Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

OC Character Build

Pairings: OC/Alex, Kara/Cat

Name: (Krypton) - Rile Zor-El (Earth) - Riley Jane Danvers

Age: 24 (Adam doesn't exist in this fic, and Cat is a very successful 30 year old)

Height: 5ft 8in (barefoot) (same height as Kara)

Build: Lean/Athletic/Toned

Eye Color: Stormy Gray/Blue (Kara's are a bright Sky Blue)

Hair Length/Color: Short and naturally Wild/Spiky, Blonde Hair (Her different attitude, slightly sharper features, hair length, and Eye color are the only physical differences between her and Kara. Their outward emotions and movements are different (Kara is more "Bouncing off the walls Excited Puppy" while RJ is more "Laid-back but can still be a very excited Puppy" *Unless they want to prank people, then they can "swap" attitudes which worked well until Riley kept her hair cut short*)

Piercings (that stay thanks to a tiny amount of Kryptonite in them): Left ear (two upper, one lobe) (top two are red, lower is blue), tongue piercing (closer to the front - yellow), Belly-button stud (sapphire gem on a gold piercing)

Family: (Living Birth): Identical (for the most part, her features are a bit sharper than Kara's) Twin Sister: Kara (Zor-El) Danvers, Cousin: (Kal-El) Clark Kent, Aunt: Astra In-Ze Living Family (Non-Birth): Adoptive Mom "Ma": Eliza Danvers, Passed Away Family (Non-Birth) Adoptive Dad "Dad": Jeremiah Danvers (Yes, he's 100% dead)

Type of Clothing Normally Worn: Her worn dark brown leather jacket (Alex gave it to her on her 16th birthday), Plaid Long Sleeve Button-Up, Plain short sleeve button-ups, plain color sleeveless shirts, jeans (carpenter, for casual wear) or military type cargo pants (work), sneakers (casual) or her non-leather military combat boots (brown or black) (work), and black "Fox" motocross brand shades.

Costume: All of it made from Durable material like Kara's, but red pants (Military Cargo style design) instead of a skirt, a blue slightly "ragged design look" loose sleeveless shirt with the House of El symbol on the front. Her blue no heel combat-like boots and the gold-ish colored canvas style belt. Also has a red cape like Kara's (at first).

Occupation: Owns her own Multi-Car Auto Repair/Welding Garage since she had found a sense of peace by fixing things (amusingly enough, it's where Cat gets her personal vehicles fixed/checked up, but it's usually someone else that drops them off and picks them up at the shop).

Bio: Riley was the slightly younger twin to Kara and both twins had a happy/soothing aura around them, but while Kara's was "bounce off the walls" happy, she had more of a calm version that seemed more soothing than excited. When they were placed in a pod together that left right after their baby cousin, they both ended up in the "Phantom Zone" in a deep sleep. Once they landed on Earth, they were freed from their sleep/pod by their now adult cousin who now went by Clark Kent, or "Superman", who took them to be raised by the Danvers family who had helped him learn his own powers. While Kara was eventually comfortable enough to be openly curious about everything around them, Riley found a love for Human music and almost instantly had a habit of breaking into certain songs depending on a situation. Much to her embarrassment it can also happen when she's nervous.

Skip forward around 10 or so years later, Kara was working for Cat Grant at the CatCo building as her assistant, and Riley owned her own Auto Repair/Welding Garage named "Danvers Auto and Welding". While always wanting to be 'normal' growing up, both had the feeling that they were only "surviving" in their lives, and not "Living" but knowing Eliza and Alex, both twins said nothing.

Kara was carrying Cat's drink and her food into CatCo and Riley had just parked into her spot when they both suddenly felt that things were about to change drastically.

Chapter Text

Chapter One: When Super's Come out of the  Wood-works

(*Quick AN for those who didn't read the Character "Build", Ry's full name is Riley Jane Danvers. Her Krypton name is Rile Zor-El)

"I should be off work around six, if that changes I'll call you. Also Ry, make sure to remind Kara that if she's going to float around the apartment you two share, to please remember to close the blinds or curtains, we do not need another near incident like last month." Alex sighed. Riley knew she was exasperated but still amused at the memory of Kara almost getting caught floating mid air by nosy neighbors.

"Alright Alex, I'll be sure to let her know." Riley said with amusement.

"Thank you Riley, and enjoy your slow day at work. Love you." Alex said with a soft laugh, she knew that Riley could be just as bad as Kara with using their powers, even if she denied it with her last breath.

"Love you too old lady. Hey wait, real quick, if Kara doesn't veto the spaghetti and garlic bread idea, I'll start making that at around seven." The short haired blonde said, knowing from experience that Alex was about to tell her more.

"Please don't forget to make enough to feed an army again, you know that while I don't have the stomach for that much food, the two of you do. Oh, and if you have time to stop by the store on your way home you're almost out of that scotch I like." Alex added quickly.

'Knew it!' Riley thought, smirking a bit at how predictable Alex was with her last minute requests. She was, however, silently refusing to acknowledge the fact that she and Kara were the exact same way.

"Of course Alex, I'll let you go and enjoy your work. While you do that, I'm going to go ahead and call Kara first before her Catwoman shows up at the office, let her know what's going to be made tonight and all that." Riley said as she stood up from leaning against the wall next to the door to her workshop, finally unlocking the main door and heading inside.

*Phone Side Switch*

"Alright, talk to you later." Alex said, hitting 'end' when she heard Riley's own goodbye.

She let out a deep sigh as she dropped her phone on the table in front of her, work had been hectic over the last week. Most of it due to the worrying silence from Fort Rozz aliens. No attacks in so long normally meant something big was going to happen.

The easiest thing about that week was that she and Henshaw had finally agreed on a time for him to meet and talk with both Riley and Kara later that week in the D.E.O.

"Agent Danvers," Vasquez called out to Alex over the radio, "Director Henshaw has requested you to meet him in the armory." there was a slight pause while Alex walked out of the room and locked the door behind her, "He says it's urgent."

"Thanks Vasquez." Alex said as she made her way to the Armory, wondering just what would cause an urgent talk with her boss.

*Back to Riley and now Kara*

Placing her worn brown leather jacket on the back of her chair, Riley smirked as she heard Kara shoot Winn down with amazing precision over the phone without even realizing it.

"Kara, I don't know why you just don't announce to Winn that you're as gay as I am with a shirt that says 'I have the hots for Catwoman, don't even bother'. To be honest Alex probably should too, if only to avoid guys hitting on her at work." She said, muttering the last part in amusement.

Pulling out the racer roller chair at her decently large desk, she dropped her backpack next to the seat on the floor as there was a slight pause in conversation as Kara sputtered in frustration.

"Well, when are you and Alex finally going to date instead of focusing on work so much? Rao knows that I shouldn't be the only one out there! Besides, I know what happened when we were all younger was rough, but hey, you both still need to try to move on like you swore to the other." Kara finally sighed as she logged into her computer, as her younger twin was just as dateless as Alex.

Riley felt her face heat up as a flush began to show, her own failure at trying to verbalize excuses came out in sputters just as Kara's had.

Clearing her throat, she pouted a bit and ignored Kara's last statement, "Fine, fine, we're both pathetic at even attempting to date anyone." she paused, looking over at her desk picture of her and Kara's college graduation day with Alex standing between them. There was also Lois and Clark photo bombing from the sides, slightly in front of them, "What time do you think you're going to be home at? I was thinking about making all of us some spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread."

Kara hummed in thought as she let the unsubtle attempt at changing the conversation happen, "Well, I should be done around six so I should be there around seven, but I'll call or text if Cat has me staying longer than that. Oh hey, mind picking up more ink for the printer on your way back for me? I might need to do some work at home later and I know it's almost out."

"Not at all, I'll grab the usual ink and start supper around seven. I'm also grabbing a few groceries while I'm out since Alex said something about being low on her drinks, so getting the ink as well is no issue." Riley replied almost absent minded as she bent some metal on the piece she was working on, happy that the gift for Kara and Alex was almost finished.

She brought her attention back to the call when Kara spoke up after pointedly clearing her throat, "So Riley, when are you finally going to come over to CatCo to meet Winn? I told him about how you moved to National City finally, but he's starting to think I just made it up when I told him I have a twin sister. At least Alex knows you exist, but we met her when we were thirteen."

She let out a small amused sigh, "Alright Kara, tomorrow I'll drop by your work to meet Winn officially, and hopefully psych out your Catwoman." Riley finished with a wicked smirk, remembering how Kara told her how much Cat Grant hated cat jokes.

Hearing a familiar voice come from the elevator nearby with her 'super hearing' Kara stood swiftly to prepare for Cat Grant's dramatic entrance, "Alright, sounds good. Miss Grant is on her way up so I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, later Kara. Let me know how work went when you make it to the house after dropping your stuff off at your apartment." Riley replied, both of the blondes hanging up to start their own work days.

*At CatCo*

Kara placed her cellphone on her desk and picked up her boss's specially made latte, holding it and smiling happily at the personal elevator. She made sure to fire off a warning to Winn right before the elevator dinged and the doors pulled open.

"Good Morning Miss Grant." She chirped out still very much bubbly with her sunny disposition, mostly to do with the idea of Cat Grant meeting her twin and the extremely sassy being that was Alex Danvers. That hilarious image had her fighting giggles but Cat's possible reaction caused her a decent amount of worry for her job.

"The only reason I bought this building was because it had a private elevator." Cat Grant stated, strutting out of said elevator and towards her mostly glass walled office, "That way, I don't have to get soaked in cheap cologne every morning getting to my office. Find out who used it, have them reprimanded, or bathed, I don't care which."

Kara nearly tripped as she dove forward a little to catch the jacket Cat nearly threw at her, the C.E.O. not pausing as she continued towards the simple yet elegant desk near the far wall.

"Here's your latte. Hot." Kara finally interrupted bravely, hoping to distract Cat from whoever poor soul didn't understand how much of a no-no it was to go into Cat Grant's personal elevator.

"That'll be new and different" Cat sighed as she took the latte from Kara, not seeing the sunny girl's face visibly show her frustration.

"I have a meeting with the board today at lunch, so cancel sushi with my mother. Oh, and cancel my therapist. I won't be needing it if I'm not having lunch with my mother." Cat continued as she stopped by the side of her desk to take a sip of the latte Kara handed her, cringing from the non existent heat she then dropped it into the trash the moment she pulled the cup away from her face.

"Got it!" Kara responded, diligently writing on her notepad as quick as she could humanly get away with.

"Also," Cat paused, placing her shades on the desk, dropped her purse next to the desk on the floor and sat in her 'throne', "I've emailed a list. Prepare termination letters for the Tribune employees as noted. But it would be so nice if you hand wrote them. Use the lesser card stock."

Kara quit writing in shock, "You're downsizing the Tribune? But that was your first acquisition."

Cat didn't even bat an eye as she gave another order as she began editing some of the pages in front of her, "Go see if the new art director has the layout ready."

At Kara's visible upset, she spoke again while not looking up from her editing, "It's not that I don't see your frown, it's just that I don't care enough to ask why it's there."

Kara sighed with frustration, "All those people, they're going to lose their jobs. What's going to happen to them? To their families?" grasping at straws, she went out on a limb, "They don't have to downsize at the Daily Planet."

Right after those words left her mouth Kara felt instant regret and more than just a little bit of terror when Cat looked up sharply.

"Metropolis has a person who wears a cape, and flies around performing heroic acts." While ranting Cat began to take off her heels, "The Planet puts this superlative man on their cover fifty-four percent of the time." She dropped her heels with a bit of dramatic flair, "You wanna save the Trib? Go find me a hero, Keira." She finished with a delicate wave of her arms.

Kara turned around and began leaving the room after Cat's obvious dismissal, "Kara." She said softly, feeling down but not sure what to do about the situation. She made her way to visit the new art director as she wondered what she could do to try to help.

"Put the drink you picked up for Alex in the freezer for me please. How was work Kar?" Riley asked at a normal volume after she heard the front door close.

A slight gust of wind blew by slightly faster than the fans in the room were circulating the air. Turning away from the stove, she smiled softly when Kara's arms wrapped around her in greeting.

"That bad at work, huh?," Riley hummed in question, returning the hug just as tightly, "Alex will be here in little bit less than an hour and a half. Plenty of time for you to shower and relax before Alex double-oh-seven Danvers, arrives."

Kara pulled back a bit, "Or," she drawled, playing with Riley's silly 'Welcome to Hell's Kitchen, my Throne Room' apron Alex got her specifically made, "I can do that and while we wait on Alex to arrive we can put on a rerun on with the T.V on low volume and I can tell you about this idea I had that requires a discussion. We can plan our side of the argument in case Alex disagrees."

Riley looked questioningly at her older twin before she just shrugged and pushed Kara out of the kitchen and towards the bathroom.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Riley muttered, making sure Kara was well on her way to wash up, "I'll turn the T.V. on once I have things in the oven to keep warm and fresh."

"Wonder-dorks, I'm here!" Alex called out in her usual sassy manner, subconsciously checking for cracks in the door and frame out of habit due to the twin's super strength.

"We know, thanks for the nickname Double-oh-Spaz." Riley playfully scowled back over the music drifting around the apartment from the kitchen.

Alex pulled off her shoes and just dropped them hazardously on the shoe rack next to the front door, not even stopping as she dropped her messenger bag on the floor next to the couch.

She paused at the doorway, leaning against it quietly when she caught sight of Kara trying to sneak a bit of garlic bread off the pan only to get a swift slap to her hand from Riley.

"I don't know why you always try that Kara, Riley always seems to have eyes on the back of her head." Alex snickered as she pull both super powered women into a group hug. Amused by the pout Kara had and the smug look Riley was wearing.

Riley laughed when Alex poked Kara's sides, actually getting a giggle and snort from the other blonde until Kara danced away from the 'vicious fingers' with Alex right on her heels.

Shaking her head at the two, Riley moved to pull the rest of the food out of the oven where it was left to keep warm. She took the pot of spaghetti and pan of garlic bread to the table where the shredded cheeses were already waiting on the table.

"Alright you two goofs, time to eat!" She called out, not a second later Kara was in her usual seat and filling up her plate and Alex sat in her chair at the middle of the table between the two blondes.

"When I get back from Geneva, I was thinking about having another game night if Riley is going to get used to Winn and Vasquez." Alex spoke up, figuring now was a good time to put the plan out there since Kara was refilling her plate.

The sunny blonde nodded eagerly, "Sounds good! I think that'd be pretty fun!"

Riley just rolled her eyes when Alex and Kara looked over at her, nodding as she continued to finish up her first plate. "Sure, why not?"

When the three women were finally full from dinner with no left-overs in sight, they cleared away the dishes and moved into the living room, Alex carrying a glass of her favorite scotch.

"So, what were you wanting to talk about?" Alex asked as they all sat down on the same small couch, herself in the middle between the two blondes.

Riley sighed when Kara gave her the 'Puppy Pout', giving in to bringing it up with Alex even though it was Kara's idea, "We were wondering if we could not only meet your boss, Alex, but also talk to him about us working with the D.E.O. as superheroes."

Alex choked on her drink, taking a minute to clear her burning airways, "Well, good news is that he wants to meet with the both of you after we get back from Geneva. Bad news is that I'm not sure if he would accept you working with the D.E.O. or not."

Kara let out a sad whine while curling into Alex's side, Riley doing the same once she helped Alex by putting the scotch on the table so it didn't spill everywhere, minus the whine.

"Don't worry though," Alex said once they were all situated with amusement at how the twins, Riley more so, were like Great Pyrenees' that thought they were small lapdogs, "I think that if he says no at first, we will be able to slowly whittle away any doubt he has until he does accept."

Riley and Kara nodded as they felt themselves begin to doze now that they had full bellies and Alex was running her hands through their hair. "Stay till we fall asleep? It shouldn't take us too long and it will still leave you plenty of time to head to the airport." Kara asked since Alex had to leave soon.

"Sure brat, now go to sleep. Kara, your alarm should still be ready for your date later tonight. Riley, the materials you ordered from that shop arrived today as well and they'll close a little before Kara's date so don't forget. Please leave your phones on at all times just in case." Alex said to the lightly humming blondes, knowing they heard every word she said as they drifted off to sleep.

Once both Riley and Kara's breathing evened out, Alex gently slid out from between the two and off the couch but at the sight of them moving closer to each other to hug the other in their sleep, Alex couldn't resist a quick picture of her adorable Wonder-Dorks and forwarding it to their Mom. It wasn't until her watch beeped slightly that she grabbed her jacket and headed out the door, locking it behind her.

Riley hummed happily at being able to use her strength to bring the supplies she ordered to finish her metal sculpture for Kara and Alex, she still made sure to pretend that it was really heavy but she was able to take one trip. She turned on the T.V. to the local news as background noise before getting to work.

The tall blonde looked over at the large metal creation in front of her that was a little bit taller than herself at a nice six foot two. She made sure that the House of El symbol at the bottom that she finished at her work was sitting correctly to use a burst of heat vision to stick it on completely.

Glancing over at the box with the supplies, Riley began adding them on or bending them into a specific shape with her strength and she let her freeze breath cool the metal so she could apply the few straps of Krypton cloth from Kara's and her own old clothing they wore in the pod, that she had brought out of her room earlier. She was thankful that it was only parts of their old pants, and that their shirts were still intact.

"Time for the final touch." She muttered as she began strategically placing the strips in certain places, taking a step back to look at it all to see if it was finished.

The metal statue had a decently large House of El symbol at the bottom on top of the base. There were three figures standing side by side; Alex was standing in the middle with her gun drawn but aimed at the floor as she stared off at something with a fierce protective look, Kara was on Alex's right side with her hands on her hips and a sunny smile on her face but eyes that looked slightly haunted, and Riley herself was on Alex's left side with that same slight haunted look but had the sly mischievous look that usually made the other two glare at her for any possible pranks that would soon happen, with her arms crossed in front of her. There were also metal bits around the three statue figures that looked like poles and cement of a building which held the cloth pieces so they swayed around when there was a flow of air.

Riley narrowed her eyes, "Still missing something." She soon used her heat vision to engrave 'Danvers' on the front side of the base and their first name initials under each one of them, "Ha! Much better!"

When she stepped back, Riley had to jerk her left leg up as she felt the plastic from their T.V. controller start giving under her weight. Apparently the step had been on the channel buttons and the it changed.

"If you're just joining us, shortly after take-off, National City Airlines, Flight 237 bound for Geneva, is experiencing some loss of altitude." The man said. Riley could feel herself almost shaking with worry as he continued, "The pilot seems to be circling the city after apparent engine failure."

"Alex!" Riley couldn't help but yelp in terror as her heart felt it was plummeting. She turned on her heel and sprinted towards an open window, leapt over the couch and threw herself out of the window with super speed. Once out of the building, it took a second before her flying actually kicked in and she rocketed towards the plane in the sky.

She flew below the plane and caught sight of Kara doing the same, but when one of the engines fell off she broke away to catch it and blow freeze breath at it while Kara began to access what could be done the best to help. Riley quickly placed the large object on a building nearby and shot off back towards Kara.

"Riley!" Kara called out, causing her twin to pull up next to her, "I'm going for the right wing, you grab the left! We can land this thing safely at the airport and I'll put out the fire on this side as well!"

"You got it!" Riley said. They had little to no time to discuss other plans, so that was probably the best they could do.

The two super powered twins began to guide the plane towards the landing strip while keeping it up in the air the best they could. Kara could see Alex watching her and with a nod of her head towards the other side of the plane, she basically told Alex where Riley was.

It took what felt like hours with the high amount of stress they felt to finally get the plane close to the air strip. Thankfully the pilots noticed where they were and the landing gear was activated. Kara and Riley still held on, however, since they had to help slow the plane to a safe stop.

As the tires screeched against the pavement both could feel the tension start to ease out of them, but once the plane stopped completely the two floated off to the side a little to use their x-ray vision to check on the people inside. When that was done they gave each other a high five, not realized that people were already snapping photos and taking videos of them even if Kara was only slightly solid looking and Riley looked like a blur.

"Let's head home, emergency vehicles are nearby, as are helicopters. We don't need to be seen clearly and Alex will probably be by later." Riley muttered to Kara, lightly elbowing her in the side.

At Kara's nod they both took off again, only to stop by their favorite pizza place to pick up their usual before finally heading home.

"The passengers of flight 237 appear to have guardian angels. When, what many report to be two flying forms rescued them from certain death. Leyna Nguyen is live at the scene." The man on the T.V. reported, Riley quickly dodging a flaying hand that would have knocked her in the face when Kara squealed.

"Thank you, Rick. Guardian Angels seem like an apt description. Reports also show that not only did one of them put out the plane fire but the other caught an engine as it fell off of the plane, put out the fire in that engine and set it down safely on a nearby structure." A woman said, causing Riley to squeal happily and kick her feet out from where she was sitting on the arm of the couch behind Kara, getting a slap to her leg when she accidentally kicked her twin.

The T.V. paused, causing the two to realize that Alex was behind them. "Are you two okay?" Alex asked while holding her arms open for a group hug to check on them.

They scrambled to put their pizza on the coffee table next to them and launched themselves into Alex's arms. "Alex we didn't get caught. I swear we didn't!" Kara rambled out as they all clung to each other.

"No! No I'm not worried about that, I trust your decisions. What I am worried about is that one of you might have been hurt." Alex said firmly as she checked for any signs of injury from the two she can't help but feel protective over.

Riley and Kara shared a smile at how Alex was acting and Riley decided to speak up, "Alex, we're okay. Sure we were both freaking out that your plane was crashing and that freak-out felt like it took years off our lives, but we're okay."

Alex looked at both of them with narrowed eyes, "Fine, but I'm staying over tonight just in case. Kara, since Riley has been cleared by Cat Grant to shadow you tomorrow, the both of you keep an ear out at CatCo just to make sure no one does connect the dots. Riley, why are you bouncing around?"

Kara looked over at her twin suspiciously, "Alex is right, you seem to be double happy now."

Riley gave them a quick 'wait here' as she darted into her room, coming out a second later gently carrying a large statue.

"So," she started, making sure it was still mostly hidden behind her, "I finally finished a gift that I've been working on for both of you and I would have given it once Alex made it back, but that trip obviously didn't happen." Riley trailed off, then shook her head and continued, "Anyway! I give you, 'The Danvers Trio'!"

When Riley moved from her spot in front of it, Alex and Kara's jaws dropped. They knew Riley enjoyed working with metal much like how Kara loved painting and Alex was obsessed with her guns, but this was the first thing Riley made with the intention of giving it to Kara and Alex.

"Oh Rao." Kara mumbled as she and Alex walked up to it, "It's us!"

"It's really, really well done." Alex said as she ran her hand over some of the side parts that looks like pieces of a building.

Riley blushed brightly as she felt pride at their reactions, also happy that she finally contributed to the art in the apartment that already held Kara's paintings, some of Alex's favorite guns hidden strategically around all the rooms and now also held her own handmade sculpture.

"Alright you two," Riley started saying, pausing only to super speed to grab Alex some sleep clothes and continued when she was back in the room, "let's go change into our pajamas, put on that Ghostbuster's remake and crash on the couch pull out bed before my face stays permanently red."

Seeing that Riley's face really was lit up, Alex and Kara cooed at Riley before Alex went to the bathroom to change and Kara went to her own room to do the same.

As they stepped out of the elevator, Riley could feel just how tense they both were as she suddenly remembered just how unsubtle they both naturally were.

"Okay, we just need to... act natural!" Kara said with forced cheer when they turned away from a T.V. report going on about how no one has identified the 'mysterious saviors' were.

Riley gave out a huff as she failed to relax her posture, "Easy to say, hard to do."

Kara led the way towards her desk as a brisk pace, "Pretty cool huh?" she asked a guy that Riley assumed was Kara's friend Winn.

"Two plane saving ladies?" He scoffed, turning in his roller chair towards Kara, "How is the world supposed to take them seriously when..." he trailed off when he noticed the other blonde standing next to Kara.

"Oh! Winn, this is my younger twin Riley Danvers! Ry, this is my friend Winn!" Kara said as she whirled around when it hit her that Winn and her sister have never met before now.

"Oh my god, you're real!" Winn exclaimed as he stumbled out of his chair, he stopped in his tracks at the pout Kara shot at him "Uh, I mean, hi! It's nice to finally meet the other one of the Danvers twins!"

Riley's shoulders shook with the laughter she kept trying so hard to keep silent and shook Winn's outstretched hand, "Hi Winn, it's nice to meet you as well, I'm Riley! What were you about to say about the two that saved that plane last night?" She asked with her head tilting slightly to the left, not realizing that Kara did the exact same head tilt of confusion but towards the right.

"Well, how can the world take those two seriously when they can't even come up with a suit?" He asked as he sat back down in his own chair and continued, "What, Metropolis gets him and what does National City get? Two rookie superheroes? I mean don't get me wrong they did an amazing job saving that plane last night, but no suits is probably a sign that they must be new to it all."

Kara gave a small sad look to Riley who put her left arm over Kara's shoulders and hugged her, "Hey, it's okay Pup! We might not have suits yet but we will!" She quietly muttered so only Kara could hear her.

At the 'Sunny Danvers' smile appearing, Riley knew she succeeded in cheering Kara up.

"You're right! However, let's take a break on that conversation because Miss Grant is heading up her elevator. You can take the seat closer to the glass wall so it will make it easier to get up when Miss Grant yells for me. Oh! Also, I'll introduce you to James Olsen later!" Kara said, gently pushing Riley into the chair she spoke of. Once Riley was situated Kara turned and waved at Winn while holding out a latte for her boss who would be a new storm with she and Riley saving that plane.

Playing Minecraft with Winn was a surprising part of Riley's day. When Kara had left the desk to help her Catwoman Winn shyly asked Riley if she preferred Star Wars or Star Trek, and at her very firm 'Star Wars' the two began fangirling about it. That moment soon turned into talking about what their favorite video games are, what their favorite tabletop games are, and eventually lead the two to playing Minecraft Adventure modes that people made.

Kara saw this when she finished talking with James after Cat's meeting with the department heads and smiled happily at how Riley now had someone to geek out with when a sudden thought hit her. She wanted her best friend, and probably now one of Riley's friends as well, to know about who they really are.

"Hey Riley, come with me," She started, pulling Riley up out of the roller chair and towards the stairwell, "Winn, we need to talk to you on the roof."

Riley could hear his nervous stutter as he stood up from his own chair, "The... roof?"

"Kara, what's going on?" Riley asked as she dutifully followed Kara up the stairs towards the roof.

"Riley, Winn is my best friend and I know he'll keep this a secret to the grave but it didn't occur to me to ask what you thought about this idea so I'm going to ask now. Is it okay if I tell Winn about us?" Kara spoke rapidly, paling slightly about halfway through.

Riley pulled them both to a stop right in front of the door that would lead out to the roof, "Wait about us being lesbians, aliens not from earth, the two 'Guardians' from last night, or that we know someone who is basically a secret agent?"

"Technically the middle two since he already knows that we're gay. Not the last one though because Alex would kill us." Kara muttered the last part and they both shuddered slightly at the thought of a pissed off Alex.

"Alright, I trust your decision with this Kara, but if it does come back to bite us I get the right to smack you upside the head with no retaliation." Riley huffed with a small smirk appearing.

Nodding happily, Kara continued dragging Riley out onto the roof. Thankfully they only had to wait for about five minutes before Winn showed up.

"Kara? Hey uh, just whatever you have to say, can you make it quick? I'm not really into being this high up." He said with a nervous smile, waving to Riley who was standing a little off to the side and getting a wave back.

Kara walked up to him and away from the edge, "Okay, um, Winn, I'm going to tell you something about Riley and I that only five people in our lives know. Can we trust you?"

Winn crossed his arms in front of him as he seemed to realize this might be pretty serious, "Yeah, yeah of course!"

"Good!" Kara replied with relief, "Um, I just... I really want someone to be excited for us. And we, um... Right, how do I... Uh, there's something about me, and Riley, that for the most of our lives, we've hidden it." Kara stuttered until she finally gathered enough nerve.

"But last night, we finally went out and did what we've been hiding for so long, and we don't wanna stop." Kara explained, only to be cut off by Winn.

"Oh my god, you both had public sex with your girlfriends? That's probably not legal, but... more power to the both of you?" Winn said with wide eyes and a stunned look on his face.

By now Riley was almost falling over as she howled with laughter at the two, unable to stand up straight anymore.

Kara was stunned with a slightly horrified look before she shouted, "We are not exhibitionists!"

"We're," Kara paused, trying to continue after that little tidbit, "We're them!"

Winn looked so lost that Riley couldn't help but walk over next to Kara and throw her arm over her twins shoulders, "We're the women who saved that plane. The plane that Alex was on."

"Okay... Yeah, okay. Right." Winn chuckled, going to leave since he was obviously thinking that it was all just a joke.

Kara felt herself become determined and pulled Riley with her towards the edge of the building.

"Kara, what are you doing?" Winn asked as he turned back to them, "Kara, Riley! Hey, get away from the ledge, you're gonna get hurt!" He continued a little frantically.

Riley actually felt a little bad for him if she was being honest. She figured out Kara's plan about three steps from the edge.

As Kara turned around to fall backwards, Riley just shrugged and followed her twins lead as she took a step off the edge to plummet with her.

"Kara! Riley! Hey!" They could hear Winn scream in horror before they shot back up to the roof, Kara flipping as she landed while Riley just let herself softly drift down next to her

"You're," Winn stuttered, "You're them! The two who saved the plane!"

"Yup!" Kara laughed with a shrug as if falling off the side of CatCo then flying back up was nothing.

Sighing, Riley shook her head at both of them, "Dorks, the both of you." she muttered.

"Hey," she called out to Kara, "am I going to be able to meet your Catwoman yet or...?"

Kara glared at Riley, "You know, if you call her that to her face..."

"She's going to make my life a living hell and make sure you go down with me, which is exactly why I won't." Riley interrupted since she knew how overprotective Kara was of Cat.

Winn spoke up, "If that nickname ever does slip out in front of her, I suggest you run for you life and live far away from any part of civilization."

"I still can't believe I wasn't able to meet your boss. I mean, I understand work is busy because of the whole 'plane saving' thing that happened last night, but come on." Riley pouted as she and Kara changed into the outfits Winn made for them.

Kara grunted a little as she tried not to rip the annoying fabric, "Well, there is always next time!"

"True." Riley sighed, both of them heading out of the room and back towards the kitchen.

"So, how is it? Huh? How does it fit?" They heard Winn call out to them.

Kara nearly stormed around the corner with Riley on her heels, "I'm not flying around saving people in this thing. I... I wouldn't even wear it to the beach. Where's my cape?"

Riley was simply glaring at Winn, daring him to make a comment on how they looked like rebel teens from the nineteen-fifties.

"Capes are lame. Tell your cousin I said so." Winn waved them off before thinking better of it, "Actually, never, never do that."

Thankfully Winn had other ideas for possible 'suits' and even whole heartedly welcomed ideas. Kara wanted more covered while Riley wanted pants with a military cargo look to them.

The group of three ended up calling it a night and early the next day, since it was a weekend, they continued on. Kara ended up liking the more recent design and Riley was surprised to see a sleeveless shirt that seemed a bit ragged around the edges, and what looked like a pair of form fitting military cargo pants.

"Alright, we're coming out!" Kara called as they walked back into the living room where Winn was waiting.

"Oh, wait!" Riley called out because an idea hit her. Walking over to Kara, she gently pulled off the glasses and in turn, Kara pulled Riley's off as well since neither of them were needed.

They turned back to Winn who looked at them with awe, "Winn." Kara gently called out, causing him to jerk back into movement.

"So! To be a superhero you need a crime." He said to both of the blondes, "I hacked into the NCPD," he paused to click at something on his laptop, "There's a car chase on the one-twelve freeway."

"I can do a car chase!" Kara shrugged and asked Riley, "What about you?"

Riley mimicked Kara's shrug, "Sounds like a plan to me!"

*Car chase scene, both superheroes slam into a hill due to failing a turn*

"A cape aids with aerodynamics, I should have thought of that!" Winn said as he took back his 'no cape' stand.

"West National City Bank, reporting a four thirty-two, on sixth and spring. Suspects are armed and dangerous." They heard over the NCPD radio.

"You uh, you're sure that the both of you are bulletproof?" Winn asked, leery to send them out to that situation.

Kara was a little wide eyed, "Hope so!"

At that, Riley turned to her twin with look that basically screamed, 'Are you out of your damn mind?!'

It took them only a few moments to make it to the bank, Riley silently praying to Rao that they truly were bulletproof as they marched towards the gunmen.

Kara lead the march and Riley flinched when the gunfire started, only to share a breath of relief with Kara as they were very clearly bulletproof, seeing the bullets simply fall down around them instead of through them. Once they were close enough, the twins disarmed the gun toting bank robbers and knocked them unconscious for the police, taking off after crushing their guns into balls of metal.

"Alright, the new capes are made from a structured polymer composite which is much sturdier than the older capes and I polished off the rest of the suits. They should look much better now." Winn called out as he threw away the two capes they were using since they were riddled with bullet holes.

Kara and Riley walked around the corner into the dining room, feeling a lot more comfortable in their new suits.

Kara was wearing pair of red boots, a red skirt that was closed off a bit to keep anything from being seen, a blue long sleeved top with their family crest on it, and a long red cape hanging from her shoulders.

Riley was wearing what was basically really strong red military cargo pants that were a bit tight to avoid the cloth catching on things too much, a blue sleeveless shirt with their family crest that had a bit of a ragged look to it without compromising how sturdy it was, a pair Winn made version of military boots but in blue, and a red cape hanging from her shoulders as well.

"And uh," Winn laughed lightly as he gestured to their suits, "These suits have the 'S' for super, just like your cousin."

"It's not an 'S'." Kara started as she moved to a nearby floor length mirror.

Riley moved to join her and continued, "It's our families coat of arms. The House of El."

"El mayara." Kara whispered, getting a side hug from Riley.

"Four-alarm fire at Gates and Igle." A man reported over the NCPD radio.

"I'm assuming you can't catch on fire." Winn said as he figured that since they were bulletproof, they were more than likely fireproof as well.

They both nodded in agreement with him, Riley super speeding to help Winn pack his stuff up so he could head home since this was probably going to be their last response that night.

After making sure Winn was safely on his way home the twins took to the air and flew towards the burning building location.

"Alright Kara, you take the lower floors and work your way up, check for anyone still in the building. I'll start from the top and work my way down. Use freeze breath to put the fire out quick!" Riley called out the plan as they swooped down at the building.

Kara nodded in acceptance and went in through a lower open window, using super speed and x-ray vision to check all the floors.

Seeing Kara already working on her part, Riley carefully flew past the nearby helicopter and began to put out the fire on the roof with her freeze breath, going through a hole in the top once it was completely out.

The two heroes quickly but carefully worked their way through each level, soon meeting in the middle once the building fire was safely put out and any people still inside, escorted out.

"Wow, we did good." Riley said as she looked around, "It not might always happen that smoothly, but we did it."

Kara was about to agree when her phone rang and the song 'Bad Influence' by 'P!nk' broke the silence.

"Alex." Both of them said in amusement.

Riley walked off to double check with her x-ray vision while Kara talked to the older woman. From what she over heard, apparently Director Henshaw would like to meet them, and Alex would be near the building they were in currently to drive them there. Of course, they had to promise not to look at where they were going to Alex, so she wouldn't have to knock them out like Henshaw told her to.

Kara gestured to the busted window nearby and with a slight push off, both of the twins were out of the building and flying low, dodging people till they were able to land next to Alex's S.U.V and hop in.

"Welcome to the D.E.O." Henshaw said as they finished faking 'waking up', "the Department of Extranormal Operations. The D.E.O monitors and protects Earth from extraterrestrial presence and or invasion."

From what Alex had told them, this speech was something Henshaw had to usually say. Thankfully there was already a bit of comradery between them because of Alex so while the situation was serious, it was a lot more laid back then it could be.

After he showed them their ship and told them about Fort Rozz which again thanks to Alex, they already knew about that, he spoke up about their possibility of working with the D.E.O.

"Usually I would say no, and leave it at that. But," he stopped to raise his hand to the three Danvers' who were about to start arguing with him, "But, this is an unusual situation. I believe that both of you and the D.E.O. would work well together if your ability to think situations through continues. As of now, if you accept, a trial run of sorts will begin. If, within a month, there are no issues that come up that can't be dealt with, you will both officially be working along side the D.E.O."

"Yes!" Kara and Riley agreed quickly, resisting the urge to pout at Alex's sniggering from behind them.

Henshaw nodded sternly once, "Alright Danvers' Twins, fly home. Agent Danvers' will brief both of you on the situation."

"Yes sir." Riley saluted before the twins turned on their heels, lifting Alex up by her arms and taking her with them.

(*Time Skip*)

"Of course, leave it to media magnate, Cat Grant, to put a name to a face. Miss Grant has dubbed National City's new heroes, 'Superboy' and 'Supergirl'. And if Twitter is any indicator, the names of these 'Super Twins' appear to be catching on." Riley heard from the T.V. playing for background noise as she was working on her own truck.

That work was put on hold because the moment Riley heard the new 'names' Cat Grant gave herself and Kara, she bent the tire jack she had in her hands in surprise.

"Superboy? Super Twins?" She muttered to herself while still staring stunned at the T.V., lightly pressing her hands against her mostly flat chest feeling slightly insulted.

She was roughly jerked out of her confusion when she heard the familiar ringtone 'Fireflies' by 'Owl City' rang out from her cellphone.

Having to dig around her paper covered desk, Riley almost missed the call until she found it at the last second.

"Hey Kara, have you seen the news?" She asked still feeling surprise at the fact that Cat Grant, Kara's Catwoman, had actually given them their superhero names.

"Yes and thanks to James I was able to keep my job. I uh, kind of stormed into Miss Grant's office basically asking her 'what the hell were you thinking' and if James didn't walk in and give Miss Grant a clean picture of us from when we were outside the bank, I would be jobless at the moment." Kara rambled on over the phone.

"Jeez Kara, slow down. What did she say about the names?" Riley asked, insistent on that part.

Kara sighed, "Well, I brought up the fact that Supergirl could have been called SuperWoman. She wasn't too happy with that and brought up a lot of things to counter-act that. The whole Superboy thing I couldn't get her to change her mind about either since she saw it as an easier way for that hero to hide among the normal, I'm so sorry Ry." Kara finished with an apology.

"Don't worry about it Kar, it's not like you picked the names." Riley laughed.

When Kara went to ask Riley how her work day was other than finding out she was called 'Superboy', a harsh tone caused the both of them to drop their phones.

"I am communicating at fifty-thousand hertz. If you can hear this, you were not born on this Earth. Painful, isn't it? The humans of National City will suffer ten times this pain if the both of you don't face me. Meet me at the National City Power Plant. How many innocent people are going to die until you prove that neither of you are cowards... Daughters of Alura?" A male voice painfully echoed about in their skulls.

"Kara," Riley panted as she raised her phone back up to her ear, "I'm going to call Alex and tell her what's going on. Meet me at the outskirts of town and we'll go there together once the D.E.O. shows up. You know we can't face him alone."

Kara was silent as she ran for the roof, once she was on top however, she spoke up, "Alright, call her quick and I'll be waiting for you."

"You got it." And without any goodbyes they both hung up, Riley hitting the speed dial for Alex because she knew what she said was right, they weren't ready for someone like Vartox.

"Okay so let me make sure I got this right. The plan is for us to go in there and he's going to kick the tar out of us. Let him barely escape once the D.E.O. swoops in to help but with a tracker stuck to him if we can?" Kara asked doubtfully.

Henshaw nodded even though Alex looked just as worried about this not so well thought out plan.

"Hey if it helps Kar, I'll let him focus more on me." Riley said with a cheeky grin, earning her a swift punch on her right arm from Kara and a slap on the back of her head from Alex.

Riley pouted at Kara and Alex like a wounded puppy, trying to make them relax a little so no one is too stressed to either give away the plan, what little there was, or the fact that they were probably going to get the crap kicked out of them.

"Alright, I can't just stand around here anymore, let's go!" She called out before she leapt into the air, waving to Alex as she flew towards Vartox with Kara on her heels.

"This is not going to go well!" Kara yelled out as they shot forwards, "But thankfully we'll be there together with the D.E.O. right behind us!"

"Agreed with you there." Was the last thing Riley said before they landed at the power plant.

The twins started gazing around with there super vision, but when they couldn't see through much of anything Kara lightly pushed Riley so they were a few yards apart incase he tried to take them both out at the same time.

"Clever. Picking a spot lined with lead. But we can still hear your heartbeat." Kara called out to Vartox since they knew he was hiding among the lead lined buildings.

They didn't hear him getting closer until it was too late and he landed solidly behind Kara, swinging at her and knocking her away.

"Kara!" Riley shouted as she moved to fight off the male but he simply dodged her left hook and gave her a swift kick to the abdomen that sent her slamming into Kara, who had just been able to stand up again.

"Ow." Riley wheezed out to Kara when her older twin pulled her to her feet.

"On my planet, females bow before males." Vartox told them with a bit of a smug attitude.

"This is not your planet." Kara hissed at him, Riley thought she seemed very pissed that he had the guts to assume his planets' rules worked on Earth.

"You both look so much like Alura. I didn't easily forget the name of the woman who condemned me to prison. For the people at Fort Rozz she was our judge and jailer. Can't Kill her." He paused with a wicked grin, "So killing the both of you will have to do."

At that Kara seemed to finally lose her cool with him and close the distance quickly with flying, using herself as a battering ram to knock him easily through a concrete wall.

When Kara hopped over the wall and started sharing punches that had Riley realizing just how majorly untrained they were, Riley flew up in the air and prepared to dive bomb into him from above the moment she could without hitting Kara.

Sadly, that moment to shine never happened since Vartox knocked Riley out of the air by throwing Kara at her, which in turn knocked both blondes into a nearby building.

"Ow." Riley wheezed yet again, this time from Kara's elbow having dug into her gut hard when they landed.

"Oops, sorry." Kara muttered as she pulled Riley to her feet yet again, feeling like this situation seems like it's becoming a thing with them.

Unfortunately for them, that feeling seemed extremely true because next thing they knew Kara received a hard kick to her lower back, sending both of them slamming into floor a few yards away once more.

