be intimate. But I was just meeting my needs and she does not understand that.”Lena could be cold, and pragmatic and it did not surprise Kara that she would go on a date simply to have sex. But usually, she was not there to witness the flirting, and she most certainly did not expect Andrea to flirt so openly with Lena in front of her. She did not know how to react. They were best friends, she could not be jealous after all. But Andrea and her have history, they come from the same world and Kara could not compare. Lena handed her the keys of the car and looked at Kara with a mischievous smile.-”Your turn.” Kara did not react. She was still lost in thoughts and Lena noticed. She noticed everything.-”What’s wrong?”-”Nothing.” She responded too quickly to be honest, grabbed the keys and sat on the driver seat. Lena followed the movement and sat on the passenger side of the car. Kara did not start the engine right away. She felt Lena turn to her and put a hand on her knee.-”Kara, please, don’t do that. Tell me what’s wrong.”-”I don't like Andrea.”-”She can be a bit much but she’s harmless.”-”I don’t trust her.” Especially around you, she wanted to add.-”She was part of my life a long time ago.” Lena said reassuringly. “I haven’t seen her in a while and I don’t plan to.”They were best friends. Lena should not have to reassure her about her dates or her relationships but ever since they met, after the first night they shared at the bar, Kara could not help but feel like they could be more. But life had decided otherwise, and now it was too late. Kara had to accept that. But every smile, every light touch, every time she made Lena laugh still made her feel things she should not feel. She could not help it.-”Let’s go, we have to go back to the station.”The detective started the engine, a smile creeping up on her lips at the sound and drove to the station, very aware that Lena had not removed her hand from her knee.  -”Hey Kara, want to grab lunch with me?”-”Sure, as long as you don’t steal my food!”-”Once, it happened once!”-”Yes! And it was potstickers!”-”You ratted me out to mom and I had to clean the dishes for a whole week for potstickers Kara!”They shared a laugh at the memory and walked to the cafeteria. They usually ate there when they were at the station. The food was good and not really expensive. The menu changed all the time and M’gann, the cook, was really nice. Kara was sure J’onn and her had something going on. Alex settled for a sandwich and Kara for a burger and fries.-”Any news about the case?”-”Nope but can we talk about something else?”-”Sure what’s up?”-”Nothing much. I heard we’re having a movie night tonight?”-”What? A movie night?”-”The Addams Family?”-”Oh no, well you’re not invited.”-”Rude.”-”I’m making Lena watch it. She needs to know where she’s from.” She said laughing.-”Wait! She has never seen it?”-”Nope!””Oh God! What kind of childhood did she have?”-”None unfortunately! That’s why I’m trying to make up for it.”-”Yeah, I see. Well, enjoy your date!”-”Thanks” Kara answered without even realizing the meaning of Alex’s words.-”Mom wants to have a proper get together by the way. She called to yell at me and I’m giving the message to you.”-”When does she want to do that?”-”Wait a sec.” Alex said, picking up her phone and scrolling in the message. “She said and I quote ‘Whenever you decide to finally take some time off your damn job’.” Kara bursted out laughing.-”Looks like we don’t have a choice.”-”She sent a text to J’onn and wants us to invite everyone. I’ll let you invite Lena.” Kara did not have time to respond before her phone started ringing.-”Danvers… Yes.. Okay, thank you.” She hung up and glanced at Alex who looked at her expectantly. “We have a lead I got to go. Bye Alex!”-”You’re going to let me pay you twat?!”Alex watched Kara leave without turning back after packing her burger to go. Her damn sister and her priorities. She would have to finish her sandwich alone.  -”Winn? What’s up?”-”We found Ruby Arias’ school. It’s a private school so I had to hum… get into the system a bit but can confirm she attends this school and has not been today.”-”Okay I’ll send Alex and Nia to her house and J’onn and Querl to the school.”-”I found no trace of Ruby’s father. I suppose Samantha raises her alone so unless we can question her and she gives us the name, I don’t think he is a suspect.”-”We are not going to rule out anyone unless we have a serious suspect but I agree, I think it’s deeper than that. Samantha laying low after her mother’s death is suspicious. Especially because they did not seem close. Quick question, did we find any picture of the kid in Patricia’s house?”-”Hum, let me check.” He typed furiously on the keyboard and his eyes were scanning the screen like a mad man. “Nope, not one picture.”-”Weird. What kind of grand-mother does not have a picture of her grand-daughter? Her only grand-child it seems.”-”They were not close. The neighbors told the police they hadn’t seen Samantha for over ten years. maybe she did not even know about her.”Kara was deep in thought. She was focused on the case, like she tried to solve a hundred pieces puzzle with only two corners and a random piece. This was more complicated than a simple murder case. Of course she treated every case as an important one but she could not help but listen to her guts. They were telling her that the murder was a cover up. Lena found the evidence of torture and Samantha and her daughter were missing. If your mother has been murder, even if you were not close, you don’t go into hiding if you have nothing to hide. Samantha was a suspect but Kara had the feeling she could be the next victim.-”There is definitely something wrong with this, something we don’t know yet but huge.”-”Agreed. I’ll keep you updated if I find anything else.”As Kara was about to leave, Winn stopped her by yelling ‘WAIT’.-”Ruby plays soccer. You might want to ask questions to her coach. I’ll text you the name and address and the address of the park they go to.”-”Thanks Winn.” Kara left the room, still able to hear the sound of the keyboard and the bips of the computer. She would need to go to the coach’s house.She texted Lena, asking her if she was free to tag along and the reply was almost immediate. -I’ll come with you as long as you promise I don’t have to run. I can’t run in heels- Kara chuckles, she could not picture Lena, ever. She hated it. Kara suspected this was the reason she wore heels all the time. It was a good excuse to not run or do any sport.  The coach was not really helpful. Beside giving the same address they had found on the files and confirming that Samantha raised Ruby alone. The coach was nice and seemed to really like training the kids. She told them Ruby was a nice kid, polite and smart and that Samantha was here at every game and even helped when she could. Although she was a busy woman, she was trying really hard to raise Ruby properly.On the way back, they talked about the case until Lena turned to Kara at a red light and spoke softly, almost whispering.-”Do you want to come to the Gala with me?”-”What? I’m sorry I did not hear you.”-”Would you like to come with me to the Gala?”-”Would you like me to come?”-”Kara, I’m asking if you want to come.”-”But do you want me to?” Kara said with a playful smile.-”Kara. Lena said, groaning. “Don’t force me to beg!”-”But I love when you do!”-”Kara, please, can you come with me to a Gala where my mother and brother are going to piss me off so I have an ally?”-”Thank you for the invitation but I don’t think I can come with you until…”-”Okay, fine, I’ll buy you lunch for a week.” -”I’ll think about it.”-”A month?”-I don’t know, I think I’m worth more than that…” Lena groaned again but louder this time.-”Okay fine. Last offer, food for a month and I’ll let you drive the Mustang for a day.”-”See! I knew you would get it!” Lena laughed and shoved her softly, careful to not disturb Kara while she was driving.-”You’re an ass!”-”I’ve been told! But you love me!” Kara said, looking briefly at Lena and winked.-”Yes, I do.” Lena replied with a smile and a sincerity in her voice that made Kara’s knees weaken. She smiled back and tried to focus on the road to get them back to the station safe and sound.  When Kara arrived at Lena’s massive house, she let herself in with her spare keys and started looking for the brunette. She did not find her but could hear the sound of the shower running so she yelled to let Lena know she was here and not scare her when she would go out of the shower and find her on the couch. She went through Netflix and found the first movie of the Addams Family and pressed play to start the movie, stopping right after the Netflix intro so Lena would not miss one second. She opened a cabinet of the opened kitchen in hope to find some snacks but knowing Lena, she would not find any. She sighed and opened another one, then another. She was about to give up when something caught her eyes. A box of cereal was stored with the flour. It was odd for someone like Lena to have something sweet in the middle of the salty items. She was not the kind of person to forget where she put her cereals. She took the box and spilled the content on the counter. She smirked and disposed of her find like evidence on the counter, taking a seat just as the water stopped running. She waited a few more minutes before watching Lena walk into the room in a simple T-Shirt and jogging and had her hair wet. Kara rarely saw her dressed so casually and she found her even more beautiful. She was not wearing the high heels, the expensive dresses or makeup that she uses as a shield. She was just Lena. And it was so endearing. For a second, Kara forgot about what she found in the box, lost in the beauty of her best friend.-”What did you do to my counter?”-”Nope. You’re not the one asking questions, Miss I hide my snacks because I want to keep them to myself!”Lena laughed at Kara’s antics and took a step closer to examine the evidence.-”Bio dark chocolate, peanut butter and uncooked corn? These are your evidence?” She said pointing to the layout.-”Yup.” Kara replied, popping the P loudly. “Do you have anything to say to defend yourself, Miss Luthor?”-”Only one thing, Miss Danvers.” She said, grabbing the chocolate bar. “You did not search the right cupboard.” She started laughing and running, Kara following closely.They kept on running around the house like children until Kara managed to catch her easily. She grabbed Lena’s waist from behind, lifting her up before settling her back on the floor and turning her around, grabbing the hand that was still holding the chocolate bar behind her back. Lena tried to yank her arm away, pulling Kara flat against her chest. Kara was still holding her hand, their body now pressed together, their breath mixed. The detective could feel the atmosphere shift from playful to deeper. The air was hot and heavy. She could feel her body heat up from the proximity and the intensity of Lena’s eyes, looking deep into her soul. There was no denial about the attraction they felt toward each other and at this moment, Kara forgot about Lena being her best friend and her colleague. She was just Lena, and she was just Kara. The pull she felt toward her made it impossible to stay away. She felt her body lean into Lena’s one, their lips coming closer and their forehead almost touching. She saw Lena wet her lips, as flushed as she was. Her eyes were dark and full of arousal and Kara knew her eyes looked as intense as hers. She waited for any sign of doubt from Lena but when she saw none, she leaned even more and brushed her lips against hers. She was so close to finally kissing her. She wanted to enjoy every moment, every feeling and emotion and take them in to remember. She smiled and leaned to close the small gap left between them when her phone ran. She exhaled loudly and rested her forehead against Lena’s, closing her eyes in frustration. The moment was over. They had almost kissed and her damn phone ran. She cursed whoever was calling her right now.Lena's breath was steadier than a second ago and she whispered softly. “It’s okay, go answer.” But she did not make any move to walk away from her. Kara was not strong enough to force herself to let go either. She enjoyed the proximity for a few seconds more until her phone ran again.-”I’m sorry Lena..” Her voice was barely audible, matching Lena’s one, too afraid to break even more the bubble they were in.-”I know, go save the world Supergirl.”She said smiling. Kara smiled back at her and finally detached herself from the brunette to answer her damn phone. She cleared her throat and exhaled deeply, trying to compose herself before pressing the button.-”Danvers…Are you kidding me? I’m on my way!”She ran to her jacket, throwing it on haphazardly and turned to Lena who was looking at her with a concerned expression, silently asking what the call was about.-”It was Alex. They found Samantha and Ruby.”-”How? Are they okay?”-”Alex told me she just walked into the bar across the station.”-”She’s at Al’s?”-”Yes, she asked for Winn and Al directed her to their table.”-”What the heck?”-”I know! I… I’m sorry Lena I need to…”-”I know Kara, I understand. Go make sure the kid is okay.”-”I’ll see you later?” She said almost unsure, the intimacy of the moment they shared starting to feel too real.-”Of course.” Lena’s smile was sure and reassuring. Everything was still good between them. They would need to talk later about what happened and what it meant for the both of them but for now, they were okay.-”I’ll keep you updated.”Kara grabbed her keys and purse and hugged Lena, placing a rapid kiss on the corner of her mouth and with one last fond smile, left to meet Samantha and Ruby Arias. She would need to focus back on the case instead of the feeling of Lena’s lips ghosting over hers. She shook her head and started her car, a smile creeping up on her lips. She was full of hope and feeling. They were going to be okay, and maybe Kara would finally be able to be with the woman she loves. And solve a case. That was important too.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kara did not simply walk into the bar, no. She barged in. Everyone in the bar turned their heads to her but she did not even notice. Samantha and Ruby Arias were here. She was sitting at the table with Winn and Nia. She practically ran to the table where she was met by her sister in deep conversation with their principal suspect.-”Samantha Arias?”-”Yes, Detective Danvers I suppose.”-”We’ve been looking for you.”-”So I’ve heard.”-”How did you find us?”-”Winn Schott searched my name online and as I am a bit stressed nowadays, I’ve put an alert on my name and found his online ID and went back up the trail.”-”Kara, she is a computer genius too. She managed to find me by breaking through my security protocol.” Winn looked at Samantha in awe. It was rare, almost impossible for someone to hack into Winn’s computer or online personnel files.-”I found his personal page and saw he usually comes to this bar.” She said, gesturing around her. “And I need help. I figured he was part of the team looking for my mother’s murderer.”-”Do you understand you are our principal suspect?”