"Ow." Riley actually squeaked sharply that time since Kara's knee hit her pelvic bone harshly, "Okay," she tried talking again, so far unable to loose the slight higher pitch, "we really need to stop being the bad guy's weapons against each other, because OW, OKAY?!"

"Agreed!" Kara wheezed as Riley's own knee seems to have hit her in the gut that time.

"Just because the two of you wear that symbol on your chest doesn't mean you're him." Vartox insulted them as he walked up to them yet again, "Fighting him would be an honor. Fighting you two is just a joke of an exercise."

"Oh hell no, you did not just use our cousin to insult us!" Riley snapped out as she leapt to her feet, dodging two swings from Vartox only for him to grab Kara by the arm and fling her across the room.

He looked between the both of them, "You actually think that you can stop me?" He asked while dodging Riley's uppercut attempt and threw her towards Kara. Thankfully Kara was able to dodge her thrown sister that time.

"That you'd be able to stop any of us?" He continued as he stalked forward to grab both Kryptonians by their shoulders to fling them through a wall and out of the building.

"Why do I feel like he copied his speech from that first ever episode of that witch show Charmed? I think it was Prue's demonic reporter boyfriend?" Riley asked while they tried to get up fast to avoid the continuous situation of being cannonballs to each other.

Vartox, being the jerk he apparently very much is, came from almost out of nowhere and kicked Riley through a nearby pile of large pipes. Then turned to Kara as he quickly pinned her beneath his boot and brought his axe up to finish her off.

What he didn't take into consideration was that Riley would be back on her feet almost as quick as she was thrown, speeding up and hitting him with a perfectly timed uppercut.

"Ha! Nailed him that time!" She cheered while Kara leapt to her own feet for a fist bump.

Their crappy luck prevailed and the moment they were going to fist bump Vartox threw his axe at them, slicing Kara's right arm a bit and causing a deep gash on Riley's left shoulder.

Riley yelped, then felt slightly embarrassed that her pain tolerance appeared to be way less than Kara's since Kara only hissed in surprise.

Vartox made sure to give them no time to recover that time, picking up Kara by her throat and choking her once he slammed her down onto a metal pipe that gave a little. Riley tried to help get her out but he saw her coming and dodged before he used his other arm to toss her down and put his boot on her throat.

"Where, the hell, is Alex?" Riley choked out as the boot's pressure made it almost impossible to breathe.

"Now you know what it's like to bleed. Soon, your whole city will bleed." Vartox promised to them, moving to completely close off their airways.

Apparently their luck decided to change when a small missile slammed into the ground nearby, spooking Vartox away from them. The male alien grabbed his axe off the concrete nearby as the D.E.O. helicopters swooped, one going at him and the other stopped above the two Kryptonians.

A human female quickly rappelled down as the first helicopter gave chase to a fleeing Vartox, that human was soon revealed to be none other than Alex.

"Hey, hey," Alex said as she quickly pulled both of the blondes to her, "I got you, I got you."

Riley whined when her shoulder knocked into Kara's arm, though both blondes were not feeling too hot after such an embarrassing thrashing.

"It'll be okay," Alex shushed them while gently pulling them up, "come on you two, let's go back to the D.E.O. and get you patched up Riley."

It wasn't till Alex said that, that Riley realized her shoulder was still cut up but Kara's arm was already slowly healing up.

"Aw, come on. No fair." Riley pouted since she felt a little thrown around in more than just the physical sense.

"Ow!" Riley yelped when Alex pulled the shard of metal out of her shoulder, "I feel like that is going to be my new saying." She huffed as she felt her wound seal up on it's own.

"You're going to be okay." Alex muttered since she apparently wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"I don't think we've ever felt pain like that before." Kara told Alex, watching as the redhead placed the shard into a small plastic bag.

"More like we've never felt pain. Talk about one hell of a wake-up call." Riley joined in once her need to joke the pain away disappeared with said pain.

"Neither of you are totally indestructible, Wonder-Dorks," Alex huffed while moving towards some nearby computers, "and I know that the tracker was destroyed but did you have to taunt the guy into throwing his axe at you to get a piece of it? I know it will make it a hell of a lot easier to track him and maybe even help us finally defeat him, but that was still dangerous."

Henshaw took this moment to speak up after Alex moved away, "Nice move Super Twins, while Alex is right that what you did was extremely dangerous and should never be attempted again," he stopped to give them a stern look that had them nodding in agreement to appease him, "you did good."

Alex gave him such a dark look from that last comment that Riley and Kara were waiting on Henshaw to catch fire.

Thankfully for him the computer pinged about something, "Look at that!" Henshaw chuckled before heading out the door, "It is definitely going to help against Vartox."

"I think I'm just going to head home." Riley whispered when she suddenly feeling weighted down by how useless she felt after she and Kara were completely annihilated by a single alien.

Kara stopped Alex when she moved to stop Riley, shaking her head slightly before their eyes moved to follow Riley defeatedly moving towards the D.E.O. exit.

"Come by after your done at the D.E.O. Alex, we need you, okay?" Kara said once she dropped Alex's hand and moved to leave as well with a few tears of her own threatening to fall.

"Kara, Riley. Open the door please." Alex called out through the door to the twin's apartment.

The twins knew she was there and almost couldn't open the door for Alex fast enough to hug her.

Alex pulled them both towards the couch, dropping down while tugging them into her sides like usual.

"I know what you're thinking." She started after they were all cuddled together, "You feel like complete and total failures because of how bad Vartox was beating the both of you. But you're not, okay? Listen, neither of you are trained to fight in any way. His life is fighting and if you feel like you want to learn how to fight back, I'll teach you. Because no one messes with my aliens without pissing me off, but I know I can't always be there to help."

By now the twins were basically blanketing Alex as their need to cuddle was overwhelming after the last few days.

"I know the both of you can do so much good. You are both superheroes, you just need a little help." Alex finally finished with a few cracks in her voice as she struggled not to cry at how badly the fight from earlier scared her.

"Come on, I got something to show you." Alex gently pushed at them, coaxing them up off the couch, "Come on, up up! Because it's not only me that believes in you, it's other family too."

"We know Eliza believes in us, Alex" Kara muttered despondently.

"Oh, I don't mean just her." Alex paused to pull out a familiar looking piece of technology and set it on the ground in front of them.

"That's written in Kryptonese." Kara said when her eyes caught sight of the text carved on it.

Alex nodded at Kara's realization, "Yeah, Hank and his old team recovered it from the pod that brought the both of you to Earth."

Riley stepped forward and pressed a specific spot on top of the object, moving back to stand near Kara with Alex between them. Both of them clung to her hands as tight as they could without hurting her when the tech finished activating in the dark apartment.

"Mom." Both blondes croaked, already feeling tears fill their eyes.

"Kara, Rile, my brave children. By now you have become the people I knew you could grow up to be. And though you were sent to Earth to protect young Kal-El, your destines are not tied to his. There is no correct path in life. You will lose your way many times. What's important is that you find your way back to the brave beings you always were. Be wise, be strong, and always be true to yourselves." Their Mother's hologram finished speaking. Kara and Riley moved towards it, hoping even though they knew it wouldn't happen, that they could reach out and feel their mother once more.

Before their hands could make it the hologram disappeared, and with it any ability to stop their tears from falling freely.

Riley took a deep breath as she and Kara both turned back to the one person they considered their rock in life, "So, what do we do now?" She asked.

Alex gave them a tight hug, "First things first," she paused as she pulled back to smile softly yet playfully at them, lifting their spirits, "you both need to change."

Kara took a deep breath of her own and her eyes narrowed in determination, "Let's do this."

With one of the twins on each side of her as they headed to the 'command room', Alex felt more calm then she had in a long while. It wasn't even because of the powers they had but the knowledge that she had her aliens ready to kick ass with her.

Moving over to Director Henshaw they heard him say, "It's Agent Danvers and the twin sisters from another planet."

"They're here to help us fight Vartox." Alex replied, ready to defend them if needed.

"About damn time." He said with a small smirk that grew when the three women's jaws dropped.

Glancing back at the twin blondes behind her, she then turned back to her boss and told him, "There's no one I trust more than them. Like their cousin they were sent here to help us so, thanks for letting them helping us."

Thankfully they were interrupted by an agent at one of the computers since Henshaw apparently wanted to make another comment about how slow they all were, and the agent said that she found Vartox.

To say that Riley was a little nervous about another fight with a lack of planning was putting it mildly. However, she trusted Kara and Alex, and even Henshaw. So when he told them that his small plan was for them to go kick the crap out of Vartox, that was one hell of a plan Riley could agree with.

After giving Alex a quick hug, both Kara and Riley took off into the air once they finished super speeding out of the D.E.O. It took them a few minutes, but they were able to catch sight of the truck that Henshaw and Alex were telling them about that was barreling towards National City. Kara landed on the road in front of the semi truck the guy was driving and Riley came to a stop a second later to go with Alex's plan since Alex had the highest initiative roll back at the D.E.O.

Making sure she was back a few yards, Riley was waiting for the man to go flying from the truck that Kara would stop forcefully with her own body if Alex's plan went perfectly. She watched as the plan did indeed work beautifully and the moment he seemed to almost get launched past her, the younger blonde grabbed the guys arm and tossed him solidly into the pavement back towards the truck.

Both Kara and Riley ignored the exploding truck since there were no civilians to worry about nearby, focusing completely on Vartox instead.

"You never should have come back for more." He taunted them openly.

Moving closer to the guy, Kara charged in first but the moment she was knocked away Riley had slammed into him, refusing to give the guy even a second of peace after what he was planning to do to National City.

Letting him throw her out of his way when she caught movement in the corner of her eye, Riley grinned when Kara kicked him clean through the semi truck he drove in on. She swooped in and like how she used to train with their Aunt Astra, Riley worked in tandem with Kara and vice versa, both keeping a constant forward attack that kept Vartox on the defensive.

Their luck didn't hold out though and soon Riley was launched hard into a nearby hill while Vartox started getting really good hits on Kara.

"Riley! Get ready!" Alex warned over the radio that Riley and Kara both had a Bluetooth for, hidden as earrings.

When Vartox went for the killing blow Kara caught his axe near the power source and held on tight. Riley like to think that he sure as Rao didn't expect that, and less so when Riley rocketed forward to make sure Vartox would take the blast head on. Making sure of it by wrapping her arms around him to also grab the handle of the axe and basically locked him into place.

"Kara, Riley, do it now!" Alex called out to them, causing both of them to fire their heat vision at the head of the axe. Kara from below and Riley from over Vartox's shoulder.

"It's not working! We can't do it!" Kara cried out as their heat vision seemed to be having a really bad problem of not blowing up the axe.

"It's why you were both sent here. I believe in that more than anything, you both have to believe it too!" Alex told them reassuringly, and it turned out to be just the thing they needed to hear.

Their heat vision seemed to crank up to a whole new level as the axe quickly started turning a bright red and as the power source started humming Riley knew she had to get out from behind Vartox. At the last second she used her super speed to launch herself away from him right before the axe's power source violently exploded in his face.

Riley hopped up and joined her twin when she saw Kara stand up easily, feeling a bit light headed from the rush of such a successful fight.

"It's over." Kara hoarsely called out to Vartox who was laying on the concrete looking really badly beat up from that explosion.

"You think I'm the threat? You have no idea what's coming." He panted out, mocking their apparently lack of information.

What happened next shocked the hell out of Kara and Riley both. Vartox yanked a shard of his own axe out of the road and shoved it into his own chest, killing himself.

(At the D.E.O.)

"They did it, Vartox is gone." Alex praised about her aliens to Henshaw, knowing that they couldn't hear what was going on since the radio wasn't being currently used.

"Yeah, this time. They need training Agent Danvers, and you're the best one to do that." Henshaw said as he began walking past Alex and to exit the main room.

Alex couldn't help but asking one question she didn't want plaguing her mind, "Director Henshaw, I wasn't only recruited because of them, was I?"

He nodded, "Yeah, they're why you got in. You, are why you get to stay." He said with finality before continuing on his way.

Feeling a blossoming of self-pride, Alex grinned and made her way to her own lab room to finish up for the night. After all, she knew Kara and Riley, there was going to be a celebration at the apartment and Alex was not going to let them touch her favorite scotch.

Riley tossed the rag she was using away from herself, rolling out from underneath one of Cat Grants' sports cars that was in for a total check-up when her phone rang.

"Hey Kara, what's up?" She asked while tightening the now clean bolt with her own hands.

"Hey Riley, are you still joining Winn, James, Alex and I for lunch?" Kara asked over the phone, unknown to Riley that she was going to surprise her sister by showing her their cousins baby blanket later.

Riley nodded until she realized Kara couldn't exactly see her, "Yeah of course! I'll meet the four of you at Noonan's in the next hour, sound good?"

"Sounds perfect! See you then!" Kara replied cheerily.

"See you then. Oh, and don't forget we should patrol after work!" Riley added on quickly before she forgot again.

"Of course you geek, talk to you later!" Riley heard Kara snicker at her, because they will both deny the fact that they always do last minute reminders to their graves.

"Later nerd, tell your Catwoman I said hi!" Riley laughed as she hung up before Kara could fire back another response.

'Life is good.' Riley thought to herself as she hummed along with the 80's music coming from her boombox in the corner.

(*Later, Supergirl and Superboy were flying through the air to patrol National City*)

We were sent here to protect our cousin. Turns out, he didn't need our protection. But there is a whole planet full of people who do. Earth doesn't have just one hero anymore. Now it has us as well. Now it has... The Super Twins.

(*Fort Rozz, a little while later*)

-(In a ship's command center)-

Man #1: General, Vartox is dead. He chose death over capture.

Woman: Typical of his race.

Man #2: He did accomplish one thing. The identity of both girls. It seems they are Alura's daughters.

Woman: My Little One, Kara and My Musical Soldier, Rile. Of course they escaped with their cousin.

Man #2: And much less of a threat than he is to our endeavors.

Woman: You're wrong. If they're anything like their mother, they will be just as formidable. You also forget that I was the one who did most of Rile's training before I was sent to Fort Rozz. She might be rusty but with a little time she'll be beyond what she was capable of before, and Kara will be right there with her. Besides, it was my right to lead Krypton so I will lead Earth. We all will. Find them and bring them to me.

Man #1: Are you certain, General? After all, Kara and Rile Zor-El may be of your blood, but they can still ruin our plans.

Woman: No one can be allowed to harm them. Not even Non...

Chapter Text

Chapter Two: Practice, Practice, Practice...

Kara: "When people see the red cape, they expect to see a certain someone, someone they know. But this isn't his story, it's ours." Her train of thought derails as Riley playfully collides in the air with her but rolled away a second later. Kara shook her head with a laugh as her thoughts continued, "It's been two weeks since we've revealed ourselves to National City. So far things are going very well... we think we might actually have a handle on this..."

Soaring through the air over the desert had Kara and Riley both wearing large grins at the feeling of flying so freely. They shared a look and both knew they felt happy up in the air.

A mere millisecond later their attention snapped forward before they spun in midair to dodge a rocket that almost slammed into them.

"Is that the fastest you two can go?" They heard the Henshaw ask, sounding amused at their lack of attention.

"Is this mandatory for everyone," Kara started before Riley picked it up, "or just because we're..."

Henshaw interrupted them, "It's not because you are both women, Danvers Twins. The D.E.O. requires rigorous physical and psychological evaluation for all suspected field operatives."

"We were gonna say aliens." The twins laughed out together with both Kara's sunny giggle and Riley's slightly deeper chuckle heard over the radio.

"Not even Superheroes can be liabilities in the field. I need to know that your both in full control of your powers. Stamina, strength, speed." He said in a stern voice.

Riley smirked at Kara with a challenge in her eyes then pushed her speed to massive heights, triggering Kara's sunny grin and her older twin darted after her with two loud 'booms' echoing through the area one right after the other.

"Those two just broke the sound barrier." Alex laughed out lightly with surprise after a nearby clear panel with their 'scores' written on their speeds cracked and shattered.

"Fire again." Henshaw's voice rang out, leading both twins to prepare for more rockets.

Seeing one on each of their tails they broke away from each other but only to soar back a moment later and spin around the other twin, past the rocket behind the other which caused the rockets to collide violently behind them.

They landed quickly once the last rockets were gone and they both looked excitedly at Henshaw and fired off questions almost to fast to understand.

"So did we pass?" Kara asked once he was finally able to get them both to shut up and ask one question at a time, instead of the chaotic cluster that was their first attempt.

Kara and Riley made sure to keep up with him when he started moving through the D.E.O.'s testing set up in the desert as they listened with almost no patience, "I see you both share your cousins appetite for wanting destruction, Danvers Twins."

Stopping near Alex, Riley grinned as she quickly hugged Alex tightly in greeting and stood close to her while Kara protested the nickname he gave them, "You know, we are getting use to answering to Supergirl and Superboy, even though Riley is still a little sore about that one." she paused at his silent look of 'Really?' and the sound of Riley trying to muffle her laughter.

"It's...it's cool, we'll find our thing." Kara said with a stutter as she looked anywhere but directly at Henshaw before he turned and walked off. Kara then dropped back to walk with Riley and Alex.

"Is all this really necessary? We're ready Alex, for all of it. We can do this!" Riley finally asked with her own small pout as she stood in front of the other two while she was talking.

"Well believe it or not but he's just looking out for both of you. You know we both are. I had a full year of training before he even let me in the field." Alex paused to grin happily, "But I am really glad that your both here now. I hated keeping this part of my life separate from the two of you. Even though you both knew about the D.E.O. and Henshaw knew about the two of you, it just wasn't the same."

"You know, growing up I always thought you were such a bad liar. Riley would argue with me and just say that it was none of our business, but that didn't help." Kara laughed with a smirk at Riley when a fierce blush started forming as blonde thought back to her need for calm moments in their lives when they were kids and teenagers.

"Ah, that's what a good liar makes you think." Alex said with a smirk. She was amused at the twins playful banter and happiness that stemmed from using their powers far more often.

"So Ry, we haven't heard you break into song in a while now. Have you been working on controlling that adorkable habit?" Alex asked with a bit of a pout since the younger twin breaking out into song was always something that she enjoyed laughing about. More so when Kara joined in on it.

Riley sighed as that question also got Kara's full attention, "Well, I've mostly just started singing along to playlists when you're both at work, just not at the apartment, or when I'm at work at the garage."

"Hmm," Alex hummed as she stared Riley down, "I think we need to be near her when she starts humming Kara, she might crack at some point. Hopefully soon."

"No..." Riley whined while Kara was jumping up and down excitedly with a large grin on her face.

"Supergirl and Superboy, come in Super Twins." Both of the twins heard Winn's voice call out from Kara's Bluetooth.

Riley listened in to Kara's since Kara accidentally broke hers during their training earlier when they were fighting each other at Henshaw's orders. To say that Kara had gotten a really good hit to Riley's left ear was putting it mildly, considering she tilted her head to the left and smacked the right side of her head to knock the crushed device out.

"Saved by the bell!" Alex said as she playfully poked at Riley's side when she saw Kara's hand go up to the Bluetooth.

"What is it Winn, we're kinda busy right now." Kara sighed at her friends timing.

"Kara there is a huge fire raging at National City Port and it... it is bad." He stuttered out with worry.

"Alright, we're on our way." She said while hugging Alex, sending a look towards Riley before she started walking off.

"Fire at the Port, we gotta go." Riley rushed out to Alex with a hug, then turned to follow Kara.

"Woah wait, you... you both have been dodging missiles and pushing your endurance for the last two hours. Even you two have your limits." Alex said, voice filled with worry that they were pushing themselves too hard.

"For the last twelve years, we've hid who we were. We don't have to anymore, and we don't want to waste a minute of it." Kara fired back with a sunny smile that didn't really reassure Alex.

"Besides," Riley started in as well, "this sounds like a job for Supergirl and Superboy." Grinning at Alex, she playfully winked at the red head before she took off after Kara in flight towards National City.

Walking into the office later while on the phone with Riley was a very un-sunny Danvers. While it did suck majorly that the boat fire went badly, Kara was currently unhappy that she was at the side of the boat that when things went from bad to worse, she ended up covered in oil while Riley got lucky and was on the other side of the boat. It didn't help that if Riley was covered in it, she could have simply explained it away as some oil spilling on her at the garage.

"Oh god, is that smell you?" Winn asked with his nose scrunched up and eyes squinting a little when he walked up to her.

Kara could feel herself getting defensive and spoke up, "Three showers and I still reek of burning oil." Kara hissed out at him, then gestured to the phone in her hand that had Riley on the other end of the call but now on speaker so all three of them could talk together, "We went from Superheroes to Eco Terrorists in a single bound."

Kara marched towards her desk with Winn walking next to her trying to be reassuring but apparently not having much luck. "Hey, hey, you're both like, a week into the Superhero thing, everyone makes mistakes. Like when you first started working here, and Cat told you to get Lunch and you went to Chipotle. Oh! Or about two days ago you told me about when Riley was fourteen and how she literally walked through the wall at your adoptive parents place when she caught sight of Lucy Lawless as Xena on T.V. and was in awe of how attractive Xena was. Or that other time when she saw Alex dressed up as Xena the next year for Halloween and Riley ended up tripping over her own two feet to fall through the second floor, down to the first floor." He laughed out.

"You told him about that?!" Riley howled in horror from the other side of the phone, "Is nothing embarrassing about our teen years kept secret in our silently acknowledged sacred childhood anymore?!"

Kara froze, failing to come up with something besides to be unsubtle and with changing the subject... which she did, "Hey, look at the time! Miss Grant should be here soon so I'll talk to you after work, bye!"

"Kara Danvers don't you da..." Riley was cut off as Kara hung up on her to avoid the conversation until a later time.

Winn just seemed amused with the whole thing but turned his attention to the T.V. reports to let it slide, for now.

"Forget about Supergirl and Superboy's lack of experience, I'm talking about the trouble they'll bring to National City. Look at Metropolis. Since Superman's arrival, a veritable super bad guy war has been waged on that city. Their maintenance budgets have quadrupled. National City does not need Metropolis' problems." They heard Maxwell Lord rant a little over excitedly over the live news.

Kara's phone vibrated with a text from Riley that said, 'I'll let it slide this time Superdork, but we do need to figure out how to come back from this.'

Oh Kara knew exactly what her twin was talking about but turned her attention away from her phone to a familiar voice.

"Drunk at nine a.m. That's the last time I have breakfast with Ruth Bader Ginsburg" She heard Cat's voice drone out from the personal elevator.

"She's here." Kara warned Winn as she turned towards her desk to hide the fact that she was using heat vision to make Cat Grant's latte hot again.

Winn moved back towards his desk and muttered, "At least now I know how you do that."

"So wait," Riley started once she and Kara both got comfortable on the couch after eating dinner and clearing up the dishes, "You're telling me that Cat Grant wants an exclusive with us as the Super Twins, and will fire James Olsen if he doesn't somehow set it up?"

"Yep." Kara nodded with a bit of a frustrated look on her face.

"And then when you talked with him after that meeting, James hit on you." Riley drawled out with a bit of understanding as to why Kara seemed so annoyed.

"Yep." Was the only response but with the word having a little more emphasis put on it.

Riley cringed before continuing, "And after you shot him down while explaining to him that you're a lesbian, you now think that work might be a fresh hell of awkward between the two of you because he seemed embarrassed about hitting on you?"

Kara turned more towards Riley to cuddle into her twin like they did when they were kids and still do, not that they would ever admit to it out loud, "Yes. At least until I can get him to understand that I'm not offended. Besides, he didn't even know that I bat for the home team."

"I still have a hard time understand how human's tend to be so... weird about everything." Riley muttered, watching Kara turn on the T.V. and was surprised when Kara put on the Turbo Power Rangers movie that Riley adored so much.

About ten minutes into the movie Alex walked into the apartment and joined them on the couch looking just as exhausted. At her landing in the small place between them, the twins cuddled up to Alex and they all kept watching one of Riley's favorite movies with no words spoken. Situations like this normally lead to Alex sleeping over at their apartment and all three of them cuddled on the couches pull out bed, so even with super powers Riley was happy that all the blankets and pillows they would need are only a few feet from the couch.

"You were called in too?" Kara asked when Riley walked up to her at a crime scene the next day, in her darker shaded 'Superboy' suit.

Riley nodded, "Yeah, thankfully work at the garage has been slow lately or I'd be falling behind. Now, what do you think so far? Any ideas I should know about?" She asked, gesturing to the dead man in front of them.

Kara pointed at a shard of something in the man's chest, "That is the only thing I've seen so far that could even give us a hint of what attacked this place."

"What are they doing here? Don't they have day jobs to do too?" Kara and Riley heard Henshaw ask, honestly wondering how they were able to take off from work.

Alex shrugged, "I called both of them sir. Riley's garage was having another slow day and Kara's work at CatCo was surprisingly slow as well. Besides, we hunt aliens and they might have information we don't know about yet. It's kind of like having yet another new resource."

As the two walked up to the blondes, the twins stood up from their crouches and turned around, "What can we do to help?" Kara asked.

"Take a look around," Alex started, pointing a bit at Henshaw to seemingly get on to him for any possible sass she interrupted, "but don't touch anything."

"Righto, boss lady." Riley grinned before walking away, carefully looking around while Kara went back to check the body again.

As Riley walked through the building carefully looking for any signs of what it was that attacked, she noticed some slight gouges in one of the walls leading towards the security guard.

"Well now, that's suspicious." She muttered, glancing around to see if she can notice anything else. That last glance had her catching sight of signs on some of the large barrel like containers around her.

"Sodium Hypochlorite," She read off of one of the barrels, and looking around for more she noticed another chemical as well, "and ammonium nitrate."

Feeling thoroughly suspicious now but not seeing much else, she moved back down the hall to Kara.

"Riley, over here!" Kara called out when an agent pulled the spike out for a better look.

Riley moved over to see for herself and both supers were pulled into a memory from Krypton.

(*Flashback to Krypton*)

"Shouldn't you both be sleeping?" Alura asked teasingly as she walked into Kara's room.

Both Kara and Rile Zor-El blushed at getting caught reading at bed time. They knew that it was okay, but it still felt like they got caught breaking a rule.

"I wanted to see you. Rile did as well, but you know as well as I that she is stubborn when it comes to admitting such things." Kara said with a smirk towards her twin, poking her lightly in the side.

Rile just scowled a swatted at Kara's hand before both of them turned back to Alura when she cleared her throat lightly.

"I'm sorry I could not be home sooner." Their mother told them with a light laugh at their antics.

"Father made dinner!" Rile tattled with a grin, waiting for the sass Alura would sometimes give.

By now Alura was sharing a sly and sunny grin as well, "Then I am truly sorry," she said as she walked towards them, "Zor-El has many fine qualities. Sadly, cooking is not among them."

Once Alura had sat on the edge of Kara's bed near them, Kara asked the question both girls were thinking, "Why were you working so late?"

"Oh, another criminal was brought to the Citadel." Alura sighed as a sign that her job was not getting any easier.

"What kind?" Rile asked with curiosity clearly showing on her face, "Is it one that you or Aunt Astra has told us about before? Maybe one that we have yet to learn of?"

Rile and Kara both caught the slight wince Alura gave at the mention of Astra, but let it go as their mother replied, "He is not from Krypton. His people are called Hellgrammites." She explained.

Kara looked a little worried for their mother, "And you stopped him?"

"Oh, the military guild arrested him. It is my job as adjudicator to get justice for his victims, and make sure he never hurts anyone ever again." Alura replied with a passion of her job seeping into her voice.

Kara beamed at that and with slight awe said, "I want to be just like you someday."

Rile nodded in agreement but said her own version, "And I want to help Kara in that goal, maybe join the military guild to help bring justice to the people by bringing in those who break the laws."

Alura once again gave a slight wince but neither twin noticed this one as they were hugging happily at the idea of working together.

"You both will, Kara and Rile." Alura said with what sounded like a sureness that could never be shaken loose.

"How do you know?" Both Kara and Rile asked her at the same time, not admiting that they themselves weren't too sure about it being able to happen.

Their mother was slightly misty-eyed, leaning close to bop them both lightly on the nose as she said, "Because the two of you have the hearts of heroes."

At that, Rile gave off a beaming grin as well and lunged forward to tightly hug Alura. When Kara joined in as well, the older woman laughed while returning their hugs.

They separated a minute or so later and Alura spoke up, "Now, get some sleep Kara. Rile if Kara allows it you may sleep in here this night, so long as you both do indeed go to sleep."

"Okay." Both girls muttered with smiles, and the moment their mother left the room them both moved back to lying on their stomachs to read from the crystal again.

"Hellgrammite." Kara spoke into it, drawing up information about the alien to satisfy their curiosity about the newly learned species while the light of Rao continued to slowly lower from their view.

(*End of Flashbacks*)

"You're looking for a Hellgrammite." Kara said with the same sureness their mother had.

Riley excused herself from the conversation she was having with Agent Vasquez about how chess was better than checkers and moved over towards Kara, Alex and Henshaw, "That stinger you pulled out, we've seen it before on Krypton."

Kara pointed towards Riley in agreement, "Exactly, our mother sent one of their kind to Fort Rozz."

"According to the data we salvaged from the wreckage of Fort Rozz," Alex spoke up in agreement while looking towards Henshaw, "there was a Hellgrammite prisoner."

He nodded slightly and asked with his hands moving to rest on his hips, "What do we know about his species?"

"Not much." Alex sighed as what little information they had appeared on the screens in front of them.

At Kara's wave forward, Riley easily took the lead in sharing their information, "It's basically a large insect, but he can camouflage into any shape he wants."

"Humanoid included." Kara said when Riley trailed off, figuring that it was a good idea to add that in as well.

Henshaw walked around the desk in front of him, "A giant insect trying to steal bomb-grade chemical compounds. This job never ceases to surprise."

"Actually," Riley shyly spoke up, having a feeling that even Kara didn't remember this tidbit of information, "the Hellgrammite is after it's natural food source."

Nearly everyone around her froze and looked towards her, leaving Riley feeling a bit of stage fright.

"It's okay Riley, go on." Henshaw said reassuringly, gesturing other agents to get back to work.

Riley was a little surprised at that but cleared her throat and gave a little shrug, "The two chemicals that we found were being held at that facility earlier are not only bomb-grade compounds but also part of the Hellgrammites natural diet. I remember that from the crystal that taught us about them after reactivating it to read more since I couldn't sleep that night."

Kara gave Riley a subtle thumbs up with a small grin of approval while Alex bemoaned to her boss, "We had two walking, talking, alien encyclopedias this entire time and are only just now using their help."

"You guys track him down, and we'll bring him in. Hopefully he won't kill himself like Vartox did." Kara said strongly, only to murmur the second part.

"Sure thing, Danvers." Henshaw said with unstoppable sass that had Alex just sighing in resignation, "If you can prove to us that both of you can handle yourselves without getting killed."

Riley knew that he had a point, they just got lucky with Vartox. If they wanted to continuing being heroes, they needed training.

At Alex's clap to get their attention, she motioned to a hallway nearby and began walking. It took both supers a moment before they quickly moved to catch up with the slightly annoyed older Danvers, leaving Henshaw in the main room.

After a few minutes of walking with Kara and Riley waving hello to agents they would pass in the hallways, the three Danvers' arrived at some sort of reinforced door that Alex simply put in a code and walked right in.

The twins shared a look of slight trepidation until they heard Alex call them into the room, "What are we doing in here?" Kara asked as they followed Alex around what looked like an oddly shaped fighting ring.

"When I joined the D.E.O. I spent twelve hours a day for five straight months in this room. We need to know that you're both prepared for everything you might face out there." Alex explained casually, the three coming to a stop when Kara turned to look at the other two.

"Alex, we can bend steel with our bare hands, and last week, we kicked Vartox's butt. We're ready enough." Kara said with a bit of sass, looking at Riley to back her up.

Riley held both hands up and stepped back as she replied, "Ah, no. I want no part of this possible argument because I distinctly remember him kicking the tar out of us the first time. Also, the second time just seemed like luck when we beat him."

Kara appeared very put out that she received no backup but refused to back down either way.

"You really think so?" Alex asked Kara, not seeing Riley almost desperately trying to use hand signals to warn Kara of the trap she apparently didn't see.

"Yeah, I do." Kara nodded, ignoring the nonverbal warnings and causing Riley to cover her face with her left hand, knowing Kara might find herself up crap creek without a paddle.

Alex swung at Kara with a right hook that sent the older blonde twin soaring back a few feet onto the upraised ring.

When the walls lit up green, Riley figured she was about to be dragged into the grave Kara dug when Alex reached towards her.

"I don't think so Alex." She muttered, using some of the stuff Astra taught her to grab one of Alex's arms and flung the older woman over her shoulder as she turned towards the wall, sending Alex flipping onto the ring as well, "I'll go next since that ring seems pretty small"

Kara panted while lifting herself up, "How did you do that?" Kara asked, apparently stunned from the fact that Alex just clocked her quite successfully.

"Kryptonite emitters," Alex groaned while pulling herself up as well since she didn't expect Riley to know how to fight, even a little, "You're only at eighteen percent."

Riley leaned against the wall around the small 'ring' once she removed her cloak, knowing it would just weigh her down and slow her movements later. The younger twin thought about how Kara was more smart when it came to Kryptonian laws and sciences, but she was more partial to the history of Krypton and the military training. Alura did always say that Kara seemed to lean more towards the Science or Adjudicator, while Rile leaned more towards the Military guild but enjoyed learning all types of their history, not just about the wars for strategy. Between the scuffle with Vartox and the small practice fights with Kara, her memory had already begun to jog her muscles into slowly getting back to natural reactions.

Alex continued once she knew she had both of the twins were listening, but kept her focus on Kara since she was first in the ring, "Not enough to permanently harm you, but enough to weaken you. Make this a fair fight."

"We just found out last week that Kryptonite exists," Kara huffed out in exasperation as the two slowly walked around the ring, "Only the D.E.O. knows it can hurt us."

At Alex's slight eye narrowing, Riley felt herself tense to watch Alex's fighting style closely when the redhead lunged again but was slightly disappointed when Alex started talking again instead, "You both may have powers, Kara, but so do most of the Fort Rozz aliens. Not only do they have the element of surprise, but they've also had time to master their abilities. We may not always know who our enemies are, so we need to be prepared to face anyone."

"Now," Alex said firmly as she moved into a fighting stance that reminded Riley of some of the M.M.A. fighters on T.V., "come at me."

The thorough beat down Alex proceeded to give Kara even had Riley wincing as it progressed. But when Kara charged Alex and both of them went stumbling out of the ring, Riley had to move quick so she wouldn't be squashed between Alex and the wall, which quickly turned into Kara being squashed against the wall.

"Alright, alright, enough. You made your point." Kara ground out and Riley could tell that she was extremely frustrated at getting her tail kicked by Alex so easily.

Alex let up and Kara started walking out with the red head following her after turning off the Kryptonite emitters, but Riley stayed where she was to wait on her time to tussle with Alex.

"Well, maybe I'm not D.E.O. material after all. I think I know why my cousin prefers to work alone." Kara snapped out as she left the room and past Henshaw who was just entering.

Riley flinched as she felt the sting of that harsh comment, even though she knew Kara didn't actually mean it.

"Miss Danvers." Henshaw called out, but Kara just ignored him and kept walking.

Alex sighed deeply while visibly upset, "I hate that you're making me do this. I still have to fight Riley as well."

"You should be thanking me." Henshaw started, "You may have just saved their lives."

He moved towards a different corner of the odd room and nodded in the direction of the ring as he hit the pad that turned the emitters back on, "Your turn."

The remaining blonde quickly hopped up into the ring and watched Alex climb in as well.

"Alright, come at me." Alex muttered, moving back into her fighting stance.

Oh, but Riley knew better after watching Alex kick the tar out of Kara. She had seen the damage Alex could do when on the defensive and decided to stick to the fighting that Astra had drilled into her head and muscles like a second nature when she was a kid, feeling her senses lock on to the room, Alex and even Henshaw. The only bad thing about her fighting style was that it took a bit to get her out of that second thought process.

When Riley made no move to go at her Alex feinted a lung forward, only to see Riley standing in the same position she was already in. At that Alex just shrugged a bit and went in hard and fast, trying to get Riley down without dragging it out.

Unfortunately for Alex, Riley was expecting that to happen. The moment Alex shot in with a left hook, Riley let kept her upper arms close to her head but her own left fist flew out and connected hard against Alex's right cheek.

Riley had to hand it to Alex though, the older woman didn't seem very phased by it and was back to pushing hard against her defense fairly quickly.

Henshaw was off to the side still, watching closely and couldn't quite recognize the stances Riley was using but figured they must be Kryptonian, maybe even some more... unorthodox military styles.

Seeing Alex move for an upper cut after faking a left hook, Riley took a step back and could feel the swoosh of air as Alex's fist barely missed. Riley lunged forward in a full on attack the moment Alex's elbow lined up with her shoulder, a low right swing had Alex's left arm dropping down to protect her ribs but what she didn't see was Alex's right fist swinging out and nailing her hard over her left ear to disorient her for a moment.

The two traded blows back and forth like that for a while, Henshaw watching and noticing that while their stances and training were extremely different, the two both shared a preference for fast and hard movements with both defensive and offensive attacks.

Eventually Alex was able to knock Riley down, and sadly for Riley, the blonde didn't really know how to fight when downed so Alex was able to use her legs and arms to pin Riley in a full body lock. Both were breathing heavily when Henshaw hit the pad next to him and turned off the Kryptonite, startling both fighters into leaping up and whirling towards him.

"Not bad kid." Henshaw said as he clapped slowly before crossing his arms in front of him, "You definitely need work on fighting when you're down, and you need to rely less on your left hand, but other than that, not bad at all."

Riley gave a lopsided grin as the bruises and slight cuts on her face seemed to stick out and she could still feel her muscles aching in a familiar way that reminded her of when Astra trained her the fighting styles, it had her wanting to continue.

"Think you can help teach that to Kara?" Alex asked while moving to lean against Riley, a bit winded, bruised and bleeding, but a little less so than Riley.

"I can definitely try." Riley started with shrug but then her eyes lit up and her grin grew, "Hey, is there an exercise room that has emitters like this room?"

Alex could feel her own grin and at Henshaw's eye-roll she grabbed Riley's hand to tug her out of the room, leading her towards a different room that held the equipment they would need.

To say that Riley was excited was an understatement of the century. Kara and Alex enjoyed surfing together, Kara and herself enjoyed flying together, and now she and Alex had their own thing of working out and martial arts that they would share together too.

Kara could feel an embarrassed flush burning at her ears when she couldn't walk normally after not only fighting Alex, but also from the exercises she pushed through after she had gone back to apologize for her short temper.

"Those two working out together are a menace to the saying 'lazing about'." Kara muttered to herself just outside of Cat Grant's office, about to carry a tray that held her bosses lunch and personal coffee.

She knew it would be impossible for Cat to not notice but Kara hoped she would anyway as she placed the tray on the glass coffee table and tried to waddle away after grabbing one of the layouts without alerting her boss.

Sadly it didn't work as Cat spoke up, "Why are you walking like that?" She asked while not taking her eyes off of one of the layouts in her hands.

The badly hidden superhero sighed a little in defeat while continuing to try to leave the office, "I took you advice to get my head out of the clouds, so I took a kickboxing class." Kara paused as a quick thought of 'If Alex and Riley were to train the D.E.O. agents together, I'm sure the cave would be suddenly empty on training days.' "I'm a little sore." Kara finished up with.

When Kara looked at the heading Cat Grant picked out, she was stunned, and not in a good way, "SuperTwins failure to launch?" She asked with a bit of hurt seeping into her voice.

"I don't need you to read it to me. I wrote it." Cat said simply in return as Kara turned back around towards her. "Get it to copy for the noon posting."

"I don't get it." Kara said with confusion that was still laced with hurt, "Why do you keep criticizing Supergirl and Superboy for trying to save the city? When Superman started..."

Her boss cut her off quite firmly, "He, he, he. Him, him, him. I am so sick of hearing about the Man of Steel." Cat removed her glasses and placed both that and a layout she had on the coffee table before standing up.

Cat picked up her tray and continued while moving towards her desk, "Every woman worth her salt knows that we have to work twice as hard as a man to be thought of as half as good."

Kara gave a light shrug while feeling like she was grasping at straws to defend herself and her slightly twin, "Well, they did rescue that plane."

"Yes, I'll give them that." Cat admitted as she placed her tray down, "They barely damaged the plane themselves, landed it safely at the airport, and Superboy did indeed catch the engine that fell from it. But that's basically the only majorly successful thing they've done so far."

"They saved that tanker from exploding!" Kara tried to add in, blurting it out and trying to hide her slight wince at the memory of it.

"Causing an oil slick, which they're still trying to clean up. I'll admit that the invention donated by some scientist from god knows where is helping speed that process up to where it's almost clean again already, but still." Cat said while she gathered up her own personal chopsticks, then moved back to her desk, "Now, don't get me wrong, I don't like fishes with their slimy skin and tendency to flop around wildly, but it does reassure me that they're still swimming around down there." She finished with an awkward hand gesture towards the floor that had Kara realizing how her boss was apparently just as weird as she is.

Feeling a new low, Kara decided to go out on a limb and ask Cat, "Well, if Supergirl and Superboy were here, what would you suggest they do?"

Cat continued to seemingly focus more on picking out her chopsticks, "First I would honestly... apologize," she ground out as if pained by saying it, "to Superboy for calling her that if it bothers her. They I would tell them both to calm the hell down. They're taking on way too much, way too fast."

Kara was honestly impressed that Cat Grant would even consider apologizing to Riley but had to bite her tongue to avoid telling the Queen of all Media that Riley admitted to the fact that the moniker actually grew on her and now she doesn't want it changed. Instead she went back to the main part of the conversation, "They're just trying to save the day."

"By screwing almost everything up?" Cat snapped out before calming a little bit, "No, these inexperienced Millennials have barely had a run in their costumes, and yet there they are at the epicenter of danger. What's next? 'I think I'll catch the meteor that's headed straight for the White House! Oh, whoopsy. At least we caught pieces of it?'. No, no, no. There is a learning curve. You don't just walk through the door and suddenly own the company."

By now Kara knew that she had sent Cat into a full on rant, but listened carefully because it seemed like she was about to give one hell of a tip to Super-Heroing, not just because she found the woman's passionate ranting completely enrapturing.