-”Yes, I would suspect me too if I were you.”-”Where is Alex?”-”She is playing with Ruby over there.” Nia said, looking in the direction of the pool table.-”Good, so we can talk here before taking you back to the station.”-”Please don’t take us here!” Samantha said, panicked. “I don’t trust a lot of people. My mother’s murder was not an accident, she has not been chosen randomly.”-”Care to explain a bit more?” Kara said, taking a seat at the table. Samantha took a deep breath and spoke again, still on the verge of an apparent mental breakdown.-”I’ve been adopted. My mother never told me who were my birth parents, not where I come from. But as I started working at Luthor Corp, I found some files about something called ‘Leviathan’. I tried to find some more but they were all encrypted and knowing the Luthor, the files must be filed with alerts and all kinds of firewalls protecting them from being opened.”-”What is Leviathan?”-”I don’t know, the only thing I found was that Obsedian’s former CEO, Mr Rojas’s name was on the files too. So I decided to go work for them, to investigate from the inside. But I did not have much luck either. The only files I have found were about children and experimental techniques of alteration of abilities.”-”What? Was it something legal?”-”I believe not. But then, I saw my mother’s name on the files with the mention ‘Missing’ on it.”-”What does your mother have to do with all of that?”-”I have no Idea. I…” Tears were starting to fill up her eyes and her voice was now shaking.”I … I wanted to talk to her about all of it, about how I was adopted and what had been going on but… when I arrived near her house, I saw the police cars and … and the coroner’s van and I knew.”-”Do you have any proof confirming what you say?”-”Yes, hum… give me a minute, I have an USB device in my back with everything that I found. I also have a printed copy in my safe at the bank, you know, in case I can not trust technology anymore.”-”Smart!”-”Winn!”-”What? it is!” Samantha rummaged through her bag and finally found the device, handing it to Kara.-”Listen, I know it may sound sketchy, but I really don’t know what’s going on. I have know idea who killed my mother and… I have no idea where I’m from.”Kara understood that part. Sure she had known her parents when she was younger, but she did not remember her childhood much. She did not remember her address or her school’s address, only the people she knew back then. Her psy told her it was linked to the trauma of losing her parents so suddenly at such a young age. She also understood how hard it was for a child to grow up in a family that loves you but in which you feel like you don’t belong sometimes.-”Were you close with your mother?”-”When I was a child, yes, but in my first year of college, I got pregnant with Ruby.” She said looking at her daughter with undeniable love. “And my mother, she got mad… so mad.”-”Because of the pregnancy?”-”She did not accept the baby, she kept saying it was too dangerous, that having a baby was going to complicate things for me and…I left. I could not abandon my child. Back then, I thought she was talking about me being too young to raise a child but now…”-”Now you think it might have something to do with the files you found.”-”Yes, and I’ll never be able to ask her about that…” Nia put a comforting hand on Samantha’s arm and spoke softly.-”We will help you figure out everything, we are one of the best teams in town. We will find a way to help you.”-”Thank you Detective Nal, I just want my daughter to be safe. Now.” She said, closing her eyes and breathing heavily. “Now we are alone.” She was looking at her laughing daughter, still playing pool with Alex.Kara sat silent, processing every information she had been told. She would need to talk to Lena. Her family seemed deep into this mess. She was not going to like it. Hell, Kara did not like it. They needed to find a way to investigate the link between Luthor Corp and Obsedian too. Andrea’s father and the Luthor were both involved in something really dangerous and illegal. She really hoped they would not uncover something worse than she thought. Using children for experiences was awful enough, she pray with all her heart that it was just a theoretical experiment and not a real one. It was going to break Lena too, knowing her family was capable of such acts.-”Do you have a place to stay?”-”No I don’t. I don’t think my apartment is safe anymore…” Alex and Ruby came back to the table at this very moment, breaking Kara’s interrogation.-”Mom! I won! And Alex did not even let me! I actually won!” She said excitedly.At least Ruby did not seem to understand the gravity of the situation. If they could preserve her innocence for a little bit longer it was already a win. Alex was smiling too. She had always loved kids and she had always wanted her own family. But it was not easy when you were a lesbian. The government allowed adoption for single parents and same sex couples but the procedures took years and it was not really legal to use a donor. Well, it was to get pregnant but the second parent would not have any parental rights on the kid and if something happened, they would be sent to live with a blood related member of the family. It was unfair but for now, the government was not ready to change anything. While the mother and daughter duo was busy talking about the many pool games Ruby had played, Kara took her teammates aside.-”We need to find a solution, we can not legally put them in the witness program because we don’t have any proof of what Mrs Arias is saying, but we can’t exactly leave them on their own. They could disappear again, or worse, they could be the next victims.” Winn and Nia looked at each other in shock, sizing the urgency of the situation while Alex looked at Samantha and Ruby.-”I can take them to mine. I’m a cop, they’ll be safe. Plus, Lena had all of us install a detector on our front door and windows for security.”-”Are you sure?”-”Yes, every move will be monitored and I can work from home as long as you don’t need me on the field.”-”If you need Alex at a crime scene, we can take over.” Nia said gesturing between herself and Winn.”-”Yes, and we can talk to Querl and J’onn too. We can protect them, as a team.”-”Okay, let’s do it!”  Lena was tapping on her computer, filing the files about the victim. She did not have any other useful information and it was getting frustrating. She was deep in thoughts, trying to come up with any other method which could help the case but nothing was good enough. She barely slept that night, wondering if Kara and the rest of the team was okay, if Samantha and Ruby were okay. This case was a mess. She decided to come to the station early, not finding sleep anyway and preferring to use her time to help solve the case. Suddenly, the door of the morgue opened. She looked up from her computer and was faced with her brother, Lex. he was standing here, looking like he owned the place in his expensive grey suit.-”Lex, what are you doing here?”-”Your girlfriend stopped by my office yesterday, so I figured I could owe my favorite little sister a visit.”-”I’m your only sister Lex.” She replied in a cold tone.-”I see. Not in the mood, noted.”-”What do you want?”-”On the records, see how you are doing.”-”And off the records?”-”Talk about your case.”-”I won’t give you any information and you know that.”-”Yeah, I know work ethic and stuff.” He said dismissively, looking around the office and touching the artifacts exposed on one of the shelves. “Your girlfriend is digging into some dangerous stuff. It would be a shame if something happened to her.”-”Is that a menace?”-”Should it be?” Lena huffed and stood up from her chair, taking the figurine Lex was holding from his hands and putting it back at its place.-”Okay I won’t touch anything else.” He said with an amused tone, lifting both of his hands in surrender. “All I’m saying is our parents were not really the best when it came to parenting.”-”No shit.”-”And she curses now! Little Lena is all grown up!”-”Shut up Lex! Get to the point I don't have all day!”-”There are some things you don’t know about them, some things even I did not know about.”-”Like what? The mystery of your baldness?”-”Very funny Lena! I’m just saying, if you dig deeper into our parents’ past, you might find things you don’t want to know. Sometimes, if something is buried, there is a reason. Ask the Zor-El family.”-”Who?”The sound of a door closing in the corridor made Lex turn around with urgency. He behaved like a man being hunted and he was usually the hunter. Something was wrong, very wrong. He stepped closer to Lena, and in a rare affectionate gesture, only reserved for the most sorrowful moment, he laid a kiss on the top of her head and said “Promise me you’ll be careful.” And left before the steps coming in their direction could get too close to them, leaving Lena in utter disbelief.  -”Lena? Are you okay?”-”Hum yes J’onn, just a rough night.”-”Did Kara call you already?”-”No, why? What happened?” She could feel anxiety rising up in her body. The warning from Lex was not helping. He was never afraid of anything and yet, he was worried, almost scared. It made Lena feel even more anxious than usual.-”Samantha and Ruby Arias will be staying at Alex’s apartment. We can not put them into the protection program so we had to find a solution. We are planning on taking turns to take care of them and make sure they don’t flee again. You do have your firearm permit, right?”-”Hum. yes I do. I can also use a bow and a sword but that does not seem relevant right now.”-”Are you okay?” He took a step closer, slowly, as if he was approaching a wild animal and layed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Lena, what is wrong?”-”I can’t shake the feeling that this case is worse than we think. If Luthor Corp and Obsedian are involved, it could be something huge and very dangerous.”-”We will face this as a team. We will protect each other. We always do.”-”What if we can’t this time?” She was looking so small right now. It was clear to J’onn that the Doctor was afraid. Lena was not the most expressive person, so when we could see the panic on her face, it meant she was highly on the edge.-”We’ll try our best. And if we do need help, we will find it. But right now, what matters is to keep Samantha and Ruby safe.”-”You’re right. I should not be so selfish.”-”You’re not selfish Lena, you’re scared. I am too.”-”You are?” She could not believe someone like J’onn, who went to war, could be scared.-”Yes, I’m always scared something will happen to the people I love, you included. And this case, I don’t know what to think but it’s dangerous, very dangerous. And we need to stick together to face it.”-”You’re right.”-”I know.” He said, smiling at Lena in a fatherly way. “Now, go get something to eat before you collapse.”  Alex settled for the couch, letting Samantha and her daughter the privacy of her bedroom. It was hard enough being on the run, or hiding to be more precise. She did not want them to feel uncomfortable. She was going to work from home today and to give a little bit of joy to Ruby, she decided to order pizza. They had explained to the kid that she would have to stay inside, not open the door for her own protection but when you are a twelve years old teenager, the lack of privacy and liberty was something hard to understand. They had arranged for an officer to gather some of their important belongings from their home, bringing them to the station so that Alex could bring them to her own apartment without looking suspicious. Ruby was like her mother, she was a smart kid with a passion for science and soccer and lucky for her, Alex loved soccer. So the conversation was quite easy between them. Samantha was more guarded but Alex could tell she was a good mother and a lovable woman. They had chosen to watch a movie on the couch while Alex worked on the case. Ruby’s attention was on the Tv but Samantha’s one kept drifting to Alex.-”What?”-”Nothing.”-”Arias, what is it? You keep glancing at the screen.”-”It’s just… you’ve made a mistake here.” She said pointing at a particular line on the files.-”You’re not supposed to be reading that.”-”I’ll leave you to it. I’m just saying this word does not spell like that.” Alex looked at her then back at the screen and finally found the word Samantha was talking about. She indeed misspelled it.-”Thanks” She muttered under her breath, embarrassed that the woman she was supposed to protect was the one being the most attentive.Samantha smirked at her and turned her attention back to the Tv. It was at this moment that Alex realized she had everything she wanted. A job she loves, the motorcycle she had always dreamed of, a beautiful apartment and a family of friends. But having Samantha and Ruby at her apartment made her realize she was craving for a family of her own. Sure, it was not because of Samantha and Ruby in particular, that would be crazy, right? But the simple act of sharing a pizza, being quiet but at peace in the same room made her want to have someone to share her late night with. Nia and Querl had each other, J’onn and M’gann were flirting, Winn was trying to win Ayla over, his own words, and Kara and Lena were, she did not know exactly what they were. She wasn’t sure THEY knew what they were. But they had each other too.-”Hey Alex”-”Yes Ruby?”-”Can we make popcorn?”-”Sure! Come with me!”-”Ruby, don’t bother Agent Danvers, she's working!”-”But she said yes Mom!” She said whining.-”Yup, plus I’m also craving popcorn Mrs Arias. And it will keep Ruby busy for a while.”-”Please call me Sam.”-”Okay but call me Alex.”-”Deal!” She said, offering her hand to shake with a smile.-”Come on kiddo, let’s make popcorn!”-”Yay!”  Kara walked into Lena’s office, exhausted. She had not slept yet and was starting to lose focus. She needed rest and Lena had a couch and pillows, and comfy blankets. She stopped in front of the door, taking a moment to observe Lena. The brunette was sitting at her desk, her brow furrowed and her hands intertwined in front of her. She was looking at the computer intensely.-”I come bearing gifts!” Kara exclaimed entering the office.-”Oh dear Lord! I hope there is scotch in that cup!”-”Nope only tea but I brought you scones! I know you love them!”-”From the bakery two blocks down?” Lena’s face could not hide her excitement.-”Affirmative.” Kara handed Lena her tea and pastries and plopped down the couch ungracefully.-”Any news about, anything?”-”I did not find anything else on the victim’s body. The samples are still being studied and I’m filing the official report.”-”What’s with the frown?”-”There is an element we are missing here.”-”I know.”-”Lex stopped by.” Kara sat up abruptly from the couch and looked at Lena in shock.-”What? Are you okay?” She was fighting the urge to hug her best friend. They were still at work and after their almost kiss, she did not know if physical proximity was such a good idea.-”He did not hurt me or anything. He… I think he came to warn me. I don’t think he is involved but he mentioned our parents and how it’s better sometimes to let the skeleton inside the closet. He said you were digging something dangerous.”-”Sounds like more than a warning.”-”I thought so too, but then he, he made me promise to be careful.”-”Lex? Is he scared?” And then the implication of her words hit Kara like a truck driving at its maximum speed. “Oh no, Lex is scared. Why is he scared? Lena, it’s not good, not good at all!”-”I know… He told me to look for a family named Zor-El.”-”Never heard of this name. It’s a strange name, isn’t it? It must be from another country, like Querl or J’onn.”-”Probably. I’ve looked into the NCPD’s files but I did not find anyone with this name, or this kind of name that could have helped determine the origin of the family.”-”I’ll ask Winn to dig into the dark side of the Internet.” She tried to joke, but Lena and her were both too tense to laugh right now.Lena walked around her desk, taking step by step until she was in front of Kara. She was worried and she felt powerless. She couldn't help. She also felt guilty because once again, her family was named in one of her cases, in a murder case and worse, they were suspected to have used children for experiments. Sensing Lena’s discomfort, Kara opened her arms and waited for Lena to close the gap between them. The brunette finally took the final step into Kara’s arms, dropping her head against her chest and circling Kara’s waist with her own arms. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel the comfort of the embrace, the warmth of Kara and listen to the steady heartbeat against her ear. Kara’s left arm rested against her back, while she lifted the other enough for her hand to cup the back of Lena’s head, pulling her even more against her chest.-”We will figure it out. Together Lena. We always do. I’ll protect you.”-”That’s the thing.”-”What?”-”I’m afraid I can’t protect you Kara.”The silence was heavy. Neither of them dared to speak. Kara’s eyes looked at the wall, not even focused, her vision blurred by the fatigue and the doubts she had. She was afraid to. To not be able to protect Lena, or her friends. To not be able to protect Samantha and her daughter. To not be able to arrest the culprit because this case might run deeper into Luthor Corp and Obsedian than she originally thought. She was scared to put everyone in danger and lose everything.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Winn Schott was a genius, there was not a single doubt about that. He was recruited by the police after hacking into their files when he was a teenager. He was given the opportunity to either work for them or go to juvie, so the choice was quite obvious for him. He chose to use his skills to do good things, to help the police solve cases. He was lucky to land on a team that has become his family. He was really close with Kara, after overcoming his crush on his now best friend. So when Kara told him he was allowed to go deep into the internet to try to find something about the Zor-El family, he tried everything to find any clue. One thing he was not ready for, was finding a file, deep into a barely legal branch of Luthor Corp, Cadmus. It was a part of Luthor Corp that was not officially active anymore. Lillian and Lionel had a questionable past and Cadmus had been the cover for some of their illegal doings. But the name Zor-El was hidden so deep in the depths of Cadmus that it took him days to find something. Right in front of him, on his computer screen, the information he could read made him dizzy. He could not gather enough strength to tell Kara first, he would need J’onn.-”What is it, Winn?”-”Look.” He said, pointing at the screen with a shaky hand. J’onn bent down over his shoulder and started reading. He could not believe his eyes either. Here, right in front of him was written in bold letters ‘Zor-El = Aliens?’-”Winn, what does this mean?”-”I have no idea Papa Bear. What does ‘alien’ mean for the Luthors?”-”Lena had never talked about any research about life outside of the Earth and knowing the Luthors, the term alien could mean someone who was not born here.”-”I don’t know J’onn. Look.” He said, rolling the screen down to show him another part of the file. “It says something about Krypton. What is Krypton?”J’onn sighed and looked at Winn with worry in his eyes and something else Winn could not grasp. “I don’t know Winn… I don’t understand. Why would Cadmus have files about someone called Zor-El? WHat is going on?”-”What do they know that we don’t?”-”Does Kara know?”-”Not yet. I…I don’t want to tell her until I find something more probing.”-”Okay, keep me updated.”J’onn left without another word. There was something strange about his behavior that gave Winn the impression he was hiding something but he could not put his finger on. J’onn had always been secretive about his past. He had been in the army and had seen so many disturbing things, but surely, he had never worked with the Luthors, and had never talked about a Zor-El. But yet, Winn could not help but wonder if J’onn’s family was somehow from the same country or place as the Zor-El. The names were different, not common but that was not a reason to suspect any kind of relation between them. He would need to find more. Maybe he could ask Querl about those files and for his help.  Querl was a genius too, one coming from Kaznia, a country from the ex URSS block which is linked to Cadmus. They used to sell weapons to the rebellion. Querl Dox was recruited because of his work to free his people. He was a good man, despite his lack of social skills. He was really in love with Nia and treated her with the respect of a true gentleman. He was a good friend too, already ready to help everyone and was driven by a tremendous sense of justice. Not even five minutes after Winn called, Querl, nicknamed Brainy, arrived in his office. He was carrying his own computer and was ready to get to work.-”What do you need me for?”-”I need you to use your connection and knowledge about Kaznia, and Cadmus. I found a file deep down into Cadmus’s database, with the name of Zor-El. But I can’t find anything else. So I thought it would be a good idea to look into Kaznia’s own database. To try to find some link between Cadmus, Kaznia and the name.”Winn was taken aback by Brainy’s reaction. The man who was usually impassive, was clearly shocked. He was looking at Winn with wide eyes and concern, much like J’onn had been looking at him earlier. Suddenly, and for the first time since he met them, Winn felt like he might not be able to trust them fully, and he did not like this feeling. At all.-”What’s wrong Brainy?”-”Nothing, I did not expect Mrs Arias’s murder to be linked to Kaznia.”-”So, can you help?”-”Sure.” Wainn watched Brainy sit on the chair next to him and type on his computer, his eyes focused on his task but a frown showing on his forehead. They worked in silence for the majority of the day, not even speaking to each other until Brainy stopped typing abruptly.-”Winn, I found a connection.”-”Tell me more.”-”I found something about Kaznia. The files say there was an explosion 30 years ago, right after the Independence war. It is reported here that a meteorite landed on Kaznia and destroyed a weapon warehouse.”-”How is it a connection?"-”The warehouse belonged to Cadmus.”Winn could not believe his eyes. Cadmus actually had weapon warehouses around Kaznia and they had proof. An asteroid landing on a Cadmus location and having the term ‘alien’ written on other files? It was too much of a coincidence. He did not say anything about aliens, or even the possibility of having life around the galaxy but maybe, just maybe, it could be possible that this meteorite was something else. Something Cadmus could have hidden and used for their own profit. Even if it was not an actual alien, the elements which can be found on a meteorite could be used to enhance the technology on Earth or could be dangerous. Sure he was not a conspiracy theorist, but he read a lot of comic books and if someone had the idea of writing a story with a spider giving a teenager superpowers, he could not imagining what someone like a Luthor, with money and ideas would be able to do with a meteorite and alien stones. But why was Patricia killed? What did she have to do with Cadmus, and an explosion in a country nine thousand kilometers away?  Meanwhile, Alex was working on Samantha’s adoption files, with the woman’s help on the details she remembered from her childhood, while Ruby was doing homework.-”And did you have any idea about your life before you were adopted?”-”No, my mother never told me about it…”-”Kara does not remember much either, and she was thirteen when we adopted her. She remembers her parents though, but not really the place she grew up at.”-”Yeah, Patricia always told me I was a baby when I was adopted. All I know is that I don’t come from the area.”-”Mom?”-”Yes sweetie?”-”Did you tell Alex about the time you burnt yourself and you did not get burnt?”-”Ruby, it’s nothing, I just happen to not have any scar.”-”But you got burnt! I saw you and you were not even hurt!” Samantha sighed at her daughter’s antics. Alex, for her part laughed, kids always saw their parents as heroes who could climb mountains and save the world.-”Ruby, do you think your Mom has superpowers?”-”I’m not dumb Alex!”-”Language!”-”Sorry, but I remember it! You got burnt while cooking and you did not even have a mark! You did not even yell!”-”It was nothing Ruby, if I was really hurt, I would have a scar but that’s not the case.”-”You know what, it reminds me of this one time when we were younger with my sister, we were playing on the beach with some friends, and there was a car accident on the road. Everyone swore they saw Kara stop the car and rescue the woman inside, but it’s impossible, she just ran to the car and helped the woman get out. But it happened so fast everyone thought she was like Captain Marvel.”-”Yeah but Alex, I know what I saw! Don’t believe me but I know my Mom has powers!” She said dismissively and went back to do her homework.-”Kids, they have so much imagination!”-”I know, right?” Alex answered with a fond smile. Ruby was indeed pretty smart for a kid her age. “So back to the case, if you don’t mind. Did Patricia ever talk to you about Leviathan?”-”Never, I know nothing more than what I have already told you. I don’t understand why her name was on their files, she was not missing, she was living right here, in National City…” Sam said with a sad tone.-”We did not find anything else about Leviathan for now, but I’ll keep you updated if we find something.” Alex said, putting a reassuring hand on her knee.-”Thank you Agent Danvers. Hum, Alex, sorry,” She answered, laughing a little, remembering their agreement to call each other by their first name.-”Have you ever heard about Cadmus?”-”No, never, I think I saw the name on some files at Luthor Corp but no one talked about it and they all dated from decades ago.”-”So, you did not see the name Cadmus recently?”-”Nope, sorry.”-”What does Andrea Rojas have to do with all of that?”-”I actually don’t think she knows much. She took over after her father but I did not see her name on any of the files about Leviathan and like the Cadmus ones, they were all dated from years or decades ago. She was only a child at that time so I don’t think she knows about her father’s schemes.”-”You may have a point. I’ll call the dream team to ask them to look for your mother’s name, Leviathan and the Rojas on the files they found.”  Winn and Querl were working on the Kaznia lead when Alex called and asked them to look for any connection with Leviathan. They would need to inform Kara soon. The case was getting way too complicated and dangerous, even more so if a whole government was involved. The Leviathan lead was something else. Something Winn feared was awful. Samantha had told them about her finds, about the fact that Leviathan was linked to experiments on children and traffic of humans. So far, Winn did not find any proof of that about the experiments. But he may have found things about kids being deported.-”In National City, the adoptions rose by ten percent a few years after the explosion in Kaznia. In Bernardo Roja’s hometown, and in Smallville too. I can’t find the names of the kids. The only family member I could find was… Patricia Arias’s name with the motion ‘Missing’.”-”Okay thank you Winn.”-”Alex wait!” Winn got up from this chair and walked away from Brainy, not wanting to raise suspicion from his friend. He was not sure about things because he could not keep everything for himself. He needed Alex to reassure him, to tell him he reacted out of stress and that there was no valid point to his worries. He hid behind a wall, a few meters away from the room where Brainy was still working and exhaled deeply.-”Alex.“ He began, whispering urgently. “You know I love J’onn and Querl.”-”Yes, I don’t know where this is going but okay, go ahead.”-”I don’t know how to tell you that, maybe I’m the one who is crazy. But, when I showed a Cadmus file to J’onn with the word ‘Alien’ written on it, he freaked out.”-’The what? The word ‘Alien’?”-”Yeah, I don’t know, it’s Cadmus, maybe they are talking about any one not born in the country, I don’t know but Alex, J’onn freaked out. And Brainy had the same reaction. And then, Brainy found the trace of an explosion in Kaznia 30 years ago, due to a meteorite landing on a Cadmus Warehouse. They stored weapons in there! Alex, what’s going on?”Alex did not answer. It made no sense. Aliens did not exist and meteorites fell on Earth all the time. But the fact that it landed on a warehouse full of weapons belonging to Cadmus was definitely something convenient to make proof disappear.-”Alex?”-”Did you tell Kara?”-”Not yet.”-”Good! You are going to search for more information about Cadmus in Kaznia and Leviathan and you come by my apartment tonight, we will talk more about it, okay?”-”Alex, there is something else…”-”I’m listening.”-”After the explosion, the adoption rate went up in National City, Smallville and Rojas' hometown. Every name we found is linked to either Cadmus, Leviathan and adoption. Do you think… Do you think they could have done something to the kids? Do you think they could have taken the kids from Kaznia to be adopted by another family who were rich enough to buy a child?”-”I don’t know. Shit, this case is… this is bullshit!”-”Alex…”-”I know, we adopted Kara, but she grew up with her parents and not in Kaznia.”-”Are you sure?”-”Yes, her parents were close to mine, they were her biological parents.”After a few minutes of silence, Winn’s anxiety did not get better. The more he talked to Alex, the more he felt like it was a case that would change the face of the world. They could give the case to the CIA or the Homeland security and forget about it all. It would be easier and less dangerous.