She listened as Cat's rant picked up, "I started out as Perry White's assistant. I worked my ass off until one day I finally had the chance to write an article for the gossip column. Every step of the way, I had to fight, to work hard, to get better, to come out ahead. No catching planes and boats on fire, hmm..." Cat's rant froze for a moment as she delicately sat down, "How about we start with something small and work our way up? The Super Twins should take a page out of your book, Kara."

Kara let out a small laugh at that last comment, choosing not to say anything about Cat finally saying her name correctly lest she get snapped at.

The younger blonde turned to leave and was almost out of the office before stopping when Cat asked her a question with a nervous pitch, "Uh, this fish isn't local, is it?"

"No," Kara reassured her, trying not to giggle out loud, "of course not."

Pulling out her phone, Kara sent a quick text for Riley to meet her and two others in a very specific alley in five minutes. Riley immediately agreed to head there asap so Kara walked up to Winn, "Meet me in the alley in five minutes."

Kara ran at super speed a bit of ways away from CatCo before taking to the skies in her suit, nearly bumping into Riley when she shot into the air.

"Woah, hey there Kar! Do they both know we're meeting both of them?" An amused tone was in Riley's voice as they finished flying towards the alley, but a second later she heard a voice that clearly told her that no, they did not know the other guy knew their secrets.

"My friends like to make an entrance." Riley heard James tell Winn, the two obviously not realizing they both know the twin's secrets.

The twins landed carefully on the alley road as to not crack any of it, both nearly laughing when James said and Winn asked, "He knows." "He knows? You told him?!"

"James already knew, and Winn's our friend." Kara explained as they walked up to the two men in front of them.

Riley spoke up first since Kara caught her up on the Catwoman's suggestions via phone call, "If we're going to be heroes, and to prove to everyone that we know what we're doing, we're gonna need to practice."

"Start small, get better. And to do that, we're gonna need your help." Kara said with determination shining bright in her eyes and that famous Sunny Danvers smile appearing.

"I'm in." Both James and Winn said, making Riley playfully wonder if they were more like twins than she and Kara.

Kara and Riley were soaring through the air quickly, yet careful not to go too fast to avoid birds and not break windows.

"Okay boys, what have you got for us?" Kara asked with a wide grin, playfully bumping into Riley and vice versa as they listened carefully to their recently reinforced Bluetooth earrings.

Winn's voice came over the radio first, "Armed robbery at a pizza place on fifth and Siegal."

"Remember, bulletproof means that bullets bounce off of you. So if you don't want anyone to get hurt, don't let the bad guys even get a shot off." James chimed in right after Winn with a bit of information the twins didn't consider before.

Before either of them could reply, Winn's voice came over the radio again, "Oh, and uh, try not to damage the suits."

They both ignored the rest of the conversation about Winn's 'mad sewing skills' and used their super speed instead of flying to get into the pizza place. When the gun toting robber turned back towards Kara as the rustle of wind, Kara placed her hand over the exit of the barrel so when the man fired, it simply messed up his gun and sent him flying backwards off his feet and right into Riley's waiting arms. She tossed the gun to Kara and used a bit of speed to tie the unconscious man up for the NCPD before they darted off again.

"Next?" Riley asked once they were back in the air and on the prowl.

James' voice came up first this time, "Ambulance caught in traffic on Donner Avenue carrying a heart attack victim. They're not going to make it to National City General in time."

"Oh, and a fully loaded Ambulance is about nine-thousand, two hundred pounds which would mean that you'd need to use a maximum of forty-four thousand, four hundred and ninety-eight newtons of force..." Winn rambled, only for James to cut him off, much to Riley's relief.

"Kara, Riley, what he means is, gently this time." James said calmly to them.

At Kara's waving gesture, Riley swooped down and carefully picked up the ambulance, making sure to keep it balanced and a bump free ride with Kara flying around her to keep the air between them and the hospital clear while also protecting the Ambulance as well.

When they arrived at the hospital soon after, Kara made sure to grab the front of the vehicle while Riley held the back, both working together to gently set it down so it would stay level and not jostle the people inside.

(*News Broadcasts*)

"Supergirl and Superboy rescued an ambulance stuck in traffic, saving the life of a man inside."

"Another super save for the Super Twins."

"Looks like National City's heroes are starting to live up to their names."

(*End Broadcasts*)

"Oh! This one's the fire department. Ha! Kara, Riley, you're gonna love this one, it's a classic. Kitten up a tree!" Winn laughed to them before rattling off the location.

The moment Kara caught sight of the very large snake up the tree and not a kitten, it was suddenly Riley's turn instead. Riley simply shook her head at Kara and gently pulled the large snake out of the tree and floated back down to the little girl below.

"Fluffy!" The girl cheered, unknowingly making Kara cringe but had Riley beaming happily.

Kara shuddered and muttered to Winn over the radio, "I thought you said it was a cat?"

"Dude are you kidding? That was awesome! I want one." Riley let out her own cheer when they took to the air again, waving happily back at the young snake owner.

"No." Was the very firm and disappointing reply.

Winn asked with amused horror, "Who names their snake Fluffy?!"

(*That Night*)

"A dazzling display of heroics by the Siblings of Steel now has a grateful National City asking, 'What oil spill?'. Watch out Metropolis, looks like we're about to give you a run for your Superhero money!" The reporter on the T.V. said, bringing happily giggles and laughter to the people in Kara and Riley's apartment.

"I can't believe it, it's working!" Kara cheered as she moved to join Riley closer towards the dining room, "People are really starting to believe in them!"

"In you two." James spoke up when Riley didn't correct her.

Riley gestured to Winn and James, "We couldn't have done it without you. Thank you guys."

A knock sounded out through the apartment and both blondes used their x-ray vision to see Alex standing on the opposite side of the door.

"God, what, did you order more pizza and bone out wings? You're beasts." Winn joked lightly to avoid the possible pouts.

When the twins walked to the door in their full outfits, James and Winn both started freaking out since they didn't know it was Alex, "Kara, Riley, the cape!"

They ignored the guys and Kara swung the door open, "Can we talk?" Alex immediately asked with a worried look on her face.

Riley moved out of the way a bit and the tension climbed higher as Alex caught sight of James and Winn. Oh, the Danvers' crinkle appeared... Alex didn't seem happy.

"Again, I trust the both of you but is it a good idea for them to know who you really are?" Alex asked as she walked towards the table Kara was at, Riley joining a second later while still toweling off her really short hair.

"Yes," Kara said firmly, "because they're my friends. Besides, Riley and Winn are bonding over their games, while James is bonding with her too over their adoration for dark haired women with 'an air of power around them'." She finished with more than a little confusion about how James and Riley are bonding over that.

Riley snapped her towel at Kara, "You don't know us. You don't know our lives. You don't know what we've been through."

Alex slowly shook her head in fake horror, much to Kara's amusement, "I should have never let you watch that movie."

"Hey, remember how scared we were of the popcorn maker?" Kara asked with a small grin when the laughter calmed down.

Riley laughed lightly, "Ha, oh yeah. We hid under the table the first time it was used."

"Yeah, Alex over here," Kara gently poked the older woman, "crawled under the table next to us. Showed us the melted butter and sprinkled the tiny white crystals..."

Alex had her own little grin at the memory, "Don't forget Riley's reaction to tasting popcorn under that table either!"

Both Kara and Alex laughed at the memory of Riley's eyes going wide, followed by chasing Alex around the house without using her powers, to snag the bowl as her own. They both pointedly ignored the pout Riley was currently wearing.

When Alex's phone went off and interrupted the sharing of memories they silently swore to keep hidden from others, Kara and Riley figured it was probably the D.E.O.

"Danvers." Alex answered with, unknowingly confirming their unspoken thoughts.

Kara sighed and passed her mug to Riley who was getting up to wash the dishes, after quietly asking Kara and Alex if they were done with their drinks.

"Alright you two," Alex said, pausing to hug Kara then move over to the kitchen sink to hug Riley, "I'm headed to the D.E.O. so I'll see you both later."

Riley dried off her hands and walked next to Kara, both following Alex to the door, "See you later, Alex." They both muttered, pulling Alex into a group hug before letting her leave.

"Alright so we're meeting your Catwoman later tonight for the interview because if we don't, she's going to fire James." Riley muttered to sum up Kara's twenty minute rant yet fawning over Cat Grant.

She pulled her phone away from where she had it held to her shoulder with her head and put it on speaker before placing it on the floor next to where she was working on Cat Grant's Ferrari.

"Yep, we're superheroes now and I figure that talking with Cat will help us in the long run, help people understand why we do what we do. I'm also happy that you're doing this with me!" Kara rambled on with barely a pause.

"Yes, I figure if I need to ask you something specific to hide anything you want to keep hidden, I can just ask you in Kryptonese." Was Riley's response in their natural language.

Kara could barely start a response when both of their phones lit up for a three-way call with Henshaw. Both of the blondes ended their shared call and joined the new one.

"Hello?" "Sup Director?", Kara and Riley greeted him when the calls connected.

"It's Henshaw. There's been an incident. Alex has been abducted." He opened up with, causing Kara to immediately leave CatCo and Riley to scramble out from under Cat Grant's car without breaking it, both super speeding to change into their suits and launching into the night sky towards the D.E.O. cave in the desert.

"Do you think they tried going after the Hellgrammite without us?" Riley asked sharply as they met up and were already preparing to land and super speed to Henshaw.

"Oh, without a doubt. If one hair on Alex's head is out of place, it's war." Was snapped out from Kara when they landed harshly onto the sand, not a single care given when they both left small craters in their wake.

One quick super speed run through the base later and they were turning the corner to see the Director himself standing in the hallway.

"We should have been there. If we were there..." Kara snapped at him as they stormed up to him, trailing off in her anger.

"Yeah, if you trusted us enough to tell us instead of silently putting us on the sidelines we could have stopped this!" Riley growled out, feeling almost buried in her rage at someone messing with her... 'No Riley, don't go there.' she shook her head a bit to clear her thoughts.

Henshaw turned to face them, "Or you'd be captured and dead too." He said sternly.

Kara had to move forward to catch Riley as the slightly younger blonde lunged towards him at the word 'dead'.

Holding on tight Kara continued with her voice overflowing in emotions, "I know to you, she's just another agent, but to us, she's our Alex. Does that mean anything to you?! Do you have a family, a loved one?"

"I did." Henshaw said with what they could see as sadness. At that Riley could feel the wind drop out of her sails that fueled her rage, and instead slumped a bit in Kara's hold that soon fell away.

"Look," he continued after seeing not pity in their eyes, but understanding, "we have every satellite and tactical drone up in the air, searching this whole city for her."

Riley and Kara shared a look, nodding firmly to each other and turned back to Henshaw, "And now you have us too." Kara told him calmly, yet determined.

"Aye and we'll be damned if we don't bring Alex home safe tonight." Riley promised before both twins spun on their heels and after a few steps, used their super speed to get back outside quickly, then rocketing into the air leaving two more small craters behind them.

They split up, each flying over one half of the city and honed their hearing in for Alex's voice, the heartbeat they could pick out in a large crowd at an instant.

"Come on Alex." Riley muttered as their senses continued to stretch out for her.

"Supergirl and Superboy will find me." They caught Alex's voice saying from inside of a warehouse, going full tunnel vision without meaning to while Riley changed her flight to meet up with Kara as they flew towards the location.

"Director Henshaw, we got her. A warehouse at the corner of Seventy-Eighth and Washington. We're going to get her back." Kara told him over their radio, ignoring his shout to wait.

Landing carefully, Riley muttered to Kara, "This might be a trap so we need to keep our guards up and our heads on a swivel."

The slightly older blonde simply nodded and lead the way into the warehouse, both of them were walking as light as they could while not floating, senses stretched out just in case.

"Alex." Kara muttered with her senses snapping to lock onto Alex to check for any injuries.

Riley however, noticed the slight panic Alex was showing and used some of the skills Alex taught her to sink into some nearby shadows to the side of the way they entered, thankful that her suit was darker than Kara's.

Sure enough, Alex began calling out to Kara, "No, get out of here, It's a trap!"

A figure blurred into the building and knocked Kara across the room, it took Alex's slight hand signal behind her back to get Riley to stay hidden for the moment instead of darting towards the other Kryptonian.

"It's been a long time, little one." Astra called out to Kara, and Riley could feel her jaw drop in surprise.

"Look how you've grown." The older Kryptonian called out, "So beautiful."

Kara stuttered out what both she and Riley were thinking while she made her way to her feet, "But... but you died. When Krypton exploded... everyone died. You died! Aunt Astra..."

By now Riley didn't know if she should leap out of the shadows and cheer, or if she should stay leery with the way Astra was acting. So instead she just trusted Alex and stayed where she was for now.

Astra shook her head at Kara and slowly walked forward with her voice getting sharper at each question, knowing that Non's people were listening in, "Except I wasn't on Krypton when it perished. I was a prisoner aboard Fort Rozz. Did your mother not tell either of you? How she sent me away? Banished her own blood? Imprisoned me for speaking the truth while she told only lies?"

Kara could feel her heart breaking when she noticed out the corner of her eye how Riley was just as conflicted as she was, "But why did she send you to Fort Rozz?"

"For being a hero. For trying to save our world." Astra said, stopping her slow movement when she was only a few feet from Kara.

"I remember so many nights, sitting on your lap, listening as you taught me all the names of the stars. And watching from a bench at the side of the training arena where you taught Rile the different military forms, playfully tossing both of us into the air one at a time when you were done for the day." Kara muttered weakly.

Astra reached out to cup Kara's cheek, "Then let me educate the both of you once again, dear niece. I know not where your sister is, but you can share this with her, that will be enough for now." She dropped her hand and spoke seriously to the blonde, "Your alliance with the humans is misplaced. Do not stand against me. I let one planet die, but I will not do so again."

Riley watched as Kara's eyes hardened and against her own warring emotions, tensed as she prepared to charge.

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing." Kara told Astra, only a split second later to go flying backwards and through a few walls of the warehouse with Astra on her heels.

When Riley saw the two locked with heat vision and walking towards each other, she shot forwards past Alex and slammed into Astra as Kara knocked her away with both of them now in the air.

"Rile?" Astra asked with her eyes a bit wide in surprise, not expecting the other one to be at the warehouse as well.

Riley changed her trajectory and bulldozed Astra into the ground, leaving broken concrete all around them but having no time to waste since Astra was back up on her feet and swinging. She could feel her training kick in and she started fight back, just as determined to win the battle quickly.

Watching for a moment, Kara then turned to check on Alex and noticed the Hellgrammite dead nearby. "Alex, are you alright?" She asked desperately.

The redhead nodded, "Yeah, I'm alright. Where's Riley?" She asked after not catching sight of the other blonde anywhere.

"She's," Kara started, interrupted before she could say more as Riley was launched through the hole Astra made by knocking Kara through earlier, sliding across the ground and making a large broken line in the concrete floor, "right there."

Riley leapt to her feet and gestured to Astra who charged in right behind her, "Is that all you got? Come on!"

The two clashed together that sent a loud crack echoing through the air as they began whaling on each other again like two titans of war since Riley and Astra were both holding none of their strength back.

Their moves where almost too fast to keep up with, blurs speeding along with both of them trying to get the upper hand in the fight.

Astra finally got a good grip on Riley's cape and launched her out of one of the windows, just for the blonde to come shooting back in almost immediately after as fast as she could without breaking the sound barrier to grab Astra and slamming her into a steel pillar that bent harshly under the pressure near where Kara and Alex watched carefully, ready to jump in when they could.

When Astra began to get the upper hand, Kara remember what Alex told them. Once Astra gave Riley a harsh kick to the solar plexus, she darted in front of Astra and the moment her Aunt swung at her, she grabbed the speeding arm and flung her hard into a pile of pipes on the other side of the room, hopefully knocking her out.

"Ow." Riley croaked out as she was pulling herself to her feet before moving over to Alex and Kara, carefully hugging herself because Astra hit like a truck and she was going to have bruises with bruises.

Alex limp ran over to Kara much like Riley was, "Hey!" She called out, falling into a group hug with the two blondes.

"Are you okay?" Kara asked Alex, ignoring how Riley quickly pulled away but did notice when a sharp blowing noise pierced the air.

Thankfully Riley heard the pipes move a bit and was able to fling her cape up to block the icy breath from hitting the very human Alex, but was still knocked off her feet by it.

"I saw on the news neither of you have mastered that one completely, yet." Astra taunted them openly.

Henshaw's voice echoed through the building, "Stop! Stay where you are."

Seeing Kara hold Alex close and gesture towards Astra and Henshaw, Riley nodded and the moment Astra finished taunting him while choking him, she was able to leaping into the air without flying and slam her clasped fists against the back of Astra's head, knocking the woman unconscious.

"You alright?" She asked him with a smile when he just leapt to his feet with a smile of his own.

He shrugged and looked between the three Danvers', "Any more family I should know about?" He asked to only getting a deep sigh for his sass from Alex.

"I wish I had your healing powers." Alex sighed when both of the Kryptonians walked into the glass lined room.

Kara shrugged with a laugh, "You took down that Hellgrammite with no help from us."

Alex gestured towards Riley's still healing bruises, "Yeah well, you were both a little busy at the time." She paused to shake her head, "I can't even imagine what you two must be feeling right now. I mean, after all this time, find out you still have family."

"Yeah and you're part of our apparently dysfunctional family Alex, no matter if you want to be or not, never forget that." Was what Riley playfully stated as they all moved in for a gentle group hug, making sure Alex stayed on the medical bed.

"Listen, we don't know who Aunt Astra was working with... so show me how to fight, train me to be as good as the both of you, please." Kara said when they all pulled away, looking between both Alex and Riley.

Alex and Riley shared a look, "We'll make you just as good, if not even better, though Riley will need more training as well." Alex said for them, turning back to Kara.

Kara moved to sit next to Alex while Riley leaned against a nearby table, "I remember Aunt Astra and our mother always arguing."

"Like family does." Alex cut her off with a pat on the knee.

"When I asked our mother why they could never get along, she said that it was because Astra didn't have faith in people." Kara finished as if telling a secret. That kind of confused Riley since she had never heard that conversation.

Alex nodded and gripped both of the twins hands, "I do," she easily admitted, "I always have had faith in you. Both of you." She sighed again before continuing, "When you first came to live with us, my parents told me that both of you would be sad and fragile, having just lost your world, your parents, your friends."

Alex pulled Riley towards them completely and they all slightly cuddled together, "But you never let that loss diminish your lights, no matter how different they shined. Both of you have always had the heart of a hero, way before you put on that 'S'."

The three women shared a light laugh, only for Kara and Riley to tense slightly when Alex used their hands that she was holding to pull herself off the medical bed, "Come on, there's something I need to show you. Something I've been working on."

At their nod of agreement, Alex lead them both towards a specific room, ignoring the glances from other agents.

"Your cousin has a base," Alex started again as they walked down a hallway and dropped hands, "it's a fortress I guess, in the arctic. Now, we don't know much about it but we do know that it's a place that he's been able to commune with his Kryptonian ancestors."

Stopping next to a door with a hand print scanner, Riley asked in confusion, "How? They're all gone."

"There no longer alive, yes." Alex paused to gesture towards the panel with a smile, "The door will only open for the two of you."

Riley stayed back and Kara moved forward to place her hand on the marker. After a few seconds, the door next to it hissed and slid open.

Both supers calm to a halt at the edge of a platform that in the center, held the form of Alura, their mother.

"Mom." Kara whispered out to the holographic form.

"Hello Kara, Rile." The form replied, surprising both Kara and Riley that it seemed to register that Riley was there as well, since she was standing back and had yet to speak.

Alex jumped in to explain, "The message we found in your pod, it was part of an interactive artificial intelligence program that's culled from living memory." She waved her hand towards the A.I., "It's not really her, but..."

"Kara, Rile, I have been programmed to offer you assistance here on Earth." The A.I. spoke out to them softly.

"I'll let you talk." Alex started backing away after Kara's soft 'thanks'. A few moments later after walking down some halls, she approached Henshaw and thanked him for helping her set up the room, not noticing Riley being just around the corner behind her. As she finished talking with Henshaw she felt a presence behind her and turned to see the younger blonde scuffing her feet shyly on the floor.

"Thank you for that, Alex." Riley started after finally being able to look up from the floor to bring Alex close for a hug. She pulled back to ask, "But, I was wondering if I could see where Astra is being held?"

Alex studied her carefully, but at the soft yet pleading look she reluctantly agreed, "Alright, but she can't know your there for now. Maybe later but not tonight."

Riley wiggled about a bit and happily followed Alex to the cells in the D.E.O., excited to see Astra again just to reassure herself that the woman who basically raised her for the first thirteen pre-earth years was indeed alive.

(*Fort Rozz, Same Day*)

Man #1: The humans are more canny than we predicted. Until we learn to neutralize the two Kryptonians they have under their thumb, we might have to rethink out timetable for taking National City.

Man #2: And what of General Astra?

Man #1: She has been captured by an enemy we cannot yet win against. Leave her until the time is right, and if luck is on our side... her loyalty will hold true and she will continue to think that her daughter had died in childbirth. If she does find out the truth, we will have lost her to Kara Zor-El and her daughter, Rile Ast-Ze.

(*Outside of CatCo, that same night*)

"Mr. Olsen," The twins heard Cat Grant sigh into the phone, "I know that I gave you twenty-four hours to get me that interview with Supergirl and Superboy, but if you haven't procured it by now, I would like to set up some interviews with new art directors for tomorrow. Eyes on the road up there." She called out the last part to her driver when the car shook a little.

"Actually Miss Grant, you interview with them has already started. Look out your window." They could hear James' smug tone from Cat's phone.

Riley actually giggled at Cat's call out of 'what the hell?' as she flew near Kara who was carrying the town car, "This amuses me way more than it should."

Once they made it to a bit of land where it would be easy to get back into town via car, Riley helped Kara slowly and gently lower the car back down to the ground, fighting her giggles trying to burst into outright laughter when she noticed Cat Grant had her eyes shut tightly.

"Miss Grant." Kara called out after they were hovering in the air in front and above the car and the woman stepped out, "James Olsen said you wanted to talk."

Riley added on while having her face in a neutral yet still slightly amused rest, "So let's talk and we'll answer anything within reason."

Riley couldn't help but feel slightly nervous since this was her first time actually meeting Cat Grant and the look she had of a cat who caught the canary, no matter how amusing that actually sounded, had her a little worried she would spill every last secret she has ever had.

"It's you two." The media mogul started, paused to move around her opened door, "Oh no, I'm sorry. I meant to say, who are you?"

Kara couldn't help but feel a little defensive, "According to you I'm Supergirl, and my sister here is Superboy."

"I honestly don't mind now, the moniker grew on me." Riley interrupted with a slight raise of her left hand when Cat winced.

Cat shrugged a bit in acceptance, now seeming so smug, "Trademark pending."

"You have questions, we're ready to answer some of them." Kara called out to get the interview back on track so they could head home before one of them cracks.

"Huh, do you mind if I record this?" The older woman asked them, the two not realizing she caught view of their nervous twitches already.

Kara shared a look with Riley, then answered for both of them, "We suppose so."

Cat pressed a few things on her phone and began, "Okay Supergirl, Superboy, let's start with the generals. Where are you both from?"

"We traveled to Earth from our home planet of..." Kara was suddenly cut off by the woman.

"Krypton?" Cat asked for clarification and to speed it up a little.

"Yes," Kara continued after a moment, "When it was destroyed. Our parents sent us here because they thought we'd be safe.

Cat sighed, "Oh, I feel like I've heard this story before."

"This is our story," Riley cut in and Kara happily let her, "Our cousin knows nothing of the loss felt as Krypton exploded. He doesn't know what it was like to lose our family, our culture, our friends, our ways of life and forever remember that loss." They didn't notice how Cat seemed to be carefully paying attention now, "He never knew what it was like to land on Earth to see birds flying above and think back to lessons taught where such creatures were merely a legend. He never knew what it was like to have our planet's water naturally poisonous, only to find out that here on Earth there isn't a trace of that poison. Superman may be from Krypton but he can only guess at what it was like to lose our home and live on another that ended up being so different."

Thankfully Cat let the topic drop and moved on to the next one, "So, I can assume that all of your powers are the same as the Man of Steel's? The flying, the super strength, the freezy breath thing?" She asked quickly.

Kara blushed a little and Riley looked away in embarrassment, "We're still working on that last one, for the most part." Kara admitted for them, her ears still a little red.

"Oh, so neither of you are up to his level yet?" Cat asked teasingly, frustrating Kara and making Riley puff up a little since the youngest blonde of the three knew she was the stronger than Kara who was stronger than Clark, while Kara was faster than Riley, who was faster than Clark. They did have to hand it to their cousin though, he was better with his Freeze Breath and Heat Vision.

"I wouldn't say that." Kara said after shooting heat vision down to a specific point.

"So, why are we just hearing from you now?" Cat asked curiously, not phased by the show of powers.

Kara flew a bit to the side and landed, facing away from the woman, "I'm not sure I understand the question."

Riley didn't mind that the mogul's focus was on Kara, she honestly didn't know how Kara could work for the lady and keep such a calm demeanor all the time.

Kara's sharp, "Nobody ever asked our cousin these questions." Had Riley's attention jerking back to the conversation and landed next to Kara to try to go back to helping against the Grant Inquisition.

"Superman is your cousin?" Cat asked with an amused smile beginning to appear at Kara's slip up.

"I let my attention to the conversation slip for one moment and you babble that he's our cousin to your Cat-Woman after you specifically told me not to." Riley muttered in Kryptonese, not realizing the beautiful flowing language was caught on Cat's recording app.

Kara gave her a guilty look then turned back to say, "This interview is over."

Riley gave Cat a happy wave at how the woman unknowingly made Kara trip up so much before launching up into the air after her escaping sister.

'Well, at least between Astra, Cat, Eliza, Martha, Clark and Alex, family reunions will never be boring.' Riley snickered at her thoughts while they soared back to the apartment, ready to crash after the time they've had since they became superheroes.

Chapter Text

Chapter Three: Reactrons, Fixing a Dog-Awful Situation and Reconnecting. 

Kara finished off her sticky bun as she was scrolling through her phone while Riley was sitting at the side of the table to her left, munching happily away at one of her many breakfast burritos she brought with from a nearby to-go friendly restaurant. 

Riley was humming under her breath when the owner herself, a bit of a friend of theirs, brought Kara another sticky bun, "How can you eat sticky buns and so many of those stuffed burritos for breakfast every day and still stay so thin?" She asked them playfully. 

"We’re aliens." Kara said through her bite of sticky bun, making the woman laugh at what she thought was a joke while going back to work. 

Of course, Riley started choking on her food when she heard Kara's 'joke'. It also didn’t help that she noticed Alex's heartbeat that they kept close attention to subconsciously, was closer than they realized since Alex was almost right behind the woman. All that together made it so Kara had to give her a solid thump on the back. 

"Hi!" Kara greeted her cheerfully and Riley roughly croaking out her usual, "Sup Alex!" 

"Hey." Alex fired back, sitting across from Kara and to Riley's left to continue, "Are you okay?" She asked Kara, "I called you both a bunch of times last night but only Riley responded." 

"Probably because out of the three of us I'm the only one who at least attempts keeps a semi-normal sleep schedule, no matter how late it is before I go to bed." Riley sassed them, packing any trash into the plastic sack she brought in to be recycled when she leaves. 

Kara started cutting up her next sticky bun after pointing her butter knife jokingly at Riley for the sass that appeared once in a blue moon, "I think I fell asleep last night," she continued even after Riley's snort that basically meant 'No, really?', "Yesterday was a pretty long day." 

Riley stood up from her seat and grabbed her trash when her phone went off showing Cat Grant's number, "Well, the Catwoman is hailing me so that's my cue to run for the hills to make sure her car is ready to go after their work day. Talk to you two lovelies later." 

"Be good, brat." Alex muttered, standing up to hug her goodbye. Kara was right behind her and simply pulled them both into a bear hug that cracked Alex's back. 

"Love you!" A cheery Kara called out though they weren't even a foot away from each other. 

They broke apart when Alex started to wiggle around uncomfortably, "Alright, alright, I better go now before I find out the hard way if Cat Grant has claws because for the first time ever, she herself is coming over to pick up her Ferrari instead of some lackey of hers like Kara." 

She dodged Kara's swipe aimed at her for being called a 'lackey' and fast walked out of the building, dropping her trash in the correct bins on the way out. 

It wasn't until she heard the news talking about Supergirl and Superboy being cousins to Superman that she turned that fast walk into a fast run that might have raised some eyebrows if anyone had been paying attention to her. She knew they were more than likely in trouble for that one. 

(*At CatCo *)

"An interesting choice, mentioning that in an interview. Isn't that a little dangerous" Winn asked worriedly when Kara walked by towards her desk with her phone on speaker like it usually was now since Kara, Riley and Winn would talk before Cat Grant arrived.

"What?" Riley yelped with a slightly horrified look that they couldn't see, "Do you mean that it was actually kept in the interview? I thought that was just a joke! Did you tell her, Kara?"

Winn thought that Riley was kidding until Kara looked just as frantic as Riley sounded, "Uh, Riley." He started carefully while keeping his voice low, "Kara wasn't the first one to mention that Superman was your cousin."

"Wait, wait. What are you talking about Winn?" Riley asked him in confusion, wondering who else could have told Cat Grant, what she missed while silently fangirling over Cat's attention being mostly on Supergirl when they got back to the apartment. Her plans for a SuperCat armada to protect her sister's love life were going along smoothly so far, Winn even made her a Jack Sparrow hat with a feather attached to it and was sworn to secrecy.

"When you were talking about Krypton, you started off with 'Our cousin knows nothing'." Winn said slowly, wondering how Riley could have forgotten about that.

Kara started giggling at Riley's keen of distress at that, "I told you she would probably keep the entire interview, Riley!"

Riley had a whine to her tone at her next comment, "Alex is going to finally snap, she's going to kill me! I'm too young to be mauled by our resident redhead!" The younger blonde howled dramatically.

"There's a good age for that?" Kara asked playfully, still giggling at Riley's over dramatized distress.

"That's not all," Their action figure collecting friend continued, "the interview apparently caught you speaking in a language not originating from Earth, Riley."

All they could hear over the speaker was keening whines and almost incoherent babbles about fleeing the country to escape Alex.

"Oh Rao, Alex is definitely going to blow a gasket Riley, and she might maul me too by association!" Kara whimpered since she was suddenly worried for her life as well just because she was there when Riley spoke Kryptonese.

"Hello?" They heard Riley call out in question when the sound of a door slamming open echoed over the speaker phone, causing both Winn and Kara to stare at the phone with growing fear. Winn wondering if it was a new 'Big Bad' and Kara wondering if Alex finally got time to get away from work and hunt them down.

(*Other Side of the Phone*) 

Riley used her cellphone's case clip to attach it to the neckline of her shirt, carefully stepping out of the office type room and into the main area. 

What she saw at the main door had her eyes widening and caused her to let out a shriek like squeal before the super tried find another way out without creating a new one. At the sight of a grate in the ceiling that would lead to the roof, she launched into the air and frantically began to escape without breaking anything. 

"What's going on?!" Riley heard Winn ask frantically while Kara just howled with laughter in the background. 

"Alex is what's going on! I decided that instead of making a new exit to the building, I'd just fly up and escape through the vent shaft that leads to the roof." She whimpered, quickly making her way out only to let out another keening whine when she saw that Alex had already made it up there with a stern look on her face and the 'Danvers Crinkle'. Damn that impressive D.E.O. training! 

Kara's voice came over the phone with completely fake seriousness, "You should never use any powers to escape the clutches of Alex Danvers. Not because it might be seen as cheating, but because it only makes it worse when Alex finally catches you." 

"Damn right it does!" Alex herself called out, "Since I know you can hear me too, Kara, know this! You're both going to join me in the emitter gym and I'm going to make Marine Corps Drill Sergeants look like cuddly bunnies with what I'm going to put you two through." 

Riley could feel the proverbial wince through the phone that she could also feel on her own face, "Oh Rao, Alex I swear I didn't plan on getting caught speaking it!" 

Alex raised a single eyebrow at that, "Caught huh? So you admit to planning on using Kryptonese to talk to each other either way then?" 

Kara and Winn were nearly silent as they waited for Riley's answer and wondering just how Alex was going to react to it, "I feel like that question is a trap, so I'm just going to admit that I didn't think the situation through very well and will happily take the current punishment. Kara will do so as well!" Riley replied after a few moments of thought that made her realize there was no easy way to talk her and Kara out of trouble. 

"Hey! Wait a." Kara started over the phone, only for Riley to simply reach up and end the call. 

At Alex's look of confusion Riley shrugged, "She hung up on me the other day, this is payback." 

"Right. Anyway, are you actually working today or is it another boring day of nothing to do?" Alex asked simply, moving to sit on the nearby vent shaft. 

The blonde just shrugged and sat down next to her, "Ever since the big names started popping up more I only have maybe three loyal customers remaining. One of which is Cat Grant, and the other two are you and Kara. I've already told Grant about having to close down soon and now you know too. Apparently that wasn't good for Cat Grant because now she's offering to pay me to keep her cars fixed up since she seems to have trouble with the big name mechanics." She trailed off due to feeling a little down about losing her garage but amused at how Kara's Catwoman was kind of awesome. 

"Come on," Alex patted her knee and hopped off of the vent, "close up and let's go to the D.E.O. You can watch movies while I get some paperwork out of the way. I know how you relax the best and you need to enjoy your movies that you can sing along to, to do that." 

Riley let out a deep sigh, getting up to her feet to hug the older woman, "Thanks Alex. Just give me a second and I'll meet you out in the S.U.V. yeah?" 

Alex just nodded and went to the nearby ladder so she could slide down. She hoped that the movies really did end up helping because a silent and depressed Kryptonian was heartbreaking to see.

(*At the D.E.O.*)

"Sup Vasquez! How's one of my most favorite humans?" Riley greeted happily but still a little shyly. 

Vasquez looked at the blonde over their right shoulder and they smirked, "Working, as usual. Plan on breaking into song anytime soon? If so, let me know because Agent Danvers wants it to be recorded." 

"Alex!" Was the only response as Riley pouted at Alex, "You and Kara with the breaking of our silently acknowledged sacred teenage secrets! I'm going to steal Vasquez from you and they're going to be my best friend now. Then I'm going to tell them all the embarrassing moments of your and Kara's teen years! In fact..."

Alex just raised her eyebrow in a silent dare for Riley to even try that, feeling a little dread when all she got was a playful grin in return. 

"Vasquez!" Riley called out while still turned towards Alex with a wide grin, "Did Alex ever tell you about that time when she was sixteen and had to dress up as," the blonde paused to dodge as Alex lunged towards her with wide eyes at the thought of that particular secret being shared but Riley continued anyways, "dress up as Mrs. Nesbit Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story for Halloween because she and Kara lost a dare with Eliza? Then Kara had to dress up as Woody the Cowboy and run around saying 'There's a Snake in my boot!'?" 

"Riley! That was a secret that was supposed to go down with us to the grave!" Alex howled as she gave up all propriety and chased after Riley. 

Unknown to them Vasquez had started streaming the event to Kara when Riley called out to them, so only a minute or two later the other Super appeared to help Alex chase the youngest one of them down.

Riley was cackling until Kara tackled her bodily to the floor, both soon joined by Alex and all three ended up rolling around the control room floor. It was good for Alex's 'Badass' reputation that the control room was empty minus the three of them and Vasquez. On the floor, Riley was trying to escape, Kara was trying to get a good grip on Riley without crushing Alex, and Alex was tickling the now frantically wiggling Riley while carefully dodging any flailing limbs. 

A throat clear had all three women on the floor freezing in place and Vasquez turning back to their work, "If everyone is done playing around, there's work to do." Henshaw drawled out, trying to hide his amusement.

Kara floated to her feet still clinging to Riley with Alex stuck between them, when she let go they all straightened up their uniforms and stood at attention. At Henshaw's nod they turned and scurried off to their own usual spots in the control room.

"Sir," Vasquez called out, Henshaw jogging over to join them, "we have a Code Gray. It's coming from the NCH. It looks like a multiple car collision."

Alex moved over to join as well, no one seeing Kara and Riley share a look before turning around to dart out of the D.E.O.

Vasquez continued after listening to something over their Bluetooth and other Agents began filling the room, "Highway patrol officers and medical personnel are en route. No sign of Alien activity. We're clear."

"Run a thermal scan to be sure." Henshaw ordered calmly, watching the screen carefully.

"And Danvers' twins, next time you decide to have chat with the press, try to keep." He trailed off when he turned around and the two supers were apparently long gone.

"They're excited," Alex said, making sure to keep her face as serious as she could but couldn't contain the small smile, "it's their first pile up."

(*At the Highway just outside National City*)

"Supergirl, Superboy!" One of the bystanders called out as he ran up to them, "The bus driver is still inside, she can't get out!"

Riley moved to deal with a sparking cable that was close to the bus while Kara hovered up and into the bus that was laying on its side.

"Ma'am don't worry, we're here to help." Kara called out, moving through the inside of the bus and stopping next to the driver.

The woman looked at the hero, "I'm stuck!" She called incase Supergirl didn't know.

Kara gently reached for the seatbelt and calmly talked to the woman, "It's okay, I've got you. I'm going to break the seatbelt and get you out of here safely."

Once the belt was snapped Kara carefully picked up the woman after x-raying her to make sure nothing was broken before picking her up and floating them both out of the bus.

Riley had been x-raying the other cars just to make sure no one else was hurt inside the vehicles when Kara was passing the driver off to the EMT's. At the sound of something charging, she looked up and saw a man in a suit about to fire something at Kara.

"Supergirl, look out!" Riley shouted while launching herself up to use her body to block the beam of energy from hitting Kara and the civilians.

When the bright orange beam collided with Riley, everyone but Kara had to look away from the brightness of it, even the man who shot it at Superboy.

Kara watched and within a blink of an eye a seemingly empty suit fell to the ground with Riley nowhere in sight.

The civilians were nearly frantic with worry, the police were pulling out their guns to aim at the man and the firefighters had the hose aimed at him, the groups were ready to protect their heroes.

However, Kara's heat vision hit the man's apparent power source and drove him to leave before it could completely cut out.

"Uh, Supergirl?" One of the fire fighters called out while picking something up from the pile that was the Superboy suit, "You might wanna come take a look at this!"

At the man's almost frantic tone, Kara ran over to see him holding what was a young but large white and black Siberian Husky dog that shared the same eye color as Riley.

"Superboy?" Kara asked in disbelief at the thought of that energy beam turning the youngest Danvers into a dog.

Riley herself was knocked out of her stunned state at hearing Kara talk to her, "Hey Kara, I'm okay!" Sadly, all that actually came out was barks that only Kara could understand.

Kara pulled the dog out of the fire fighters arms as even the civilians were stunned at this turn of events, "I uh, I think I need to take you back to base." She muttered, thanking another fire fighter when they handed her Riley's now folded Superboy suit.

"Oh man, Alex is going to kill me!" Riley barked and whined out with her new paws going over her eyes while Kara was still feeling a little weirded out. It probably wasn't normal that she could hear Riley talking mixed in with the new dog noises when no one else seemed to be able to so far.

Promising to be back soon to help with the cleanup, Kara shot into the air towards the D.E.O. She figured Riley could hide until she was done helping out with the pile up, then they could approach Alex about what happened together.

(*Back at the D.E.O.*)

They found out that Riley could still use her powers after Kara accidentally dropped her squirming dog-sister and Riley ended up flying, and were able to slip past people to a room that was near the control room but wasn't used all that much. 

"Alright," Kara whispered after she closed the door behind them, "stay here for now and when I get back we can talk to Alex. Hopefully the D.E.O. will have a quick fix for this."

Riley let out a low and pitiful whine while Kara quickly went back to help out with the pileup, just knowing she was going to get teased and that there would be a large amount of dog puns soon coming into her life.

Even though she knew Kara would be back in the next thirty minutes or so, Riley could feel herself becoming extremely bored in the side room. So to stave off that boredom, she started exploring the shelves of the room to see what was actually kept inside. She could feel a growing horror when she realized that the room was none other than Director Henshaw's office. How they didn't figure that out before, she will never know.

When the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway and moved towards the door of the office, that growing horror turned into an outright 'Oh crap!' moment and Riley leapt into the air to hide on top of a tall shelf nearby.

She had just finished laying down, making herself as small as she could when the door swung open and none other than the Director himself walked in. Unfortunately she couldn't dart out of an open door because he closed it right behind him.

Riley watched carefully as he moved about his office, organizing a file he had into the filing cabinet, looking out the two way mirror towards the control room, then making his way to his desk to sit down and read a file that was already on it.

Once he seemed to have his entire attention on the file, Riley let out a low sigh of relief, only to freeze when her snout knocked off a picture frame that held some sort of diploma. She watched as he looked up and directly at her after it clattered hard to the ground.

Henshaw's eyebrows went up when he caught sight of a large but young Siberian Husky hiding at the top of his book shelf, "What in the..." He muttered, standing up and moving towards the frozen dog.

"Director Henshaw, Riley is," Alex's voice trailed off when she noticed he was staring up at a dog that was hiding at the top of the bookshelf, "is missing. Sir, why is there a dog in your office?"

Kara suddenly burst into the room, "Riley isn't missing, I swear to Rao, Alex!" Then she gestured to the dog they were all staring at in surprise, "She's uh, she's right there." Kara finished with her voice growing in pitch at the end.

Alex clearly didn't know if she should laugh or freak out at this point while glancing between Kara, Henshaw, and Riley. Who was now a dog. Superboy, the dog. That was still hard for her head to wrap around if she was being honest.

"Agent Danvers, get a hold of the R&D unit to try to reverse this as soon as possible. Help them out as much as you can because you know Kryptonian physiology the best." Henshaw ordered out as calmly as he could.

"Right away Sir." Alex muttered before turning on her heel and fast walking out of the room.

Henshaw pointed to the floor, "Down, Superdog." He ordered, ignoring how Riley the dog somehow gave him a very impressive insulted look.

At his finger snap Riley hastily followed the order and floated down to the floor, "Well, at least you still have your powers." Henshaw sighed and muttered as he rubbed his hand over his eyes in exasperation.