-”I’ll see you tonight Alex.”He did not wait for an answer before hanging up and walking back to the office. He took small steps, to not startle Brainy but also because he was not ready to face him after the conversation he had with Alex. It was not like he thought Brainy was a spy or anything, but he was afraid he had been one of the kids from Kaznia who had been hurt by Cadmus, who had been used and the look his friend had on his face was doing nothing to dissipate that fear. He was also afraid J’onn had seen something or heard something during his time in the army. Something he could not do anything about but which traumatized him. He never mentioned his mission so with his reaction earlier, Winn now assumed he had been deployed in Kaznia. There were so many questions and so little answers. It was frustrating and scary. Winn was not a field agent, he did not want to have to fight, but now, he felt like he would not have the choice.  -”Are they getting close?”-”I don’t think so. They don’t even know one of them is an enemy.”-”Good. Let’s lay low for now and hope our free electron doesn’t do something stupid.”  When Winn and Alex finally agreed to update Kara, they found her at the cafeteria, ordering coffee as usual. She was dressed in her black suit, with a white T-shirt and her hair down. She had her glass down and was talking politely with the employee of the cafeteria. They had asked Nia to go the the apartment to take care of Sam and Ruby's security.-”Hey Kara, are you free?”-”Hey guys! I just need to bring Lena her Tea before she actually kills someone and I’ll be free. Why?”-”Is Lena in her office?”-”Yes why?” Winn and Alex exchanged a look, debating if they should talk to them both or not. Alex finally nodded at the computer genius and turned to her sister.-”Actually, I think it would be a good thing to talk to you both.” Kara looked between them rapidly, something was wrong. Her smile dropped and she almost let go of the cup she was holding.-”Danvers? Here you tea for Doctor Luthor.”-”Yes, hum… Thank you” She took the second cup as Alex started to walk to Lena’s office, Winn in tow. It took a second for Kara to follow them, fear paralyzing her for a while. She had never seen Alex so worried. Not since they had been told Kara’s parents died and they would be living with the Danvers.  -”Not the Danvers I was expecting but hello Alex.” The brunette said, standing up from her chair and walking to the front of her office, leaning back on her desk with her arms crossed on her chest. Alex did not even smile at Lena, too tense to be able to hide her anxiety. “And Winn, nice of you to get down the, how do you call my office again?”-”Timberline Lodge, Hi Lena.”-”What’s wrong? You two look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Her smile dropped too, looking at Alex’s eyes then at Winn. “Wait! Where is Kara? Did something Hap–”-”I’m here, I’m okay.” Kara walked to Lena, handing her the cup of tea. She leaned on the desk next to Lena, their body barely touching but still finding comfort in the heat they felt sitting so close.-”Okay now I’m scared. What is happening?”-”We discovered some strange connection between Kaznia and hum, how to put that,...”-”Alex, please, rip the band aid, what did my family do this time?”-”We don’t know exactly, but. “She sighed, trying to gather the strength to break the news to Kara and Lena. “We found a connection between an event in Kaznia 30 years ago and the rise of adoption in the city.”-”What do you mean?”-”30 years ago, a meteorite landed on Kaznia. Well, not as much as landed as crashed.” Winn pulled out a tablet from under his arm to show the files to the other two women. “It destroyed a weapons warehouse, owned by Cadmus.” Winn stopped talking and looked at Alex for her to continues.-”We, we found a rise of adoption in every city related to Cadmus, and in the Rojas’ hometown.”-”Yeah, well orphans were adopted after the war. what is wrong with that?” Kara replied quickly but stopped talking as soon as Lena put a hand on her arm. It was a subject that hit close to home, for the both of them.-”Darling, let them finish. If Cadmus has some interest in Kaznia, it could be worse than we think.”-”You have no idea Lena. We also found out that Bernardo Rojas and Cadmus’s official creation was right after the explosion. Meaning they must have benefited from the disaster. We don’t know yet if the rumors of experimentations on children are true or not, but we do know Patricia’s name was on their files.” Once again, Winn handed them a file to look at, but this time, Kara’s hand shook as soon as she read it.-”Kara, what is it?” She did not utter a word, she simply handed the piece of paper to Lena. The brunette took it and searched for any indication on Kara’s face. But all she saw was sadness and anger.-”Kara, why is your name written on it?”-”She’s not the only one named Kara.”-”I know Alex! But the name, the date of birth and the baby picture. I’ve seen this one before. You have it at home Alex! Why is Kara’s name on the files linked to Kaznia and Cadmus? Why does Kara's name is Zor-El on that file?”-”It’s Leviathan’s files. Winn found them while digging deep into the Kaznia dark web. Cadmus seemed to be a branch of Leviathan.”-”How is it relevant with Patricia’s death?”-”Her name was on the Leviathan files too, she was declared missing right after Samantha’s birth, a few days after the meteorite landed.”-"What do you think it means?”-”I don’t know Lena. I don’t know why Kara’s name and picture is in the same files as Sam’s adoptive mother. I don’t know what it means but I’m scared.”-”God I hate my family…Can I see the files again?”-Sure.”If Lena was pale, she turned paler. The files also contained a list of initials and other names but one in particular made her almost faint. She gripped the paper tightly, her other hand still on Kara’s arm.-”I think we’re in deep shit.” She rarely cursed but this, the initials she saw side by side were a good reason to do so. ‘See this? It’s Lionel Luthor’s signature way of writing is initials. the two intertwined L. And this right beside it? It’s my mother.”-”Isn’t your mother’s name Lillian?”-”My birth mother’s name was Elizabeth Walsh. Look.” She let go of Kara’s arm to turn around her desk and search for something in her drawer. She pulled out a picture of herself at 2 years old with her mother, in an unknown place and turned it around to show to her friends. “See, it’s the same handwriting.” On the back on the picture was written in an almost calligraphic writing, ‘To my daughter, I will love you forever, you are my shining star in the night, Love, EW’ They all looked at each other, lost. The more they learn about the case, the deeper they were pulled into the abyss of their past. This case seemed to affect every one of them. Kara could not breathe. She needed to get out and fast. She could not face Alex, or Winn and she could not bare herself to look at the crushed face of Lena right now. She could not protect her from her past and apparently, their past was running after them like a tidal wave.She left without a word, without hearing Lena’s broken cries after her and opened the door leading to the staircase and ran as fast as she could to the roof of the building where she would be alone. She ran so fast she almost felt like jumping a stair, then two, then three, arriving on the roof in less than 5 minutes. She did not take any time to think about her world record of running up the stairs. She did not notice the cloud forming rapidly above her head. Nor did she notice the red lightning around her. Her head felt dizzy, her legs weak and trembling. She was having a panic attack. She did not realize she fell on her knees, crying with her hand clamping on her chest.She did not notice the thunder getting closer, encompassing the sky of the whole city. Her body felt different, stronger and her mind was suddenly clouded by anger and rage. She felt like she could punch a hole through a wall and still have enough stamina and endorphin to destroy a bridge. She yelled, latching out on the world. She yelled so loudly that she heard a window break nearby but she thought it was because of the thunder. She did not notice her veins and eyes becoming red.All of a sudden, the sky became green. A bright green that replaced every red shade on Kara’s body. The green sky put her to the ground. The pain she felt right now was not like something she had felt before. The pain was cruising from her head to toes, back and forth like it was being shipped by her blood. Maybe it was. But her mind would not let her understand what was going on around her. The only thing she could feel was the insuppressible pain. She did not hear the door open. She did not hear the voice yell her name. She did not hear the footsteps coming closer. She yelled again, breaking another window, sending shards of glass flying everywhere, cutting through the skin of the person coming closer. She finally realized someone was here with her when she felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her to her senses without success. The pain was too strong. She felt the person rolling her on her back and a hand caress her cheek.It was at this moment she realized Lena was the one here, with her, trying her best to comfort her despite having no idea of what was happening. She managed to open her eyes just in time to see a flash of light coming in their direction. She did the only thing she could do. Protect Lena, even if it was the last thing she would do. She managed to turn them around with the little strength left in her body, pulling Lena against the ground and shielding her from the sudden electricity outburst. She heard Lena yell her name but she collapsed on her, exhausted and weak from the red and green storm.

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Kara woke up with a headache and her body so sore she felt like she had been hit by a truck. Lightning to be more precise, but she did not remember that. She groaned and tried to open her heavy eyes slowly. The light was bright and intense. Her eyes fluttered and when she finally managed to open them, her vision was blurry. The only thing she could see was the worried and glassy orbs belonging to Lena. She was standing above her, looking intensely at the Detective. The next sensation that came back in Kara’s body was warmth. She felt her hand being held by a warm and tight grip. Her vision became clearer. She looked at Lena, who was sporting a relieved yet still scared look. She looked around her and did not recognize the room. Above her, a bright spotlight was shining, giving her more warmth than she expected. She could feel a strangle tingle running through her body. She could make out more details, she was laying on a bed, in what looked like a hospital room. But it did not look like a classic hospital. It looked more fancy, full of technology she did not know about and had never seen before. She tried to stand up but was held back on the bed by Lena’s strong grip on her.-”Hey, don’t move, take it slow.” The brunette’s voice was so low, like she was afraid any loud noise would break her into pieces.-”Lena..”-”I’m here. I’m with you, you’re safe.” She felt Lena’s hand slowly caress her cheek, soothing her back into sleep. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the other side of the wall, Alex was sitting with Ruby, as worried as Lena. During the storm, Kara seemed to be affected and hurt. Alex received a call from Nia, describing Sam’s reaction to the storm. The woman fell to her knees and had the same reaction to the red storm, getting angry and had been pulled to the ground by the green wave, hurting. Ruby was so scared Nia did not know how to react. Her mother was screaming, writhing on the ground in front of her. She felt powerless. Nia was too. Nobody had ever seen something like that. Or so they thought. Right after Nia’s call, agents dressed in black army uniform, covered from head to toe barged into the apartment. Nia could not do anything, she was outnumbered. She took Ruby in her arms, still holding the phone to talk to Alex, who was also panicking on the other side of the line. One of the agents approached Nia and told them to follow them. Another took Sam in their arms and they were escorted out of the building and into an unbranded black van.Alex and Winn had been next. They left the building, trying to run as fast as they could to a car, in hope to get to Alex’s apartment and rescue their friends. But as soon as they stepped outside of the building, they were tossed into a black van too. Except in this one, a familiar figure was waiting for them, dressed in a black army uniform but the face uncovered.And now, they were all sitting here, in an underground hospital wing of a secret building.The man who was waiting for them in the van approached, slowly, almost scared. Alex jumped from her seat and stood in front of him, preventing him from getting closer to Ruby.-”Stop! J’onn don’t come closer or I swear!”-”I won’t hurt any of you Alex, I promise.”-”Fuck you! You lied to us! I don’t even know what you are, who you are anymore!” She yelled, pushing him away. J’onn did not have any reaction, he understood the feeling of betrayal but he did not have the choice. He let Alex lash out on him, he deserved it after all.They were interrupted by the sound of heels, clicking rapidly on the floor. The noises were coming closer and Nia noticed the agents around them straightened their posture as if someone very important was coming their way. J’onn took Alex by the shoulders and tried to calm her down but without any success. The heels were coming closer and closer, the sound was just around the corner.Suddenly, the voice of a woman could be heard. The voice was commanding and authoritarian yet, Nia noticed a sense of irony, almost wit in the words said.-”Nice of you to greet me properly but I AM NOT a member of the army and I never will be. No one has ever managed to make me do push-ups and it’s not going to start now!” The voice was only a few meters away now. Nia saw two agents, wearing black uniforms but not as furnished as before and saw a small woman in her forties walk behind them. She was on the phone. From the tone of her voice and the noise of her heels, Nia expected someone much taller than that. She was blond, with a wavy haircut and wore a dress only Lena would know the price of. But even with her small size, the woman was scary.-”Ah! J’onn J'onzz! Here you are! I’ve been walking around this shit hole for hours to find you!”-”Good Evening Madam.”-”I suppose this is our new team?” She said, gesturing to Alex and Nia.-”What new team!? What the fuck is happening?”The blond woman took a step closer and turned to J’onn.-”Agent Danvers I suppose.” J’onn nodded. “It’s nice to finally meet you! I always thought you would follow your mother’s steps and become a doctor.”-”How do you know my mother?”-”Oh dear, you have a lot to catch up on! Where is Kara’s wife?”-”Who?”-”The brunette who yelled at everyone and pointed a gun at our doctor, telling him she was better than him and they were all numpties.”-”Oh Lena!” Nia interjected, making the attendance turn to her. “Sorry.” Nobody knew what was happening between the two anyways, it was not a surprise someone thought they were married.-”Yes, Miss Nal, Lena Luthor. Where is she?”-”She refused to leave Kara’s side.”Alex knew Kara was here, but the shock of what happened was still very much present. How could Kara and Sam suffer from the same thing, kilometers apart, because of a fucking storm? And how could a fucking storm be responsible for their pain? When Lena said she would not leave Kara’s side, Alex knew she was as safe as possible in this unknown and probably hostile environment. The older Danvers needed to look after Ruby after all.-”Go get her.” The blond woman ordered.-”Yes Madam.”In an instant J’onn walked into Kara’s room and back into the corridor, followed by Lena, who was on the verge of a mental breakdown.-”What the fuck? No, I’m not leaving her here! Not alone! NEVER! Do you hear me?”-”Lena, please.”-”No J’onn, or whatever your martian name is! I’m NOT leaving Kara’s side!”Lena was not backing down. She kept her eyes on J’onn and clenched her fists as a sign of defiance.Nia leaned on Alex’s shoulder. “Did she say martian?” She whispered.Alex did not answer, she slowly turned her head to Nia with a scared look on her face. She took a step back and put Ruby flush against her to protect her. Lena was still standing face to face with J’onn and the blond woman was looking at them with an indecipherable expression. She clapped her hands, gaining everyone's attention.-”Miss Luthor, could you please refrain from hurting my best agent, you’ve already scared half of the medical staff.”Lena looked at her briefly, the rage on her face almost making Alex and Nia’s knees weak, but the blond did not falter.-”Can we go to the meeting room now? So we can all go back to our own occupation as soon as possible. I don’t have all day.”Lena remained still. She refused to move.-”GOMEZ, COME HERE!” The blond yelled.A young agent came running, holding a tablet.-”Give me that please.” The blond said, pointing to the device. She typed something and handed the tablet to Lena. “Here, now you can monitor your wife from the meeting room.”Lena snatched the tablet from her hands, going back to the room and emerging a few seconds later. She turned to the blond woman, fury still present on her face.-”Let’s go. We don’t have all day.” The meeting room was different from the one at the police station. The monitors were covering the walls, showing different areas of the planet and what looked like other planets. It was impossible. Everything must have been a bad joke, an elaborate one. There was no way they could see what was happening on other planets, there was no proof of life elsewhere. Let alone Aliens on Earth.Alex, Ruby and Nia were so engrossed in the images of the monitors that they did not notice the two persons sitting at the table. Lena was focused on her tablet, watching over Kara from afar, looking for any sign of the Detective’s awakening. She was pulled from her occupation when Nia let out a loud gasp.She looked around her to try to find the source of the reaction and was met with Brainy and Winn, sitting around the table, with computers in front of them. Winn looked more enthusiastic than them. He was given access to new toys. Brand new computers with unimaginable ressources. On the other hand, Brainy was looking guilty.The blond woman took place at the side of the table facing the monitors. She looked at them one by one and her eyes settled on Lena.-”As many of you may know, the Earth is not the only planet with living species. But what you don’t know is that many of those species are actually humanoids. While many extraterrestrial beings managed to lay low and fit into this world for centuries, some of them had proven themselves to be problematics. 30 years ago, in Kaznia, a spaceship crashed, bringing another civilization on Earth. The Kryptonians are different from the other species we rescued on Earth. They are affected by the Yellow sun, giving them abilities.”She waited a few seconds, giving everyone the time to take in the new information. She lit up one of the tv screens with a remote, showing a slide of pictures of the crash and the spaceship.-”When the ship crashed, the DEO flew to the site but Cadmus was already there. They kidnapped some of the aliens and we managed to save some others. The DEO found families to adopt the orphaned and created new identities for everyone so they would fit in.”Lena’s face lit up. She was making the connection between their finds and the blond woman’s statement.-”Adopted? As in ‘Kara and Sam were adopted’?”-”Yes Miss Luthor. Kara and her family were moved to Smallville, along with her orphaned cousin, Kal-El.”-”Wait! Kal-El? It would mean the name Zor-El would have something to do with Kara?”-”Exactly. The house of El is her family. But her parents had been tracked and found and… Jeremiah and Elizabeth adopted her.” -”My parents knew about all of that?”-”Yes and no, but I’ll explain later.”Alex huffed, clearly frustrated about the lack of answer. Lena’s eyes were still as sharp as daggers and Nia was looking down, unable to face Brainy for now.-”Her cousin was adopted by the Kent family, I’m sure you’ve heard of them, Miss Luthor.”-”Shit! Wait, Clark was Lex’s best friend!”-”Was, yes.”-”What did my brother do?”-”Your father worked with Cadmus. He was the head scientist of the organization, trying to find a way to copy the aliens’ abilities and enhance the Human race. I believe your brother somehow found out.”Lena’s face was pale. Of course her family was on the wrong side of history. They always were, it felt almost inevitable for her to follow their steps. But she was fighting, everyday, to be a good person, to be on the right side of the law and history. She refused to just be a Luthor. She wanted to be Lena, the good one.-”That is where he met your mother. She was also a scientist but, when they met, they worked together on alien technologies to help the world but your father being… Let’s say she did not quite agree with his views. Lillian was aware of all of that but she was on a different business. She used the technology to create weapons. Ones that could hurt the mass, ones to neutralize the aliens living on Earth. We lost traces of Cadmus right after your mother’s death.”Lena was shaking. This woman seemed to know everything about her life, about the life of everyone. It was impossible to believe. Every detail, every fact seemed to come out straight from a fiction. She was a scientist, she needed proof. But she would never be able to have proof of what the woman was saying. Her mother and father were dead. The only remaining witness was LIllian and she would not be cooperative. It was too much information. Even for someone with a high functioning brain like Lena. The emotions were too much.-”What about Leviathan?”Alex was back into detective mode. She was freaking out and hurt but the lies but someone had to step up and ask the good questions.-”Leviathan appears to be an alien organization that runs deep into the history of Earth. We have found traces of them since the beginning of time.” She went on, switching the slides on the screen. Leviathan is powerful. We would need all the forces we can find to fight them. They are back in full force. We don’t know what are the connections between them and the Rojas. We believe Cadmus was a branch of Leviathan. We think they might have taken orders from Leviathan. We don’t know exactly how the organization works, but it appears to aim to create chaos on Earth. And obviously, Cadmus was here to sell weapons to terrorists.”As the screen showed different slides of the files they gathered and the pictures of the suspects, Alex and Nia looked at each other, still lost from the many pieces of information that had been shoved into their faces. Lena was stoic. She was looking at the screen intensely, watching as the images of her family appeared and disappeared. She watched as pictures of her father and Lillian talking in a lab were shown, of them shaking hands with an old bald man wearing a gown with runs embroidered on it. Suddenly, a picture caught her eyes. It was one of Lionel, in a lab, with a woman with brown curly hair, laughing. Lena’s eyes widened and she took a step closer to the screen, then another until she was standing right in front of it. She raised her shaky hand slowly and traced the features of the woman’s face delicately. She closed her eyes, preventing the tears from rolling down her cheeks. Right now, the last thing she wanted was to be weak. She needed to protect Kara, she needed to protect her family. She needed to protect her city and maybe even the world. She turned abruptly toward the blond woman and said. “I would need to know everything. And before you say anything else, I would need to know who J’onn J’onzz and Brainy are. Their real identity. I will need all your files and I want a written contract saying explicitly that you will protect all of us.”-”Miss Luthor, don’t you think we already planned all of that?”-”I don’t care what you planned!” Her voice was so loud she was sure even Kara would have heard her despite her deep sleep. “I want to know everything!”-”Miss Luthor, all of you have now entered the DEO program. You are part of the team now.”Alex and Nia were still standing by the door, looking at the scene with shock. They had never seen Lena so angry and so protective. Winn did not dare to move a muscle from where he was sitting on his chair. Ruby was hiding behind them, not understanding what was happening but fully grasping the urgency of the situation. Alex pushed her behind Nia and took a step forward.-”We need to know everything, starting with exactly what the DEO stands for.” J’onn looked at the blond woman and when he received a faint nod of approval, he took a step forward too and started explaining. “The DEO stands for The Department of Extra-normal Operations, simply known as the DEO is a governmental organization created following the first arrival of a spaceship on Earth in 1947 to monitor extraterrestrial presence on the planet.”-”The Roswell crash was real?”-”Yes Alex. It was real. And ever since we have made a point to protect every alien on earth.”-”We? How old are you?” Nia cried out.J’onn turned to the blond woman, as if he was looking for her approbation to tell them more. “300 years old, more or less. Time does not fly as fast here.”-”J’onn has been a valuable member of the DEO for decades now. He is also one of our most efficient trainers.”-”What can you do? Do you have power?”Nia was getting curious, J’onn had been a constant in their life, a father figure and a leader, always protecting them and taking care of them. It was hard for her to wrap her head around the fact he was an alien.-”I am a Martian, this is not my real appearance. With the approval of the DEO, I chose the appearance of Mark Hanshaw, a former agent who died on a mission and had no family. I can fly and can control minds.”-”Control minds?”-”Yes, I can read minds and erase memories. But I only use this as a last resort.”-”Did you use it on us?”-”On you yes Alex, when you were younger and on Kara and your parents. When Kara’s parents died, we had to protect her. We did not erase the memories she had of her parents, only the memories of the places they visited. Your father, Jeremiah, was a DEO Agent he…He was a good man, one of the best I’ve ever met. He loved his family very much…He died protecting his team. I can talk to you about him more if you want Alex.”Alex was tearing up now, she wanted to hear more about her father but they did not have time to discuss the past now. She tried to keep her emotions to herself but the implication and the confirmation that her memories had been erased as well as Kara’s ones.-”When Kara’s parents died, we were in the rescue team with Jeremiah. We found Kara hidden in a closet and we took her out of the burning house. Jeremiah volunteered to rescue her. We brought her to your house and explained everything to you, including the fact that she is a Kryptonian and will have powers on Earth. But to be sure none of you will ever be able to talk, not out of trust but in case you were kidnapped, we had to erase your memories. The bond you created before that remained but the true identity of Kara would be revealed.”-”Kara has powers? It’s impossible.”-”No it’s not.”Everyone turned to Lena, surprised.-”She has powers. She saved me.”-”What? When?” Winn said, finally gathering the courage to utter a word.Lena took a deep breath and closed her eyes, she would need to explain what happened despite her shaky voice. ”During the storm. After the red and green clouds, I was trying to help Kara and she… I don’t know how she did it but… She managed to spin us around just as a lightning stroke. Kara, she… She protected me and… The lightning hit her. She saved me.”-”Is she okay?” Alex was more than worried now. Her sister survived a lightning strike.-”She will be. Kryptonians are sensitive to Kryptonite, a stone from the planet Krypton. The Red storm was caused by Red Kryptonite, it makes the Kyptonians feel their emotions much more deeper, mostly the negative ones. The Green one is the only thing capable of killing Kryptonians.”-”So you’re telling us Kara can only be killed by a stone? And Sam? What about Sam?”-”Sam is a Kryptonian too. But we placed her with Patricia Arias when she was just a baby. Cadmus tracked them but did not manage to reach them, until now.”-”So this is why she was on Cadmus’ files? With the mention missing?”-”Yes she ran away with Samantha as soon as she could to protect her.”-”How do you know all of that Lena? Did you know about all of this?”-”No, but I’ve been here for hours while Kara rests under the UV lamps and I’ve had time to read! Not all Luthor are evil, you know!” Lena’s anger was back in full force. “You know I love your sister Alex! So if you could please refrain from accusing me for something my motherfucking family did! Especially when you did not even try to run after her or help her!”-”Lena-”-”NO! Not now Alex! I know you don’t trust me but I don’t care! Kara and Samantha and everyone else need us! So please, stop it before you take it too far!”-”Calm down please!”The blond woman stopped them from talking more. She raised her hand and gestured to Brainy. “I’ll let mister Dox give you your contracts and explain the rest. I have other matters to attend to.”-”Wait! You never told us your name?”-”Cat Grant, kiddo.” She turned around and winked at Winn, leaving everyone behind.Nia took the opportunity to walk to Brainy and lift him up from his seat. She pointed at him with one finger. “YOU! You need to tell me everything! NOW!”Brainy was panicked. He was pale, paler than usual. He gulped and sweat was forming on his forehead, threatening to run on his face. He nodded rapidly and exhaled when Nia released her grip, pushing him back on the chair.-”Start with your real name.”Alex and Ruby were watching him too, intensely, waiting for an answer. Lena for her part, seemed uninterested. Her focus was on the tablet she was holding. Kara was still asleep on her medical bed, soaking in the UV from the yellow lamp.-”My real name is Querl Dox, I did not lie about that. I am a Coluan from the planet Colu, I am a twelfth-level intellect and I have high mechanical aptitudes. I come from the future. My ship had been dormant for years when we jumped into the past through a portal. I was a member of the Legion that you all created after- I should not have said that.” He was pacing in front of them, looking guiltier than before. “I can’t tell you more without risking to change the future. If I say more, the situation could get worse! I can’t risk that!”