"Come on," He started leaving the office, holding the door open and gesturing the two super's to join him, "both of you need to be debriefed on the man who attacked you and that will happen in the control room."

Kara and Riley both followed after him dutifully, both trying to ignore the 'cooing' that they could barely hear from some of the nearby Agents at both of them. Kara for being almost painfully shy and Riley looking adorable, even though she was simply sitting down next to the other blonde. 

Alex joined them again with a deep blue collar for Riley that would let people understand the barking, having apparently left notes for the other scientists to look over so she could help take down the new enemy. 

Once she was settled, Henshaw began the briefing, "Reactron. At least, that's what the Daily Planet colorfully dubbed him when he showed up in Metropolis a few years back." 

"Reactron?" Kara scoffed about the Daily Planet out of habit from working at CatCo, "That's kind of a stupid name. Who named him that?" 

"Yeah! Should have called him 'Iron Man' or something." Riley barked out, happy that people could now understand her. 

Henshaw answered Kara's question and ignored Riley's input, "Jimmy Olsen." 

Riley started huffing with laughter and her new body shook a bit from it, loving Kara's simple yet awkward, "Oh." 

Kara ignored her Dog-Sister and continued while moving closer to the screens, "So who is this guy, really?" 

"Unknown. He remains at large after a string of very public fights with your cousin. Neither of them ever came out on top and no one knows why he's so obsessed with killing Superman." He told her, both of them not noticing that Riley had walked over to Alex and was now demanding pettings that Alex was amused enough to provide. 

"So what's the plan? How do we stop him?" Riley asked from her new seat next to Alex when the older woman wouldn't scratch behind her ears anymore. 

Henshaw sat down in a chair and looked around the room a little awkwardly, "We don't."

Riley's head tilted to the side in confusion and Kara asked, "So what are you saying? We just, sit back and do nothing?"

"Reactron, whoever he is, is human. Which means this case falls outside the D.E.O.'s jurisdiction." He said, leaning back in his chair with a sigh.

"But he flies around and hits people with nuclear beams that apparently can turn Kryptonians into dogs. How is that not extra-normal? He turned me into a freaking DOG!" The currently Superdog barked out in question, getting up and moving closer to Kara and Henshaw.

Alex stepped up to avoid any possible arguments breaking out, "He's using biomedical tech. Man-made tech." She explained to clarify.

"Exactly, and we can't risk exposing this organization every time a human criminal shows up in National City." Henshaw said to finish any debate on the topic, getting up to pass a file to a close Agent.

Kara scowled in disbelief, "But Riley and I can't let this man run wild!" Then she turned to Riley, "No offense."

Riley shrugged as best as she could, then both of them turned back to Henshaw when he spoke up again, "I'm sorry but we can't help. Call your cousin. Superman fights for truth, justice, and the American way. Last time I checked, National City was in America." After that he walked off, leaving Kara to growl a little and clench at the air in frustration.

"You should head back to work Kar, and I'll stay here. Hopefully Alex and the other scientists can fix this situation fast before that party your supposed to be planning for. Go on!" The superdog barked out, nudging Kara towards the exit with the top of her head.

Alex jogged up to give Kara a hug goodbye, gesturing for Riley to follow her when Kara finally darted out of the D.E.O. and took to the skies towards CatCo.

(*At CatCo*)

Now back in her usual work wear, minus her cardigan, Kara walked into Cat's office only to see the woman staring at the ceiling above her, "Miss Grant?" She called out worriedly. 

When the woman's attention dropped down to her, she continued with a small laugh, "I'm just, I'm putting the finishing touches on that party," Kara walked up to her bosses desk, "and I need your okay on." 

"Shh, shh, shh." Cat hushed her quickly, "Did you hear that?" The older blonde asked. 

Kara listened carefully but at no distinctive sounds she shrugged, "Uh, no." 

Cat went back to staring at the ceiling for a bit before glaring at her laptop and rambling, "You don’t hear that loud, high pitched, incessant humming coming from the vents that is making it impossible for me to think straight, let alone string together one coherent sentence?" 

'Oh Rao, she's finally losing it.' Kara thought halfway through Cat's rant, then shook her head a little to get back to the conversation, "I have pretty good ears, and I don't hear anything." 

"Well, get maintenance to look into it because it's driving me crazy." Cat muttered her demand, not looking directly at Kara. 'Even feeling half insane from that humming noise I still notice how well she wears that button-up shirt.' She thought to herself. 

"Sure thing, I'll get them right on it. I just need you to approve the appetizers for tomorrow." Kara insisted gently, trying to move on to the next part of her list. 

Cat cut her off and was harshly cleaning a second pair of glasses, "Kerah. I am very proud of the fact that in my many years of being a CEO I have never thrown a phone at an assistant. I would very much like to keep that record intact." 

Kara nodded and quickly left the room, "I'll take care of it." She said. 'What is my life, right now? Is everyone finally losing it?' She paused at the front of her desk for a moment with her eyes narrowed in thought, 'Wait, am I finally losing it?' 

"She's getting pretty intense writing that article, huh?" James asked as he walked up to Kara, breaking her out of her worried thoughts. 

"Yeah, you could say that." She replied, still wondering if this insanity was now her life. 

James seemed a little shocked at the tense change in CatCo and asked, "She always get like this when she's writing?" 

A sigh and nod was the best non-verbal answer, but Kara gave a little explanation anyway, "People have been known to schedule their vacations around it." 

"Psst." They both heard hissed towards them, and looked at Winn as if he was losing it like everyone else seemed to be. 

Kara was finally just so done with everything, "Why are you doing that? We're standing right here."

Winn could barely hide his excitement, "Follow me, and act natural." Then turned to fast walk out of the area towards the elevator at a very unnatural pace. After a shared shrug, Kara and James followed him. 

To say that Kara was confused that they were heading up in the elevator was putting it mildly, "Where are you taking us?" Was asked as she look around the really nice halls.

"To your new office." Winn grinned excitedly and wiggled the keys in his hand.

"I think Miss Grant prefers me to be within yelling distance." Kara tried to explain to him, but was interrupted by Winn.

"Oh no. Not for that job. For our other job." They turned the corner to an office room and he continued, "This used to be Ed Flaherty's office from Actuaries but after he died of a heart attack behind his desk, nobody wants it. Which makes it perfect for our needs." He unlocked the door and gestured for them to join him.

Winn gestured at the tech around the room and sat down in a nearby desk chair, "So I loaded this office up with some, uh state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line tech." 

Kara could say that she was honestly impressed and in a bit of awe at her best friend, "Winn, I can't believe you did all of this for us!"

He blushed happily at the praise, "Well, believe it!" Then turned towards the computer screens, "So, for our first mission, Supergirl and Superboy vs. Reactron."

"Actually, at the moment it's more like Supergirl and Superdog vs Reactron." She stuttered out, having forgot to tell her and now Riley's friends about what happened. 

The guy's jaws both with slack as they stared at Kara, "Wait, what? What happened to Riley?"  James asked, sharing a look of confusion with Winn. 

"Well you see, Reactron was going to hit me with a beam of nuclear energy but Riley flew in front of it. Somehow it literally turned her into a dog." Kara shrugged since she was still unable to wrap her head around the fact that she watched Riley turn into an actual dog. 

Winn looked curious and asked, "Does she still have her powers? Or did those disappear until she gets reverted back?" 

The blonde sighed, "Oh, she still has her powers alright. Alex texted me earlier about how they were already close to finding the cure but Riley's tendency to watch what people are doing just because she's curious has her in the way more than not." 

"Right. Anyway!" Winn finally just shrugged and turned back to the screens, "Okay so, his true identity remains a mystery, right? We know Superman has fought him multiple times over the years." 

James and Kara interrupted, "I know, I was there." And "Right." were said. 

Winn just sighed in a little frustration, "Anyway, he shoots these highly concentrated," 

"Bursts of nuclear energy." James grinned cheekily at another interruption. 

"From his gauntlets. Uh, his chest plate provides an increase in strength and flight. Now, I've written an algorithm that will sweep the city for any variable changes in radiation. And maybe, we can us this to find him."  The techy finished and looked between Kara and James over each of his shoulders. 

However, James looked worried, "And then what?" He asked carefully. 

Winn looked at him like the answer was childishly simple, "And then Kara and Riley go all Supergirl and uh, Superdog? Superboy? On him." 

Their taller friend turned away and pulled at Kara's sleeve to get her attention, "Kara, you might consider calling your cousin on this one. I've seen what Reactron can do." 

She did not look happy, "James, if I call for help now, Riley and I are done." Kara paused to gesture to James and Winn, "We're done. Every villain out there will think of National City as an easy target." 

James tried again, "He nearly killed Clark once." He said softly. 

"Clark?" Winn asked before it hit him hard, "Clark Kent is Superman?" 

Ignoring that he let Clark's identity slip for now, James cleared his throat to get back on topic, "I'm just trying to keep both of you safe." 

Kara was not getting any happier, "Yes, I appreciate that and I'm sure Riley does too. But of all the things the 'S' stands for, 'safety' is not one of them. We're still trying to figure out what being Supergirl and Superboy means. Who we are, and now we know. We're not Superman's cousins. We're Supergirl and Superboy. And if we're going to be defined, it's going to be by our victories and our losses, both working together and separate on our own. Not his." She finished, feeling a bit empowered after that speech. 

"I guess stubbornness runs in the family." James shrugged in acceptance with a small grin. 

Kara snorted and the thought of Riley and Alex both trying to one-up each other in pranks is what created her next answer, "You have no idea." 

(*At the D.E.O.*) 

"Riley!" Alex bellowed out in frustration after a large Siberian Husky that was running through the halls and was almost to the exit of the D.E.O. 

The Husky finally stopped and barked out with her translator that apparently only worked because of her Kryptonian blood, "You know I hate needles. If you said the cure will work since the change was literally just a random thing that couldn't happen again any time soon, then it will work! It just takes a few minutes to kick in, right?"

Alex ran a hand over her own face, "It should. You know what, fine. Let's go visit Kara at CatCo. Winn called me earlier and told me about how Kara is freaking out over Maxwell Lord being kidnapped by Reactron so I'm going to go help."

Riley walked up to the red head, "Really? You're going to go against Henshaw's rules to help us?" She asked as softly as she could in woof and humming noises.

"Yeah, so let's go before I change my mind." At that, the Husky followed the Agent to a nearby underground garage, they both loaded into an S.U.V with Alex carrying a dufflebag that held some civilian clothes and Riley's suit. Once they were both settled Alex drove them into National City.

Before she could 'sing' along to the music playing, Alex's right hand shot out and clamped her snout shut, "Nuh-uh. I don’t think so Dog-Wonder."

Riley pouted and crawled into the backseat to lay down, sad that she couldn't sing along to 'Who let the dogs out.'. Although now that she thought about it, Alex had a point. That song was catchy yet annoying at the same time.

It took about twenty minutes to reach CatCo since traffic was light. Alex parked where Kara's spot would technically be before climbing out, holding the door open for Riley to leap into the front seat and then out of the S.U.V.

Thankfully Cat Grant wasn't actually allergic to dogs or getting Riley inside with Alex as FBI and Riley as her trusty companion would have been either fruitless or time consuming. A quick elevator ride had them walking towards Kara's desk and Alex spoke out as she patted Riley's head after Kara finished talking about how she wasn't sure what to do, "With our help. Do you have some place private we can talk?"

"Do we ever." Winn grinned happily between Kara and Alex while he leaned down to hug Riley, unable to resist the cuteness that she radiated as a Husky.

Riley allowed it mostly because Winn scratched behind her ears and had her back right leg thumping happily, the ear scratches was something that Alex no longer would do since it somehow got Husky fur everywhere, "Come on you two!" Kara called, neither of them had noticed that Kara had started leading the way to the new 'Super Office' Winn acquired.

(*The Super Office*) 

"I used the D.E.O. satellite to scan the highway where Riley was put into a... ruff situation." Alex couldn't help but pun, getting a deadpan stare from the dog in question.

The older Danvers cleared her throat and continued after the giggles from the others died down, "And I was able to isolate the nuclear signature of his weapons system. It's powered by Thorium two-three-two, which can only be found in one place." With a click to the keyboard, Alex pulled up a 3-D schematic of a building.

"Baseline Nuclear Power Station." Kara muttered in thought, unable to figure out what the man had to do with that location.

Winn snapped his fingers in realization, "I remember this. Terrorists tried to start a full-on meltdown like five years ago, but then Superman stopped them."

Alex nodded at Winn's comment, "Yeah, he prevented the core from going into overload. Saved millions of people. But two reactor engineers were killed when the facility was flooded with radiation. Ben and Alyssa Krull."

"Ben Krull is Reactron!" Riley barked in surprise at this plot twist, only to yelp and pull the couch away from the wall with her teeth to then dive behind it.

The rest of the group was baffled by her reaction, "Uh, Riley? Are you okay?" James asked her as they all moved towards Riley's hiding place, stopping a few feet from it. 

A head with short blonde hair popped up over the back of the couch, "Alex, could I, could I have that change of clothes now?" She stuttered, the guys looking away awkwardly and Kara just snickered at Riley. Lucky for her, Alex was able to quickly toss the bag to the back-to-normal Kryptonian, "Thanks." Riley muttered while changing.

"Yeah no problem, anyway! He somehow survived the radiation exposure." Clarified a blushing Alex with a wave towards the screen. 

Kara was hit with a realization of her own, "Which is why he hates our cousin. He blames him for the death of his wife."

James cut in with a bit of bite, "Superman still managed to prevent an American Chernobyl."

"Chernobyl." Winn drawled, then moved towards the computers, "That gives me an idea on how we might find Krull."

"Good idea!" Riley cheered while heading out the door, "I have something to do in the next hour so I'll be back later. Thanks for the fix, Alex!"

When the door clicked shut, the remaining four started laughing somewhat hysterically at the crazed moments that is their lives now.

(*Time Skip*)

'Alright, let's try this again. I don't know why I do the proofing since I'm just the assistant but oh ever burning Rao, Cat is harsh on us.' Kara thought as she walked into Cat Grant's office, "I finished proofing the Super Twins article."

Cat preened in front of her like her shortened namesake, resting on the couch, "Please begin my compliments."

Before Kara could stutter her way through attempted compliments, her Bluetooth went off. She subtly answered it and was surprised when Alex's voice came over the line as Riley was muttering something about refusing to let her favorite ship sink, "Tell her that it was a little hard on the heroes, but very well done in a way that will inspire them to prove some of the comments wrong."

"Well, it was a little hard on them, but," she had to hold up her hand to stop Cat from interrupting quite unhappily, "it was very well done in a way that can inspire them to prove some of the ideals about them wrong if they feel it is."

The sounds of a small scuffle came through the phone as Cat seemed to start soaking up the praise, "Alright," Kara heard Riley's voice this time, "Tell her that the Super's do seem to be searching for their purpose and the words to say just how they want to help. That indeed, Millennials could bond with that because so many just don't know what to do with their lives yet, and that's okay as long as that big question gets solved."

Kara rattled off another 'mirror my words' that she had to admit were true, to Cat while fighting an amused sunny grin at her bosses preening. It wasn't until there was yet another scuffle and a yelp from Riley that she made sure to listen closely to whoever was next, "Hey, James is about to walk in to try to get you out of there because Winn found Reactron. Go with whatever excuse he has. Riley and I will be there in a minute." Alex said over the phone, the sound of wind soon whipping around since Riley apparently picked her up and took off towards CatCo before Alex hung up.

One of Cat's glass doors swung open, "Sorry to interrupt." James paused at the sight of the sudden movement from the two as if they were doing something wrong, "Kara, it's the florist for the party."

"Right! I should probably handle that." She aimed at Cat, trying to hide the reddening of her ears at James catching her basically swooning at how adorable Cat was being.

James elaborated on how Winn found him, pausing in a mostly empty area and whispered, "There was a black mold that grew in the town of Chernobyl right after the meltdown. Now, Winn found the same mold here in National City. At a junk yard," He pulled a paper out of the folder he was holding, "sixty miles south."

Kara moved towards her usual small balcony exit, "Tell Ms. Grant I'm putting the finishing touches on the party. Also, don't worry because Riley and Alex are going to be there to. Don't deny it," She raised her hand to stop his interruption in its tracks, "I know you're worried because Superman couldn't defeat him. I'm going to try to talk to him and if that doesn't work, Riley and I are going to attempt to knock some sense into him with backup."

Riley's best friend sighed and ran a hand down his face, "Alright, I'm a worrier, I'll admit. But as long as neither of you attempt to go after him solo, I'll try to keep that worry on a back burner."

"And we won't. Alex will be nearby yet out of sight just in case, while Riley and I will be teamworking." Kara reassured him before continuing on, "I'll make sure Riley comes by after to fangirl over both of your types."

James couldn't help but laugh at that, rolling his eyes and got back to CatCo work with a grin.

(*Flying above National City*)

"Kara!" Alex called out from her place on Riley's back, who was wearing some sort of harness now embedded in it that Alex had been clipped to.

Riley's suit seemed to have an addition to it that looked like subtly added foot rests on the sides of her pants yet above her knees, and hand grips on the sides of her upper back for added stability. The lack of any cloak was a little worrying but it seemed that Riley had been pushing herself to be able to fly without one at the risk of losing some speed.

Kara pointed at the two of them, "Okay, that is so cool and I request additions like that on my suit as well!"

Alex shook her head in exasperation when Riley just laughed and agreed with a nod of her head, "Let's focus back on the nuclear-powered suit toting human, okay? Now, Riley's going to drop me off near the edge of the junk yard. Based on how things might go inside, the actual talking and fighting plans are on your shoulders so please be careful!" Alex yelled to them over the wind out of habit. 

Riley grinned and patted one of Alex's hands, "You got it Lexie! Kara, I'm going to go set down the worry wort and then meet up with you near his location in the middle, alright?"

When Kara nodded and shot forward, Riley went ahead and landed softly. Since she and Alex had been practicing ever since she got back to the D.E.O. after finishing the sale of the garage, Alex was able to unclip and hop off quickly to move towards a nearby empty van.

Waving bye, the super shot into the air to fly over to Kara, joining her in scanning around for Reactron and Maxwell Lord.

At the sight of Lord being tied down to a chair in a small shack with their x-ray vision, Riley and Kara split up. Kara took the door entrance and Riley hovered quietly near a window. When 'Superboy' saw Lord staring at something off to the side, she tensed and readied herself to move Lord to safety as fast as she could without harming the scientist. 

Kara swung the metal door to the shack open, walking towards Lord but upon seeing Riley gesture to her left Kara lunged past the captive man and swung hard in that general direction, catching Reactron by surprise and created a new door less entryway with the man's body. 

Riley flew in through the window while Kara stepped back out through the new hole, "Mr. Lord, I'm going to take you to safety. I need you to keep your eyes closed hands tucked close to your chest for me." She politely ordered him, picking him up in a bridal carry.  

Once he was situated and a glance outside showed Kara holding her own, she flew as fast as she could without risking Maxwell Lord's health in any way. It took a minute or two but she came to a stop outside of his building, setting him down and holding a hand to his shoulder to make sure he was able to stand on his own and not noticing the camera's appearing around them.

"You're safe now Mr. Lord." She said once he regained his balance, moving a bit away from him to fly back to the junk yard as fast as she could get away with.

Arriving back at the fight, Riley saw that Kara was still holding her own quite impressively. When Kara noticed her charging in she called out, "Remind me to thank both you and Alex for the training."

"You got it!" Was the cheering response, Riley slammed into Reactron's suit hard enough that it sent the man soaring into a nearby pile of junk cars.

They turned to give each other a high-five, the sound almost mirroring two boulders clashing together when Alex's voice echoed out through the yard as she ran up, "Where did he go?" She asked them.

"He's right." Kara trailed off, gesturing towards the pile of cars only to see that Reactron was very clearly missing, "Crap, and he's gone." Riley drawled out in annoyance at the lack of the metal suit wearing man.

Kara sighed in frustration, "I really don't have time to track him down right now." She turned to Riley, "Could you help me with the finishing touches to the party Cat is throwing after you drop Alex back off at the D.E.O.?"

Riley nodded and crouched for Alex, "Of course! Come on spider monkey, let's get you back to your own work as well."

Alex hooked herself to the harness and lightly slapped Riley upside the head, "Alright sled dog, hike!" She sassed out, shaking the connection cables once like she was a Musher.

"I'm going to ignore that in favor of attempting to wipe being a dog from my memory, forever." Kara heard Riley say with a small scowl and a bit of amusement, taking to the skies towards the D.E.O. with Alex laughing away on her back.

"Those two, I swear." Kara muttered, shaking her head at their antics. She turned away from where they disappeared to and took to the air towards CatCo.

(*Later at the Museum*) 

Riley was laughing at one of James' many jokes, both of them carrying and helping set up key items since Kara had to go back and change into a dress that Alex let her borrow from the D.E.O.'s closet.

"Hey," Winn called out to them, jogging over to join the conversations, "guests should be arriving soon and Kara is on her way back."

"Good, because it looks like the guests are here." James gestured towards the main entryway, the three moving closer to a corner to be out of the way while everyone got situated in seats or mingled.

"Crap!" Riley muttered frantically at the sight of Cat Grant, moving to lean against a nearby pillar out of sight yet making sure she didn't mess up the tux Winn happily made her, "She doesn't know who I am yet because some lackeys had to keep picking up and dropping off her cars at the Garage for her. Kara wants to be the one to introduce us because apparently Cat never believe that there were more than just one kid that the Danvers took in."

James reached out and gripped her shoulder while Winn checked on his 'art work' tuxedo wasn't torn or dirtied already, "Hey, it's alright! See? Kara's making her way inside now so you can start heading that way. Besides, Winn owes me a dance since you two didn't catch Reactron yet." He teased out, pushing her towards Kara.

"You're right James." Riley sighed, then continued with a soft smile, "I'll go join Kara and let you two enjoy that dance!"

When Riley had walked away James offered his hand to a blushing Winn, giving a cheeky smile as he pulled the shorter man out to a corner on the dance floor during a waltz song.

"Is this alright?" He asked Winn, dancing closely to each other to the slow song.

Winn's blush was fading as their dance continued and he placed his head on James' chest, "Yeah, this is good." He muttered with a smile.

Across the room Kara and Riley were both cooing and awing over how adorable their best friends were. Neither knew that their friends were interested in each other but were happy for them regardless.

Their cooing was interrupted by Cat Grant appearing next to them, "Kerah, who is this?" The older blonde asked them with her eyes roaming Riley, leaving the younger Kryptonian feeling like she was being sized up by the most dangerous person in the room. 

Kara reached up to fiddle with her glasses, "This is my twin that I told you about! Ms. Grant, this my slightly younger sister Riley Danvers. Riley this is my boss and Queen of all Media, Cat Grant." Kara introduced them, fighting giggles at Riley's nervous ticks she noticed.

Riley decided to be suave and gently hold Cat Grant's hand up, bowing to her much like they greeted others on Krypton, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Ms. Grant. Kara tells me much about you."

Cat seemed appeased by the polite greeting as they separated, "I almost didn't believe Kerah when she spoke of having a younger twin. It's reassuring at least one of you knows how to use manners."

"Oh, but that is part of Kara's charm Ms. Grant. She is a light in the darkness that brightens our days, and I hope beyond all reason that her light never dims. For the loss of that light would be great in the worst of ways." At Riley's declaration Kara didn't know if she should be impressed at Riley's charm with words or nearly crying over the fact that her sister adores her so much. 

When Cat seemed to be glancing at the dance floor, Riley decided it was time for herself to leave and gently pushed Kara towards the woman. 

"Pardon me, Ms. Grant, I must excuse myself. I hope that you could forgive my early leave from such a relaxing and impressive party. I am sure Kara would be delighted to lead you around the dance floor, however. She is very graceful when it comes to such things and I am sure you would enjoy yourself." Riley implied smoothly, fighting the urge to grin excitedly when Cat nodded in agreement. 

"It was wonderful to finally meet one of Kara's sisters. Maybe I shall meet the other elusive one as well." Cat Grant nodded her head once towards the tux wearing blonde, then turned to pull Kara to the dance floor near the middle. 

James and Winn had just finished their dance and politely greeted Cat and Kara on their way towards Riley.

"Did you actually get Cat Grant to dance with Kara Danvers?" Winn asked playfully, still holding hands with James as they joined her off the dance floor.

Riley finally let loose the trademark 'Sunny Danvers' grin, "I sure did! It took some really smooth talking that I learned on Krypton, but it worked! The SuperCat ship is leaving the docks!"

James threw his head back and laughed heartily with Winn snickering at his side. His new friend who was honestly slowly turning into best friend, was just too much sometimes.

He nodded his head towards Kara and Cat, "Are things going good or do we need to intervene?"

Taking a slow breath, Riley extended her hearing out to the dancing pair while avoiding cranking up the 'volume' of the entire room. What hit her ears was the two talking about their everyday lives and Kara's dancing ability, to her surprise.

"No, things are going well on that front." Riley told the other two, all three relaxing with that information.

"Come on," Winn gestured for Riley to follow him while just pulling James with, "there's a room nearby with a game cube hooked up that has Mario Kart Double Dash and it's calling our names."

Riley and James shared a secret grin at Winn's need for gaming during parties like this. He was just so adorable.

(*At the D.E.O.*)

Knowing that she could possibly get caught, Alex was trying to be quiet as she kept an eye on the satellite readings in case Reactron appeared again.

She knew she was indeed caught when she felt eyes staring at her from outside of her personal Forensics lab room. Alex turned around in her seat, she saw her boss standing outside of the glass walled room with an eyebrow raised. When he opened the door to walk in she stood up with a sigh, "Director Henshaw." She greeted.

He stood in front of her with his hands on his hips and asked pointedly, "Agent Danvers, what are you doing?"

Alex unknowingly mirrored his stance but realized what she was doing and dropped her hands to clasp in front of her after stating, "I'm helping Kara and Riley to stop Reactron."

Henshaw looked a little put out at that, "It's been increasingly difficult for you to follow order since those two joined the D.E.O. as assets."

"When you asked me to join the D.E.O., I didn't hesitate. Because you told me that together, we were going to save the world." Alex paused to emphasize her next comment, "Except saving the world means everybody. Aliens, humans, I can't separate them anymore. Especially when my Kryptonians' lives are at stake." She had continued even as Henshaw turned to lean against a metal table.

"Who else knows about this?" He asked her, looking around at the control room outside.

"No one." She was a little hesitant to reply, not knowing how he'd react.

He turned back to her, "Good," then moved over to sit in the desk chair and looking at the satellite readings, "wouldn't want them getting any ideas. So," he crossed his arms and looked up to her, "how do we defeat this... Reactron?"

Alex took a deep breath in relief and looked back at the screens, finding the best words to describe the plan.

(*Back at the Museum Party*)

From what her hearing was telling her, Kara and Cat were still dancing the night away and only stopping for drink breaks in between songs. She could feel a warmth at the thought of her sister finally making headway to get the girl. 

Riley turned her attention back to the screen in front of her to see her blue turtle shell nail both Winn and James on the last lap of Baby Park, leaving her to drift past them and into first place. 

"Aw, come on! That was evil!" Winn called out, looking over to the smug Riley with a pout at such a close loss. 

The sound of glass shattering in the main room stopped any reply and had Riley looking towards the other two at the sound of Reactron's voice, "Where is Supergirl and Superboy?!" 

"He's here." She told them, moving into a nearby closet space to speed into her suit, then gently pressing the now folded tux Winn made into his arms and moved out a nearby window to fly up the the same entrance Reactron made. 

Kara herself had easily slipped away in the chaos, into a side room as well and changed before meeting Riley outside. 

It wasn't until Reactron powered up his suit to hit Maxwell Lord point blank that had the super's throwing any idea of a plan out the proverbial window and soared into the room, Kara kicking up into an enlarged magazine cover stand. Riley continued getting people to evacuate while Kara kept the man busy.

Maxwell Lord had other plans it seemed and actually started talking to them instead, "Twice in two days. I should put you on the payroll as bodyguards." He joked lightly.

"Get somewhere safe." Kara told him, fighting the urge to roll her eyes and actually laugh at the badly timed joke. She gave Riley with a grateful expression when 'Superboy' gently lead him out of the main doors.

They looked back at Reactron who was finally getting back to his feet, "We are sorry for what happened to you. But you are going to jail." Kara called out to him.

Reactron's slightly muffled voice echoed out through the mostly empty room as he finished standing up, "I'm sure one day I will. But you won't live to see it."

He charged up his suit and fired at Superboy towards the dead center of her chest, forcing her to dodge and stumble out of the way, then turned and charged up again to send a stream of the same energy at Supergirl.

Kara used her cloak to block the energy from hitting her, but when it started bouncing off her cloak she began to worry for James and Winn who apparently snuck in during the chaos.

One of the reflected bolts slammed into a pillar, sending it tumbling down at the two men. Thankfully Riley had noticed this possibility happening and used super speed to slide underneath it to stop it's fall.

Reactron didn’t seem too happy about that and aimed one gauntlet at each of the supers with his suit charging up for more blasts.

"Hey Krull!" James yelled out at the man as he moved towards the main doors, "You know who I am? Jimmy Olsen. I'm the closest thing Superman has to a best friend." Reactron lowered his gauntlets as his attention turned to James, "You wanna see him hurt? Killing me would do that. Come on." James taunted him and ran out of the doors, Krull or Reactron launched back out the way he came in after their friend. 

Kara turned to heat up the metal poles in the pillar to almost melting point and nodding at Riley to heave it back into place, locking the metal back together.

"That, that..." Riley couldn't even form words at James' recklessness.

Winn sighed a little dreamily, "While terrifying to think about it was also extremely heroic."

"Kara, Riley, we may have a way for you to stop Krull." They heard Alex say over their earring Bluetooth after they answered the group call. Luck was on Winn's side that the call interrupted Riley's urge to smack Kara's best friend upside the head. 

Henshaw's voice came over next, "Krull's chest unit is powered by a Demon Core, a subcritical mass of plutonium." 

"If you can remove it from his suit, it should shut down his weaponry." Alex explained to them before Henshaw continued, "But the core will melt down the very moment it's freed from its containment matrix." 

Riley growled in frustration, "There has to be some way to stop him without nuking the city!" 

Alex nodded even though they couldn't see it, "You need to encase the core in lead before you rip it free." 

"Lead." Kara muttered, both twins starting to look around for anything lead to use. 

When Kara moved towards a nearby statue Winn stood in front of her and held out his hands, "Woah there, you're in a museum! There are plenty of every day lead things nearby that are not priceless artifacts!" 

Kara and Riley both blushed at their almost blunder, "Thanks Winn!" They called out simultaneously and took to the skies, Kara stopped to cover her hands with lead from a newly melted mailbox while Riley slammed into Reactron to stop him from frying James. 

The Super and Reactron slammed into a concreted empty area nearby, Riley making sure he couldn't get a hit on her and keeping his attention on her. 

At the charging of the suit after a quick tussle that went in Riley's favor, she raised her hands to literally catch the beam of energy that Reactron kept pulsing out. The strength of it had her slowly sliding backwards as he quickly closed the distance between them. What Reactron wasn't expecting however, was for Superboy to suddenly move out of the way and spin him around by grabbing his forearm. He could barely blink before Supergirl's lead incased hands yanked the power core out of his suit, the loss of it causing him to drop into unconsciousness. 

Riley was the first to hear James run up to them, she reached out and smacked him on the arm as hard as she could get away with, finally giving in to the worry she held for her best friend, "You could have been killed, James! Do you understand that? I am so going to, ugh!"

"Nah, I knew both of you would save the day." James' cheeky grin reappeared, even as he panted from all the running.

(*Back at the D.E.O.*) 

"Thank you for your help. Both of you." Kara thanked Henshaw and Alex near the 'planning table' with Riley grinning next to her. 

Henshaw shrugged from his seat, "Something tells me this isn't the last non-alien you'll be taking on." He stood up with a small smirk and moved to leave, "And since the threat of federal prison doesn't stop Alex from disobeying my orders, I guess in the future we'll just have to help Supergirl and Superboy again." 

Kara and Alex were now barely hiding their own grins until Kara couldn't help but speak up, "Told you he'd come around on us." 

That triggered both Kara's and Alex's wide grins, Riley actually giggling as she threw her arms around the older woman's shoulders. 

"So, what do the Twins of Steel do to celebrate after saving the day?" Alex asked them, sliding so she was in the middle of a group side-hug between the two Kryptonians.

Kara hummed in fake thought, "How about the Danvers' take in a movie tonight?"

"Oh, I like that idea. I'll order the pot stickers, pizza, and mild bone-out wings." Riley offered to go along with Kara's idea.

The two turned to Alex with the best pouts they could use, getting a hand in each of their face from a laughing Alex, "Alright, alright! There's no need for all of that! Just give me ten minutes and I'll be ready to go."

Both blondes cheered freely and let their Alex go do her own thing, Kara turning moving to go see if there were any cupcakes in the break-room and Riley moving to go talk with Vasquez since they were teaching her sign language.

(*The Next Day*)

Since Riley was currently unemployed and Cat had taken a shine to her, she was at CatCo with Kara, both jogging at human speeds to the art department. Riley to go ask how the mini date James had with Winn after the party went, and Kara to talk with Winn about it in case he wanted to gush to his best friend. 

They rushed into the room and jerked to a stop at the sight of the two men talking with an unknown woman. 

Riley could actually feel herself stumbled at the sight of the short but powerful aura brunette woman, not realizing her shy and a bit dopey grin appeared on her face. 

"Hi." The short haired blonde mumbled shyly, going to stare at her feet and gently scuff at the floor.

Winn and James both looked like they were trying so hard not to start laughing at Riley, till James finally took pity on the confused Kara and shy Riley, "Kara, Riley, this is Lucy Lane. She's an old friend from Metropolis and a lawyer in the Army." He introduced them.

'Code Red, Kerah! Abort mission! It's a Lane!' Kara could hear her thoughts basically screaming at her in Cat's voice.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you both!" Lucy greeted them with ease, the two blondes not knowing that James had called Lucy about his good luck that Winn had liked him back. He had ended up talking about his tech, his tech's best friend Kara, and his own new best friend Riley.

Kara was the first to finally speak up, trying to ignore the urge to go tell Cat that a Lane was in her building, "It's nice to meet you too! Lane huh? Any relation to?"

Lucy seemed to know where Kara was going with her question, "Yes, Lois is my big sister."

Riley was horrified with herself when the next words slipped right out, "Oh, well may I just say that you seem to have received all the better traits in both beauty and brilliance." 

Winn and Kara were shaking in silent laughter, both wheezing a little trying so hard to hide it at Riley's word vomit to Lucy Lane. 

"Pardon me, we have to gay, uh, go somewhere." Riley stuttered as she felt her ears and face light up a bit in embarrassment, turning and walking right out the door while dragging a giggling Kara out behind her back to Kara's desk. 

Kara dropped into her chair still trying to fight off her giggling fit, even as Riley pulled Winn's chair over to her desk and Riley buried her face into her own hands. 

"Kill me now, please." The shorter haired blonde whined out pitifully. 

A beep from Kara's laptop had dragged both of their attentions to in instead, "Hey, it's Clark!" Riley cheered quietly, rolling around the desk to sit closely next to Kara. 

'Hi.' His message said, both unsure yet happy as to why he was contacting them. 

At Riley's elbow digging into her side, Kara started typing back, 'Hi. So, I guess you heard what happened?' 

'Yes. You're both doing great Kara, Riley.' The blondes grinned at each other, pride welling in their chests, 'You stopped Reactron. Something I could never do. Guess it was a job for Supergirl and Superboy.' 

Riley could feel herself tearing up a little at that and took a deep breath, side-hugging Kara while the other blonde typed for them again. 

'Thanks Clark. That means a lot to us.' Kara replied, both lighting up even more at his last message. 'You're both family, and I am so very proud of you.' 

(*Later that Night*) 

Kara and Alex were sitting on the chair and couch, respectively, as Riley was just finishing the popcorn and pouring the drinks. The youngest Danvers' carried the tray carrying it all into the living room to the coffee table next to the leftovers from ordering out again.

"Pass me that last pot sticker." Kara requested once Riley had dropped down next to Alex on the couch.

Alex scoffed a little, "Uh, no." At Kara's pout she continued determinedly, "That one is mine."

When Kara's pout didn't lessen, Alex started reaching at straws, "You had four!"

Riley was quietly snickering at the familiar scene, even as her nose scrunched since she couldn't understand either of the two's love for the things.

Kara pointed her chopsticks at Alex, "If that pot sticker is not in my mouth in two seconds, I will melt your face."

Alex tried to keep the amusement from her face as she finally caved and passed the container to Kara, deciding to get one last snipe in at Kara's happy wiggle once the blonde had it.

"I hope you get fat." Alex sassed to Kara, only to grin happily when Riley passed her two of Riley's own mild buffalo bone-out wings.

"Not on this planet." Chuckled Kara, stuffing the pot sticker into her mouth with a smug look.

"So, guess what I picked up on the way." Alex announced once she swallowed a bite of the chicken, wiped her hands off and lifted up a copy of the CatCo magazine that went to the shelves earlier today.

Kara leaned back with a sigh, "It's rough to us, but it is one way to kick us into gear. Even if it did seem a little horrible." She admitted reluctantly.

Alex smiled knowingly, "Very well crafted, horrible things." The older Danvers' turned slightly so she could look at both Riley and Kara easily, "Deep beneath that seething disdain,"

Riley interrupted for a moment and pointed her fork at Alex, "Oh I like that, I'm gonna use that in the future."

"She respects you both." Alex continued after rolling her eyes at Riley's antics.

Kara seemed reluctant to believe her, "Really?"

"Mhm. Supergirl and Superboy, I mean. Her assistant and assistant's twin, no, she couldn't give a rip about." There was that sass Alex couldn't resist giving, Kara and Riley just knew it was coming. 

What Alex didn't see coming though was the pillow Kara tossed at her, smacking the redhead right in the face.

"Oh, Rao!" Alex grunted as Kara and Riley burst into laughter at the surprise on Alex's face when she took a pillow to it.

Riley was holding her ribs with one arm and gave a high-five to Kara, barely able to say around her laughter, "Right in the face!" 

Alex pulled the pillow into her lap and leaned on it, "Well, look, you should be proud of yourselves." The sudden seriousness had their laughter calming down yet the air stayed light, "I mean, you two did something that Superman couldn't even do. Even on your own I believe that each of you could have taken down Reactron."

Kara got up and had Alex scoot to sit between both blondes, "Well, we may not need Superman to be heroes, but we will always need you."

Riley and Kara both leaned forward to squish Alex between them in a group hug like they have done since a few months after they landed on Earth. 

Sirens echoed through the apartment over the low volume music, "Isn't that your que?" Alex asked, wiggling slightly to escape the solid hug from both sides. 

The super's finally let go and got up, "Do not watch Homeland until we get back." Riley playfully ordered Alex while they moved to get changed and fly out of one of the large windows. 

"No promises." Alex had to sass them one last time before they left, both hearing her easily even as they took off into the night sky to help the people of National City. 

When people looked up to the sky they could see that Supergirl was soaring through the air in her suit that consisted of her long sleeve top, skirt, running shorts under them, red boots and cape. Superboy was flying next to her in a blue no-sleeve top, red military cargo looking pants and blue looking military boots but recently no cape in sight. 
 
The sight of the two heroes soaring through National City brought people a peace of mind that they didn't know they needed. Hopefully it would stay that way...

Chapter Text

Chapter Four: Thanksgiving, Our Misfit Family, and A Sparking New Personality. 

(*At the D.E.O.*) 

Riley flicked a rock off of the table she placed in front of herself, having it bounce off the far concrete wall of the break room and go soaring back into her hand. After two more flicks like that Kara made her own version of the game to fight off boredom. It involved her trying to snatch the rock out of the air before Riley could catch it after launching it. She did end up catching it more often than not but just passed it back to keep the game going between them. 

When Riley went to flick the rock again after Kara's last catch, the sound of agents firing darts and other agents being tossed around interrupted their mini-game. Leaping to their feet, Kara and Riley darted out of the break room, not noticing Riley had ended up flicking the small rock again and it bounced off the concrete and went straight through the now broken coffee maker to embed into the wooden board behind it. 

Kara was the first to arrive in the Control Room, hitting the alien prisoner with a solid right hook to the face that sent the being stumbling back a few feet. 

The alien dropped the agents they were holding and started swinging at Kara, leaving Riley to answer her end of the group call to hear Alex's frantic voice, "Where are you two?" 

Instead of answering, Riley lowered a bit to charge the prisoner with her shoulder, knocking them off their feet and rolling over Riley's back to the floor harshly. Kara took that time to join the group call as well, "Busy at the moment." 

Kara had to duck when Riley was thrown towards her, the short haired blonde barely able to right herself in midair to stop from slamming into some of the screens above the main computers. 

"Both of you promised me that you were going to be here and I am currently alone trying to get this all set up. Riley is the cook in the family, not me!.' Alex's voice was cracking a bit, worrying the two blondes. 

Riley used her flying to dart at their current adversary and give them a punishing left upper cut, Kara tried reassuring Alex since Riley seemed to have it under control for now, "We will be! We're just dealing with an alien prisoner that got loose." 

Looking back over at Riley, Kara's eyes went wide at the sight of her sister slowly lifting both herself and the other alien up into the air before turning them to use a mix of flying and strength to slam them both hard into the ground, alien prisoner first. 

A slight pop pierced the air when Riley stood up to crack her back after a grip like that, letting Kara dart in when the prisoner tried to get up. 'Supergirl' slammed her fist down and finally knocked the alien unconscious. 

Henshaw came from a deeper part of the D.E.O. and walked up to them, Riley was panting a bit from that unexpected rough housing, "He was tough." Kara supplied for her. 

"She." Henshaw clarified simply, his hands resting on his hips. 

Riley wheezed a little from being crushed in the prisoner's grip, thumping a fist against her collar bone to the other alien, "Respect." 

They walked with Henshaw back towards the main computers, "Any chance we can have the rest of the day off?" Kara asked since Riley was still wincing off and on. 

"I don't see why not, enjoy the US's Thanksgiving and make sure Alex doesn't have an aneurysm when your adoptive mom calls to check up on you three." He requested, gently patting Riley on the back as if he was silently asking if she was okay. At her muttered 'thanks' he bid goodbye to them both but before he could walk off Riley called out to him. 

"Hey Henshaw!" He turned to look back at them, "Not sure if you have anywhere to be for Thanksgiving, but if not? Come by Kara and I's place around seven that day! We're going to have a friendly get together and we would love to have you there!" 

The D.E.O. Director was quiet in thought for a moment, "Alright." He said with a small smile, "I guess I'll be there at seven. Anything I need to bring?" 

Kara and Riley grinned happily that Henshaw wasn't going to be alone on a 'U.S. Family Day' like Thanksgiving, "Not unless you want to bring Alex her favorite whiskey. Otherwise just bring your sass. You'll be among like-minded individuals." Riley cheerfully stated, barely dodging Kara's swing at her. 

Riley turned to Kara after Henshaw left and hissed playfully, "If you tell Alex that I got the tar kicked out of me because I ignored her suggestions to keep 'Sunning it up' every few days, I will take you down with me hard." 

Kara just grinned at her, "No promises." And rocketed out of the D.E.O. to their apartment with Riley soon hot on her heels. 

The two lightly tussled around in the air, both racing to see who would get back to the apartment first. 

When they were only a few dozen yards away, Kara used a bit of super strength to fling Riley back a few yards so she could slide into the apartment first and win with race. 

"Sup Alex!" Riley called out once she was inside and smacked Kara on the arm. 

"Oh finally!" They could hear the pure relief in Alex's voice, "Riley, I took out the two pies like you asked and the last two are still cooking in the oven." 

Riley nodded, then used her super speed to run out of the room to change out of her suit and into some comfortable black sweat pants she snagged from Alex a year ago and a sleeveless white crew neck shirt. She walked into the kitchen at a human pace and hugged Alex. 

"Kara's in the shower." Alex explained when Riley didn't see Kara trying to sneak any parts of the chilling pies, "Also, James, Winn, Vasquez, and James' friend Lucy will be here around seven for the Thanksgiving dinner slash party." 

"Right on. Oh, and Henshaw will also be joining us for Thanksgiving. He'll arrive around seven as well." Riley added, moving towards the stove to double check the spices in the cabinet next to it. 

Kara floated into the dining room area, "Yeah Riley invited him when it became apparent that he was going to be alone on Thanksgiving night. Besides, he's a pretty nice guy!" 

"Well that was sweet of you Riley. I honestly didn’t know that he lacked even distant relatives." Alex muttered softly, feeling bad for her boss. 

"Well, let's make sure he has so much fun Thanksgiving night that he'll wish he didn't know us!" Riley's crooned reply echoed out through the apartment. 

"Yeah! We're gonna party like it's nineteen ninety-nine!" Kara cheered loudly, dancing around in a way that mostly involved wiggling like an excited puppy, pulling Riley to dance along just as silly after she got Riley to put close the cabinet and quit checking so much on the spices. 

Alex couldn't help her own grin when the two whirlwinds pulled her to join their silly dancing, Kara turning up the boombox that was currently playing 'Walking on Sunshine' by Katrina and the Waves. 

(*Next Day*) 

"This is Leslie Willis, coming to you alive and wired from CatCo Plaza. It's the week of Thanksgiving which means... It is time for my annual list of Things I am not grateful for, and this year's list is only one item, Supergirl." The radio hosts voice echoed through the apartment, triggering a scowl from all three Danvers' who were putting some final touches to decorations at the dining room table after breakfast. 

Riley looked up from her paper chain in the shape of a leaf, scowled and narrowed her eyes, "Who the hell is this chick?" 

Kara stopped Riley from getting up and turning changing the radio channel, "The blue-and-red abscessed tooth in the otherwise gleaming smile that is National City! How much do I despise, I mean loathe, her whole 'Look at me, I'm a-dork-able' thing. And that hideous, like, rejected-from-the-Olympics figure skating outfit she wears? I mean, a skirt and tights? Puh-lease." 

"Oh-ho, Winn's gonna be upset at that insult aimed at the suit." Alex drawled with her eyebrows raised and a small yet wicked grin at the thought of the man sputtering from the insult aimed at his own design. 

"Seems like overkill, especially since no one is trying to get in there." At that Riley gave a sly smirk, elbowing Alex, "Cat Grant." 

A hand flew through the air and popped Riley upside the head, "Shh!" Kara hissed at her. 

"You know, who's hombre enough to puncture the Chastity Belt of Steel?" Riley couldn’t help but giggle at that, even with Kara lightly smacking her at the laughing, "I can't help it!" She wheezed quietly between giggles. 

"Or is what's required a more softer touch? She does kind of give off a Sapphic vibe, big ol' butch 'S' chest plate. How would that even work with an alien? I mean, is everything the same down there, or are we talking tentacles? Maybe it's time for a break. Or a makeover." Leslie Willis drawled out cruelly. 

Even Alex's jaw was dropped now because this chick was in a full-blown rant about Supergirl's sex-life as well. 

"Superboy however," Leslie started again, making Riley scowl as if daring the radio host to have a go at her too, "can save me from the possibility of celibacy any day of the week." Kara and Alex turned their heads to see Riley's ears going bright red and jaw dropping in shock. 

"I mean have you seen those abs, those sculpted arms and her mysterious stormy eyes? Oh, call me a damsel because I am in distress." Was purred out of the speakers, sending both Alex and Kara falling to the floor in rib aching laughter as Riley could feel her face heating from embarrassment instead of just her ears. 

"Alright! That's enough of that! Let's go out for the day and go hiking or something, I'll start the truck!" Riley squeaked out, leaped up to turn off the radio and walked right out the door with Kara and Alex's laughter echoing behind her.

(*Next Day at CatCo*)

Kara and Winn were walking back through the bullpen to their desks after grabbing some coffee, "So, did you hear what CatCo's very own Leslie Willis said about Supergirl and Superboy?" Winn asked her with a scowl that morphed into mischievous grin at 'Superboy'. 

"Oh, all three of us did." Kara drawled with a grin of her own, "Riley is currently hiding in James' office until she no longer feels like her face is redder than her suit pants and her embarrassment disappears due to the verbal bomb that got dropped. What?" She trailed off when Winn sighed happily with a smile. 

He set his coffee mug down and dropped into his seat, "It's just, it's nice when we talk about a metaphoric bomb for a change." 

Kara leaned against Winn's desk and played with her coffee mug, "So are you, James and Lucy still coming over for Thanksgiving dinner? I promise that Alex and I aren't making it. Instead Riley will be the one that runs the kitchen." 

"Yep, we'll be there around seven! Lucy is bringing some sort of cooking wine for Riley as thanks since James and I are already going to bring you a box of sticky buns from Noonan's since Riley told James about Alex's boss bringing whiskey for Alex. Hey, is that Leslie Willis?" Winn told her with a nod, but his attention trailed off to the radio host in Cat Grant's office. 

"It is," Kara muttered after she turned around and also saw the woman, "I wonder what she's doing in Ms. Grant's office." 

Winn leaned his chair back and gave her a pointed look, even though she couldn't see it, "You do have super hearing, you know." 

"I caught your broadcast yesterday. I warned you about going after Supergirl and Superboy." Kara could hear Cat say stiffly, her boss putting on her glasses. To keep from being obvious Kara walked around to her desk and pretended to start working on something on her computer. 

Leslie's voice was heard next in a tone that reminded Kara of Alex's rebellious years, "You're always warning me about something. That's our dynamic. You tell me I'm crossing a line and a week later, there's a new line to cross. Besides, technically I didn't 'go after' Superboy in a bad way." 

Cat's voice had a sharper edge to it now, "I discovered you in that shoebox of a radio station. I mentored you to the best of my abilities and for the most part, I am proud of that." Cat paused to look over at Leslie and saw the woman pouring herself a glass of water, "But going after a kind-hearted woman, insulting her body, how she dresses, her sexuality." 

"Lack of sexuality." Leslie cut in and put emphasis on the word 'lack', "and the last time I checked, as long as I delivered you certain ratings you didn't care what sacred cows I went after. So why are they any different?" The radio host sat down on one of Cat's couches. 

"I named them, Leslie. I am doing everything I can to cultivate a relationship between Supergirl, Superboy, and CatCo. If I could ask Supergirl out to dinner and legally adopt Superboy in some way, I would do so in a heartbeat." Kara couldn't completely fight off a smile but tried to hide it under her hand. What she didn’t know was that Riley was also listening into the conversation after Winn texted her about it. 

Leslie did not sound happy, "I read your article Cat. You're just as hard on Supergirl as I am, and you’re the same way with Superboy as you are with Supergirl." 

Cat walked back to her desk and turned to face the irate radio host after she sat down, "My Supers are off the table. Effective immediately." 

"What, you're dictating my content now?" Kara and Riley both tensed up at the upset tone to Leslie's voice, albeit for different reasons. 

"Yes." Cat said easily as if the answer was obvious, and it kind of was, "Supergirl and Superboy are changing the conversation of National City. People don't want your brand of negativity anymore, Leslie. They want optimism, hope, and positivity."

"You're a hypocrite, Cat." Leslie snapped out, then turned on her heel to leave the office. 

However, Cat's next words had her stopping to turn back, "And you're finished, Leslie." 

The younger blonde in the office sounded a little worried under her smug words, "I have two years left on my contract. You are too proud and too cheap to buy me out." 

Giving Leslie a slight head tilt, Cat had to give her that, "That's true. However, I'm not firing you, I'm transferring you to traffic chopper. You'll be National City's highest paid traffic reporter." 

"Oh snap! Cat does have claws!" Riley muttered with a snicker, waving off James glance of confusion. 

Leslie didn't seem to like the new job Cat gave her, "If you do this, you will regret it." 

"Rush hour starts at four thirty. If you're not in the CatCopter when it goes up you'll be hearing from my lawyer." Even Kara's jaw dropped at the sass, "Oh, and you better take some Dramamine, it looks like it's going to be a bumpy ride." 

It wasn't until the power flickered a bit and the sky lit up that the two Danvers realized that there was a storm outside.

"Hey James," Riley turned back to her best friend with the 'Danvers' Crinkle' on her face, "this storm might be pretty bad. Do you mind calling or texting me when you get back to your place so I know you made it home safe? I'm sure Kara is asking the same from Winn."

James looked out the window and saw that the storm was picking up pretty quick. He turned back to Riley and smiled softly, "I don't mind at all Riley. Are you going to stay until Kara clocks out?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm going to give her a ride home in the truck." Riley thought on something for a minute. "James," At having his attention again she finished her thought with a happy smile, "call me Rile, you know, when it's just us and people from the group."

He knew that 'Rile' was her name on Krypton and the fact that she requested he call her by it made him realize that they were indeed becoming best friends, more so than him and Clark ever where. That thought morphed his smile into a grin, "You got it, Rile."

(*That Night*)

"Hi, take out for Danvers." Kara told a worker she recognized behind Noonan's bar, Riley was waiting outside in the truck around the corner for their last take-out order. They had just come from the pizza place they like so much for Kara's pizza and Riley's mild buffalo wings since Riley wanted to spend more time able to just watch the storm than cooking and cleaning up afterwards. 

While the man behind the counter went to go get her order, Kara turned around and started people watching. She caught sight of a few regulars, a couple that she recognized was the owner and her husband, and the last person had her eyebrows raising in surprise at the tear tracks on their face, "Vasquez?" She softy called out so she didn't startle them, walking up to the nearby table.

The agent still startled a bit, "Ma'am, uh, I mean, Kara! Hi!" They leapt to their feet and stumbled a little, "What are you doing out in this weather?" Vasquez asked, wiping at their cheeks and roughly clearing their throat.

Kara could hear Riley enter Noonan's behind her and make her way towards the table, "Vasquez, Riley's coming over here okay? You two talk and I'll be right back." She reassured them with a gently pat to their shoulder and walked to get her order from the counter.

Vasquez sat back down and watched Riley sit down in the chair next to theirs, "Hey Vasquez, I'm not sure what's going on and if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But I was wondering if you would like to join Kara and I for dinner at our apartment tonight and just relax? Maybe watch a movie or t.v. show?" Riley asked casually, even though she could feel her anger build at the thought of someone hurting her friend. 

"Um, sure." They shrugged and took in a ragged breath, "I uh, I'll have to call a taxi though."

Riley scoffed lightly with a small smile, "We arrived here in my truck, you can ride with me on the way to pick up Alex. Kara is going to do a patrol around the city while we head to the apartment anyway. Besides, if you don't want to watch anything we could just hangout instead."

"Alright," Vasquez had a grin even with their slightly reddened eyes, "let's do it! But if we do the karaoke thing, I get to have it recorded for any future blackmail."

"Deal." Was all Riley had the chance to say before Kara walked back over. She had made sure to keep her hearing tuned to the two of them while getting the food just in case Vasquez needed her over there a.s.a.p. as well.

"Are you two ready to go?" Kara asked lightly as she seemed unable to stand still and had with her glasses slightly bouncing on her nose.

Both Vasquez and Riley stood up from the table and made their way out of Noonan's with Kara. Upon making it to the truck Kara placed the take-out with the rest of it all and wave bye to the two now in the truck, having used the position of the truck to quickly change out of her 'assistant' clothes before flying off. 

After making sure the food wouldn't slide around in the back and Vasquez was also buckled in, Riley started the truck and began to pull out of the parking spot while turning her head to tell Vasquez a joke. 

Vasquez's right hand suddenly shot up to the handle above their head and their left arm stretched through the middle as if to stop Riley from hitting the steering wheel, "Look out!" They shouted in panic. 

Riley slammed on the breaks and a short squeal from the tires pierced the air. The blonde looked ahead to see Lucy Lane of all people, drenched in rain with wide eyes at the fact that she was almost hit. 

"Crap, be right back." Riley muttered to Vasquez before jumping out of the truck, "Lucy! I'm sorry, are you okay?!" She made sure to yell over the rain and thunder as she approached the brunette. 

Lucy nodded slowly, her heart still beating fast, "Uh, yeah! Yeah, I'm fine. Wait, Riley Danvers?!" Lucy called out in surprise at recognizing her Would-Be hitter.

"Yeah, that's me." But Riley stopped at the sight of another new friend's slightly red eyes and tear stained face. She took merely a second to think her choices through and decided to risk it, "Hey, I know we've recently been introduced by James and all, but would you like to join Kara, myself, Alex, and one of our friends for dinner at the apartment? It's dry, warm, lots of food and there's plenty of spots to crash at if it gets too late."

Biting her lip, Lucy actually considered it. James told her all about his new friend and her twin Kara. About how Riley and Kara had hearts of gold and the redhead named Alex might be a little rough around the edges but she was just a momma bear at heart. Besides, she already had a bad day due to her father and could use a distraction. "Alright, sure." She decided, calling back to the blonde over the rain. 

"Cool! Uh, if you don't want to take a taxi or anything, there's room in the truck?!" At Lucy's nod of agreement, Riley ran over to the passenger side to open the door while Vasquez slid to the middle seat after raising the arm rest to let Lucy sit by the door.

Riley put the truck back into 'drive' once everyone was buckled in and continued heading to the coffee shop Alex was waiting in to be picked up, "If you want, there's CD's in the glovebox you two can pick from." She offered up to fill the silence, hoping either would pick something. 

Vasquez grinned slyly and lightly elbowed Lucy, "Did you know Riley over here has a tendency to sing when nervous or over excited?" 

"Oh really? How come I'm just hearing about this? Do James and Winn know?" Lucy snickered and her eyebrows went up. 

"No clue, Alex told me about it and I would like to see what kind of songs she might break out into if her personal truck stash carries them." They continued, grinning wickedly when they noticed Riley's ears turning red and Lucy leaned forward to grin at the blonde with them.

Lucy then reached into the glovebox and pulled out a decently sized CD case, "Alright, first up is..." She trailed off and pulled out the very first CD that looked a little worn, "'Music I've know of thanks to Alex', aw that's adorable!" Lucy cooed a little and passed the CD to Vasquez so they could slide the CD into the player.

"What song is this?" Lucy asked with her head tilting slightly to the side in confusion while Vasquez face lit up, they paused the song before it could pick up.

"You have to sing this Riley, please!" They asked pleadingly with their hands clasped together for a slight begging pout.

Riley finally grinned and nodded, "On one condition!" At Lucy and Vasquez's nods she continued, "Let me text Alex to let her know we're right outside and she has to sing it with me."

The two in the middle and passenger seats grinned, feeling a bit like carefree pre-teens, "Deal!" They both intoned together.

Once the text was sent, it only took about two minutes for Alex to come running out of the coffee shop and into the thankfully clear side in backseat of the truck, then freeze in surprise at the two additional people in the front row, "Uh, hi there!"

"Alex, Vasquez and Lucy will be joining us tonight and on the way back to the apartment, we have to sing this song that is about to be played from one of my CD's." Riley told her with little pause, knowing Alex did better in situations where any awkwardness is simply steamrolled.

"Okay," Alex drawled out, relaxing at the unsubtle steamrolling she was used to with the two aliens, "should I ask what song we're singing? I should also warn you two that I have the voice of a dying horse, but hey, I'm down for it if Vasquez and Lucy join in on the next song that I get to pick."

Vasquez and Lucy both share a questioning look, and after a minute Lucy speaks up for them with a grin, "Deal! But we get to veto any songs we don't know."

Alex nodded in acceptance, "Alright, sounds like a plan then. Start it up Vasquez!"

The other agent nodded and made sure the song was restarted and hit 'Play', starting up 'Shake it Off' by 'Taylor Swift', "I'm surprised you told Riley of this one, Alex" Vasquez drawled out with a grin over their shoulder towards the person in question.

Riley just laughed and started up the first line, "I stay out too late, got nothin in my brain. That's what people say, mhm, that's what people say, mhm!"

"I go on too many dates, and I can't make them stay. At least that's what people say, mhm, that's what people say!" Alex sang, shaking her finger at Vasquez to the beat.

"So I keep cruisin', can't stop, won't stop, moving. It's like I got this music in my mind singin it's gonna be alright!" Lucy jumped in with a wide smile after finally recognizing the song.

Vasquez shrugged and sang the sang the chorus with the three women in the car, all four of them dancing in their seats in different silly ways, "Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play, and the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. Baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it off, shake it off!"

They repeated that part a second time. While doing so, Kara had sent Riley a text that she was at the apartment and apparently, something bad happened. Riley just sighed lightly and slid her phone back away quickly.

"I never miss a beat, I'm lightning on my feet, and that's what they don’t see, mhm, that's what they don’t see, mhm!" Vasquez sang that time with a wide grin.

All four of them started singing the rest of the song together between giggles and silly dance moves with Alex taking over the 'talking' part before the end with the others clapping when it called for it. They arrived at the covered apartment parking spot right as the song ended, the humans were little breathless from the laughter and singing.

"Alright everyone," Riley couldn’t help but keep laughing some, "Kara's inside waiting for us and the next song we're all together for, we can have her sing along to as well."

The other three nodded in agreement and stumbled out of the truck with everyone soon loaded down with take-out food. Riley felt like she could sigh in relief at indeed having enough space for everyone to crash somewhere if it did get too late.

Kara held the door open for everyone and looked at Riley with raised eyebrows and a grin of amusement at the sight of Lucy joining them as well, "Oh hush, come to the other room with me after I set this down while Alex sorts through everything so all the humans get enough to eat." Riley muttered to her Kryptonian twin, then moved into the dining room area to set the stuff in her arms down. She shook her head at Alex when the older woman looked at them in confusion with the Danvers' crinkle before moving with Kara to a separate room.

"I was struck by lightning next to the CatCopter after saving the free-falling pilot. It happened when I was flying back up and caught the helicopter but Leslie Willis was also hit as the lightning went through me. The pilot is okay but Leslie is in the hospital in a coma." Kara muttered so their conversation couldn't be picked up by the others in the dining room. She was also biting her lip and the Danvers' crinkle was out in full strength.

Riley let out a sharp exhale of shock at what happened and ran her hands through the sides of her short hair, "I'm sorry I wasn't there with you to help, is she going to be okay?" She asked, trying to keep her voice low but it was filled with worry because even though the woman insulted her sister she would never have wanted anything bad to happen to her.

Kara shrugged and pulled her glasses off to rub at the bridge of her nose, "They said it's too early to tell at the moment, but beyond the coma she appears to be hardly injured at all. I'm heading over to the hospital tomorrow with Cat so I'll be able to update you after we get back to CatCo."

The door was slowly pushed open with Alex sliding in, then carefully closing it behind her, "Hey, I'll go ahead and admit I was a little nosy and overheard what happened." She walked over and hugged Kara, "You did everything you could, alright? Her injury isn't your fault."

"I know that but it doesn't change the way I feel like I failed to protect her, that her injury is because I wasn't a good enough hero. It's like I let her down." Kara mumbled, burying her face into the crook of Alex's neck and letting the familiar smell of 'Alex' calm her nerves.

"Alex has a point Kara, and to get our minds away from this since there is nothing we can do at the moment, let's go back out to the living room and enjoy the rest of the night with our guests. I'm not sure what happened earlier today with both of them, but they were both extremely sad before they got here so they still might be. Let's go make sure they either cheer up, or rant about whatever it is to us, then cheer up anyway." Riley herded them out of the room and towards the living room.

"Alright, one movie before the karaoke! I vote we watch 'The Mummy' with Brendan Fraser or the Disney movie 'Emperor's New Groove'." She cheerfully voted, dropping onto Kara who just sat in the chair across from the couch that now held Lucy, Vasquez and Alex.

In the end, the group watched 'The Princess Diaries', that was suggested by Lucy, and then 'The Mummy' since it was a tie with votes between the two. There were also promises of karaoke next time they all got together as well.

After the second movie was over, Riley turned off the T.V. and felt an uncontrollable yawn, "Alright, there are two beds, a couch, and a chair to sleep in. There are also sleeping bags and tons of blankets and pillows to choose from. Anyone know where they want to crash?"

"If there are sleeping bags, a lot of blankets, and pillows, why not make a blanket fort?" Lucy suggested with a weak shrug since she was already starting to doze off around the last ten minutes of the second movie.

Kara and Riley both looked at Alex pleadingly, "Hey Lucy, let me show you which room is the bathroom to change into those spare pajamas. We should have the fort by the time you come back out." Alex offered since everyone else had already changed and it would buy the two supers some time to build a pretty decent fort, quickly.

Lucy shrugged with another wide yawn, then gestured forward, "Sure, why not. Lead the way Danvers."

Once Lucy was in the bathroom, Alex gave a thumbs up and the living room was filled with a flurry of action. Alex and Vasquez were watching as two blurs quickly built a semi-elaborate fort that had sleeping bags used in odd ways, pillows, and extra blankets inside. The finished fort seemed gigantic as it stretched over most of the living room and included the coffee table, the pull-out bed from the couch, and Kara's comfy chair. The sleeping bags were actually used to create 'doors' to the fort and at one point either Kara or Riley had shot past them to grab a mattress to put on the floor as an extra 'fort bed'.

Vasquez let out a low whistle as they rested their hands on their hips, "You two were just waiting to show off your fort-making skills, huh?"

"Oh, like you wouldn’t believe!" Kara chimed in with a sunny grin, and then Riley appeared next to her with the same grin before they could even blink.

About ten minutes later Lucy came out of the bathroom and her jaw dropped at the sight of the fort, "Jeez, this thing is actually pretty cool." She muttered with a smile at the child-like glee she felt. When she didn’t catch sight of anyone in the hall or nearby rooms, she made her way inside of the fort, 'Or should I say, Stronghold' Lucy thought with her smile growing into a grin while she entered via a sleeping bag 'door' and then playfully called out, "Anyone home?" 

"Come on in!" Kara whispered out to their newest friend, "The idea for the sleeping arrangements are; I get to sleep in my comfy chair, Alex and Riley claimed the mattress, then you and Vasquez share the pull-out, is that okay?" She asked since the other three were already out like lights, Kara herself was barely able to stay awake as it is.

"Yeah, that works fine for me." Lucy shrugged, making her way over to drop down onto the pull-out bed and pass out.

Five minutes after Kara and Lucy got comfortable, all five of the people in the apartment were asleep with the slowly fading sounds of the storm echoing around them.

(*Next Day at the Hospital*)

"I truly hate hospitals." Cat snapped out with a scowl, "There is nothing I can do to help, and I need to do," she gestured wildly with her hands, "something! Besides, I'm somewhat of a germaphobe so it's a little uncomfortable here."

To get Cat's mind away from all that, Kara nodded towards the flowers and balloons, "Does she have any family we could try to contact?"

Cat shook her head slowly, "Not that she's mentioned, and those are all from her 'fans'. Apparently there's a whole shrine in front of CatCo."

"I bet Supergirl and Superboy feel awful." Kara muttered to her boss with the Danvers' Crinkle out in full.

"Why?" Cat asked, walking around the room a little, "Sure, Superboy wasn't around, but Supergirl saved the pilot, she prevented the CatCopter from crashing into the ground, and Leslie is still alive. Besides, I put her in that helicopter. If anybody should feel guilty, it's me." The older blonde sighed and shrugged, "Okay, we've officially done nothing for the past thirty minutes since we can't do anything to help her beyond covering the room. Let's head back to CatCo, after you." Cat gestured Kara to walk ahead of her out the door.

When her assistant left the room, Cat paused to speak to the sleeping Leslie before leaving, "Get up off your ass, Willis. You and I both know that you're tougher than a bolt of lightning. Your radio host job will be waiting for you at CatCo, so long as you don't slander my supers again. Just... please recover, Leslie."

No one noticed the power flickering in the room and Leslie's eyes snapping open, light sparking in the depths.

(*Flashback*) 

"Wait, Kara I don’t think this is a good idea! Besides, where is Rile?" Alex called out to the younger girl, climbing out the window after her.

Kara looked over at her but kept walking towards the edge of the roof, "It'll be fine, Alex. And Rile is just running a little late."

Alex looked worried anyway, "You're not supposed to use your powers, neither of you are."

Rile, now Riley, floated around Alex from the window behind her to join Kara who was now floating in the air,"Come on Alex! It'll be so much fun!"

At Alex's smile, both Kryptonians grinned with glee, taking off in the air after Alex was clinging to Riley's back. They flew over the trees and through clouds. Then Kara lead them towards the ocean.

"This is amazing!" Alex cheered from Riley's back as both Kara and Riley were speeding over the water.

Kara giggled at Alex's joy and Riley's silly grin with the moon reflecting off the water below them, "I know, right?"

When Alex poked at Riley, the short haired blonde made sure to listen, "Let's see how close we can get!"

"You got it!" Riley called back as she took a dive towards the water, barely skimming it with Kara right next to her. All three of them were soon drenched but still laughing happily.

 (*End Flashback, Same Day after the Hospital Visit*) 

"Alright so Lucy, James and Winn should be here in the next forty-five minutes or so. Vasquez is going to be riding with Hank, wow it's odd to call my boss by his first name. Anyway, those two should be arriving in the next ten minutes." Alex's called out through the apartment over the music.

Kara bit her lip and then almost stuttered her own statement, "Cat is also joining since her son is out of town and we have room for one more." 

Riley looked at Kara with horror yet it almost made Kara giggle because the younger Kryptonian was wearing her apron and wielding a wooden spoon, "She's not allergic to anything I made, right?" 

"No, no, don't worry Riley, she isn't." Kara was quick to reassure her while Alex just looked at the ceiling and shrugged thinking 'Why do I even bother?' 

"When is Cat Grant going to be arriving then?" No one could answer Alex's question before a brisk knock echoed through the room, "I guess that's her." Alex said, Kara zipping past her fast enough that it felt like a sudden breeze blew through the room, "Slow down there, Speedy McGee."

The door was swung open to reveal Cat Grant in all her glory, "Kara." She greeted with a raised eyebrow at the younger blonde's dropped jaw, "Yes, I do wear jeans from time to time."

Cat strut past Kara, using a finger to push her jaw closed on the way into the apartment, "So, who is the Chef of the house? I brought something for dinner tonight." She held up three bottles of a red wine that would go pretty good with the meal.

"Uh, Riley, you met her at the Super Twins party in the Museum, she is in the kitchen. She's finishing up some of the food while the rest is either staying warm in the oven or chilling in the fridge." Kara stumbled a bit over her words but then perked up, "Hey, you should meet the older Danvers' kid, Alex! Hey Alex, come meet Cat!"

Riley gently swatted Alex's hand when the older woman tried to snag a dinner roll, "No you don't! Go meet Kara's future Mrs., I think you'll get along like a house on fire in dry season."

Alex scowled jokingly on her backwards walk out of the kitchen, Riley keeping her wooden spoon pointed at her with narrowed eyes and a wicked grin in a silent threat to any food grabby hands.

The red haired Danvers walked up to Kara and Cat in the living room, "Cat, this is Alex. Alex, this is my boss Cat Grant." Kara introduced them to each other, watching their silent standoff worriedly.

"Cat Grant, C.E.O. of CatCo and Queen of All Media." Cat introduced herself and held her hand out for a handshake.

Alex shook hands firmly as smirks appeared on both of their faces, "Alex Danvers, F.B.I. Agent and oldest of the younger Danvers. I was the one who kept the youngest two in line for the most part." 

"Hey! We were not that bad!" Riley called out, walking into the living room after she finished that last bit of food that was cooking on the stove. She left on her apron simply because of how much she loved the thing, and moved to greet Cat.

"It's a pleasure to see you again Ms. Grant." She started with the slight bow of her head to the woman in front of her, "May I say that you pull off casual wear just as brilliantly as you do formal."

Alex stared at Riley in surprise at her smooth words, "What?" She asked Alex nervously as Kara gave Cat a quick tour of the apartment, "Alright, for some reason my mind registers her as higher standing in society and that's how one would greet such a person on Krypton. I can't help it, okay?"

A firm knock on the door saved Riley from the sass a now pouting Alex was going to unleash, "I'll get it!" Riley called out, using more guests as an excuse to flee from the possible teasing and Alex's adorable pout.

"Every single time, I swear!" She heard Alex mutter dejectedly, triggering a small keening whine from her at Alex's words. 'I'll let her sass and tease after I let in Henshaw and Vasquez', Riley mentally decided resolutely.

Riley swung open the door and threw her arms open wide as she greeted the two D.E.O. members with a grin, "Henshaw! Vasquez! Welcome to the Danvers' Friends and Family Thanksgiving Dinner! We have three more people showing up in the next thirty minutes, but make yourselves at home!"

Vasquez gave a grin of their own and hugged the exuberant blonde, then moved towards Alex who was holding four empty glasses and looking at Henshaw hopefully.

The man actually laughed, "Thanks. Oh, and Riley?" Henshaw paused next to the blonde, "pass the word to Kara and Alex about calling me Hank, at least for tonight."

Hank then winked before moving on to greet Alex, Cat, and Kara who were both back in the living room again. Riley shook her head at the already crazy night, then closed the door until the others arrived.

The next thirty minutes was filled with Alex, Hank, and Cat sipping whiskey while Kara, Vasquez and Riley argued about which older Power Rangers were better. Kara preferred 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie', Riley loved 'Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie', and Vasquez simply preferred the t.v. series of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Kara thumped her fist down on the wooden table, unknowingly gathering the three in the living room's attention, "You only like the Turbo movie because you have the hots for 'Corrupted Ex-Pink Ranger' and 'Divatox', don't you dare even deny it because I know you and you even admitted to it once!"

Riley's jaw dropped and her face started heating up in a blush while Vasquez started laughing at the two's passionate argument over the movies, "Well, you only like the original movie because of the same Ex-Pink Ranger and the new animal Zords! You just preferred that version of her!"

Their argument screeched to a halt when two different beats were knocked into the apartment door, the two shared a narrowed eyed look and ran for the door, "James! Lucy! Winn! Tell this heathen that the Turbo Ranger movie was better!" Riley called out to the three once the door swung open.

Kara scoffed at Riley with a small scowl and shoved her away a bit, "Lies, M.M.P.R. The Movie was so much better!"

"Alright, let them in before you start bombarding them with your kid movie banters." Alex cut in and pulled the two out of the door way so the other three could enter, "Besides, everyone knows that Angelina Jolie in 'Tomb Raider' was a much better movie to witness."

The blondes froze in thought after they let Alex move them, "Damn, she's right!" Riley hissed out reluctantly, Kara sighing in defeat with a nod of agreement.

Alex was the perfect picture of smug. In fact, Kara was sure that if she looked up the definition of 'Smug', a picture of Alex's current facial expression would be there.

James, Winn, and Lucy walked into the apartment with their own 'gifts'. On the way to the couch Winn placed a black, handmade red and black Fedora hat onto Riley's head that had Husky looking fake ears sticking out the top and said 'SuperDog'. On Kara's head, he placed a blue and gray Fedora hat that also had fake ears. It made it look like Kara had golden retriever dog ears and said 'Puppy Danvers' on the front much to Kara's delight as well as a box of Noonan's sticky buns were placed in her hands. His gift to Alex was simply a new handgun holster that was fire-proof, knife-proof, and made to last a long while. Those gifts were from James and Winn, while Lucy handed two bottles of wine used only as a cooking ingredient to Riley.

"I feel spoiled rotten. Thanks Winn, James, I love this thing!" Alex cooed over her new holster that Winn told Kara to tell her that he was working on.

Kara was acting like an energetic puppy that the hat warned people of and bounced around until Cat got her to finally sit down with everyone else.

Riley didn’t know if she should pout, laugh, or be excited over her hat and cooking wine. Lucy rolled her eyes before pulling Vasquez and Riley into the kitchen, "Come on you two, Riley needs some help setting things up so Vas, you and I are gonna help her so we can all eat because I am starving."

Thankfully it only took about five or so minutes for them to get everything situated on the counters and the plates near the beginning so the food wouldn’t crowd the table, "Alright everyone, time to eat!" Riley called out after she finished slicing up most of the turkey, chicken and ham.

Hank was the first done with fixing his plate so he set it down on the table and moved to open a bottle of wine with the opener Kara had left near the bottles, "Here." Alex said to him, placing wine glasses around the table in case anyone wanted some.

He nodded his thanks to her, pouring both of them a glass then offered some to Cat Grant who was next to sit down, "Yes, thank you Hank." She thanked him politely. James was next but he declined, "No, but thank you though. I'm going to the be the designated driver for those two tonight." He gestured towards the kitchen that still held the two that arrived with him. 

They turned their heads to see Kara, Riley, Lucy, Vasquez and Winn all joking around and jostling each other for food or specific cuts of turkey, ham, or chicken. When Kara almost knocked the gravy carrying china bowl off the counter, Cat finally had enough and let off a sharp whistle, "Hey!" She immediately held all their attention, "Calmly finish getting your plates filled, and for the love of fine china, be careful. Kara, you nearly knocked the gravy bowl off the counter. And you, Lucy, almost dropped your plate five separate times that I've seen so far. Even you Riley, I caught sight of you almost dropping the large china plate holding the chicken at least twice."

She turned her attention to Vasquez, "Except for you, you were being careful and that's probably what stopped me from going all out on the other three. Thank you, Vasquez."

The group at the counter, minus a smirking Vasquez, were thoroughly chastened and made sure to carefully gather the rest of their food before making their way to the table.

"So!" Winn clapped his hands together with a grin shared around the table, "I figure that since we all know about Riley and Kara being Superboy and Supergirl, they should totally be able to do their prayers to Rao that Alex told me about, and if anyone wants, that persons own as well!"

Kara, Riley, Alex, Hank, Vasquez, and James all looked horrified at him, "Wait, they didn't know?!" Winn squeaked after it suddenly hit him that they might not have known, as he gestured to Cat and Lucy.

"No, but they do now!" Kara's voice took on a slightly hysterical tone that involved a bit of hand waving in the air.

Cat raised one eyebrow and swished her wine a bit in her glass, "Oh, I already knew about Kara. I had my suspicions about Riley as well but I figured that I'd let them tell me on their own time."

Lucy on the other hand just shrugged and took a sip of her own wine with a smirk, "I agree with Cat, but I figured it out about Riley too. After all, the glasses really don't hide anything, and the fact that Riley hasn't been wearing them recently just solidified that idea."

"We are so horrible at secret identities." Riley groaned, dropping her head back and accidentally cracking the top of the wooden chair, triggering a whine as her head shot back up, "Crap! Not again!"

"Exactly that, right there." Lucy pointed out Riley, "Stuff like that gives you away so easily. Thankfully I will happily sign any N.D.A. to prove that I won't say a thing about your identities."

"I shall do the same, I suppose. Even though I wouldn’t print anything about it regardless." Cat droned out, playing it off as if she was bored.

Hank nodded in thanks to them before addressing the three, "Alright then. Riley, Kara, Alex, are there any prayers to Rao you would like to do?"

Since Hank and Alex were sitting at the ends of the table, the seating arrangements made it easy for the three to be next to each other for the prayer. To Alex's right was Kara, Cat, then Lucy. To her left was Riley, James, Winn and Vasquez. There was an empty seat between Lucy and Hank that would have been Eliza's if she had been able to make it.

Alex reached her hands out to Kara and Riley, who then offered their other hands to the person next to them in case they wanted to join in, and soon the entire table was connected. When Alex moved, everyone followed her movements and looked up with their eyes closed, "Rao," Alex started in Kryptonese with Winn translating it into English for the others since Kara taught him, "the children of Krypton, Earth, and many places forever seek your never-ending rays to bring themselves peace after the loss of Krypton and so many of their people. Today we share thanks with the ones around us for every day that begins a-new and those we share those days with. We share our hopes in that Astra In-Ze will soon be with us on days such as this, and in good health. We thank thee, Rao, for bringing Kara and Rile Zor-El to Earth, for their lights have changed my own life in ways I never knew I was in need of. Thank you." Kara and Riley had joined in for the beginning, but went teary eyed at the end when Alex continued after 'We thank thee, Rao'.

"Anyone else?" Riley asked, her voice a little horse from fighting off tears.

When everyone else shook their heads, James spoke up with a cheeky smile, "Alright, let's eat then because I might not have super hearing but I'm pretty sure Riley and Kara's stomachs are about to eat themselves."

A few from the table jokingly booed and hissed at his bad joke, Lucy had even thrown a dinner roll at him, "Thanks!" He laughed, then took a bite from it happily.

While people were digging into their plates, conversations were kicking up all around the table, Riley looked around and couldn’t help but feel a glow of happiness within her. Kara was sharing blushing glances with Cat, Winn and James were lightly leaning against each other, Alex was debating across the table to Hank, while Lucy and Vasquez were muttering and laughing about something.

Riley sighed softly, 'This planet feels more and more like home now. I hope Kara and I never lose this new ragtag family.' She hid a grin at her next thought behind her wine glass, 'Now if only we could find someone for Lucy, Vasquez, and Hank!'' She refused to let herself think about how heartbroken she would be if Alex did indeed find someone.

Someone's cellphone tone broke through the air, it ended up being Cat's, "This better be good because I am in the middle of dinner." She snapped out over the phone in irritation. Her face morphed into a scowl and she sighed, "I will be at CatCo in thirty minutes and it better be as bad as you swear it is."

Riley finished the food on her own plate quickly after she got hit with an idea that would allow her to scope out if Cat really did like Kara, without Kara being nearby, "Cat, if you don't need your assistant for whatever happened I'll gladly drive you to CatCo in my truck." She offered innocently.

Cat and Kara both shared a look and at Kara's shrug, Cat nodded in acceptance before standing up to take her plate to the kitchen sink, "That sounds like a plan then. We must head out immediately seeing as the problem is apparently something only I can fix."

"Kara, Alex, there are deserts in the freezer and fridge. Any leftovers can be split between everyone if they want, and that includes desert." Riley rattled off to Kara and Alex while Cat grabbed her purse. Everyone stood up to hug or shake her and Cat's hands bye, with Kara and Alex promising to split the leftovers for her. A minute later, Riley and Cat were out the door and in the elevator for the ground floor.

 (*About an hour later at CatCo*) 

"I think we might need to call Winn and Kara." Riley sighed in frustration when the laptop wouldn’t turn on. Oddly enough, the T.V,'s weren't working either. 

Cat reached for her cellphone right before a loud crack of thunder filled the air and lightning lit up the sky, "Oh great, now all the power is out." The younger blonde hissed. 

"What fresh incompetence is this?" Sassed Cat, scowling at the lack of power from even the backup generators after that last bolt of lightning. 

An eerie voice sounded throughout the room, "Gobble, gobble. Miss me?"

"Leslie?" Riley could hear the pure confusion in Cat's tone, then the TV's suddenly kicked on to show a single person being 'formed' by all of them. 

Riley edged away from it with wide eyes towards Cat, she always hated horror movies like this moment, "No. Leslie Willis is dead. D-e-a-d, dead. She died in that CatCopter of yours. This is Leslie 2.0. Livewire. And you and I, we're gonna have words." Leslie, no, Livewire crooned out with a weird electronic tone to her voice.

"My god, Leslie." Cat drawled, probably still surprised that the woman was somehow controlling the T.V.'s. Riley was about to hiss at Cat to not taunt the upset woman when bolts of light shot out from the screens to build a solid Livewire behind Cat's desk.

"Okay! Time to go!" She would never admit it, but her voice pitched higher when Livewire starting shooting lighting around the room before she started dragging Cat away from the vengeance seeking radio host with a weird grudge.

They started jogging through the bullpen and barely missed getting hit by a strong bolt of lightning that destroyed a giant pink panther statue, "Get down, get down!" Riley chanted under her breath as they hid behind a small wall from the woman.

"I thought she was in a coma?" She asked Cat, shaking a little at the feeling that they were in a horror movie.

Cat looked at her with a 'No, really' look, "Yeah, clearly she's recovered." The older woman hissed back at her with sarcasm. 

Riley suddenly remember the 'distress beacon' Alex gave her and Kara that would alert Alex to the fact that they were in danger and activated it, "Cat, I turned on a beacon that will tell the others we're in trouble. I need to sneak off so I can change, but then I'll be back. Just, be careful? Please?" She couldn’t stress enough how careful she needed Cat to be, because the woman would hopefully be her future sister-in-law, and if not, then for the woman's son.

"Alright, go! I'll cover you." Cat seemed to completely ignore the part where Riley asked her to be careful, "Go!"

The super growled at the woman's stubborn attitude, then gave in and ran for the mini balcony door next to the stairwell that Kara usually used before changing.