-”What are you talking about? What about the future? What the fuck is the Legion?”-”Nia, I need you to know that every moment I shared with you was real and sincere. I really do love you. You won’t believe me, I know that, I broke your trust.”-”Oh, you think?”-”Nia, you have to listen to me, please. We need all of you for this mission to succeed. If one of you is not there, the mission only has 10% to succeed and if it does not, it could be the end of the Earth as we know it.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Kara woke up again, she was alone. Lena was not here. She was not aware of the heated arguments going on in the meeting room. She did not even understand what was happening. The last thing she remembered was running away, to the roof of the Police Station. Her body was still sore and the lamp still irradiated warmth. She blinked a few times to get her eyes to focus on her task. She needed to find Lena. They were in an unknown place, with medical equipment and Lena was not her anymore. She started to stand up from the bed, pushing on her weak arm. She tried to ignore the pain and put one foot on the ground, testing the force remaining in her leg, then put the other one down. She gathered her forces and stood up, her hands still gripping the sheets of the bed. Taking a slow step, she stared at the door, aiming to grab the handle as fast as she could to find Lena. As soon as she reached the door, it flew open and she was engulfed into warm arms. She instinctively closed her arms around the body hugging her and held onto it when her knees buckled.-”Kara, what do you think you’re doing?”-”Careful Miss Luthor, she could hurt you.” A nurse told her from the corridor.-”No she won’t!” Her grip on Kara never faltered. It felt good to be in Lena’s arms, to know she was not hurt and safe.Slowly, the Doctor led her to the bed, forcing her to sit back down.-”Wha- What happened Lena?” Her voice was hoarse from the tiredness and the shock her body received.-”You saved me.” She raised her hand to cup Kara’s cheek as the blond leaned into the touch, seeking comfort. “You need to rest. I promise you I’ll explain everything.”-”Lay with me.”-”I can’t Darling.” She was looking at Kara with so much love that the blond almost burst into tears. She was weak and her body did not have the strength to face her emotions.-”Is it because I can hurt you? The guy said I could hurt you, but I would never do that.” Kara looked so small. She was usually standing tall and proud, showing everyone she was a strong woman. But right now, in this hospital bed, she felt like a ragdoll.-”No Kara.” Leba’s forehead was now pressed against hers, her hand still holding her cheek. “You would never hurt me.”-”Then why?”-”Because you’re under lamps that recreate the UV of the Yellow Sun, the Sun we have in the Solar System. You need it to heal but it would be too dangerous for me.”Kara had no idea of what Lena was saying. She did not understand a single thing about the yellow sun healing her. But having Lena close to her was enough to let her feel safe. She knew the brunette would protect her as much as she protected her.-”Stay with me?”Lena disconnected her forehead from Kara’s one, earning a frown from the blond. But it was soon erased when she felt her soft lips putting a kiss right in between her eyebrows.-”I’m not going anywhere Darling, I promise.” She whispered, looking into Kara’s eyes to make sure the message was understood.She sat on a chair beside Kara’s bed, one hand holding Kara’s one and the other one scrolling through the tablet containing the files she had asked for. Not asked, demanded. The sound of Kara’s breath was enough. The mere fact she was hearing her breath was enough to calm down Lena. For now. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile in another room, Alex and Ruby were sitting on the couch, beside Sam’s bed, waiting for her to wake up. Alex regretted doubting Lena, even if it was just for a second. She knew she would give her life to save Kara. She could not blame the doctor. She too would have been mad at the accusations of not caring enough for Kara. She looked in Ruby’s direction. She had finally managed to fall asleep, her head resting on Alex’s shoulder. Much like Lena in the other room, she took the opportunity of being alone to open the files and read them, trying to wrap her mind around the situation. She thought about J’onn, about how he had known her father, about how he said he promised Jeremiah to look after his daughters. She wondered if that was why they were working all together, if he had something to do with her affectation on Kara’s team. The DEO seemed powerful. Powerful enough to pull one string or two in the background without anyone noticing. She thought about Brainy, about his relationship with Nia. She did not know if she could forgive him if she was her. Hell! She did not know if she could forgive him and J’onn.She took a deep breath, another one. She lost count about how many times she or Lena had to do that to not break during the meeting. She opened the files on the tablet and the fist sentence she could read was an article from the Daily Planet.‘A mysterious man wearing blue and Red was spotted saving lives once again. Who is this hero everyone calls Superman?’

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-”Lena?”-”Kara! You’re awake!” Lena stood up with urgency and leaned above Kara, still holding her hand.-”What happened?”-”Let me check your constants.” She was frenetic. She looked at every device around her, every line on the screen indicating Kara’s heartbeat frequencies. She looked everywhere but at Kara.-”Lena.” Kara tried to grab her attention but the brunette was still avoiding her eyes. “Lena. She tried again. When she had no response, she stood up slowly, and tugged on Lena’s hand more firmly, pulling her against her. She engulfed Lena in a tight hug.She felt Lena stiffen body relax and crumble against her. She heard a broken sob, then another. Lena was crying. Kara tried to take a step back but she felt Lena hold on into her even more tightly. She raised one of her hands to caress Lena’s hair, trying to sooth her a little bit. The strong grip the doctor had on her shirt was turning her knuckles white. She could not let go. Not yet.-”Lena..” Kara whispered. “I’m here, I’m fine.”-”You shouldn’t be…”-”Lena, please, look at me.”Finally, Lena pushed herself off the blond’s body and looked at her. The sigh of her face broke the blond’s heart. Her eyes were red and puffy, she had dark bags under her eyes and her lips were crackled, probably from dehydration.-”I…I thought..” Lena could not form any coherent sentence. She had never been so scared in her life. She almost lost Kara, her best friend. The only person on this planet who gets her, who was patient enough to go past her walls. The woman whom she was in love with but too scared to admit because she could lose her. One way or another, people always leave. Whereas they leave for work, because they thought Lena was not worth it or because they die, people always leave. But Kara, she was different. She had always been. Her mind wandered on their first meeting, the first time she felt like she was important and worth it.The first case they worked on together was years ago. Kara did not care or did not know Lena was a Luthor. She did not care about her money, she only cared about her brain. And the more they worked on that case, the funnier Kara was. Lena discovered a smart, witty and amusing person. But when they closed the case and the Detective all but forced her to go to Karaoke night at their local bar, Lena could not gather the strength to say no. Once again, Kara had made her laugh. She even convinced her to sing a song with her. And when the owner messed up their name, Lena did not correct him. ‘Lena Danvers’ had a nice ring to it. She was supposed to be nervous.When she sang with Kara, she did not feel any ounce of nervousness. She felt free. With Kara by her side, she could solve cases, she could be herself and she could be free. She was someone. They laughed, they danced and sang and when the bar closed, none of them was ready to part ways. So Kara did the only rational thing at the moment and invited Lena to her apartment.That night, the closeness they felt was something neither of them had ever felt before. The rawness of their feelings, the intimate light of the moon. Everything was perfect. When Kara leaned in to kiss her, Lena did not feel the butterflies in her stomach. She felt something click. Like the last piece of puzzle was finally completing the whole picture. She did not close her eyes in anticipation, wanting to print every second in her brain. She saw Kara smile at her before finally closing the gap between them. Lena had never been kissed like this before. Like she was the only person that mattered in the Universe.Kara’s lips were soft and convened every feeling the blond had for her. She was happy. But happiness never lasts when your name is Luthor. And all too soon, they were interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing near them, and another, ringing in Kara’s back pocket.Lena took that as a sign. They should not be together. A Luthor was not worthy of love and commitment. And Kara? She was too bubbly and too much of a good soul to be brought into her world. The Universe made sure she understood that.They had never talked about that night since it happened. But Lena’s feelings only grew stronger and she was sure from the way Kara looked at her, touched her and cared that the blond shared the same feelings. And now, she was standing in front of her, in a hospital room while Kara had been asleep for hours under a yellow sun lamp. -”Hey, Lena, where did you go?” Kara noticed she was lost in thoughts, of course, she had always noticed the small things about Lena.-”I thought I lost you…”-”I’m here. You know I would never leave without taking you with me.” Kara tried to joke.-”Not the right way to admit you’re a fan of Romeo and Juliet!”-”I did not mean it like that!”-”A big fan of Bonnie and Clyde then?”-”That’s more my jam!”-”Liar!” Lena smiled a little. Their banter always managed to lighten the mood between them.Kara was still holding Lena in her arms. The proximity between them was both comforting and suffocating. It was too much and not enough at the same time.-”Lena, tell me what happened.”She did not answer. Instead, she threw herself into Kara’s arms once again. The blond held her against her, trying to reassure Lena, to make her feel safe. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of Lena pressed against her.-”WHAT THE FUCK?!”-”Alex?!”-”KARA? WHY ARE YOU FLOATING?” Alex had stopped dead in track. She did not even have time to enter the room properly.-”Alex, don’t be silly I’m not floating.” The blond said looking at her sister like she was going crazy. Suddenly, she felt Lena tense in her arms and a tap on her shoulder.-”Hum, Kara… Darling. Look down please.” Lena was scared.-”oh god… OH GOD!” She yelled realizing they were indeed floating. “How do I go down?! Oh my God Lena I’m so sorry!”-”Darling, try to focus on getting back on the ground.”Kara nodded and shut her eyes, trying to visualize herself touching the ground, once, twice, three times but without success.-”It does not work Lena!”She was starting to panic. She was floating but she was putting Lena in danger and that thought was much worse than levitating. Alex looked at them, not knowing what to do either. It was not like she could pull her sister down. It could be dangerous for her, for Lena and they did not know the extent of Kara’s power.-”Okay, let’s try something else.” Lena put both hands on Kara’s shoulder while the detective was holding her waist firmly, afraid to drop and hurt her. “Close your eyes and try to get me to the ground.”This time, Kara took a deep breath and closed her eyes. In a second, she felt her feet settle on the ground slowly.-”Oh thank God!” Alex said, relieved.-”Lena. I am so sorry.. I don’t know what happened and I could have hurt you. Oh my God, I COULD HAVE HURT YOU!”-”But you did not.” -”I think it’s time we tell her about her powers, don’t you think Lena?”-’Wait! What? What powers?”-”Seriously Kara, you just floated with Lena in your arms!”-But-”-”No buts, nobody can do that!”-”Well, some people can apparently.”-”Yes Lena, but since when do we know that?”-”Right, you’ve got a point.”Alex gestured to Kara with both of her hands in a dramatic gesture.-”Okay, let's go to the meeting room.”-”Don’t worry Luthor, I’ll leave you two to do whatever you want with my sister after that! As long as you don’t tell me!”Both women shared a look and blushed, not daring to look at Alex’s face. When Alex, Kara and Lena arrived in the meeting room, they were met by Sam and J’onn and a blond woman Kara had never seen.-”Finally, I thought I would have to wake you up myself!”-”I’m sorry, who are you?”-”I'm Cat Grant.” She said, like it was obvious. “Sit down Miss Zor-El.-”Who?” Kara turned to Lena, not understanding the name.-”Kara, please, sit down, we will explain everything.”Alex took a seat next to Sam who looked as lost as the detective and Kara sat on a chair next to Lena.-”First of all, I will let J’onn talk, then I will then we will answer your question.”-”Thank you, Miss Grant. My name is J’onn J’onzz. I’m also known as the Martian Manhunter. I am from the planet Mars and landed on Earth decades ago.” His face turned suddenly into a green, lizard-like head.-”WOW WHAT THE FUCK!” Sam yelled, jumping from her chair.Kara did not react. She looked around as discreetly as possible, trying to find an exit if needed and put an arm in front of Lena as a protection. She doubted she could do anything to protect her from an alien but she would try.-”I am a member of the DEO. The Department of Extranormal Operations is a government agency that works in secret to protect the Alien on this planet. We also are in charge of the investigations for the crimes involving aliens, both as victims and as suspects. Jeremiah Danvers was an agent. We worked together and he made me promise to look after you. “He said looking at Alex who was still watching him like she wished he would catch on fire. “We also train people with abilities who wish to become part of the law enforcement. We don’t force anyone to sign up for this. If someone wants to live a regular life, as long as they don’t use their abilities to commit crime, then they can.”-”Seriously? I’m the only one who is freaking out right now?” Sam could not believe her eyes.He turned to the screen and a picture appeared.-”As you can see, the DEO has been created by some people you might know.”Kara’s mouth fell agape. Jeremiah was in the picture but she could recognize a few other persons.