Kara met her outside in the air, "What's going on? Is Cat okay?" Riley shrugged off her frantic questions and rocketed towards a window behind Cat, "She's fine, but you'll see what's going on in a moment.

'Superboy' burst through the window and took Livewire's lightning to the chest, 'Oh Rao that actually stings a hell of a lot!' Riley thought with a wince.

Supergirl was right on her tail and landed on the other side of Superboy to make sure Cat was out of the line of fire by using their own bodies, "You don't have to do this! Let us help you!" Kara called out, hoping to calm the enraged woman.

That very clearly did not work when Livewire built up her power, "I'm good as is." The white haired metahuman shot another chain of lighting at them, but this time Kara had the nice idea to meet it half way with her heat vision to push it back. Livewire gave a gasp of surprise and reformed from bolts of light. Kara felt worry when all it did was give her a 'battery boost'.

"Ms. Grant, we need you to get to safety, run!" Superboy called out to the C.E.O., trying to hide the fact that the two Supers were honestly wondering how they were going to defeat this woman. 

Cat understood what happened and the worry in Riley's voice did not reassure her, "Oh crap." She muttered right before she turned on her heels and ran like she was told to towards her private elevator instead of the staircase.

Livewire used her powers to travel almost instantly to a spot between Cat and the elevator, Superboy rocketed forward and tackled the woman with her full strength, not wanting to risk what holding back would let happen and Livewire's body dented a pillar in the office.

Lightning lit like a fire through Riley's veins and to stop it she headbutted the woman then threw her across the room. Ex-Leslie did her lightning travel thing and went right into the control panel next to the elevator door.

"Oh Supers, poor Cat's stock is plummeting." There was a bit of an evil cackle after that from the T.V.'s in Cat's room. Riley didn’t hesitate to yank the elevator doors open by pulling one side, allowing Kara to rocket past and down the elevator shaft to catch it.

When the elevator stopped, Kara used her super strength to hold it steady and pull the top open, "You're safe now, Cat."

Cat shakily stood up on her own and stuck her arms up to be pulled free from the elevator, "I do not wish to be in this contraption at the moment." Her voice appeared to be just as shaky as her legs.

Riley floated down and took over for Kara in holding the elevator still so Kara could pull Cat out. Once the all clear was given, she slowly lowered it back down to ground level with the other two floating down behind her.

 (*Small Skip, D.E.O. arrives at CatCo*) 

While Kara talked with Hank about Livewire and the attack, Riley was able to make Cat a 'passable' latte and deliver it to her. 

It actually seemed to be calming Cat down until she caught sight of Kara and Hank. The older woman stood up and marched over to them with Riley on her heels as if Riley was her assistant. 

"Excuse me," Cat called out to them, but she looked around at the other agents that changed the way she was going to have the conversation if they weren't there, "Agent Mulder, is it?" 

Hank and the other two caught on fairly quick, "Munroe, Ms. Grant." He corrected her. 

The conversation seemed to have an undertone that Kara and Riley didn't really understand, "Well, your agents are destroying my building more than Leslie did." Hank looked around him, but the glance at Kara had Riley wondering what was really being said, "I'm assuming the F.B.I. is going to reimburse me for all the damage they're doing?" Cat continued with a raised eyebrow. 

"We wouldn’t be doing any damage if you'd allow us to relocate you to a secure location." Hank shrugged lightly, and just might have rolled his eyes. 

Cat straightened up and stood tall in her heels, "I didn’t get where I am by running and hiding from a fight. Tomorrow is Black Friday, and CatCo will be open for business. 

Kara nodded in agreement when Cat looked over at her. At that, Cat turned and strut back towards her office, "Alright, I don't know how you do it Kara." Riley started with a sigh, "I'll 'escort' the F.B.I. out and you can go back to Cat because Rao, that woman is impossible." 

Kara's giggling just made Riley fight the urge to pout at the fact that she was being laughed at, "Sounds like a plan! I'll see you later, okay?" She asked Riley with her head tilting slightly. 

A simply sigh and an eye roll was what she got before Riley caved and muttered, "You got it, boss." 

Hank put his hands on his hips and called out to his agents, "Let's go, guys!" 

It took around fifteen minutes for the agents to get all of their stuff out of the building, Hank watched to make sure they didn’t miss anything, then walked with Riley towards the elevators, "I have something at the D.E.O. that may help. One of our prisoners is a Zarolatt." He offered without stating any 'for sure' information. 

"I can honestly say that I have no clue what that species is." Was Riley's straight forward, no nonsense statement. 

Hank stopped next to the elevator and gave more information, "Zarolatt is an inter-dimensional race of aliens consisting of pure, sentient energy. Maybe I could modify the trap we used on it for Livewire." He seemed curious at the idea. 

Riley knew that while she wasn't so great with Earth sciences and lower math, something Alien might be a lot easier to help with. So she went out on a limb and asked, "Can I help? Kara's got CatCo on lock-down and if Livewire shows back up, Supergirl is not going to be happy with the woman."

"Okay, let's head out then. Will you be riding with us or getting there on your own?" Hank asked without saying anything specific out loud just in case. 

"I'll ride with you." She replied after a moment of humming in thought from considering her options, then following him into the elevator when it arrived. 

Hank's phone rang through the silent elevator as they reached ground floor, "Ms. Riley and I are on our way back to the precinct, Agent Danvers. We'll be there in the next thirty minutes with an idea." 

 (*Later at the D.E.O.*) 

"Lightning in a bottle." Bragged Hank while showing Kara and Riley the device that was changed to work against Livewire.

Alex shrugged but couldn’t suppress the urge to correct him, "Or, technically, lightning in a portable industrial capacitor."

Hank acted like Alex hadn't said a word because her sass was second nature to her, "Get it underneath her, spring it open and close it. The electricity running through will be drawn inside. She'll be temporarily broken down on the atomic level, at least until we can get her into permanent containment."

"Cool, it's like Ghostbusters!" Kara cheered with a smile as she completely understood what they were telling them.

Riley smirked at the three of them, "Science nerds, the lot of you."

When Alex and Hank raised their eyebrows at the two blondes, they straightened up and cleared their throats, "Sounds like a plan." Kara nodded with a forced stern look on her face.

"You gonna tell us where you're going?" He tried to ask again like he did earlier, but got just as much of an answer as he did the first time.

"This is between me, Riley, Cat, and Livewire. We've got this." She tried to reassure him but was as successful at that as Hank was pulling a location from Kara. Not at all. 

Alex seemed worried about the situation, "Based on the amount of power she's consumed, there is a very real chance that she's gonna be strong enough."  

Riley cut her off calmly, "She can hurt us, we know. I was twitching for a little while before the power up."

"Riley, Kara, not just hurt you, she can kill you." That comment from Alex had Riley feeling a little nervous about the upcoming fight and knew Kara was feeling the same way. But they both put on brave faces and excused themselves once Kara grabbed the trap off the table.

(*At CatCo*) 

Hovering high over the building, Riley kept a close eye on any sparks of electricity while Kara was inside with Cat, "Citizens of National City this is Cat Grant broadcasting live from CatCo Plaza, which despite a vicious attack yesterday, is still open for business. This message is for the person behind that attack. Leslie, if you're hearing this, your grudge is with me, not National City, so let's not see if we can't come to an agreement. Let's meet, where it all began, as they say. I'm not one to look back, but it just feels right this time." She could hear Cat basically taunt Livewire on purpose with her super hearing. 

Her attention locked onto a spark traveling through telephone wires down below, "Supergirl, this is Superboy. We got a bite." She told Kara and the D.E.O. over their Bluetooth radio earrings, "She's headed to the target location." 

"Okay, stay in the air and keep an eye on Livewire. I'll be near Cat at Leslie's old building. Drop down when the fighting starts. See you there Superboy. Supergirl, out." Kara called back to her over their radio. 

Riley sighed, then took off after the spark of light but staying high in the air, "Let the games begin." She muttered quietly. 

 (*Outside of a Rundown Building*) 

Kara was out of sight between some buildings down the street and Riley was hovering high in the air, both listening to Cat sass Livewire with absolutely zero sense of self-preservation. 

Their queue was when Livewire fired electricity towards Cat, who was able to dive out of the way, thankfully. They both swooped in, one on each end of the street, "Leslie!" Kara called out to the ex-radio host.

"Your fifteen minutes are up, you boring, weak," Leslie started ranting, only for Kara to cut her off.

"Oh, shut up, you mean girl." Riley didn’t even try to resist facepalming at that terrible comeback since she knew Kara couldn't really insult someone.

Riley heard the sound of electricity after a 'woosh' from Kara taking off towards Livewire, looking up just in time to see Kara get tossed into a car. Thankfully all that was broken was the car window because if Kara was thrown hard enough, there wouldn’t be a car.

Tired of Livewire already, Riley shot forward as well as gave a solid kick to the other woman's back, sending her sparking into a telephone pole.

"Crap, of course the telephone pole I kick her towards just so happens to have a freaking transformer!" Superboy could have kicked herself for that idiocy, but instead helped Kara back up to her feet, "I did an oops." Was all she said, confusing Kara.

She pointed at Leslie who had come back out enraged and now wielding two lightning 'whips', "See? Oops." Kara gave Riley a stern look that just screamed 'We are going to have words after this'.

They tried to dodge but Kara got knocked back into the old radio building and Riley was put through another wall. The two whips soon swished through the air again to wrap around both of their necks, and Leslie yanked them back out into the street. Kara tried to activate the device, but Leslie flung her into a building again to use the same whip to bat the device away. She then applied the second whip around Riley.

"Nice try, Supergirl!" Leslie taunted her before throwing Superboy down to the ground in front of her, "Hmm, I wonder if I have enough power to stop Superboy's heart." And proceeded to shock Riley with an outrageous amount of energy that would have already fried a tank.

"Leslie!" Cat called out, trying to buy Supergirl some time to get back up but she was still honestly worried for the Supers, "Leslie, don't do this!"

If anything, that only made the white-haired woman more determined and the voltage increased dramatically. Riley could barely move as the pain jolted through her body with her body trying to seize and lock on her. Kara was finally back on her feet and an idea hit as she caught the sound of running water under the road.

Cat tried again desperately, "You're better than this. You are Leslie Willis."

Livewire shrugged and actually stopped the chain of energy, "If it makes you feel better I'll give you credit for giving me my start."

"And now we're finishing you off." Kara growled in actual anger from the nearby building before she darted forward to reach into the road and lift up the water pipe towards Livewire. Riley's body was still twitching and her jaw was thankfully no longer locked closed from the volts as the water successfully ended up knocking their foe unconscious.

"Supergirl," she rasped out, struggling to her feet, "heat up the pipe and have it welded back into place so we don’t cause a flooding here."

Kara did as Riley suggested, then moved over to help her sister stand up straight. Both she and Cat could still see small bolts of lightning dance across Riley's suit, "Water and electricity, never a good match." Kara tried to joke to lighten the air.

Riley gave a grin and joined in with the slight rasp still there, "You could say that it was a shocking situation."

"The two of you are going to give me gray hairs early and the bad jokes aren't helping." Both Supers grinned at Cat's sass, releasing a relieved laugh or two.

"Well, I guess we need to get her back to the D.E.O." Kara sighed, feeling a bit tired after that but still easily picked up the unconscious meta-human. 

Cat seemed to consider something and spoke up before they could leave, "Wait," and after a glance around to see that there were no devices that could pick up her voice she continued, "Riley, I have need for a second assistant due to things around CatCo picking up. If you want to, and Kara trains you well, I suggest applying for the spot. The internship will be open starting tomorrow." 

Riley beamed excitedly, and at a nod from Kara she turned back to Cat, "You can count on it, Cat."

"Good, I suppose I will see you for an interview early tomorrow then." And at that, Cat Grant turned and walked down the road towards a car that just pulled up. 

"Okay, now that was perfectly timed. Color me impressed." Riley admitted with a grin to Kara, getting a smack upside the head and an eye-roll for her troubles.

 (*CatCo, the Next Day*) 

After the interview was over, Riley nearly sighed with relief as she felt so thankful for her super abilities and Kara willing to train her for any rough spots she might have because Cat Grant and CatCo made up for one hell of a job. She now had a new-found respect for Kara's job, let alone how Kara did it solo before now, even with powers.

Riley was already starting her 'one-week temp' and knew that if she could get past it well, she would be hired. While she loved Alex, adored Hank, and enjoyed hanging out with Vasquez, she just didn't know if she could live as a hero twenty-four seven yet and wanted to try something else first.

"Kara, James, Winn, Lucy!" She called out excitedly and ran over to them at a human pace, "Guess who's the new second assistant for Cat Grant?"

"Hmm, Lois Lane?" James asked with a cheeky grin, getting a laugh out of the others.

The pout was out now, "No, you big jerk. I did!" Riley couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice and her pout disappeared into a grin since she finally got a job somewhere since a lot of other places took one look at her resume then basically declined her on the spot.

There was a shared 'Congrats', but Kara soon pulled her away and the group split up to do their own work, "Let's go! Today's your first day so," Kara paused to grin playfully, "try to keep up."

Kara grabbed a tablet and walked into Cat's office with their boss already speaking to them, "The photo department's been calling. About the paparazzi shots from over the weekend of the young stars and starlets, compromised in assorted humiliating ways."

"Monday morning tradition." Kara intoned as she took the layouts offered by Cat.

Cat hummed in agreement but was looking at the tablet, "Which one would you pick? The twenty-year-old singer who face-planted in front of Club Apocalypse because she had too much to drink? Or, the closeted teen heartthrob who was caught slipping out of National City's randiest gay bar?"

"Wait, who's?" Kara's heavy confusion was cut off by Cat continuing her own line of thought, Riley was just standing back a bit to avoid being asked to suggest anything.

"Let's run, hmm, neither." Cat dropped the tablet and stood up, "The world is full of so much noise and snark, much of it we generate. Today, why don't we elevate this city's level of discourse instead with a photo essay of all the people who spent their holidays volunteering at soup kitchens and shelters." By now Riley was in awe of seeing Cat Grant in the zone, "Let's not see if we can't bring some attention to those organizations."

Kara was beaming, "I think that's a great idea!" She rambled out happily. 

Cat was all sass since she was in a good mood apparently, "Well of course you do, I pitched it." Their boss, Riley will never get used to thinking that, glanced at the bullpen then continued with a shrug and wave of her hand, "Thanksgiving sells. Liberals love to feel guilty, so let's just squeeze as much juice out of those turkeys as we can."

Riley turned to follow Kara when she started to leave the room, "And Kara," Cat stopped Kara but Riley continued to her new desk, "What you told me about your parents dying," she looked a little nervous, "There's a lot I don’t know about you. And I would like that to change."

Joy filled Kara's eyes but she tried to keep a straight face, "Of course, Ms. Grant."

"And tell Denvers that I need my three 'L's'. My Latte hot, my lettuce-wrap crisp and my Lexapro, stat. And not necessarily in that order. Chop, chop." She politely ordered while also giving Riley her new 'CatCo Employee Rename'.

 (*Later at the D.E.O.) 

"The D.E.O. has its first non-alien prisoner. Good job out there Supers. Now that the holidays are over and the fun has been had, perhaps we can get back to the actual job. Catching aliens." Hank sassed them after the compliment, as if to make sure their egos didn’t inflate. Too late.

"Ha, you just wish you were as awesome as we were. I was eating enough electricity to kill a hell of a lot of elephants and I walked away fine!" Was Riley's first fired off comment, only for it to backfire as Alex and Kara started smacking her, "Hey, hey, friendly fire, friendly fire!" She called out and darted behind Hank to hide from them.

He sighed, "Well, I can honestly say that I am not the least bit surprised." Hank nodded politely to them with a small grin as a goodbye before he strolled off, "Danvers'."

"So, I hear you have received the official 'Cat Grant Renaming'?" Alex asked with a teasing lit to her voice once Hank was out of ear-shot.

Riley pouted fiercely at that and Kara's giggling, "Yeah, she calls me Denvers and Donner. So I'm either a state or one of Santa's reindeer."

Kara tried to placate the other blonde, "Oh don't worry, it just makes it that much more special when she finally says your name correctly!"

"No, that's just you because we all know how you and Cat Grant are basically using it as a form of foreplay." Alex cut in with a wicked grin and laugh.

"No!" Riley keened while Kara blushed, "I don't need to know about my twin's possible sex-life!" With her voice being so loud, Kara's face grew into a fierce look before she starting chasing after a now fleeing and laughing Riley.

Unknown to them, Astra In-Ze could just barely hear the conversation. She decided then that she would request a visit from the leader of this place and see if she could exchange information about Non's plan for visitation with her nieces. She remembered how she taught Kara of the stars and travels, but also of how Rile would always seek her approval by training hard with her to be a better candidate for the Military Guild, or when Rile admitted to her secret want to join the Art Guild. Those memories brought back how she was tricked by a trap Non placed that had helped him have more time for his retched plans for over throwing the Council on Krypton, about how no matter how much she pleaded with the Judicial members, the evidence was stacked against her and her defense was non-existent. It's why she did not blame Alura, because nothing could be done to free her from her charges.

"Soon, my dear ones." She muttered longingly as Riley could be heard laughing with Kara calling out weak insults and the human Alex was nearly rolling on the floor with laughter, "Soon." 

Chapter Text

Chapter Five: A Change in Family, Carter-Sitting, and A Not-So-Safe Speed Rail. 

(*Above National City*) 

Kara was currently at CatCo since Riley was patrolling solo through National City. It was mostly because Riley had been trying to get more sun lately since she spends most of her free time at the D.E.O. which is located in an underground cave. 

Riley was enjoying the feeling of flying through the air on a calm day. The sun was shining, there had been no criminal activity besides someone thinking it was okay to try to steal an older lady's purse. 'Superboy' simply landed nearby and it was nice that the man actually apologized to the woman after handing the purse back, instead of making Riley chase him down. He then willingly turned himself over to the cops. 

She enjoyed days like this simply because of how relaxing they were, but when she noticed three small circles make a triangle shape on her arm, she knew her relaxing had come to an end. Riley felt a growl build at the back of her throat, the kind of growl that was apparently a side effect from being shifted into a dog, and shot off after the flying object. What happened next, Riley would swear was a 'Highspeed Flying Chase'. But she just knew that Alex, Kara and their friends would happily call it 'SuperDog Fetching' instead. 

"Stupid freakin." She trailed off in annoyance, then risked an extra burst of speed to jam her hands and feet into the rotors to keep the object mostly intact, "Ha! Gotcha, you stupid flying metal gnat." 

The mentioned flying object was now very clearly flightless certainly did look man-made, but the lack of any specific markings was a little worrying, "I better take this to Alex and Hank, maybe they'll know who decided to try playing tag with me." Riley muttered to herself, taking off again but towards the D.E.O but at a slower pace to avoid wind tunnels that would throw her off course due to lack of a cape. She also sent off a text to Kara about what happened since she didn't have a day off work like Riley did. 

(*At the D.E.O.*) 

"Henshaw!" Riley called out with a small scowl. However, she paused in her charge to grin and wave at Vasquez and Alex before changing her face back to its stern counterpart and she continued towards Hank, "Today while I was enjoying my patrol, someone decided they wanted to play a game of Tag with me using this creepy drone-thing. I figured you might want to try to find out who it was just in case. And yes, I destroyed the trackers in it."  

She tossed the quite large remote-controlled drone onto the table in front of him and she wasn't kidding, the drone took up the entire semi-large table. 

Alex approached the table and was already grabbing at the large drone with a child-like look of glee, "This is man-made, but it's incredibly advanced. Just how fast was this thing?" She asked Riley with a head tilt and her voice took on a more curious tone. 

"It was like trying to catch a specific strand of hair during a bad storm with three F-4 tornadoes." Riley vividly described by waving her arms around and floating in the air.  

That got her a 'what the hell' stare from Hank and an eye-roll from Alex who sassed out, "I should have never let you watch Twister. Your obsession with the more violent side of Mother Nature is an addiction that doesn’t seem very healthy." 

Riley stuck her tongue out at Alex and scoffed, "You're just jealous that I can pull off a 'Wicked Witch of the West' look by covering myself in green paint, wearing black clothes, a witch's hat and pretending to ride a broomstick while flying. Oh Rao, now that's a Halloween costume idea." The blonde trailed off with a far-off look in her eyes and a grin. 

"If someone's targeting one, if not both of my Supers. I wanna know who it is." Hank picked up the large drone and gave a slight grunt, "We'll look into this." 

"Hey let me carry that for you, just tell me where to put it so your science team and Alex can fawn over it." Riley muttered, gently pulling it out of his hands with a soft but happy smile at the subtle hint at she and Kara being considered part of Hank's 'family'. 

At the thought of family, Riley thought of Astra, who had been exchanging information with Hank lately about something big going to happen. When she asked him about it he told her of the deal Astra struck with him and how Astra wanted to speak with her and Kara, to explain things. It was going so well that Astra was moved out of a cell and into her own small room.  

'Maybe I could talk with her after dropping this off. Kara did tell me that it was okay if we talked with her together or separate.' Riley then nodded resolutely, she was going to talk with Astra today. 

(*At CatCo*) 

Kara answered the screeching phone after she returned with Cat's early lunch, giving Winn freedom to no longer cover the phone for her, "Cat Grant's office, this is Kara." 

"Please do not make me cover phones for you ever again." He groaned out with a mentally exhausted sigh. 

"She did? That’s amazing! Yes! Yes, I will get right back to you." Winn started walking back to his own desk when Kara's excited voice stopped him, "Ms. Grant won the Siegel Prize for Women in Media!" 

Winn walked back Kara's desk to smirk at his puppy friend, "Oh yeah, she already knows. I didn't know she could smile if it wasn’t based on cruelty to others or seeing you after hours, but she looked positively gleeful." 

Her eyes narrowed at him but it just made his smirk turn into a grin, "The ceremony is in Metropolis tomorrow night. I better book a plane right away." Kara muttered to herself while dropping into her desk chair, starting to write on the notepad. 

"I didn’t tell you about it because I knew you'd have this reaction." Kara's hearing narrowed to Cat's voice, "I know you think it’s a stupid award, Mother, but I won it. I don’t ask for very much. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn’t realize it was such a burden being a grandmother." Cat hung up on her Mother and Kara got ready to leap to her feet. 

Cat didn’t let her down and called for her, "Keira!" Kara winced a little since she still had her super hearing tuned in to Cat. 

"Ouch." She muttered and quickly darted into Cat's office to help stop any possible Cat-aclysmic event from happening 'If Riley knew that I made Cat puns in my head, I'd never live it down' she thought before smiling at her boss, "Yes, Ms. Grant?" 

"Bring me a salad for lunch. I don't care what kind as long as it has a cheeseburger on top." 'Crap,' Kara thought after hearing her tone, 'I should probably say something to try to cheer her up. But what? The award?' 

She was finally able to nearly stutter out with her hopefully cheery grin, "And may I say Ms. Grant, congratulations! The Siegel Prize that's, that's huge!" 

"I hope not, considering they're going to have to mail it to me. I won't be attending the ceremony." Cat seemed more than a little down about it, so Kara started grasping at straws. 

'I have to do something, I just know that she wants to go!' Kara thought with the Danvers' Crinkle appearing, "But this is the first year you beat Lois Lane!" 

Cat still seemed a little down about it but had a determined look in her eyes anyway and moved from behind her desk and towards her couch, "And as much as I would love to run it in her annoyingly freckled button nose, I don’t have anyone to watch Carter." 

Kara sighed with her right hand going to pinch at the bridge of her nose, "Did you fire another nanny?" 

"No." The C.E.O. said with a defensive bite to her tone, but with a glance at Kara she let the frustration out with a 'whoosh' of air, then went to elaborate, "Ella broke her leg storing my summer sandals." 

"And your Mom?" Now Kara started feeling bad since there really did seem like there was no one Cat trusted to watch her son Carter. 

Cat gave a small snide scoff, "She is living down to my expectations by prioritizing her career over my own. Does your mother give a damn about you career?" 

"Uh, she's uh, not really around." Kara started, doing her damnedest to hide the flinch from that comment. 

"I didn't think about that before I said it." Cat looked towards her with a silent apology, and when Kara gave her an easy smile, she cleared her throat, "Salad. Burger, rare. Chop chop, Kiera." 

Kara was hit with an idea when she was leaving the office and Cat was moving back to her desk, "If you wanted, Riley and I could watch Cater overnight." 

Cat stared her down with a teasing glint to her eyes, "What do you want?" 

"You know how sometimes people just want to help other people?" To say that Kara felt like she was flailing in air, was putting it mildly. 

"Oh, I see. So, you think that if you do me this favor, that I will owe you something." Kara tried to reassure Cat that she indeed was just offering up her and Riley's help innocently, but Cat just steamrolled over her anyway, "Well, this is the first time I've ever seen this quality in you Kiera. I love it. I didn't know you had it in you." 

"Well, this award is important to you. So, it's important to me." Kara just gave up and went with the flow of the tsunami that is Cat Grant. 

"Maybe you will get that promotion someday. My son, Carter. He um, well, he's not a normal boy, thank god. He's clever and curious, and like most gifted children he can be, shy and reserved. He need special attention." Cat's voice, expression, and eyes went soft as she happily described her son. 

Kara smiled sunnily at Cat, "Oh, do not worry Ms. Grant. He wouldn't be safer with Supergirl and Superboy." 

"Mhm," One of Cat's eyebrows went up at that, "I'll bet. Now get back to work Kara because you have to pick up Carter from school, later. Chop chop." Cat waved her off with a small smirk that stayed, even once Kara had left for her usual late lunch break. 

(*Two hours earlier at the D.E.O., ten minutes after Riley dropped off the Drone*) 

"Okay, you can do this. You are Rile Zor-El, dubbed 'Superboy' by none other than Cat Grant, and you're the sister to 'Supergirl'. You've been trained to prosper in the Military Guild on Krypton, you've been able to look Alex in the eye and say 'no' to something she said. This is going to be so much easier. It's just a simple chat with Astra, you can do this!" Riley muttered to herself, trying to gather up her courage to speak with Astra, not realizing the woman could hear every word. 

Astra was now thoroughly amused at Rile's pep talk, but let the young one continue since she was reigning in the urge to laugh. 

A knock on the door echoed through Astra's somewhat small room, "Come in." She called out softly. 

The door quietly swung open, "Hey, uh, how are you?" Riley asked in a weak attempt to get conversation started. 

But oh, Astra was having none of that, "I was framed." She started firmly, gesturing Rile to take a seat, 'No, it's Riley now' she thought to herself 

Riley's curiosity was completely peaked at the tone, so she quickly dropped into a chair, "How so? And what for?" 

"One of the soldiers in my, 'undercover squad', I guess it's called here on Earth, had seemingly activated a distress beacon. I moved to the location alone under the cover of night to find that Non had killed him. The soldier was undercover as one of the local guards to a factory on Krypton in an attempt to scout out those who were trying to perform a coup on the council. Before I could make a move, another group of soldiers had swooped in and thought that I was in whatever dimwitted plan Non conceived." Astra got most of the story out at one time, but paused at the sight of Riley opening her mouth to say something. 

"And because both you and your squad were undercover, only very few people actually knew the truth. But whatever higher ranking member that initiated the group you lead, obviously didn't want to give away the fact that there actually was a group like that." Astra was proud at Riley's deduction, the blonde just shrugged at the glowing look from the older woman with a shy grin, "What? I learned from the best." 

Astra's smile dropped a little before she sighed and continued, "Exactly, and because of that, Alura could give no concrete evidence to counter the simple fact that I was there when I technically should not have been. I do not blame her in the slightest, because while it was miserable that I was sent to Fort Rozz, it allowed me to gather information on Non's group of terrorists. They're currently planning something they simply refer to as 'The Myrad', It was the same name they used for their plans on Krypton. However, they are closer than I ever thought possible for a successful coup on Earth, starting with National City." 

Before Riley could say anything, another knocked echoed through the room, "Come on!" They both called, then glanced at each other with matching grins. 

"Hey, Ry!" Alex greeted the blonde with a nod in her direction, pushing in a metal cart carrying the items used to draw blood, "Astra, I'm here to draw a small amount of blood just to make sure there is nothing wrong. Riley, I already did Kara the other day so I'm going to go ahead and get yours too. Good thing you're here." 

Riley raised an eyebrow at Alex's back while the sassy scientist was already sticking Astra after finding a vein, "Says you." She muttered petulantly, getting a raised eyebrow from both of the women in front of her. Apparently, Alex was already done with one of her two patients. 

Alex hid her smirk at Riley's discomfort, making sure to subtly show her the needle and the blonde's eyes went wide with no small amount of horror, "That is a going to actually stick me?" Riley squeaked out, her voice a higher pitch and she could feel the blood draining from her face. 

"Oh, don't worry you big baby." Alex sassed out, turning slightly to nod at Riley to Astra as if to silently tell the woman to distract Riley. 

Astra cleared her throat pointedly, "So Rile," she couldn’t help but continue using Riley's birthname, "what was your favorite part of Earth, after you and Kara arrived? I ended up with an addiction to boneless hot wings." 

"Oh Rao," Riley groaned happily, "boneless hot wings, Earth's music, and fish sticks. I also found out that I enjoy cooking. Alex here gave me an apron, something that protects my clothing while I cook, that called the kitchen my throne because only I cook in the apartment Kara and I share." 

"Would you be willing to teach me Earth cooking?" Astra asked curiously, her head tilting in a way that reminded Alex so much of Riley. 

"Of course! I would love to!" Riley cheered happily, already thinking of different recipes they could make together that Astra would love. 

Alex suddenly leaned away from Riley, startling the blonde a bit, "Okay, all done!" 

Riley looked so confused, then rubbed at the arm Alex was only just leaning over to find no marks at all, "What?" She asked breathlessly, "You, you already stuck me?" 

Smug wasn’t nearly enough to describe Alex's look, "Yep! Your lack of attention towards anything you're not focusing on is amazing. But you should make sure it's not like that out in the field." 

An eyeroll was all she received for her sass from Riley, but Astra seemed amused by it all, "Well, I'll let the two of you get back to it. Oh, and Ry!" Alex stopped in the doorway on her way out with the tray of Kryptonian blood, "Don't forget to meet Kar at Noonan's for her late lunch. 

"Crap!" Riley groaned once Alex left, looking at the watch that Alex got her when they were still teenagers, "I'm going to be late!" She leapt to her feet but stopped to lean over to hug Astra, "I'll be back afterwards Astra, but till then, if you're bored I suggest you talk to an agent who might be in the Command Room named Vasquez, they're a riot. Oh, and if you do, use neutral pronouns for them, please." 

Astra returned the hug just as tightly and nodded at the whirlwinds suggestions but soon gently pushed the blonde towards the door, "Go, Riley. Kara might be waiting for you and we both know that she might not have much time before she must return to her place of work." 

"I'll be back!" The younger woman promised as she walked out of the room and into the hall, "And I'll bring Kara with me too!" 

Riley turned on her heel and after seeing there was no one but Alex in the halls between herself and the exit, she used her super speed to rocket out of the D.E.O. at a speed that wouldn’t upset the cart or vials on it, but still send Alex's hair fluttering about.

Alex sighed, stopping to get her hair lying flat again, "Damn Kryptonians." she muttered with an amused smile.

(*At Noonan's Twenty Minutes Later*) 

Riley had her feet kicked up on the corner of the table, left leg over her right leg, that she claimed for her and Kara's lunch. She was currently texting a bored Lucy, James, and Vasquez in a group chat. Vasquez was sharing hilarious short videos of Astra accidentally tripping over thin air and one of her easily busting through a wall after trying not to trip over an Agent who had stopped to tie their shoe. There were also captioned photos taken that had comments on them like 'The party don't start till I walk in' with a still of Astra literally right after she broke through the wall. Or another one where it showed a screenshot of a private message from Lucy next to a picture of Astra in the emitter gym running on a treadmill that had Riley's jaw dropping 'Oh god, that Astra woman is fine! When can I meet her?'. 

She quickly typed out in group that was now filled with James, Winn and Vasquez's 'lols', 'I can't believe you are actually hitting on Astra, Lucy! If you both do end up dating in some odd way, treat her right or you will fear nothing but me and the same will be said to her about you'. She ended up changing her original 'Don't mess with Astra' to a more encouraging message when she realized just how well Astra and Lucy might get along, and maybe it took a deep breath or two to get rid of the over protective feelings of both Astra and Lucy.

"Hey Ry!" Kara greeted her cheerfully while sliding her sister's feet off the table, "Thanks for ordering for us, I'm starving." 

Riley closed her phone and put it in her pants pocket, "Then by all means, dig in!" She gestured to the food between them. 

The amount of food they ended up putting away only shocked the people who either didn't work at Noonan's for a while now, or were not regular customers when the blondes were usually there. 

It took them both around ten minutes to eat their fill of the food, leaving nothing left besides plates and crumbs, "Oh Rao, that hit the spot." Kara crooned happily, leaning back to pat at her flat stomach. 

"Oh, I agree completely" Was the returned croon from Riley, but they leapt to their feet when they were knocked out of their food-bliss by what felt like an earthquake went off, along with a loud 'boom'. 

They pulled down their glasses and looked in the direction of the noise, eyes widening in shock when they both saw a building with a large whole in an upper corner of it. 

"A bomb. Let's go, Ry." Kara muttered so quietly that only someone with super hearing could pick it up. Within seconds both of them were out in the alley next to Noonan's, speeding into their suits and launching into the air. 

"Kara, you deal with the fires! I'll reinforce the two pillars below! Make sure to check for anyone still in the building!" Riley called their plan out this time, getting a nod before both of them flew into action. 

The civilians watched closely as Supergirl flew into the building through the large whole and Superboy landed next to a current weak point in the building. Soon the fires began tapering off with what looked like clouds of icy billowing out, leaving only charred parts of the building in their wake and no fire in sight. Thankfully everyone had got out safely and there were no deaths. Superboy's job on the other hand, got a whole lot harder when the pillars had begun to give out from the fact that a bomb went off, so she had to hold up the building. 

"Crap, not good." Riley muttered under her breath, building up her heat vision to carefully weld the cracks in the two pillars whole again. She used her super vision to see if they were completely solid once more, and seeing how her patch job worked really well, she backed away from the building and grinned when it held easily. 

Kara flew down from above and fist bumped Riley, their teamwork made it all so easy. Out the corner of her eye, Kara noticed a drone that when pointed out to Riley, had the shorter haired Kryptonian rocketing after it. Supergirl waved goodbye to the civilians below with an easy grin, then shot after her sister. 

(*Back at the D.E.O.*) 

"I can't believe it actually got away!" Riley's voice, filled with frustration, could be heard soon in the Command Room. 

Vasquez looked up and over at the two Supers entering, "What got away?" They asked curiously to their two blonde friends.

Kara was actually scowling somewhat, "Some drone thing that Riley said she brought to you before? She said it was exactly the same, but this one had more maneuvering skills because we soon lost track of it."

Hank's voice interrupted any response to that when he looked towards the two after walking up to the main computers, "You were supporting the weight of one hundred and twenty pounds per square foot, multiplied by five floors. And you Supergirl, you were able to put out a quickly growing fire in less than eight seconds on just as many floors. Not bad you two. Not bad at all." He aimed at Riley and Kara, giving them both a pat on their shoulders when he walked past them after grabbing the folder he was after.

"But why would someone plant a bomb in that building? What was in there?" Kara asked as their scowls had dropped off for more neutral looks that held curiosity.

"A lab developing a new, non-lithium battery. Cutting edge. Could be industrial espionage. This might be one to let the F.B.I. handle but to be honest, the drone you saw after the event has me leery about just leaving it like this." Hank had explained to them.

Alex walked into the room holding a small bag with Astra on her heels, "Not to worry sir, I think it is definitely within our jurisdiction." She offered the bag to hank and elaborated, "These are fragments from the bomb. I found the exact same technology inside the drone Riley brought in yesterday."

Riley put two and two together, "So whoever has been spying on us was also behind the bombing?"

"Yes, and I think I may have a lead." Alex lead them to the table nearby, but near the main computers, Vasquez was hiding a smile at the sight of Astra, Kara, and Riley dutifully following Alex around like a group of puppies, including them lightly bumping into each other. They even took a quick GIF styled picture of it and shared it to the secured group message between themself, Lucy, James, Winn, Cat and Alex. 'Awe, so cute! Alex has three Kryptonian puppies now! She just needs one more to complete the set!'.

"Maxwell Lord?" Kara's voice held surprise that also shown on Riley's face, at the picture of the man on the tablet Alex dropped on the table in front of all of them.

Alex nodded and crossed her arms, "Yeah. Both the bomb and the drone used an advanced fiber optics relay system. It's not even on the market yet, and it was developed by Lord Technologies."

Hank did not look happy at all, "Let's pay Maxwell Lord a visit." He said roughly, then walked off.

Kara looked around before asking, "How? I don’t think you could just walk in as D.E.O. agents."

Alex grinned and held up her badge for the three Kryptonians to see, "We won't." She placed her left index finger on the left side at the middle and it blurred right before their eyes, changing into an F.B.I. badge.

"Okay that is so cool, and now I would like one too please." Riley wiggled around a bit with a large grin, the other two aliens doing the exact same. Astra less so, but Alex's trained eye could still pick it up.

"Oh, I need to get back to work!" Kara hit her hand on her forehead in realization.

"And by work, do you mean some organizing, some planning, some verbal foreplay with Cat Grant?" Kara's human speed swat was easily dodged by Alex at the drawl of teasing words.

Riley perked up after Kara hugged Astra in greeting, the group walking towards the exit together and spoke up to the elder with a wicked grin, "Hey, Lucy Lane called you 'fine'. Which means attractive here on Earth."

"Wait Lucy is a Lane? So that means she's actually Lois Lane's sister, isn't she?" Alex queried with a wicked grin of her own.

"Yep! She's gorgeous, she's smart, she smells nice. Hell, I'm sure we both would date her in a heartbeat." Kara joined in with a shrug and side bump against Riley, a grin pulling at her own face at Astra's curious look.

At Kara's slight head tilt towards Astra, Riley continued bragging about their friend, "Oh yeah, and she's a lawyer in the military, so you know she's got to be badass."

Alex seemed amused at that, but Kara could see her smile didn't fully reach her eyes and asked, "Well, can she fly?"

"I wouldn’t be surprised if she knew how to pilot a plane." With Riley's new answer, Astra finally joined in the conversation.

"Could I meet this, Lucy Lane? She sounds like an interesting woman." The Supers and Alex shared a sly smirk at Astra's question and Kara responded, "Oh yeah! I don’t see why not! There is a game night at the apartment in the next few days, you should join us!"

Astra gave a brisk nod then stopped and turned to Alex, "Then I shall. Brave One your blood machine is beeping, I think it has completed your tests."

"Yay! I'll talk to you ladies later, I have a date with science!" They watched Alex turn on her heel and sprint down the hallway with an excited grin.

"Nerd!" Kara and Riley playfully called out at her, giggling when Alex raised her middle finger at them over her shoulder.

Kara's Bluetooth gave a few beeps, "Hello? Oh! Hi Ms. Grant!" Riley waved off Astra's silent question.

"I'll tell you later." She told the older woman, only for her hearing to lock back onto Kara.

"Oh Rao, Carter! I'm supposed to pick him up with you! Get your truck at meet me outside of the private school Carter goes to, a.s.a.p.!" Kara whispered to Riley before she took off at high speeds after giving a quick hug to Astra, Riley doing the same even though she was at a loss as to what was going on.

"You need to park in the green zone and walk to the lineup, or you need to idle in the yellow zone and put the placard in the." Kara heard Cat's voice trail off, barely noticing Riley landing in an alleyway near her truck to change, hopping in and taking off soon after, "What's that noise?" Cat asked suspiciously.

Kara just knew there was no way out of this except for one, "I've got the windows open, Riley was slow to get ready." And that way was to take Riley down with her.

Cat seemed more than a little frantic, "Wait, are you telling me that you're not there yet?" 

"We're pulling up there right now!" She was so relieved to see Riley's truck pulling onto the correct road behind her, just down the road from the school.

"I do not hear the sound of children at play." And now Cat was suspicious of her fib, 'Crap another fib Kara, quick!' she thought to herself.

Kara noticed a well-hidden bush she could land behind to change, "It's just, super windy. Gotta go!"

After changing in a split second, Kara ran up to the lady she was supposed to meet to get Carter, "Hi! Ms. Grant put my and my sister's names on the list. It's Kara and Riley Danvers."

"Yeah, I just need a signature." The woman requested, holding the clipboard she had out for Kara to sign on. She walked off afterwards with a gentle pat to Carter's shoulder, "Thanks, he's all yours. Have fun, Carter!"

"Hey, I'm Kara!" She introduced herself to him, "You remember me from your mom's office? One of my sisters was visiting that day too!" Carter just seemed so nervous, so she tried again, "You've grown since we last saw you."

She could hear Riley's truck stopping nearby, hopping out after turning off the motor.

"So, how do you like school? This is a really good school. I'm surprised they haven't taught you guys to speak out loud yet." When Carter actually laughed with a small smile at her bad jokes, and Riley joined in with ease, Carter tensed but relaxed when he noticed how alike the two seemed.

"I actually really liked school." Riley joined in on the slightly awkward chat, "Learning all about this new planet." Her voice trailed off at the realization of her oops at Kara's elbow digging into her ribs and Carter's now wide eyes locked on to her instead of the ground, "That, that we're also from. Kara and I were considered Nerds at our school since we always seemed to have our noses buried in books."

Carter actually kept glancing at them with a new light in his eyes and finally spoke, "My mom says it's okay to be a nerd. She says if you can face your fears and come out of your shell, nerds can win in the end."

The kid then turned around and started walking off, Riley darting ahead to lead them towards her subtly reinforced truck and Kara trailing behind them.

"Rao, I hope so." Kara muttered under her breath, her thoughts going to Cat as she watched Carter gleefully climb into Riley's truck with very little help.

(*Back at CatCo*) 

Riley snickered at something she read off her cellphone after the message tone had gone off, "Alex just texted me, it seems that Hank left her to keep an eye on You-Know-Who-But-With-A-Nose. She actually sent me a photo of her with that 'Don't Mess With Me' face and the crinkle out in full. I think it's intimidating the scientists there because no one is actually staring or bothering her, from what she's told me."

Kara saw a cellphone in Carter's hands, "You know, I didn’t have a cellphone until I was sixteen and Riley didn't get one until she was almost eighteen because she had a bad habit of losing her shades and Gameboy Color. True story."

Carter continued staring at his phone awkwardly, "Are you sure there's nothing we can get you?" Kara tried again and asked him gently, "A snack? A juice box? Anything that might make you happy?"

"Supergirl, and Superboy!" Carter broke into a large grin at the news report on t.v. about them, not that he knew that.

"Oh, so you like the Supers?" Riley jumped into the conversation with a sly smile aimed at Kara.

The amount of fanboying Carter was now doing was just so cute to them, "They're so cool. Last week, they stopped Reactron. Superman never did that, and they did it so easily. Then earlier Superboy caught an entire building and Supergirl was able to put out giant fire in seconds. And they can shoot lasers out of their eyes!"

Kara couldn’t stop her grin and elbowed Riley when her she joined her, "Wow, they do sound pretty cool."

"I didn’t say they were pretty." And now Carter was defensive, 'Crap, U-turn the convo Kara!' Riley thought.

"I didn’t say you said they were pretty! Why?" Riley facepalmed to hide her giggles when Kara kept going, "Do you think they're pretty?"

Carter shrugged a bit, still staring up at the screen, "Well, I guess. I don't know."

Riley couldn’t keep the joy of how adorable he was out of her voice, "Carter, do you maybe have a little crush on Supergirl and Superboy?"

"You got good taste kid, they're cool people. Here's a secret too, Superboy is actually my best friend. Winn here is also best friends with Supergirl!" Riley beamed at James' words, Winn was standing next to him with a friendly smile to the kid.

Kara moved up more to introduce the guys to Carter, hoping he would forget about that comment, "These are our friends, James and Winn."

The hype died down since everyone besides Riley had work to do, so to keep Carter from getting bored she introduced him to the Minecraft she had Winn install onto her computer on the down-low to keep him preoccupied.

About thirty minutes later, Carter paused his game and looked over at Kara who had just gotten up to hand James some paper reports that he requested since he was stepping in for Cat that day. When he walked off, Carter struck with a question they should have expected, "Do you think he and Winn could introduce me to Supergirl and Superboy?"

"You are definitely your mother's son." She giggled at his questioning, yet still completely serious about how much Carter was like his mom.

Their phones went off with a group call request from Alex, "Yeah, what's up?" Kara answered with, while Riley decided to join the call with her Bluetooth earring quietly since her phone was on silent.

"I am at Lord Tech with a bomb that is gonna go off in a minute." Alex got right to the point, terrifying both blondes.

"Hey Carter, while Kara is on the phone I need to head out, I'm late to pick up something for work." The two Supers shared a look, at Kara's nod and Carter's wave she turned on her heel and made a break for the quick exit Kara had shown her a while back.

Riley nearly ripped out of her clothes before taking off in the air as fast as she could get away with, in her mind it still wasted the few precious seconds it took to come to a stop in the lab that held Alex and Maxwell Lord.

Alex looked to her with relief and but seemed to have an adrenaline rush still going, "Superboy, thank Rao you're here."

"Not a problem, I was in the neighborhood." Riley shrugged as she hid the worry in her voice, following after Alex and Maxwell towards the device.

Maxwell lifted up the bomb to hand it to her, "This bomb is like a high-tech daisy cutter. If it blows it'll produce an over-pressure of two-thousand pounds per square inch."

At Riley's small look of confusion Alex clarified, "That'll level thirty blocks. You need to get it clear of the city."

It suddenly hit Riley just how dangerous this tiny thing was, so she gave them a nod and took off again but towards the ocean this time.

"She's nearing the ocean, approaching Mach Two." Vasquez's voice came out over her radio connected to the earring in her right ear.

Hank sighed deeply, "She's not far enough from the city. Superboy! Change bearing, go up!" He ordered her and Riley went from flying over the ocean to shooting straight up, now pushing her speed to heights neither she nor Kara have tried to go yet due to the very high possibility of crashing into a building.

Riley was reassured by Vasquez's next comment, "Sir, she's now approaching Mach Five and is out of range of the City."

"Throw the bomb, the skies are clear of everything but you." She pulled her arm back at that order and let the bomb fly while she stopped almost instantly, sending it rocketing towards the edge of the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, she didn’t realize just how few seconds were left of the timer and it basically exploded twenty feet from her. The last thought Riley had before she blacked out was, 'The group's gonna kill me for this.'

(*At the D.E.O.*) 

There was a bright revitalizing light bearing down on her, causing Riley to jerk awake to a sitting position, only barely stopping to push the lights away, 'Oh man that was a weird dream, I really need to layoff the, wait a minute.' The blonde looked around to see that she was on some kind of bed at the D.E.O. with Astra, Kara, Hank and Alex moving into the room, 'Crap, I really did get the tar kicked out of me by an inanimate object. And just when I thought I could sink no lower.'

Alex had a conflicted look in her eyes as she leaned against a table across from the metal bed, but shook her head when Riley was about to ask what was wrong, 'Hmm, something is wrong then. But what?'

"My own, I am joyous to see that you are recovering well." Astra greeted Riley, pulling her into a hug. When Astra's hand began running through Riley's short hair, the blonde purred happily and rested her head on Astra's right shoulder since the woman hopped up to sit next to her.

Kara's eyes were a little red from tears so Riley reached over to pull the soon lower lip wobbling Supergirl into the hug as well between Astra and Riley.

Hank spoke up after silence took over, "That was one hell of a fall there, Riley. Astra and Kara helped the D.E.O. pull you out of the ocean." He glanced between the three mentioned women with a pointed look.

Riley grinned weakly, still feeling out of sorts, "Thanks boss man, but let's not write it down in history that I got the tar kicked out of me by an inanimate object, yeah? My pride took a hit worse than I did physically today and it was on hell of a wake-up call."

"No problem. Besides, if I let you drown I would have never heard the end of it from these three." He gestured with slight sarcasm and a smirk.

"Only you would want to joke about a bomb that could have leveled a decent chunk of National City after taking one to the face." Alex shook her head in exasperation with a shaky and teary-eyed smile when nothing else was said.

"Awe, come 'ere Alex." Kara opened her arms to pull Alex into the growing group hug, knowing the red head needed it. Kara starting gently rocking side to side, shushing lightly at Alex to try to stop her tears and Riley spoke up, "See? I'm okay now! Would it help if I told you about an idea I have that would help us more those Kryptonite emitters?"

Alex pulled back a little but stayed in the hug to narrow her eyes at Riley, "What is your idea? It won't hurt you, Kara and Astra, will it?"

Riley shook her head 'no' rapidly, "Oh no, the idea is basically recreating the radiation of a Rao's Light in sun lamps like these," she paused to reach over and tap the nearby yellow sun lamps, "but, you know, red."

"Hmm, that could be do-able. I'll get the R&D division on that and we'll see what we can do." Hank seemed a little surprised and impressed at that idea, so Riley took the chance to feign emotional hurt.

"Why must you hurt me this way?" She asked with the pout and fake tears out in full, breaking into uncontrollable laughter when Hank actually looked a little emotionally uncomfortable and weak before he turned away and shook his head.

Astra gently tabbed Alex on the shoulder, "Brave one, you told me that you wish to speak with myself and Rile. Would now be such a time?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah let's go to the lab, it should be empty." Alex started walking and Hank was amused to see Kara and Riley floating. They were keeping their hold on Alex and just let themselves be tugged along with Astra walking behind them.

The look on Kara's face that silently shown how serious the upcoming conversation would be had Riley a little worried, but Kara just hugged the slightly younger blonde and muttered, "Hey, it's not that bad and Alex already told me. I honestly think this won't change much, and it might make some things better." 

Once they were in the glass walled lab after Kara would wave in greeting to agents and Riley would simply nod her head, the two blondes let Alex go and stopped floating.

Alex was silent for almost ten minutes before she spoke up as she paced the room, "Okay so, I was doing the whole Kryptonian D.N.A. testing and making sure everything was good when I stumbled across something, something that might be life changing."

Riley was going to ask what she meant but Astra placed a hand on her shoulder, so the blonde relaxed into a nearby chair with Kara moving to stand behind her.

"It is alright Brave One, just tell us what it is and all will be well." Astra sought to reassure the red head.

Alex nodded, took a deep breath and just blurted it out, "Alura and Zor'El are not your genetic parents, Riley."

Kara's hands reached out to grip Riley's shoulders, grounding the youngest Danvers. "Wait, what?" Riley's face went pale and her voice squeaked out but Astra froze in place, barely moving.

"The thing is, you're still related to Kara. But, well." Alex trailed off and gestured between Riley and Astra, "Riley say hello to your Mother, Astra."

Astra's breathing grew heavy and tears filled her eyes. She thought back to how her and her previous mate had used the Matrix to create a child between them. Her mate had been the middle sibling of the House of El, a woman named Sai-El. She looked over at Rile and for the first time, noticed that Rile looked so much like Sai-El that it was almost uncanny, just like Kara had traits of Zor-El that showed a slight difference between the two.

"Non." Astra growled out in pure anger at it finally hitting her that the Kryptonian who told her that her and her dead mates child didn't make it safely out of the Matrix was one of Non's people, 'That bastard faked the death of my child and gave her to Alura to be raised. I should have investigated the 'death' claims further!' During this mental debate, Kara moved over to Alex and was watching them with a spark of hope in her eyes. So far, only Alex knew that Kara was happy for Astra and Riley. That Kara knew she wouldn't be forgotten or tossed aside because she was loved by her remaining family.

Astra's attention turned to Riley when her child, she couldn't stop the slight awe that filled her at that thought, her child let loose a sigh, "Alura and Zor'El raised Kara and I well for the first thirteen years of our life, but I never felt even a small percent of a connection for them that I did with you. That doesn't mean that I didn't love them, but I always felt like I wasn't a good enough child for wanting to be around you instead of them." Riley whispered to Astra, trying to convey how she felt without insinuating that she didn’t care for Alura and Zor'El.

"I do not doubt that you love them, Rile. Not for a single moment. I love Kara yet I too felt guilt when instead of another niece, you felt more like my own child. Yet as we just found out, you are." Astra stood up and pulled Riley into a hug, both clinging to each other from the surprise of it all.

Riley pulled back, glancing towards Alex and Kara, feeling thankful that her 'rocks' on this planet was still there, "Maybe you and I could have a few 'Mother Daughter' days? While you and Kara then you and Alex could have some family days as well? Heck, if you and Alex don't end up having family days too, maybe all four of us could hang out?"

Astra hummed in thought and looked wonderingly over at Alex. She then shared a look with Kara and it only took her a few seconds before she was looking back to Riley, "Let's do all of that. I will get to know my Little One, My Own, and now my Brave One as you all now are."

Kara pulled Alex over to the two hugging Kryptonians and they all ended up sharing a comfortable group hug. A good five or ten minutes passed before a knock on the closed door to Alex's lab had all four women's attention turning to it to see Vasquez.

"Hey Vasquez, what's going on?" Alex asked after they all separated and she opened the door to their friend and her fellow agent.

"Director Henshaw needs all of you in the Command Room right away. There was a possible match on the bomber." They said with a nod in greeting to Astra, Kara and Riley.

Kara walked up and hugged Vasquez in greeting, followed soon by Riley as well. Astra simply shook their hand carefully. Alex gestured back the way they all came from earlier and then moved to follow Vasquez out to the Command Room, Alex only stopping to make sure her lab was locked up behind them.

"We got a shot of the bomber from the security cameras at Max's lab." Hank started immediately when they walked into the main area, "Facial Recognition came up with a match. His name is Ethan Knox." He turned and gestured to the main group of screens, the group joining him but with Vasquez breaking off to go to their usual computer, "Worked at the first lab that was attacked. He was fired six months ago when his work became erratic. His family reported him missing two weeks ago."

Riley crossed her arms in front of her and took a solid stance, "So how do we find him then? We're going to have to be quick about it if we all want nothing else to happen."

Alex stepped in front of Riley with both of her eyebrows slightly raised and a look in her eyes that just screamed 'I don’t think so!', "No. I think it's safe to say that between Kara, Astra and myself, we all agree on the fact that the fall you took would have rattled Superman. I know that you and Kara seem more durable, but it was still a serious thing so you are staying home."

Kara narrowed her eyes with a slight shake of her head when Riley looked over at her for backup, "Nope, don't look to me for help with this because I agree with Alex."

The longer haired blonde's eyes suddenly lit up with an idea, "Hey, come back to CatCo with me. You'll be in charge of watching Carter in case I need to go out for something."

"Alright, just let me grab my civvies and I'll be ready to go." Riley didn't put up a fight because they did have a point, she did feel a little strained. Not that she would ever admit to it.

(*Outside of CatCo*) 

Riley pulled to a stop outside of CatCo to drop off Kara, "Okay, once you get the order for lunch head straight back and up to Miss Grant's office. Winn is currently playing video games with Carter by using the large number of screens so you still have another forty minutes till they start calling for food and you need to be back." Kara rattled off instructions to her and Riley paid close attention, then Riley nodded in understanding.

"You got it Kar, now get up there to make sure nothing happened while you were gone. You know how Winn gets with his video games." The joke Riley fired off had Kara giggling at the memory of Winn's gaming 'incidents'.

Kara leaned over to hug her sister who might officially be her cousin, but was still seen as her twin in her heart, "Fine, I'm going. Drive safe and get back soon!" With that, Kara was out of the truck and heading into the building, leaving Riley to pull away from the curb and back on to the main road.

She reached forward, turned her music up a bit to let 'Cheerleader – Radio Remix' by 'OMI and Felix Jaehn' play through her trucks speakers and relaxed. It was a comfortable volume and the stock levels she left on the radio helped her hearing not go haywire at any loud bass.

By the time she reached Noonan's it had only been a short ten minutes since traffic wasn't all that bad. Riley leapt out of her truck after finding a decent parking spot away from any alleys and headed inside, pausing to hold the door open for small group of women, two of which had children with them.

She entered Noonan's with a spring and skip in her step with a happy smile that seemingly brightened the air around her, while she was lowly humming 'Can't Stop the Feeling' by 'Justin Timberlake'.

At the sight of none other than Lucy Lane near the counter waiting on something, Riley called out "Order for Danvers." To the worker behind the counter and tugged Lucy into a playful dance, pulling a laugh from the Army lawyer.

"Well hello to you too, Riley." Lucy laughed at her, James, and Vasquez's best friend as they both twirled around the open area of Noonan's, "What's got you in such a sunshiny mood at this hour?"

Riley sighed happily, coming to a stop near the counter again when Lucy's name was called out, "Some of the oddest things have happened to Kara, Alex, Astra and myself today. Yet I can't help but feel like most of those things weren't too bad at all, thus, the chipper mood."

The shorter woman grabbed her to-go bag and drink, then turned back to the tall blonde next to her, "Sounds like one hell of a day there, R.J. Wanna have a meet up at your and Kara's apartment with Vasquez and James? We can all hang out and unwind while Kara does whatever it is they do when she, Winn, Cat and Alex leave the apartment to hang out together."

"That sounds like a good plan to me Luce. You get a hold of James, and I'll get a hold of Vasquez?" Riley asked with a slight head tilt in question, already pulling out her phone to get ready to text Vasquez.

"Yep! And since your order is ready as well, you should drop me off at your apartment so I can hang out there. Mostly because your place feels more comfortable than the spartan one I currently reside in." Lucy grabbed Riley's arm and lead the Super out to the large truck after Riley grabbed the large amount of food. Riley and Kara had already told all of them a few days ago that she, Vasquez, James and the others were always welcome over whenever. Since she also had a rough day, she decided that it was time to finally take the blondes up on the offer.

Riley just grinned and let her tiny friend guide her towards her truck. She made sure to place the food in a somewhat snug setting in the backseat floorboard so it didn’t get knocked around in case she had to break hard at any point, then leapt up into the driver's seat. The truck roared to life a few seconds later and Lucy had quickly commandeered the radio, changing it to a different C.D. that the lawyer liked from Riley's personal stash of music.

They both bobbed their heads to the music and sang along every now and then until Riley pulled to a stop outside the apartment about ten minutes later, "Alright, here's the spare key to get in and you already know the password to the Wi-Fi and Netflix. Have fun Luce!" Riley rattled off to Lucy, who was already leaping down from the passenger side.

"Yeah, yeah. Oh, and Rile?" The blonde looked at Lucy's now serious yet soft expression, "Thanks."

Riley gave a light shrug and a soft smile right back, "No problem Luce. I'll be back in a few hours okay? Hopefully Vasquez and James will be joining us as well."

Lucy nodded before closing the door, moving back and waving the Super off as she headed inside the main building.

(*Back at CatCo*) 

"Special delivery!" Riley called out as she knocked on Cat's office door, getting the attention of Kara, Winn and Carter.

Winn obviously took this as his chance to make a break for it and grabbed his and James' lunch from the pile, running off to his boyfriend's office a second later.

Riley chanced a glance at Carter, only to grin right back at the beaming smile she was met with, "Hey there Carter! How were the video games with Winn?" She asked while walking over to the couch that held both Carter and Kara.

The cheeky smirk that appeared on Carter's face reminded Kara of Cat, "It was pretty fun. I had to let him win a couple of times so he wouldn't get too frustrated about losing to me so much."

Kara giggled somewhat wildly at that because oh, did she know exactly what he meant, "Hey Ry, thanks for picking up lunch." Kara stood up and said, then pulled Riley away from Carter a bit to whisper so he couldn't hear her next question, "Okay so, with Cat's permission I was able to get three tickets to Maxwell Lords speed train. While I patrol later tonight could you take him there with someone and both of you keep an eye on him?"

"Sure! Carter is a sweetheart and Lucy is currently at the apartment, I'll ask if she wants to go with. My only worry is that it will be harder to get away if Superboy is needed to help Supergirl, even with Lucy's help." Riley muttered, she then glanced to make sure Carter didn’t over hear them but at seeing the boy chowing down on his food and writing something, she turned back to Kara.

"Well, I'm heading out for patrol around seven tonight. Remember that the train is set to leave at eight so make sure you're there by seven thirty with Carter and whoever you do end up taking with. Until then however, you are coming with me to the other couch and you are going to go over Cat's schedule, fixing any and all possible issues, some I put in there on purpose, while I go over the layouts James wanted for tomorrow." Kara was already pulling her to the second couch and tugged at Riley's hand to get her to drop down onto said couch so they could eat lunch first.

Riley pulled out her phone and shot off a text to Lucy to ask her if she wanted to join for the speed rail. Lucy's reply was almost immediate, she agreed to go and even offered to cover Riley in case a double trouble moment came up. The blonde tapped out a 'Thanks, Luce!', put her phone back in her pocket and joined Kara and Carter in chowing down. 'Rao, I didn't even realize I was this hungry. Kara did always know when to make me eat more, or Alex knew when we both needed more sunlight. Can't believe I'm saying this, but sometimes I love how they can be over-protective.' At that thought Riley shook her head lightly with a small yet happy grin.

The next two hours involved a large NERF gun battle between Kara, Riley, Carter, Winn and James. It was safe to say that Kara, Riley and Carter won hands down. Then an hour of 'Settlers of Catan' that Kara and Carter kicked the tar out of Riley at.

(*Leaving CatCo that Night*) 

"Alright little man, let's go pick up our third and head to that cool secret Kara has been hinting to you all day." Riley helped Carter up into her truck with a grin at his sassy sigh that already reminded her so much of Cat Grant.

"It's about time, she was driving me insane with the need to know." The twelve-year-old muttered, buckling into the middle of the backseat that had the same Racer type seat belts as in the front seat for extra safety.

Riley closed the door and moved to hop into the driver's seat once he was indeed buckled in, "So, is there any type of music you do or don’t like? If so, let me know yeah?"

Carter nodded his head and spoke up willingly at Riley's prompting, "I mostly avoid rap, dubstep, and excessively filled with profanity type songs. Though I do enjoy AWOLNATION, Imagine Dragons, Matchbox Twenty, OneRepublic, and bands like those."

"Sounds good to me. Here, take this iPod and play whatever you want from it. After we pick up Luce, you two can share the choices." She passed her older two hundred gigabyte iPod back to him, leaving the auxiliary cable plugged into it.

There were a few click noises over the speakers right before the song 'Jump on my shoulders' by 'AWOLNATION' started playing, "I love this song, good choice little man." Riley beamed at Carter through the rear view mirror, then turned her attention back to the road while she started singing along. Carter took a minute or so to join in, but when he did Riley noted that he had a pretty good voice.

Five songs later, Riley pulled the truck to a stop outside her and Kara's apartment and sent Lucy a text to know that they were waiting outside. Thankfully it only took her brunette friend three minutes or so to come rocketing out of the main door and into the front passenger seat.

"Sup Rile." Lucy greeted her with a grin and nod before looking to the backseat to greet Carter with an offered hand shake that he took, "Hey kid, I'm Lucy Lane!"

Carter seemed to be swept up by Lucy's exuberance, even though she was a Lane, "Hello Lucy, I'm Carter. Do you know where we're heading to?"

Riley cut off Lucy's answer swiftly less Kara find out the surprise was ruined and thus end up pranking her later in some way, "Oh no little man, nice try. You know Kara wanted this to be a surprise."

"Darn it. I was so close too!" The boy fake whined and was unable to stop a grin from breaking free right after at Lucy trying to get Riley to let her tell him with pouts and scowls. Neither seemed to be working though. Carter looked at the two and thought back to Kara, James and Winn as well, 'I like them. I hope they get to look after me more often, they're fun!' 

(*At the Speed Rail*) 

Lucy made sure to keep the two excited puppies with her in the large crowd, because that's how Carter and Riley were acting, like two over excited puppies. She figures Carter might have picked it up from being around Kara and Riley too much today. 'Yet, I can't deny that they, Kara, Alex, James, Winn and Vasquez can all be adorable pouters.' She admitted to herself with a shrug.

"Okay you two, were going to be boarding now so here are my rules. Rule one, hold my hand at all times until we are inside and seated. Rule two, do not try to ditch me because I will track you down and you will be in more than just a bit of trouble. That's mostly aimed at you, Rile." Lucy looked Riley in the eye at that bit with raised eyebrows like she watched Alex do, and it seemed to work almost as good if Riley's widening eyes and fast nod was anything to go by.

"Riley, I want you to carry Carter until we are about to be seated so no one runs him over. I'll walk in front of you and you'll hold onto my belt loop so you don't lose me in the crowd." Riley immediately picked up Carter and the boy clung to her at that order, both of them excited about the train but not wanting to frustrate Lucy more than the pushy crowd was already doing.

When Lucy turned towards the opening train doors, Riley's right hand shot out and she used two fingers to hold onto the shorter woman's belt loop while the crowd around them was ushered onto the train. It took maybe five minutes for them to finally be seated so Riley reached into a side cargo pocket for her Bluetooth headset, but found the pocket to be empty.

'Crap! Who could have taken it?' Riley thought hard back to the people who would have been close enough to snag it right out of her pocket when it hit her. 'Kara!'

"What is it?" Lucy asked her in a whisper, confused at Riley's suddenly frustrated look.

The blonde sighed and ran a hand down her own face, leaning in to quietly mutter, "Kara. She snuck my Bluetooth away. Probably a plan by her and Alex to get me to actually relax today after that bomb earlier." 

Riley's cellphone went off a few minutes later as the train pulled out and quickly picked up speed, "Kara, I could smack you for taking my." She was cut off by Kara's frantic voice , "Rile, listen! There is a bomber on that train! I'm about to land inside your car so I need you to sneak away, okay?"

"You got it, Kar." Riley hung up and looked at Lucy, "Hey Luce, I need to go to the bathroom," she paused to raise her eyebrows pointedly, "and since the front ones are probably busy, I'm going to go further back to see if there are any open ones."

Lucy's eye widened some at the worry she could see in Riley's eyes, so she nodded her head towards the back of the train, "Don't worry, I'll stay with Carter. Take your time."

Carter was still looking around them in awe of the train when Riley leapt to her feet and strode purposefully further down the train to a bathroom. She found one two cars back and disappeared inside. It took her maybe a second to speed change after checking for any cameras before she was slipping out of the window and into the air.

Kara noticed Riley flying next to her, "The plan will be easy. We'll enter through the car you were in and start having people move further back into the train. I'll go find the bomber while you make sure everyone gets a few cars back as to be far from the front as safely possible." Kara called out the plan and at 'Superboy's' nod, they both descended to a top window that Riley slid open so they could land. Kara closed it securely once Riley was inside next to her.

Maxwell Lord himself was the first to greet them, "I'm starting to think you have a thing for me." He joked with them, grinning at the two Supers. 

Lucy face-palmed and Riley could just imagine their other friends and the D.E.O. face-palming as well like in that movie 'The Naked Gun'. She had to use super speed to kick herself so she could avoid laughing at that image.

"Ethan Knox is on board." Kara had no time for the scientist's jokes, and that statement had Lord's smile disappearing.

"No, that's impossible." Maxwell actually had a bit of fear in his eyes that Kara thought seemed oddly faked, and shook his head in denial.

Riley moved towards Carter and Lucy nearby while Kara tried to talk some sense into the man, "You two look brave and capable, will you help us?"

Carter and Lucy were both looking determined as they gave their acceptance, "Good," Riley continued as she turned and gestured to Maxwell, "I need you two and Mr. Lord to get all these passengers to the very back of the train. I'm going to go further up with Miss," she trailed off on purpose to pretend she didn’t actually know Lucy. "Lucy." Her friend supplied easily.

Riley continued, already leading Lucy towards the front after Kara, "Miss Lucy, and we're going to move the people in the cars ahead further back as well. Supergirl is going to the very front to fix the issue, are you ready to be a hero?"

Maxwell and Carter seemed empowered by that and both began keeping people calm as they worked to get people up and heading to the back of the train.

"Alright Luce, let's get the other passengers to safety. Kara's got the bomber." At that the two women set off to get the other passengers safely walking further down the train one car at a time. Riley had her hearing and vision tuned into her surroundings to make sure everyone was accounted for. After around three minutes they had successfully started everyone was moving further back when a small explosion shook the train.

Figuring Kara had it handled, Riley had used her super speed to keep a pregnant woman from falling harshly into a nearby armrest, "Is everyone alright?" She called out in question to the rest of the passengers once the woman was gently righted. The train was slowing down quickly and calls of how only minor bumps and bruises were gained.

Kara appeared a few minutes later looking defeated, "I put out the fire on the track. We just need to pull this thing back the other way to get everyone back into town in the easiest way."

The lack of Ethan Knox said it all for Riley so she just patted Kara's shoulder and flew out of the train to tug it back, leaving Kara the job of making sure everyone got into seats to hopefully remind her that even if you can't save them all, you can still save as many as you can.

(*At the apartment*) 

"Ugh, I am just so done with today. Wake me up a month from now." Kara groaned into the couch cushion once she, Carter, Riley, Lucy, Alex, Astra and Vasquez all walked into the apartment and collapsed into different places. Thankfully Carter had fallen asleep on the way over so it was easy for Riley to carefully place him onto a spare twin mattress Astra dragged into the living room for him.

"Thanks, mom." Riley whispered without thinking about it, tucking Carter in with a spare quilt and making sure he seemed comfortable with the pillow he had.

Astra gazed at her in surprise but the look smoothed over into adoration, "Of course, Rile. What of the other sleeping arrangements?" She inquired with a head tilt.

Riley lead Astra over to the others while Kara darted into another room to pull her and then Riley's mattresses into the living room as well, "Well, Kara is sleeping in her favorite chair. Lucy and Vasquez are claiming Kara's mattress this time. While Alex and I are sleeping on my mattress. Since mine is a queen you're more than welcome to join us." The blonde could barely fight off her yawns through the sentences.

Everyone was already falling into their usual 'sleepover locations' with pillows and blankets by now. They were moved into action again when Alex flung a pillow at the two still standing Kryptonians. Riley caught it and just pulled Astra down to the mattress and curled up between the two older women.

"Good night Kara, Lucy, Vasquez, Alex, Carter, and mom." A near jaw cracking yawn made her words almost impossible to understand, but a chorus of Good night's were soon echoing back in mutters, wordless grunts, or the snores of those already asleep in the apartment that had a small glow of light from the streetlamps outside.

(*At  CatCo  the Next Day*)

Carter running to the private elevator as the doors opened caught Kara and Riley's attention, "Mom!" He joyfully called out to none other than Cat Grant.

"Honey! Oh my gosh, I was so worried! Are you okay? Were you scared, did you get hurt?" Cat was teetering on the edge between frantic and hysterical in her worry for Carter.

"I met Supergirl and Superboy on the train! They were amazing, and Supergirl is so much prettier in person!" Carter fanboy over the Supers a little, leaving both Kara and Riley fighting their grins as they continued to finish up their last bit of coffee from Noonan's.

Cat seemed surprised at the change in conversation as she guided Carter to a nearby chair, "Oh, did you notice any other of her attributes? What do you think makes her, them, heroes?"

"Oh, I'd say Supergirl's legs and Superboy's eyes, definitely." He paused to see his mom's reaction, then continued with a laugh and hugged her, "Their hearts, mom."

Kara flung a pencil that Riley had to dodge, the thing literally disappearing into a wall on the other side of the bullpen and stuck into the inner base walls when Riley gave Kara a sly grin and eyebrow wiggle at Cat's question, from their places next to the hall leading to the elevators. The slightly younger blonde slapped her hands over her mouth to stop her cackling laughter, even as Kara's eyes widened in mute horror before rapidly glancing around to see if anyone else noticed.

Cat's excited but frantic calls of how Carter was going to end up being late for school had the two Danvers' jogging around the corner to say goodbye the the young Grant.

"Bye buddy, it was fun hanging out with you!" Kara waved at him with her sunny smile and Riley tossed her arm over Kara's shoulder, "Agreed, it was pretty cool hanging out little man. Have fun at school, yeah?"

Carter beamed right back at them and went for a group hug with the two, "Bye Kara, Riley." He turned to his mom to brag about something, "Mom! Kara, Riley and I had an epic NERF battle with Winn and James! And Kara knows how to play 'Settlers of Catan' almost as well as you do! Although," he looked to Riley with a sly grin, " Riley could use a lot of practice to get anywhere near as good. Can they watch me again?" 

"Maybe, it depends. Now, I love you. Have a good day at school." Cat hugged Carter tightly, then gently pushed him to her elevator.

The three blonde women waved bye to the excited boy until the elevator doors slid closed, "Well, I guess I know who to call in case Carter needs another babysitter." That had Kara and Riley grinning so brightly it was as if they could power the building together. Cat walked into her office, waving her hands around in a swirl motion, "Chop, chop Kiera and Denvers. Work won't do itself you know."

Riley pushed Kara playfully and shot off to her desk, trying to get her work finished first. Kara was at her own desk a second later and both blondes were typing up a storm. Cat was watching the entire thing with a smirk, rolling her eyes at the two Super puppies that insist on working as assistants, 'If that's what makes them happy, who am I to deny them the right to work here simply because they're also Superheros?' She thought to herself, biting her bottom lip when her eyes locked onto Kara's form, 'But oh, I am turning into such a walking cliché.'

Chapter Text

Chapter Six: Relationship Goals, Red Robots and a Change in Jobs. 

(*At CatCo*) 

Riley was finally allowed on patrols around town again while on one of her 'intern half-days', leaving an overly stressed Kara to be at Cat Grant's mercy. 

"Kiera!" Cat called out with her voice echoing, sending the Super leaping to her feet. 'Oh Rao, I really hope I didn't mess up her schedule, I've been so busy and Riley's only just got back on doing patrols with me! Ugh, I can't deal with everything right now!' Kara thought a little frantically. 

The middle Danvers didn’t even bother called back, just jogged into the large office like usual before she asked, "Yes, Ms. Grant?" 

Cat looked over her glasses at one of her two Supers, "Where is the other one?" She took off said glasses to use them to gesture towards Riley's desk. 

"Oh! Riley and I were just on the phone with each other. You see, we were having a conversation about how Supergirl and Superboy seem to take turns patrolling the city." Kara paused at seeing the impatient look on Cat's face and then hurried along, "But she should be back soon." 

"Good. Get Olsen to set up a meeting between Supergirl and myself. I have something important I wish to speak with her about." Cat's pointed roaming look had Kara beaming while trying to stop from swooning or calling Riley, Alex and their friends to share the news. 

"Of course, Ms. Grant! I'll see to it right away." When she turned on her heel to leave the room, Cat cleared her throat, "Sorry Ms. Grant, is there anything else you need?" 

Apparently, Cat was going to let her stew in worry that she messed up, and after three minutes of Kara counting every second with growing terror, her boss smirked, "It's a date then, and no, I think that will be all. Chop, chop, Kara." 

(*Above National City, near the Outskirts*) 

"Greetings from airline Superboy, how may I assist you today?" Riley crooned out playfully in greeting after she answered her Bluetooth. 

"Riley, I have a date with Ms. Grant tonight!" Kara squealed loudly, making Riley wince from the volume. 

Riley's jaw dropped and she lost her momentum in the air for a second in surprise, "Wait, Cat has finally asked you out to dinner today? One of you has finally decided to stop dancing around each other and go for the plunge?" Her voice got higher and higher pitch during her questions with an elated grin appearing. 

"Yes, and I am so excited! But I need to go back to work to finish a schedule change before anything else comes up. Let me know how patrol went later, okay?" Riley could hear Kara's voice go from fangirl level down to partially tamed cheer. 

"You got it, Kar. I'll talk to you later." At that Riley hung up and immediately started making a group call with Lucy, Alex, Vasquez, James and Winn, hoping Astra was near Alex still. 

"Hey Riley!", "Sup Rile!", "Hey Rile, what's up with Kara?" "Greetings My Own, Brave One is finishing something that she is working on at the moment." All the greetings barely stopped from coming at once, thankfully. Vasquez, then Lucy, then James and Winn, and then Astra answered her calls. 

Riley cleared her throat some to stop any more questions from coming up before she could explain, "Hey everyone. I called to update on the SuperCat frontlines. Mom, that's code for Kara and Cat Grant, we all ship it and Alex will explain all of it to you later. Anyway, it seems that Cat has officially asked Kara out on a date." 

Goods news is that she was already feeling a little deaf from Kara's squealing so all her friends and family cheering wasn't all that bad. Bad news? She picked up on two speeding, road rage filled drivers going quite fast towards a school cross walk filled with children, "Uh, guys? I'm going to have to call you back." She hung up on her end of the call and dived down to land in front of the cross walk and stop the two cars with her hands. 

The man in the car to her left exited his vehicle, "You broke my nose and you totaled my freaking car!" He nearly yelled at her. 

"Sir, please calm yourself. I do apologize you were hurt, but I can not apologize for stopping you. If I hadn't, these children and crossing guard would have been harmed." Riley tried to calm the man while keeping herself calm and gestured to the children and the school crossing guard. 

She then turned slightly to speak with said worker, "Could you please call an ambulance in case either of these men are injured worse than I can tell? Also, the other man seems to have been knocked unconscious, let them know that as well." At their nod, she turned back to the now pale looking man, "Excuse me Sir, I need you to please sit down because I am not sure if you might have a concussion or not." 

"Okay, could you move my car over to the curb? I don't want It blocking the road for the ambulance, just in case." He asked her sincerely, now thinking with a clear head and had a voice filled with regret. 

Superboy walked forward and easily lifted the car, moving to gently place it back down but closer to the curb. She then went back over to the man and helped him over to a chair that the crossing guard offered as the sound of sirens soon filled the air. 

The paramedics were able to quickly load both men up into their vehicles, one had a broken nose with a small concussion. While the other man might have been knocked unconscious from the stop, he got away concussion free, but had a small cut on his face instead, "Thanks Superboy, these drivers and the would-have-been-injured sure do owe you one." A paramedic told her with a nod of respect. 

"Nah, just helping where I can, it's how Supergirl and I tend to be. Thanks for doing what you do though, you and the doctors. I could never do something like that very well." Riley had a respect for the medical groups of humans, after all, some of them were amazing people she looked up to. 

With a wave to the people around the scene and the paramedics about to head out, Riley launched into the air and soared back towards the D.E.O. to update Hank and the others, "First time I've ever been so happy that patrol is ending quick." She muttered to herself with a shake of her head.

 (*At the D.E.O.*) 

"Good job calming down that situation, Danvers." Hank offered her while turning away from the screens, "You were able to keep the sass that you and the other two are so infamous for, in check." 

Riley grinned slyly at him in a way that reminded Hank way too much of Alex's smirks. After a few seconds she walked over to join him, "Why do you think we've gotten so good at it? After all, we were taught by Alex who had honed that skill from you. Should we call you Sass-Master Henshaw from now on?" She drawled out with a bit of her own sass. 

"I'm going to ignore that." Hank shook his head, but then a sudden thought hit him when he noticed yet another agent walking around with a small scowl, "One more thing, you wouldn't happen to know who destroyed the coffee machine with a pebble of all things, would you?" 

She went to shake her head but paused with a horrified look slinking onto her face, "Oh Rao, this is not good. Hey, did Alex have this tense pull to her face? As if she had eaten something gross but doesn’t want to give away the fact that she dislikes it?" 

Hank nodded with his eyebrows furrowed at that spot on discription, but then realization hit him and he gained a wicked smile, "No, tell me it wasn't you?" He drawled out teasingly, "Does Alex know that you." 

Riley cut him off by placing her hand over his mouth, "Does Alex know that Riley did, what?" Alex's voice cut through the air like a recently sharpened samurai sword. 

"Nothing! Riley didn't mean to do anything to the coffee machine! Riley swears upon Rao!" The blonde paused with a look of pure confusion on her face that seemed adorable to Alex and Hank as she dropped her hand away from his mouth, "Why am I talking in third person? Since when did I become Gollum from Lord of the Rings? Why am I asking myself questions?" 

"Superboy here, was the one who broke the coffee machine." Hank watched their reactions closely and wasn't disappointed. Riley looked at him with a mix of terror, horror, and seemed to silently be calling him a traitor while Alex glared at Riley with a mix of determination and a thirst for revenge at the lack of coffee. 

Alex started stalking after Riley like a predator after its prey, "Oh it's on now, Wonder-Dork." 

Riley turned on her heel with wide eyes and didn't even try to explain, just ran at a human speed to avoid a total Drill Sergeant Alex if she used her powers to try to escape again. 

Vasquez turned around in their chair and grinned, "Flee Riley! Run while you still can!" They yelled out to their friend with laughter coating their words. 

"You cannot harm me, for I am the Grey Warden who slayed the Archdemon during the fifth blight!" Riley couldn't help it, she had say something like that while dodging Alex's lunges since she was still resisting the urges to sing. Her geek side was breaking free. 

Alex actually stopped to look at Riley with narrowed eyes, "You finally played Dragon Age? What did you think of it?" 

"Dude, I loved it! Almost accidentally romanced Alistair at least half a dozen times but I finally got it right after I googled it. I romanced a not hardened Leliana, Morrigan was like my sister, Alistair, after I had figured out the correct conversation choices, was my best friend and Wynne was the group mom. Also, Zevran was a friend, Ogren joined my party, as did Shale, Sten and the dog I named Puppup. I did the ritual at the end of the game so Alistair and my character didn't die. Then I was able to get Alistair and Anora to marry each other." Riley summed up her Dragon Age playthrough without going into too much geek babble. 

"I guess you are out of trouble this time. But if you ever break another coffee maker again, it's war." Alex's need to 'geek-out' was overpowering her need for coffee like it usually did, "Now, let's discuss the time table that involves you playing Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, and the Mass Effect trilogy after you get off work. Speaking of work, go! You have a job again, remember?" 

Hank shook his head at two of the Danvers' with a sigh, 'Just when you think things are going to end up quiet around here, you finally realize that the usual Danvers' play fights and arguments are simply not noticeable when the D.E.O. is busy. Only when it's not busy does it stick out like a sore thumb.' He thought, smiling in amusement that it hadn't hit him before then. 

(*Back at CatCo*) 

"All these televisions, how could you possibly get any work done with so much visual noise assaulting you?" Cat's mom Katherine Grant asked, unknowingly getting both Kara and Riley to scowl at the woman's impetuous attitude from the 'Super Office'. 

"That visual noise is my work, Mother." Cat's exasperation seemed like a second nature to the older blonde, making Riley wonder if Cat's mom was always this bad. 

Kara had a determined look set on her face and pulled Riley towards the elevator, "Come on, you're going to start singing in the middle of the bullpen to give Cat an excuse to dismiss her mother." 

Katherine's subtle insult to Cat made Riley pause her response, "That's right, my daughter, what do they call you? The Proletariat Princess." 

Riley scowled hard and making sure they were away from camera's, pulled Kara in a super speed run down the stairwell, "Oh, you want a distraction? I'll give you a distraction." 

The slightly younger Kryptonian disappeared in the blink of a human eye, only to reappear a second later with a regular guitar, "Let's do this." She mumbled as she stormed over to leap onto an empty desk near Winn for a mini concert, starting with the song 'Bad Seed Rising' by 'Bad Seed Rising'. Thankfully her voice could pull off that type of music fairly easily. 

Cat locked eyes with Kara, tilting her head slightly in curiosity, 'Just what is going on?' She thought, but tried to hide a smirk when Riley started strumming, 'I see, that's my cue to shoo away the Wicked Witch of the West.' Cat thought with the smirk starting to break free. 

"Mother, please escort yourself out. I have something to deal with." Cat sounded slightly smug as she leads her mother out of her office and gestured to the public elevators, "Now, if you would." 

Katherine could only watch with her jaw dropped after Cat left her next to the elevator before moving back towards the impromptu music concert held in her own office. 

Kara had trouble hiding her grin from Cat once the older woman was standing next to her, both of them watching Riley capture the attention of the other workers, literally turning the minor distraction for Cat into a floor wide distraction as others moved from the outer offices to listen.

Riley gestured for Kara to join her, but it wasn't until Cat pushed a bit at Kara's lower back, did the other Kryptonian finally join her on the desks.

When Kara started the second song, Bohemian Rhapsody, it had the entire office joining in for the chorus. Hell, even Cat cracked a smile at such a classic being known by heart by the entire floor.

"Alright everyone, back to work." Cat called out calmly once the song was finished, sending the crowd scattering, then headed back into her office to continue working.

"Oh Rao, that was awesome! I missed doing stuff like that." Riley admitted with a cute lopsided grin. 