-”30 years ago, a spaceship crashed in Kaznia. The government covered it by saying it was an explosion. Another planet, Krypton, had been destroyed and the refugees landed here.” Another picture showing the spaceship was on the screen. ”Unfortunately, the ship landed on a warehouse full of weapons belonging to Cadmus.” Kara felt Lena tense beside her. “Cadmus, as you know, is a criminal organization that has been dormant for years. But at this time, they took the opportunity to kidnap aliens and. “ He closed his eyes for a brief moment. “Experiment on them and try to duplicate their powers to enhance the human race. Cadmus had been founded for a good purpose, to use alien technology to help. But-”-”But Lillian being Lillian she found a way to make more profit out of it!”-”Exactly Doctor Luthor.”Kara turned to Lena, who had her head down, looking ashamed of her own family once again. Without a second thought, Kara reached out to take her hand and squeezed.-”There was a split in Cadmus between the ones who wanted to do good and the ones who wanted money. That’s when Leviathan approached them, we believe. We don’t know much about Leviathan except that this alien organization has been on Earth for centuries. We can find traces of them since the beginning of time here.” J’onn pressed another button and the screen was filled with pictures of ancient paintings and embroideries depicting the three characters. “We don’t know the extent of their powers but we know they can control the natural elements and might be responsible for disasters such as Pompeii or the Black Plague epidemic. We will need every help possible to stop them.”-”What does it have to do with any of us?”-”Miss Arias, you and Kara are Kryptonians.”Sam laughed and looked around her. “Yeah, right. How are we supposed to believe you? Do you have any proof of that nonsense?”-”Actually, we do.” Cat Grant stood up from her chair and stood in front of the screen. “When the crash happened, you were taken in by one of our volunteers, Patricia. She raised you far away from the site of the crash and we lost track of her. She hid you as much as she could.”-”Why would she hide me from you if you are so trustworthy?”Kara might have been a member of the law enforcement but she had to admit Sam had a point. Could she trust them? J’onn had lied for years after all. Hell, her adopted parents had lied too.-”I understand your concern, Miss Arias. Everything did not really go as planned. Which led me to the next point. Kara Zor-El.”Cat Grant’s eyes stopped on Kara. She could not understand why the strange name but she had the feelings she would know very soon and not like it.-”You also are a Kryptonian Miss Zor-El. Your family survived the crash and we hid you in Smallville, along with your cousin Kal-El. It was better to hide you together as his parents did not survive. The Kent adopted him. But seventeen years ago, Cadmus managed to find you. We don’t know what happened or how they did find you but they did. Your family fought back.” The older woman approached both Sam and Kara, giving them a crystal each. “Those are devices from Krypton that we found on the ship. Each crystal belongs to a family. They contain the story of your people and recorded messages of your family. We have found a device that allows you to read those crystals but we still have to figure out how it works.”Kara took the crystal and examined it. She felt a strange sense of relief. Like it was something she did not know she needed but that has finally made its way back to its owner. The energy emanating from it was like a warmth enveloping her. She zoned out, lost in the strange sensation she was having holding the crystal. Lena looked at her and gently put her hand on her thigh in a comforting gesture. It was her way to let her know she was here for her no matter what.-”When your family had been attacked, J’onn and Jeremiah were on the rescue team. They found you hidden in a closet, in the middle of a burning house. Jeremiah took you in. He refused to let a random family raise you.”-”Did he-” Kara took a deep breath. “Did he know my parents?”-”Yes, we worked with them. They wanted to make the World a better place. They were an active part of the DEO.” J’onn had a sad look in his eyes. The memories seemed painful for him too. “We did everything to protect you and everyone involved. We agreed it would be easier to erase some of your memories. Not the memories of your family, but the memories of the places you’ve lived in. “-”You erase my memories?” The blond’s voice was shaking. She couldn't believe it.-”I had to erase your and Alex and Eliza's. They knew about details that could have put them in danger. Jeremiah chose to forget too. All he wanted was to protect you and his family.”The silence was heavy. Alex was fuming. It was the second time now that she heard this story and she was only getting angrier. Kara was numb. She did not know what to say. The Detective in her knew it probably was for the best that her memories had been erased. But the human part, Kryptonian part apparently, could not help but be angry. She had been robbed of her childhood. The realization was slowly getting to her. She was born on another planet. She was a refugee and her parents had been killed by Cadmus. She was an alien.-”We believe the storm that struck yesterday was artificial.” Cat Grant noticed the change of atmosphere. She let J’onn step back and gather himself and took the lead once again. “We know Kryptonians are sensitive to Kryptonite. There are different kinds of stone. They obviously come from Krypton. We believe the red sky was caused by Red Kryptonite. It removes inhibitions and makes you feel emotions ten times stronger. According to the data we have, I think it was used to activate your powers. Did anything happen to one of you two?”Kara did not answer. Too lost in her own thoughts to comprehend the rest of the conversation. She felt Lena’s reassuring hand on her thigh and heard the brunette’s voice answer.-”She screamed and blew up the windows.”-”Nia told me Sam set the couch on fire.”-”What?!” Alex turned to her sister and Sam, flabbergasted.-”So we were right. The Red Kryptonite did reveal your powers.”-”So the Green light was Green Kryptonite?”-”Yes Doctor Luthor. It is a-”-”It hurt them.” She spoke firmly. If Kara looked at Lena, she would see the gear turning in her head and the rage creeping up on her eyes. “The green light put Kara on the ground. The lightning hit her too. Who did that? Did the DEO do it to force their powers to surface?!” She was angrier now. Her jaw was clenched and the grip she had on Kara’s thigh grew more powerful.-”We did not do it. I believe the culprit is from Cadmus or Leviathan.”-”Is it easy to have access to Kryptonite?”-”No. it’s not. But we are aware that someone might have been able to create Kryptonite.”Lena had a bad feeling. She knew who could be smart enough to achieve the creation of an alien element. She closed her eyes briefly and exhaled through her nose. This was going to end up badly.-”I believe you know them, Doctor Luthor.” Cat Grant clicked on the remote one last time and a picture appeared on the screen. All of the suspicions she had were proven right. Her stomach dropped.-”Why does Lex Luthor have to do with all of that?” Alex was lost once again. Sam was still sitting beside her, not able to speak anymore. It was all too much, for everyone.-”We suspect Lex has discovered Clark Kent’s true identity.”Alex’s eyes widened. Something clicked in her mind. She remembered the articles she read while Sam was still asleep. The mysterious man saving people in Metropolis. Surely if Kara was Clark’s cousin, he must have powers too. But how come he already was aware of them? What happened? Did someone force him to reveal his power like Kara and Sam? She took the tablet she was given earlier and found the article she was looking for.-”Is this what you are talking about?”-”Exactly Agent Danvers. He should be there soon. If Kara and Samantha want to, he could help them control their powers.”-”You want them to be your next minions? You expect them to be your personal heroes?” Lena stood up abruptly, leaning with both hands on the table, facing Cat Grant.-”Doctor Luthor I-”-”NO! You were not able to protect them when they were babies! You were not able to protect their family! And now?!” She laughed “Now you expect us to trust you with their safety? After lying all those years and playing with their minds? How can we believe you?!”-”Calm down please.”-”Come on J’onn! You lied to us too!”-”I did not have the choice, I needed to protect you, I still do.”A knock on the door broke the tension. A tall muscular man stood at the entry of the room, wearing cargo pants and a flannel shirt. He had dark hair and glasses and was awkwardly watching everyone, looking like he was sorry to be there and interrupt whatever was going on.-”Kara, meet you cousin, Clark Kent.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kara did not know how to react. Honestly, she has just learned that she was an alien, that her family had died and the only remaining sibling was a cousin that she had never heard of before. Someone who had never bothered to try to be in her life, one way or another, even with a secret identity. Sure, she understood the dangerousness of the situation, but they both had apparently lost too many people for him to stay away.He was very different from her. His hair was black and slicked. He was tall and muscular and was wearing a Blue suit with a weird symbol on his chest. She had seen it before but it was a distant memory from her childhood. She had always thought it was a silly drawing she did because she got lost into her imagination. He was looking at her with fondness but it was not mutual. She did not know him after all.-”Hi Kara, I’m Kal-El, son of Jor-El and Lora, your cousin.” He said, looking at her with anticipation.The turmoil she was facing did not help. She wanted to hug him as much as she wanted to punch him in the face. She looked at Lena, who was looking equally mad and Alex, who stood in front of Sam, as if she was trying to shield her from any more pain.-”I’m sorry for not reaching out sooner. The DEO made me sign an NDA and it was too dangerous. I could have led them to you.”Kara did not react. She was still looking at him intensely. She smirked a little when she heard Lena mutter ‘Bullshit’ under her breath. She felt her move before she saw her. The Luthor was now standing defiantly in front of Kal-El. She was way smaller than him but she was not scared of him.-”What do you want from Kara? Hum?” She barked. “Don’t you think it’s a bit late to play the perfect cousin? Where were you when her parents died? Where were you when she needed you?” She did not even blink.The Superhero took a step back and dropped his head with the intensity of Lena’s gaze.-”What happened with my brother?”-”We had a fallout…he somehow found out about aliens living here, on Earth. He did not accept it, saying it was unfair for humans to compete in sports or for a job with aliens who have superhuman strength or abilities. I did not agree for obvious reasons and..”-”And what?” She took another step in front of him.-”And I tried to show him who I really am. An orphaned Kryptonian living on a new planet, a refugee who did not know he had powers.”-”And how exactly did you realize you had powers?” She was pushing him in his limits. Kara was glad she was not the one undergoing the questioning.-”My father, Jonathan, had an accident on the farm. He was stuck under a tractor and without realizing it, I ran to the tractor and lifted it to free him.”Lena’s eyes softened for a second before she put her Luthor mask back on.-”How long have you known you are an alien?”-”For over a decade.”-”Then why the fuck did not y-’-”A few years ago, we found an item in the Peruvian forest. It was made of an unknown metal, with the same radiation marks as the ship that crashed 30 years ago. Kal-El was already superheroing around Smallville and Metropolis so we tracked him.”Kara was glad for Cat Grant’s interruption. She was sure Lena would end up breaking her hand by slapping her cousin. She survived a strike by lightning, surely he would not feel anything.-”It was a key made of Nth metal. It led me to a place in Arctica where the Fortress of Solitude was. Our parents apparently chose Earth as a fallback solution in case anything happened on Krypton. It contains memories of our people, data about everything we could find on Krypton.”-”Can we go there?”Kara’s voice was steady despite the nervousness she was feeling. If there was a place that looked like her planet, with memories of her parents or the people she knew back then, she wanted to go, and she wanted to go now. Sam’s interest had picked up at the mention of the Fortress too. She wanted to know about her origins as much as Kara.Kal looked at Cat Grant and J’onn for approbation.-”Bring them there, I’ll just have to fill in more paperwork and make you sign tons of approval documents, again. But by all means, don’t argue like children anymore. I’m not allowed to drink on the job!”-”If I can punch Kal-El once I’ll buy you a case of Champagne.”-”You got it Luthor!”Kal-EL huffed, knowing very well she would only hurt herself if she ever tried to eat him.-”Come one, follow me.” He turned around and stopped in the middle of the corridor, pulling out a watch from his pocket. Kara noticed the symbole Kal had on his chest was also engraved on the watch. He opened the watch and pressed a button, opening what looked like a portal. From the science fiction movies Kara had seen, she was sure it was some kind of Stargate. Lena gasped and walked to the portal, studying it for a moment.Kara absolutely loved this side of Lena. She chose to be a Chief Medical Examiner when she could have ruled NASA. She was that smart. She could do anything she wanted with her smart brain and yet, she chose to help people uncover the truth. But in moments like this, when she was geeking out about something Kara would never understand, her brow furrowed and her face focused, Kara could not help but be enamored.-”Is that a Transmatter Portal?”-”Yes Miss Luthor.”-”Doctor Luthor. I do not own multiple engineering doctorates and a Chief Medical Examiner title for you to call me Miss.”Pride. That was what Kara was feeling right now. Lena had learnt to stand up for herself.Kal coughed, embarrassed and spoke again. “Let’s go.” He gestured to the portal and walked through it.-”I guess we don’t have a choice, right?”Alex looked at Sam and Kara with fear in her eyes. They would never have a normal day again. They already are a part of a bigger organization, a secret one hiding aliens and helping them. Now, they were aware of all of that and they were about to walk through a teleportation portal from what she understood. Sam’s face was fierce, determined and Kara was looking expectantly at them. But they had powers, they were aliens and their bodies resisted almost everything. But Lena and her were humans. They would probably not react as well to the teleportation.-Let’s go. Kara took a step forward, taking back her role as the leader of the team, and grabbed Lena’s hand. The brunette was still studying the portal and did not seem to have been aware of the silent conversation going on between the other women.-”Kara wait! I need to-”She did not have time to finish her sentence before she was pulled through the portal by the Blond, followed closely by Sam and Alex. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Fortress was beyond expectation.It was made of crystal-like stones, probably another kind of Kryptonite. From the outside, the crystal seemed to go as high as a ten floor building and was in the shape of a pyramid, the crystal crossing at the top. They seemed sharp and transparent but they could not see anything through them. The sun reflecting on the Fortress made it shine so bright it was almost blinding.-”Wow…” Alex’s eyes were as wide as saucers. The Fortress has been there for years and nobody had ever seen it beside Kal or maybe the DEO. She suspected Cat Grant and J’onn had seen it.-”The fuck?!” Sam took a tentative step toward the crystal, her hand barely brushing the clear stone to test the reaction. The crystal seemed to light up at the contact.-”The Fortress knows you are Kryptonian.”-”What will happen if it doesn’t accept Humans?”-”It does.”-”Cat Grant?”-”Yes Agent Danvers. You really think she would know about it and not try to get inside?”-”Fair point.”-”Shall we go inside?”The four women followed Kal to an arch on their left and found the same symbol he was sporting on his chest.-”Miss Arias, would you like to open it?”She looked at him, then at Alex unsure.-”How does it open by the way? Is there some kind of scanner?”-”No, we open the Fortress with a key.”-”It’s as simple as that?”-”Not really.” He said smirking at Alex, a mischievous glint in his eyes.He pointed to a small pile of snow in the corner of the arch and blew up the snow with his super powers and revealed a huge golden stone, also engraved with the same symbol.-”Go ahead, pick it up.” He was smiling wider now.Alex, sensing the trap, did not move. She pushed Sam lightly in the direction of the key and held Kal’s gaze. Sam put her nervousness aside and walked to the key, bending down to pick it up. It looked effortless for her.-”What is it made of?” Lena’s curiosity kept her from remaining silent any longer.-”It’s made of Super-dense dwarf star material.”Lena did not say anything else. She inspected the key from afar, not daring to come closer to it. She was a human scientist, she knew there was a risk the key could be harmful for her.Sam lifted the key high enough to put it against the symbol on the wall. A bright flash lit up the face of the five persons standing in front of the door. The light was warm and gave Sam a feeling of grace, like a hug from a mother after a rough day at school. A crack was heard, followed by a hum, growing louder and louder.Kara noticed the crystals moving, creating an opening in front of them, revealing an immense room. From what she could see, the Fortress was built around a main room, with corridors going in every direction, probably leading to different rooms. Something unlocked in Kara’s brain. She froze in front of the door, her breath caught in her lungs.She remembered. She had seen that before.-”I know this place.”Everyone turned to Kara. Kal had a small but sad smile. Alex and Sam looked at her, taken aback by Kara’s reaction. Lena stood still, looking both mad and sad too. She was mad because Kara remembered, but her memories had been erased. She had been robbed of all of that for years. She was sad because she only recovered her memories after almost dying. What would have happened if she had died? She would have died with no idea where she was from. With no memories of all of that.-”You both have a room dedicated to you personally.”-”How come?” Sam was also curious.-”The Fortress of Solitude has been designed by every family of Krypton, with memories of our ancestries and the place we lived in back then. It was made to ensure that even on Earth, we would have a place to learn about our culture and our lives prior to the destruction. The Fortress is almost infinite. It is able to create the room we need, to train or learn, even to live in. We also have a-”-”Holy shit!” Alex jumped when a flying robot appeared out of nowhere in front of them, scanning her face.-”Kelex!”-”You know this robot Kara?”-”I think I do. Kelex was an imaginary friend, from what I remember. But Apparently, he exists and is not human.”-”With all due respect Kara Zor-El, you are not Human either.” Kelex’s voice was metallic but managed to convey some kind of warmth, probably due to the nostalgic feeling Kara was experiencing. After scanning Alex and Kara, he stopped in front of Sam.-”Good to see you again Miss Reign.”-”Is that my Kryptonian name? No first name or last name or whatever?”-”I am sorry Miss Reign, not every Kryptonian has the chance of being part of a high class family.”-”Great! Even on Krypton I was poor and my life sucked!”-”ALERT INTRUDER! LUTHOR DNA DETECTED!” The whole Fortress lit up in red, Kelex, deploying a crystal cage around Lena in a second, not leaving any time for a reaction, even from Kara.-”You were saying Sam?” The brunette deadpanned while glaring at the robot.Sam looked at Lena with a sorry glance, her face contorting in a weird way. Alex held her hands up by reflex and Kal simply put a hand to his face, pinching his nose.-”KELEX RELEASE HER, NOW!” KAra screamed.-”I can’t Miss Zor-El. The Luthor protocol has been activated.”-”But that’s the wrong Luthor!”As Kara was debating with the robot, Lena turned to Kal.-”You are going to pay for that! You knew there was a Luthor protocol and yet, you did not say anything and you let me be jailed!”-”I thought it only applied to Lex!”-”THEN CALL THE DAMN PROTOCOL THE LEX PROTOCOL THEN!”She hated being in enclosed space. Especially an alien one, set up by someone who apparently hated her. Kal looked at the women, deciding if he could trust a Luthor or not but seeing the glance on his cousin’s face, he finally stepped into motion. Kal ran to the control pad, typing furiously on the keyboard. Despite Kelex’s protest, Kal managed to release Lena from her mineral prison. It was clear he was not trusting her but Kara did not care. She knew Lena. She knew she was a good soul who only tried to help.They explored the Fortress, Lena still mad at Kal and Kara standing close by, not trusting the Kryptonese technology to keep her safe. When they arrived in front of a room, far into the Fortress, Kal stopped and turned to Sam and Kara, his head down and his expression unreadable.-”This is a reading room. There, you will be able to use the crystals I gave you earlier to learn about your family and Krypton. I’ll wait for you here, to give you some privacy. “He stepped aside, far from the group, giving them some time to discuss who would go first inside. Lena was right, he had not been there for Kara, or for his people, but he could make it better. He would try at least. He needed to earn their trust. He busied himself with another console on the corner, typing and reading what was on the screen, trying to gather as much information as possible on Leviathan.-”Okay, what do we do now?”Alex looked around, not really at ease for obvious reasons. She had discreetly gathered some kind of sticks to use as weapons in case something happened and handed one to Kara.-”Do you really think a stick could help? This guy is a Kryptonian and the other is a robot. A wooden stick won’t help Danvers.”Before Lena could say anything else, Alex took a step closer and poked her in the ribs, testing the sharpness of the stick.-”Hey! That hurt!”-”See?! At least I did find something!” She answered in a teasing tone to the Doctor.-”Whatever, I don’t trust the guy and it’s obvious he does not trust me either. Do you really think they should use the crystals?”Sam turned to her and said “It’s not like we have the choice.” Seeing Alex and Kara’s incredulous expression she started again. “Look, I know you don’t trust any of them, especially J’onn and Brainy, but they had your backs for years. If they wanted to hurt you they would have done it by now. I think we should try to learn as much as we can. It doesn't mean we have to trust them fully, we can investigate on our own but using their facilities.”-”It could be useful to have them share information with us. If they really think we can help, they will train us, give us more powerful weapons and after we arrest Leviathan, we can all go back to our normal life.”-”Alex, I don’t think our life will ever be normal again.”Without any further word, Kara took the crystal and stepped inside the room, not waiting for any reaction. She turned to Lena one last time, knowing full well the woman would never let her go inside alone.-”Please, stay here. The robot trapped you, we don’t know what else could be harmful for humans and especially you.”As soon as she saw Lena nod, she stepped inside of the room. __________________________________________________________________________Much like the rest of the Fortress, the room was made of crystal. A console was standing alone, in the middle of the room, in front of what looked like a platform. The rest of the room was empty. She walked to the console, to find a keyboard with different Kryptonese words and a hole, probably where she should put the crystal. She took a deep breath and repeated slowly that she was doing that for her, to know her story and to help the world, silently praying the repetition would ease her fear. She reached out for the crystal and with shaky hands, she put it in the receptacle.The room lit up and a figure appeared on the platform. When the hologram turned around, Kara could not hold her tears anymore. Her mother was standing here, right before her. Well, the hologram of her mother. Kara did not think she would be able to see her ever again. The surprise and emotion she was feeling were enough to make her forget she was not real.-”Kara Zor-El, Welcome to the Fortress.”-”Mom..?” Her voice was so small, like she was afraid any loud noise would break the magical moment, or break the delicate form of the hologram.-”I am Alura, your mother. Although I contain the memories of our civilization and our life, I am not programmed to answer questions about subjects other than what I know.”Kara approached the hologram, slowly and tentatively reaching out to touch her mother’s face. Her heart sank a little when her hand went through the hologram, realizing she would never be able to hold her mother again.-”I am a Hologram Kara, you can not touch me.”-”I know Mom…”-”What do you want to know?”It was a good question. The only answer was ‘Everything’. She wanted to know everything about Krypton, about her family, about their life on Earth, their memories. The one J’onn made her forget. But she also thought about the danger hovering on the Planet. Sam was right, the faster they catch Leviathan, the faster she could come back here and ask her mother everything she wanted.-”What do you know about Leviathan?”-”According to the Kryptonese and Humans resources, we know Leviathan is a secret organization created to guide humanity. But some of them, blinded by power, ended up destroying planets. They arrived on Earth at the beginning of time, using natural elements to regulate the population and technologies on the planet. One of the members, Rama Khan, is known for his responsibility in the destruction of Pompeii, the Yellow River Flood. He can control the elements and has become a part of Earth. He can hide into the Earth, literally. He is the one you need to take down. According to the combined data. he is the only one able to control Earth. The other one won’t be able to do much harm to the planet but they are known to recruit members through blackmail.”-”Does the data contain names of members?”-”Yes and no. There are names but they are all dead. Understand that once Leviathan does need someone anymore, they kill them.”-”Is Rama Khan their leader?”-”No. We have no trace of their original planet, but we know they are not only established on Earth. Rama Khan is the representative of the leader on Earth. The others are here to help and protect him. They target powerful and influential people as much as anonymous ones because they can go under the radar. It is a rare thing to see them in the open. They usually use the butterfly effect to achieve their goal.”-”What do they want? Why are they coming back now? What do they want to do?”-”Those are some of the questions I can’t answer Kara. I told you. I cannot know what Rama Khan has inside of his head. But according to the data, the Earth seems to be polluted. Humans do not take care of it. There are too many people living here and not enough solutions to save the planet. Rama Khan’s goal is to protect the planet.”-” To protect the planet and not the Humans.”-”The Earth is also the homeland of many species. If sacrificing one to save the other is the more logical option. Rama Khan will do it.”Alura’s voice was not reassuring anymore. A million year old alien wanted humanity to disappear to save Earth. It was too late to do something about it. They could reveal the existence of Leviathan to the world, it would create a massive panic. The DEO knew about Leviathan. Even if Kara did not trust them, she would need their help. It was not like she could go back to the Police Station and do research about aliens and secret organizations wanting to destroy them. They would need a plan, and training.-”Mom, how come we have powers on Earth?”-”The yellow sun is different from the Sun we had on Krypton. This one helps regenerate and develop your cells way faster, creating new abilities and characteristics that we did not have before.”Okay, one last question and she would let Sam have her turn with her own hologram.-”Can I trust Kal-El?”-”Kal-El, son of Jor-El and Lora, is your cousin. He has landed on Earth on a Pod, at the same time as we did 30 years ago. He had started helping people on Earth in secret, with the help of the DEO, which protected his true identity. He is a reporter in Metropolis and grew up in Smallville with the Kent family.”-”I thought you could not answer questions about the present.”-”I am currently reading his own data from his own crystal. Kal-El is your family. You can trust him. He will train you as he already has knowledge about his powers and can control them. He does not trust Lex Luthor as he knows his identity and does not want aliens on Earth.”-”Lena is not like that!” This came out harsher than she thought.-”Lena Luthor, daughter of Lionel Luthor and Elizabeth Walsh, two members of the original Cadmus organization. Adopted by Lillian Luthor when her biological mother died. She currently has 4 Doctorats and chose to pursue a career as a Chief Medical Examiner in National City. She has helped put 147 criminals behind bars.”Kara smiled a little. “Yeah, she is great.”-”According to your physical reaction to the mention of Lena Luthor and her accomplishments, I would suggest you are in love with her.”-”MOM!”-”I am an hologram Kara. But the definition of love is in my database.”The hologram smiled and Kara would have sworn it was teasing her, just like Alura would have done if she was alive. In the middle of all this mess, she had found a trace of her past, something that could help her be the person she was always supposed to be. Maybe a superhero, maybe a cop, but a detective fighting for what’s right and justice in any case. Preferably with Lena by her side.