"Now I understand why you did it so much, that was fun!" Kara's own beaming sunny grin had appeared and showed no signs of leaving.

Alex's voice startled them both, "Oh, I had a blast recording the whole thing. Feel free to do something like that again."

"Alex!" Kara and Riley stuttered out, then Kara took charge as Riley went to hide her guitar, "what are you doing here?"

The red head stood up from Kara's desk seat and gestured to Winn, "I'm here to talk to Winn about Astra's ID. I figure it would be easier for him to do so, then it would be for the D.E.O. Less chance of it being traced back, you know?"

Winn moved over to join them with a pen and pad in hand, "I'll get started on it after work, just let me know any specific details you want."

The Danvers' phones went off a few minutes later, after Alex had rattled off the information to Winn, "It's Hank?" Alex whispered in question, glancing at the two blondes. They all gave their different 'bye' from each of them to Winn and headed out of the building, all wondering what could have come up this time.

(*Out in the Desert*)

"So, why are we heading out here again?" Alex asked Hank not far from the other agents. They were watching Kara and Riley play-fight with each other in the air and on the ground.

"General Lane of the United States Army has, requested, a meet up between his people and the D.E.O." He huffed out 'requested' in sarcasm, smirking when Riley was finally able to tackle the faster Kryptonian and put Kara into a solid headlock since she was stronger.

The sound of trucks getting closer had the two supers breaking apart and instantly standing next to Hank and Alex, "Let's hope this is over with fast because Kara has a date with Cat tonight." Riley said with a sly grin, stumbling slightly when Kara shoved at her with a blush.

Alex pulled Riley and Kara where one was on each side of her to try to reign in their joking around, "Okay you two, time for serious faces. We don't know what they want, so be prepared for anything."

Agents started moving about to make sure everything was indeed set up to keep the meeting hush-hush, while the four further away watched a trio of armored military jeeps pulled up and parked nearby.

"Director Henshaw." General Lane greeted verbally after he got out of the middle jeep and made his way over to them.

"General Lane. What can I do for Army Intelligence?" Hank asked, stepping up to speak with the other man.

"I need to you approve an immediate transfer. Two members of your field unit into my command." The General seemed to want to get right to the point, they could at least respect that about him.

Lane gestured mildly to both of the supers, "The two in red and blue."

An unhappy Alex jumped in the conversation at that, "Technically, Supergirl and Superboy do not work for this organization."

"If I had my way, no one would." Oh, he just lost all brownie points with the three Danvers' in less than thirty seconds, "Your covert operations could be handled effectively with my special forces, and without foreign assistance." General Lane looked pointed at the two Kryptonians at his last 'point'.

Riley was fighting a snarl by now, and Kara's eyes seemed permanently narrowed now, "Why do you need us?" Riley was barely successful stopping herself from snapping at the father of one of her two best friends.

He seemed to puff up a bit at that question but kept his words aimed at Hank, "We've been developing something. An anti-insurgent combat device. Project code named, R.T. I need their help testing it for me."

Another man walked up with a scowl aimed at the supers, "They also have no choice since we received an executive order for them to comply."

"This is my legal attaché, Major Smythe. It's been signed by the President. You can take it up with her, if you like." General Lane sounded all sorts of cocky at the order brought up to the group.

Major Smythe looked smug at each of the blondes, "Unless neither of you think you're up for it."

Kara and Riley shared a look before Kara spoke up with determination flashing through her eyes at that not so subtle insult, "We'll do it."

"Supergirl, Superboy, you don't have to." Alex said as she turned to them, trying to silently tell them to cool off.

Hank also looked over at them with that same look, "I agree with Agent Danvers."

Riley took a step forward and look the men in the eyes with Kara moving with her, and asked, "What do you need us to do?"

"Fight my robot." He replied simply, then another person spoke up to cut in from near the back of a jeep next to a large metal crate.

"It's not a robot. It's an anthropomorphic pseudo entity with combat capabilities." The man explained with a bit of a New York accent, if Kara thought she heard him right.

General Lane nodded slightly at the man as the growing group walked over, "I stand corrected, Doctor."

A few beeps rang out from a few presses the 'Doctor' did on a small hand-held controller, and the crate's longer front side opened up to reveal what looked like a red metal man.

"I call it, Red Tornado." The Doctor continued, pressing another button to start the object up.

The Red Tornado robot's head lifted a bit and the eyelids snapped open to show a pair of bright orange eyes that looked so real. 'Oh Rao, what have we gotten into this time?' All three Danvers thought with their unofficial trademark crinkle out in full.

(*At the Apartment*) 

"So, today I met that hardass of a dad you told me about." Riley chimed out when she entered the apartment and closed the door behind her, knowing that Lucy was all but officially moved in.

Lucy winced at that, then responded after she swallowed her spoonful of cereal, "Ouch. How'd it go? Did you have even more bad luck and meet that Smythe jerk too?"

Riley sighed at her friend and dropped down onto the couch cushion next to the brunette, "Oh, not only that, Luce, but Kara and I have been given a Presidential order to fight your dad's robot."

"Wait, what?" By now Lucy had placed her mostly empty bowl on the coffee table and was rocking a glare that would unnerve even Alex. Probably not Cat though, Riley mused to herself.

"Yeah, tomorrow Kara and I are fighting some sort of robot they called 'Red Tornado'. It was kind of creepy looking and unnerves me a little, to be honest." Riley admitted openly, leaning to rest her head on Lucy's shoulder and to her joy, got a hand running though her hair which calmed her.

"Hmm, I'll approach some contacts since I'm still on a stacked-up leave in the Army. Hopefully I'll be able to find a way to get him to back off of the D.E.O. Also, if you don't mind, talk with Alex and Henshaw about 'inviting' me to the event tomorrow, I should have clearance to be there by then if I nudge the right people." Lucy thought out loud to Riley, still letting her fingers mindlessly run through the short blonde hair.

"You got it." Riley paused after giving her verbal agreement to the plan, looking at a mess up with the paint on the ceiling after she turned lay her head down in Lucy's lap, thinking about something before she starting again, "Hey, Luce? I've been thinking about leaving the temp-job at CatCo. I was considering getting a job as a full time D.E.O agent slash superhero."

Lucy looked down at her questioningly, tugging a bit on a lock of blonde hair, then continuing with running her fingers, "What brought this on? No one is pressuring you to consider this, right?"

Riley shook her head and lightly shrugged, moving her gaze to where she was picking at a stray strand on the bottom of her shirt, "Nah, it's something that I thought of myself. I figured I could do that, and find it more comfortable than being one of Cat Grant's two assistants. Turns out that being an assistant in a media company just isn't my thing. I don't know how Kara does it and keeps her sanity on top of our Superhero work."

"Well, if you thought it though, bring it up with Henshaw that you would like to join the D.E.O full-time, and let both Cat and Kara know that you're quitting the temp position." Was Lucy's simple response, finalizing Riley's resolve to just go for it.

"Alright, hopefully I'll be able to pass any tests the D.E.O has and join their ranks in the next week or so, if Hank says yes." The look in Riley's stormy eyes reminded Lucy of an extremely active yet light daytime storm that hit Metropolis a while back and made her tweak the blonde's nose because that look was also Riley's mischievous 'twinkle' that James told her to be on high alert from if it came about.

A sudden idea hit Lucy and her raised eyebrow at Riley's look turned into a mischievous smile, "Hey Rile, what do you think about going to the D.E.O and getting Vasquez to give you some piercings instead of those fake ones you use, and see if one of the cleared agents could get you a tattoo in the red sunlamp room you told me about?"

Riley hummed in thought, the leapt to her feet and pulled Lucy with her, grabbing her keys out of the bowl that held them on the breakfast bar and heading for the front door, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go now. If the work at the D.E.O is as slow as I think it's been, Vasquez shouldn't be busy at the moment and Alex will probably be hiding away in her lab like a hermit. My mom should be there as well which is good because I think she was wanting a piercing too after seeing someone with one."

(*At the D.E.O.*) 

Vasquez, Lucy, and even Astra were failing to hide their different volumes of laughter at Riley's squeaks from the pain of the final tattooing process, "Oh Rao, after this I'm not sure if I'm ever going to get another one." Riley admitted after another squeak, not even worried about hiding her noises since she felt like she already lost any dignity after the first one slipped out. 

"Hey, that's your own fault. First you got three piercings in your left ear, then a belly button piercing, and then a tongue piercing. After you laid under the yellow sun lamps, you decided to go ahead and get the two tattoos of a tribal pack of wolves with a ghost like fade to them chasing each other, to make a smallish band around your upper arms. Now you're getting a large 'Ze' symbol put on your back in tribal with red color fill in and a solid black outline. I'm surprised you decided to get this much done already." Vasquez admitted to her after they went over all the things the super had done in two total sittings, but maybe an hour after the last thing. 

Astra smirked at her daughter, eyes still having a slight glow of pride at Riley wanting the Ze symbol so badly, "Indeed My Own, they warned you about getting that much done so quickly. Yet I cannot deny that the skin markings and gems do look well, upon you."

Riley grinned, fighting past a wince as she felt the agent who used to be a tattoo artist before they joined, filling up the last bit of red for her main house symbol, "Yeah, I love it all. And the ear piercings you got look great Mom! Was a little surprised when you also got a tongue piercing but hey, still cool."

Lucy sent a flirty wink at Astra when Riley turned her head to see a mirror the artist was holding up for her to see the finished product, making the older woman blush and bite her lower lip as they started wordlessly flirting again.

"All done!" The man chimed out with a grin as he stood up and started putting away his tattoo gun. 

The other three walked over and looked at the Ze tattoo that was far more detailed than Riley first told them it would be. Not only was it a black outlined symbol filled with red, it also had a small tribal House of El in yellow as the 'shadow' of the Ze symbol, to show that she was of both houses, but heir to the Ze line. 

"These tribal designs make it look more like the ancient versions of the house symbols." Astra admitted in respect for the look that Riley went for. 

"I remember seeing the designs on some of the old history crystals, I much preferred the older versions over the more block styles we had since before even you were born on Krypton." Riley said with a roll of her shoulders, already heading out of the room for a yellow sunlamp. Vasquez was walking just ahead so they could warn the others if Alex, Hank or Kara was approaching. 

Lucy noticed Alex from the corner of her vision, the red head turning around a corner into the hallway they were just passing and locking eyes. When one of Alex's eyebrows creeped up in silent question at the group moving awkwardly, Lucy's eyes widened a bit, "Crap!" She hissed, lunging a bit to try to get Riley to hurry since she knew their cover was blown clear out of the water, "Run Rile, Alex just noticed us! Go, go, go!" She chanted as Alex started jogging over to them with eyes narrowed in suspicion at their panicking.

What happened next was something that Hank would save to a flash drive for future sharing, much like a parent keeping embarrassing home videos or pictures of their children. 

Alex was sprinting after the group that was running through the halls frantically, trusting Vasquez to lead them to safety. At one point the group split into two, Lucy and Astra taking a right hallway that lead back to the main command room while Vasquez and Riley took off down the left hallway that Vasquez gestured to, which would lead them to the sun table room Riley needed to recharge in.

Riley noticed that when Vasquez yanked them both into a side room after turning down the hallway, Alex had turned a sharp right to chase after Lucy and Astra, "Woah, talk about a close call. That was fun!" Riley actually giggled a bit with a wide grin as Vasquez panted next to her.

"Never thought I would ever actually be able to add 'successfully avoid Agent Alex Danvers if she chases me' to the list of possibly impressive things I have done." Vasquez panted out with a grin of their own, holding onto their knees to catch their breath.

"No kidding, I think that's the first time I've ever gotten away so easily! Thanks, Vas!" Riley openly admitted, carefully patting Vasquez on the back once they had stood up fully again.

Vasquez thought about having a shortened nickname and found they didn't mind at all. They grabbed Riley's forearm and pulled the blonde out into the hallway and a few doors down to reach the room they were running for earlier, "Well, come on. Let's get you under those yellow sun lamps before Alex figures out that we didn't run the same direction as Lucy and Astra."

(*At CatCo in the 'Super Office'*)

"So, apparently Riley and I are fighting a robot tomorrow." Kara started as Winn typed away on his computer.

"Robot? Wait, what kind of robot are we talking, like a C3PO? Terminator? Megazord? Roomba?" Her best friend asked, pushing away from the desk to look at her.

James walked into the room with three coffees, passing one to each of them before settling down on the couch with Winn joining him a second later and asking, "Is the D.E.O. testing out a new toy?"

"Army Intelligence, actually." Kara huffed at the thought of the General and Major she met earlier, "General Lane and a Major Smythe ordered us for our help."

"So that is what her father is really doing here. He tried to tell her it was just to see her but." James trailed off, scowling about the man who Lucy tried to make proud, but never seemed able to.

Winn chimed in with his eyebrows furrowed in thought, "Are you two able to say no to this without repercussions?"

Kara shook her head negatively, "Nope, it came with a Presidential order. Ry texted me a few minutes ago and told me that Lucy is going to be there tomorrow and try to find a way out of this for us if it gets bad, mostly just to legally protect us though. Besides, Ry and I want to show them that we are not only team players, but we can be trusted." 

"Wait! Does the robot fight mean that game night is canceled tomorrow?" Winn asked sharply with worry on his face over game night. 

"No! No, game night is the last shred of normalcy that remains in our crime stopping, alien hunting, D.E.O. hacking lives. Game night survives. It has to." She was completely set in this, refusing to lose one of the last few normal things in her life.

James grinned at the explosive reaction to lack of game night, "Okay, Winn and I will see all of you there." He then stood up and placed a kiss on Winn's cheek before walking out of the room to go finish his catch-up work.

"So, who's all going?" Winn asked, only with a light blush due to not being worried about his friend's reactions anymore.

Kara beamed at him, happy for Winn's solid relationship with James, "Well, it's going to be Me, Riley, you, James, Lucy, Astra, Vasquez, and Alex, at minimum. It'll be fun!" After specifying for him, she left the room to go back to work as well, using a bit of super speed to go down the stairwell.

'Maybe I should ask Cat if I should wear casual, super suit, or formal clothes for tonight.' Kara thought to herself, wondering just where they would be going for their date later. 

The sound of Alex's ringtone brought her back to reality, "Hey Alex! What's up?" She greeted with a smile still holding strong. 

"For the first time since I've met the two of you, Riley has successfully evaded me without using her powers." Alex huffed out with shock lacing her tone.

Kara's jaw dropped in surprise and she dropped into her desk chair, "Wait, really? How did she do it?"

A tired laugh was given from Alex, "She had accomplices named Lucy, Astra, and Vasquez. There were a few splits in the hallways where Vasquez and Riley could have broken away, but my backtracking has come up empty so far. Any ideas where they could have headed?"

"Hmm, maybe try the solar recharge room? That's the only place besides the gym, command center, and break room that we ever go to." Kara shared her ideas on where Riley could have run to, still impressed about the escape even though her sister, technically cousin, had the help of others.

"Ah ha! Found you, Wonder dork." Alex's voice could be heard calling out, followed by a yelp that sounded like Riley, "I'll call you back later Kara, I have to deal with Super Spaz and Agent Traitor."

"Later Alex, and good luck you two!" Kara called out over the phone to the others in the room with Alex, knowing they were about to get grilled for something.

(*That night at Cat Grant's penthouse*)

Nervously standing on Cat's second floor balcony at the woman's house. Kara watched her stand up from her desk and walk up to the glass doors to unlock and open them for Kara, "You look beautiful." Cat commented softly on Kara's soft dark blue shirt, black pants, lack of glasses and kept-down hair.

"Thank you, Cat. You are breath taking like always." Kara gave a breathy sigh that was just so much like a swoon at Cat's 'casual' clothes of light blue jeans and a feminine cut white t-shirt. 

"Well, come inside. Dinner is almost ready and Carter is impatiently waiting to see you since some friend he keeps talking about hasn't picked him up yet. And yes, he did figure it out on his own even though I did not confirm it. I left that up to you." Cat blushed a bit, her eyes peering searchingly in some sort of unspoken test. 

Kara didn't even need to think about it, Carter was Cat's son and she trusted them to not spread her and Riley's secret around, "Then we shouldn't keep him waiting. I'll let him know when I see him." 

Cat's warm smile showed her that she passed whatever unknown test Cat had set for her, then followed the other woman out of the small personal office and down the stairwell towards the dining room. 

Carter leapt up from his seat at the table, eyes wide and jaw dropped at the sight of Kara, "Supergirl." He breathed out in greeting to one of his idols, but then shook his head and his eyes hardened a bit after a glance at his mom, "Is this a serious date?"

At Kara's nod he continued briskly, "Then I will tell you now that if you hurt my mom, I will kick your butt." 

"If I ever do, I'll gladly take any response to it from you." Kara told him with a serious look on her face as well, both her and Carter not noticing Cat's smile at her two favorite people. 

He stared Kara down for a minute or two, then opened his arms for a hug but kept his eyes narrowed, "Hey Kara, is mom still nagging at work?" 

"I never said that about you." The younger blonde told Cat to clarify just in case. Then moved to hug Carter, "You're going to get me in trouble with questions like that, Carter." 

Carter beamed at Kara's lack of denial over him figuring out that she was Supergirl, "Well, you didn’t answer the question so that's all on you."

While they were talking, Cat had entered the kitchen to grab a pitcher of water for them since Carter took it upon himself to set the table and place the large pan and serving plates containing some of Cat's homemade Italian dishes there as well.

A single honk and engine rev that sounded familiar to Kara rang out. It had Carter hugging Cat before jogging to the front door and grabbing his overnight bag, "My friends are here, so I'll see you tomorrow mom! Have fun!" 

They watched him run up to a large truck that Kara recognized from the window next to the door, making her sigh in realization, "Oh, I know exactly who they are." She told Cat with a soft laugh, "Riley, Alex and our friends that Carter hung out with when he stayed the night over at the apartment. I just knew they had to be in on this."

Cat gazed at her in a way that made it feel like her insides were warming, and she followed the older woman when Cat hooked a finger on the neckline of her shirt and pulled her to the dining room.

'Oh Rao, the things this woman does to me.' Kara thought to herself, nearly panting after the older blonde. Cat's own thoughts would have made Kara blush if the Super could actually read minds, 'If only Kara knew just was I have in store for tonight, thank you Carter.'

(*Next day at CatCo *)

Riley had just turned in her resignation from the temp position to Cat, "I have a job lined up to work alongside Alex. Turns out I'm not very good at the whole assistant thing."

Cat raised an eyebrow at her with a sly smirk, looking at Riley over the top of her glasses, "Well, I'm happy you said that yourself before I had the chance to."

"Thanks Cat, I appreciate the honesty." Riley laughed heartily at the woman's sass, feeling joy at the slight glow both Cat and Kara were still sporting.

"Go gather your personal items and let Kara know what's going on. Chop, chop, Denvers." When Riley heard her office nickname, the Kryptonian just grinned and walked out of the office to follow one last in-job order from Cat Grant.

She cleared her throat to get Kara's attention, "Hey Kar, I just resigned from the temp position and before you ask, yes, I do have another job already lined up. This job is one that I have been considering and I just have to take a few red lamp room tests to prove that I am able and fit to join Alex's team."

Kara got up from her chair and went around her desk to hug Riley, "Don't worry about it Ry, I figured you'd join Alex over there eventually. No offense, but being an assistant really just isn't your thing." 

Riley mock scowled at Kara once they separated, "Oh I see how it is, I'm encroaching on your territory huh?"

"I'm not going to answer that, now shoo! I have work to do and you have places to be!" Kara started pushing Riley to the elevator, laughing when Riley started acting like she couldn't walk anymore until they finally reached the elevators.

"Okay, I'm going! Now, when you're off work call me so I know when to expect you and the other CatCo lackeys in the group for game night tonight." Riley told her, giving one last hug before she stepped into an elevator that was thankfully already on their floor.

"You got it Ry, have fun doing those tests with Alex!" The sunnier blonde called out to her, actually worrying Riley.

"Uh, Kara? What do you mean 'with Alex'? Wait, Kara! Am I going to be training against Alex? Kara!" Kara laughed at Riley's squeaking voice over the tests seemingly getting a lot harder just at the mention of Alex, the doors to the elevator slid closed dramatically a second after Riley's last call out to her.

(*At the Apartment, Game-Time*)

"The amount of muscles that ache in places I didn't know I had is unreal." Riley whined from her spot on the couch, she was stretched out across it with her legs over Astra's lap and Alex being stretched out from the other side the same way, and their legs twined together.

"Ugh, I can't believe how after your tests Hank had us literally fight until someone lost or we both couldn’t move." Alex groaned her reply, "I think that our bruises have bruises after that. Not to mention how you wouldn’t just stay down, so we each ended up even more injured."

Hank looked over at them with a smirk from his place in Kara's favorite chair since Alex had invited him to game night, "Well, at least you'll both sleep pretty deeply tonight. Hell, you might even go to bed early for once in your lives."

Cat strutted into the room and sat on the second couch that already held Carter and Kara, "Why the two of you didn't just both lay down and admit a draw, I will never know. Oh wait, I do know." She looked at the two whining women pointedly, "You two can be more stubborn than an immovable object."

"Wait," James cut in, dropping down to a mix of pillow and blanket pile that Winn was already sitting in, "you're saying that those two whiners," he paused to point at Alex and Riley, "literally beat each other up until neither could keep going?"

Astra gave off a large grin laced with amusement, "Oh Rao yes, it was hilarious to watch. Most of the fight after twenty minutes or so, turned into both of them trying to talk the other into giving up while still swinging at each other."

"Okay children!" Lucy called out with her hands raised from where she was standing near the T.V, getting everyone's attention, "Now, the groups are split so I'll call out the team name and who's on each team." At the nods of understanding she started reading the list off her notepad, "Team SuperCat, the name was chosen by Alex, holds Kara, Cat and Carter."

Everyone could see Kara and Cat's light flushes while Carter just highfived Alex. Lucy continued with a smirk, "Team AgentNerds, the name chosen by Carter, holds Vasquez, Hank and Winn. Team SuperSassy, the name chosen by Kara, holds Astra, myself and Alex. Last but not least, Team Suave-Until-They're-Not, or SUTN as named and shortened by Cat, is James and Riley."

After she finished reading off the list, everyone got up and started moving around until each person was sitting with their 'group' and separate from the others, "Let's get this party started with Pictionary." Riley cheered, darting out of the room to only come back with a large stack of games that would normally take at least three people to carry and set them down on the floor next to the coffee table. She then turned to run again to set up three dry erase boards on easels for the first game in what seemed like three seconds flat. Once everything was set up, she dropped down to the beanbags that James claimed for them.

The teams SuperCat and SuperSassy seemed to be talking strategies with each other, both filled with competitive people. Teams AgentNerds on the other hand just seemed to share looks and relax. Riley and James shared looks of pure determination and simply nodded at each other, filled with competitiveness themselves and neither willing to go down without a fight.

(*Next Day in the Desert*)

"I don't say this often, but I am craving a good fight right now." Kara admitted with her arms crossed, slightly glaring at General Lane and his lackey, Major Smythe.

Lucy and Riley walked up to Alex and Kara, "No kidding." Riley chimed in, wearing a small scowl, "Sorry to say this Luce, but your dad is an ego filled jerk. I feel like I could stick a needle in the air twenty feet around him and we'd hear a hiss as his ego deflates."

"Nah, I agree with you there. Besides, he's been like that ever since I was a kid after Lois fell in love with Superman." Lucy agreed with Riley about the general dislike of her Father. "Anyway, do any of you know where my bestie Vasquez is? I want to see if there is a bet on how fast you two can annihilate my Father's new robot toy."

Alex pointed over at a large military tent-like building, "In there at the main table, they and a few others are going to be keeping track of the fight. Mostly to make sure nothing more sinister is going on here."

Lucy patted both Supers on the back and nodded her thanks to Alex, heading inside and to the table that held Vasquez and Hank.

"Just keep your cool, both of you. I know you can do this." Alex promised with her hands on her hips, their attentions turning back to the robot a little way away. The red head then pat their arms and turned, walking to join Lucy and the others inside.

(*Inside the Tent*) 

Major Smythe started the bets by throwing a twenty on a small side table, "I got twenty bucks on the android." He offered with a smirk. 

"Forty on the Aliens." Alex, Lucy and Vasquez all chimed in at the same time, Alex with a smirk of her own and the other two with wicked grins, rising the betting pool. 

Hank's voice snapped out after the money hit the table and continued to grow as more military bet on the android and his other agents joining in by betting on the Supers winning, "If at any point I don't like what I'm seeing, I'm ending this." Hank told Lucy's father sternly. 

General Lane looked over at him like Hank was dirt on his shoe, "Which I would completely understand, if you had any authority over me. Dr. Morrow, you can begin." 

"Thank you General." The scientist pressed a button on the tablet type object he was holding, starting up 'Red Tornado' outside. 

(*Outside*) 

Kara and Riley dropped into fighting stances when the robot started turning on, lifting it's head to look at them. 

Both of them had looks of confusion when it's hands starting whirling, making two small vortexes. When it lifted its hands, Kara's eyes went wide and she rocketed sideways to dodge the incoming vortex, but it didn’t click for Riley and 'Superboy' was sent backwards into the air, harshly. 

Red Tornado fired a rocket at each of them, surprising the two yet again as it actually made them stumble from the direct hits. 

Riley could honestly say that she was already just so done with this robot, and started thinking strategies as Kara held its attention, the slightly older Kryptonian playing dodgeball with the Red Tornadoes rockets. An idea hit her when she thought about the 'Tremors' movies that Alex had an addiction to, making Riley grin as she shot down into the Earth and 'tunneling' her way to the robot. 

Kara noticed the slight uplifted trail Riley had and made sure Red Tornado's back was in Riley's direction while she made taunting gestures to the person controlling it. She heard a voice from inside the tent call out to Alex mockingly, "Where is Superboy? Don't tell me she is a chicken and a weakling. I would believe it with her letting Supergirl take over for most of the 'fight', and I use that term loosely." 

The dirt trail paused for a second and Kara knew that Riley had finally reached wits end with the Major, "You can take it from here, work out a bit of that frustration." Kara called out to Riley, grinning smugly at the robot so the others could see.

Unfortunately for the Red Tornado robot, Riley was very unhappy at the moment and shot out of the ground much like the Tremors, sending it slamming down hard, "Thanks Supergirl." She hissed out, leaping forward with destructive intent. 

(*Inside the Tent*)

"Oh Rao, Riley seems pissed. She's doing that much damage and I know for a fact that she's still holding back like they were earlier. If they used their full strength, it would probably resemble paste more than android." Alex muttered to the group of D.E.O agents and Lucy, watching the fight on a nearby T.V. To say that Riley was beating the hell out of the metal creation was putting it mildly.

"It's experiencing system damage." Dr. Morrow called out, then spoke to the General, "The test is over. Pull the plug, now."

Alex pressed her Bluetooth to reach Riley over the radio with a smugness to her voice, "Superboy, stand down. You won."

They watched as Riley just kept hitting the robot in front of her, the dark tint to her eyes actually worried Alex and the small smile dropped off her face. Hank was also worried enough when Riley used her freeze breath to freeze the arm of Red Tornado that tried to lash out at her, that he yelled out over his own Bluetooth, "Superboy, stand down! That's enough!"

(*Outside*)

Hank's yells broke through to her and Riley stopped, her breathing only a little harder than normal due to her rage. Kara looked like she was ready to intervene at her place now next to Riley, but had noticed Riley calm down.

Red Tornado straightened and took off into the sky, creating a vortex around its legs to let it fly.

"Supergirl, Superboy, are either of you hurt?" Alex called out to them, the people inside running out and over to them.

"No, we're okay." Kara answered for both of them since Riley still looked unnerved at losing some control over her anger for the first time in her life. Alex noticed this and stepped forward with Kara to stand near enough so Riley could calm down with their presences, Lucy and the others quickly joining them.

Thankfully none of the military noticed this and Dr. Morrow spoke up, "Superboy must have triggered his emergency self-preservation functions."

Kara looked around in the sky with her super vision, "I can't see it." She called out after scanning as far as she could.

"He's in stealth mode, making him one-hundred percent undetectable." That got some eyebrow raises and Hank's eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"This is your fault." General Lane yelled at Riley, only to stumble back a step when Lucy was right in his face with an enraged look.

"You had a Presidential order that let you force them to fight it. You honestly think that this is, in any way, anyone's fault but yours?" Lucy yelled right back, standing her ground against her father for the first time in a long while.

He stood back up straight and turned his attention to the Supers, "Your recklessness has unleashed an uncontrollable killing machine on National City."

Hank stepped up and softly pulled Lucy away from the General and stood between his Supers and the man, "Enough. We will all head back to the D.E.O and track this thing down. There will be no more fighting," He stopped to look at the General pointedly, "no matter how wrong someone may be about this situation."

(*At the D.E.O.*)

"A billion-dollar investment, eleven years of R and D, and what do we have? A paper weight." General Lane called out as he and a small attachment strolled into the room and up to the main table. 

Riley clenched her teeth tightly and kept her eyes locked onto the metal arm lying on the table to avoid snapping at the idiot to her right. Kara used a small, almost hidden hand wave, to bring Riley's attention up to her and gave the younger Kryptonian a small reassuring smile, calming Riley down for the most part.

General Lane's grating voice continued, "I want this thing found and destroyed before it turns National City into a warzone. Besides, the last thing the Army needs is a bunch of wounded civilians on the nine o'clock news."

"Destroy it? You can't do that. I have invested too much time and effort into this." Dr. Morrow didn't seem even the slightest bit happy about the General's plan, but was cut off by said man.

"Into what, Morrow?" The General walked around the large table to stand near the scientist, "The Red Tornado failed. And so did you. You're fired."

Morrow grit his teeth and stormed out, letting an Agent lead him to the main exit. General Lane started talking with his Major about some sort of plan while Kara hugged Alex, Riley and Lucy, muttering how she needed to get back to work since Cat Grant was having a busy day.

Alex grabbed Lucy and Riley's wrists while Lucy grabbed Vasquez's and tugged them over to Hank, "I don't trust this. I'm pretty sure the others know something seems up, too." She whispered to him, keeping her voice low.

Hank looked over at them, barely moving to not gather the attention of the General and his minion. Then he quietly spoke as loud as he could get away with, "I agree. Keep an eye on them Vasquez. Lucy, let us know if your Father or the Major slip up about something you might overhear. Alex, go with Riley and start her weapons training. I had yellow lamps also installed in the room you all apparently enjoy using so she'll be able to recharge in the same room you all work out and practice in."

They all nodded in acceptance of his orders and made their way to different places. Vasquez to their chair near the main screens, Alex and Riley headed to the practice room that now held a makeshift gun range, and Lucy headed over to one of her contacts in her Father's 'attachment' in one of the side rooms nearby.

An hour later, Riley's phone vibrated in a hidden pocket just on the inside of her boot that was resting nearby since she had changed into her workout clothes in the Practice room.

'Hey, don't wait up tonight. Impromptu date with Cat starting now.' Kara's message read, sending Riley's right eyebrow up in amusement.

"Hey Alex, guess what! Kara already has another date with the Queen." Riley called out since the room was soundproof so they could hear things outside, but anyone outside couldn't hear them. She handed her cellphone to the older woman when Alex walked up and held out her hand to read it as well.

Alex's smirk had Riley giggling in their now shared amusement and slight awe, "Well now, I never thought that Kara would be the one out of the three of us to be the first to send out texts like this." She handed Riley's phone back and pulled the blonde up off the bench, "Alright, let's get started. Last time I taught you about gun safety, the stances for different types, and how to clean said guns. Now I'm going to teach you how to use an array of guns and we're going to find around two that you feel natural using."

Riley followed Alex up to the makeshift gun range, putting on the sound reducing headsets and picking up the pistol Alex pointed out for her, then Alex continued, "I'll have you start on the small weapons and work your way up. After every different weapon type here has been tested, we'll move on to the ones you might work better with and narrow it down until there are only two or three. Aim down range and begin."

Soon, the sound of gunfire filled the room as Riley tried out the guns one at a time. About an hour later Alex was able to narrow it down for her to a tactical twelve-gauge shotgun and the Beretta M9.

"It seems we have a winner. Looks like you'll be on the squad's frontline charge with me with weapon preferences like those." Alex said, placing her hand on Riley's shoulder with a smirk.

"Seems I was right to have you lead her training." Hank called out from near the door, startling the women, "Now all Riley has to do is complete the final test, which begins now." At that a part of the floor swung open from underneath Riley and sent the blonde tumbling down a level or two below.

Riley's eyes were wide in shock and she was barely able to shake out of it before she had to roll to avoid landing hard on her feet since she was still powerless due to the red sun emitters.

"Jeez Hank, thanks for the warning." She called out up to the opening she fell through, right before it snapped shut while Alex was waving down at her. Leaping to her feet to look around the new room she was in, Riley checked around her for weapons. There was also a muttered thanks to Rao because the shotgun and pistol fell with her, but lacked ammo.

The room reminded her of the upper floors of the D.E.O, but a lot shadier in terms of the lights flickering, dirt and blood smudges on the walls, and random holes placed in some of the doors and walls like some sort of survival horror game gone wrong.

"I swear to Rao that when I get out of this, I'm kicking Alex's ass." Riley hissed since she had a feeling that Alex had to have been helping Hank set this up. Besides, the red head knew how much the idea of creepy places like this scared the hell out of her. 

Some sort of deep thumping steps echoed from down the hallway she moved into. Silently cursing her luck, Riley used the strap on the shotgun to rest it over her back and put the pistol into a holster Alex had her attach to her belt. Once she was all set and the footsteps were getting much closer, she jumped up to push a ceiling tile out of her way and scrambled up, replacing the tile once she was in completely.

The thundering steps continued to slowly get closer until they came to a stop just slightly down the hallway. Riley made sure to keep quiet and creeped along the ceiling further and further away from whatever the fresh hell that was. It took a good five minutes for her to reach what would be, if the mirror layout proved true, Hank's office. She pulled a tile up slightly and peaked around to see that her guess was correct. Not seeing anything that could trigger an alarm or anything too creepy inside, she dropped down and walked over to the mimic desk, looking for any sort of information on what she had to do. 

It was a file that was laying open with what looked like a bloody handprint next to it that contained what she needed to know, 'Some sort of Alien prisoner break out, apparently. It says here that a new type of ammo was created in Alex's lab to knock out the prisoners for safe transport back to their cells. Well, if that's my goal to this test, may Rao give me strength because this is all sorts of messed up.' Riley rambled to herself in her thoughts, moving over to grab what looked like a mostly empty thin backpack that only held a map of the layout, a small canteen of water and a few protein bars. She placed the file inside for safe keeping, pulled it over her back and placed her shotgun over it, then climbed back up into the ceiling.

"Okay," she whispered to herself, quietly crawling around the more solid parts of the ceiling, "just need to get to Alex's lab, grab the ammo, and get each of the five prisoners back to their cells one at a time as efficiently as I can. Easy to plan, more than likely not so easy to actually do."

(*Two Hours Later*) 

"She's making decent time. Only going to take maybe fifteen minutes longer than you did." Hank admitted while he and Alex watched the proceedings from the screen in a room behind a wall in the same room that held the cells.

Within two hours, Riley had found the information on what needed to be done, gathered the 'knock-out ammo' from Alex's mimic lab, imprisoned four of the five 'escaped prisoners' who were actually D.E.O agents, and was well on her way to finish imprisoning the fifth and final 'escapee' back in the last cell.

Alex glowed with pride at her Kryptonian slash trainee's quick work. There was a worrying moment where Riley had charged the strongest agent but ended up using a mix of martial arts and parkour Alex had drilled into her muscle memory to quickly take him out, "Not too bad at all." 

Sure enough, ten more minutes passed and Riley had wheeled the final agent into the last cell with a makeshift gurney. After she was out and the door 'locked' shut behind her, the lights went steady and Hank opened the wall to reveal the hidden room. 

Riley stared at the two as they came to a stop in front of her, blinking at the harsh change of lighting before she noticed Alex's pride filled stare, but turned her attention to Hank at him clearing his throat, "You did good," he paused to smirk at her widening eyes, "Agent Danvers-Ze." 

The blonde had to stop herself from doing a celebration dance and instead stood 'at attention', "Thank you, sir." She bowed her head a bit to him, waiting until he turned on his heel and left towards an elevator in the other room to dart forward and punch Alex on the arm, "You know how I feel about places that look like this!" She hissed, ignoring the wince to pull the older woman into a tight hug right after, "Thank you, Alex." 

"No problem, Wonder Dork." Alex murmured before she pulled back and punched Riley in the arm just as hard, getting a wince. 

"Okay, I deserved that one." Riley groaned, then she and Alex made their way over to Hank and stepped inside the elevator with the other five agents also joining them, congratulating her. 

Hank escorted the two women to the 'recharge room', as Kara dubbed it, and placed the weapons in a locked drawer while Alex had made her lie down on the now relaxing, soft table to recharge the last bit she needed. 

It took maybe only thirty minutes and by then she was back to normal. Hank handed her a large black tactical backpack once she hopped up off the medical bed, "Inside you will find D.E.O approved clothing for wearing at the agency when not in your supersuit. It also holds your badge which you must keep on you at all times, a new untraceable cellphone for work calls only, a very real yet currently unloaded Beretta M9 with a holster, and finally," He placed all the items back into the bag she was still holding since he had pulled them at as he told about each item, "unless something Super comes up, you are to report here at oh-six-hundred. Alex will pick you up to make sure you arrive here on time." 

"Yes sir," Riley nodded slowly, still in awe that she actually made it to agent status, "I might not be bright eyed and bushy tailed, but I'll be here."

Alex wasn't able to help the small snort of laughter, watching Hank open the door to the room and start shooing them out, "Alright get going, and remember to tell the middle one how it went so my own personal line isn't blown up by either of your lack of texting her updates. Also inform Agent Vasquez on the way out. Oh, and Ms. Lane told me not too long ago that she was going out to dinner tonight with her Father to try to needle him for information, so don't be surprised if she isn't back yet." 

Two of the Danvers' three musketeers stared at him with deadpan looks on their faces, "Wait, is that all now or is there more you need to tell us?" Alex asked him with a drawl to her words, Riley struggling to keep the straight face going next to Alex but the corners of her lips kept twitching. 

Hank sighed at them in amused exasperation, swinging his hand in a downward horizontal arch to the hallway, "That's all. Now, dismissed, Agents." 

(*At the Apartment*) 

Riley had just thrown her new agent backpack onto her bed at home after dropping Alex off, when she picked up the familiar sound of metallic whirling at the edge of her subconsciously stretched out hearing, about fifteen blocks away. 

"Crap. Just can't relax yet, can I?" She asked herself, turning on her heel to soar back out of the widow she came in. The sounds of people screaming had her kicking her speed up a notch. 

Right as she slowed to a stop above the scene, Kara hand landed between General Lane and Red Tornado, catching the androids fist easily, "I'm not gonna let you hurt them!" And oh, did Kara sound unhappy. 

Noticing a low groan from near a small pile of knocked over tables and chairs, Riley's heart stuttered in worry at the sight of Lucy unconscious in the middle of it all, "Supergirl, hold him off. I'm going to get Lucy and the General to safety!" Riley called out, swooping down to pick up her friend and the General. 

Kara just started fighting the Red Tornado, so Riley took off as fast as she could to take Lucy to the D.E.O medic room and dropped the General off at the same location. After a medic rushed up to start checking on her friend, she ran back out, launched up and flew fast back to the fight. However, her flying stuttered a bit at the sight of a tornado forming in the middle of the block that Kara and the Red Tornado were located at. 

Realizing that it was actually causing some damage, she thought back and remembered learning about how if the rotation is disrupted enough, the tornado will cease to exist. Thinking that, she basically threw herself into it and began flying in the opposite direction of the rotation. It was working but nowhere near fast enough on her own without risking more damage to nearby object and people, so when Kara let the android escape to help with the tornado Riley could have hugged her right then and there. The two working together cut the tornado out before it could reach any of the civilians. Taking note of how no one seemed injured, they gave their usual fist bump at the success and took off towards the D.E.O. 

(*At the D.E.O... Again*)

"Well, nothing is broken and there is no sign of a concussion. She's lucky." The medic said, turning off the small hand-held light that he used to check for the concussion. 

Lucy leaned over to lean a bit on Riley's and sighed, "Thanks for saving my life." 

General Lane cut off any response with a gruff tone, "You let that thing get away. I thought you were on our side." 

When he spun on his heel and strutted out of the room, the three once again unhappy women were up and on his heels, "We tried. It fought harder this time, faster. Like it learned a thing or two from the last go." Kara argued, trying to get him to understand exactly what happened. 

"It's like it knew you would both choose to save people." Surprise filled Lucy's tone at her own realization, "The tornado was just a diversion to get away. He used your humanity against you." 

"And now more innocent humans could be in danger. If anything else happens, you and the D.E.O will all be held accountable." General Lane was honestly about to send both Supers into a fit of rage filled frustration. 

It was good for his health that Hank came in abruptly. All though maybe not because Hank looked down right livid, "That's enough, General." He came to a stop next to the frustrating Army man, "My team analyzed Red Tornado's dermal covering. It's made of a biosynthetic polymer which contains traces of lead. To suppress x-ray vision, right?" 

'We all knew something had to be going on! Got you now, you rat faced bastard.' Alex thought vindictively as she stormed up to the table to stand near her close group, which had recently been including Lucy. 

Any possible smug looks from the others around the table sunk away for scowls and almost snarls of rage aimed at the General at Hank's next words, "The android wasn't meant to fight insurgents. It was designed to kill Kryptonians."

General Lane tried to pull himself out of the growing proverbial pitfall he found himself in, "You've got Fort Rozz aliens locked up downstairs. Monsters. Abominations. Some of them have wings. Some have horns. And others spit acid. Do you know the difference between those prisoners and these two?" He asked, gesturing to Kara and Riley who were across the table from the two men, "They're blonde."

"They saved you and your daughter, tonight. You don’t owe them fear and contempt. You owe them a thank you." Hank finally just snapped at the General to defend Kara and Riley, the D.E.O.'s 'assets' to the Army. But to him they were part of his family, they were two of his non-blood children and the General attacking them like that, comparing them to murderous criminals, was the last straw for him.

The General seemed speechless. He simply grabbed his hat off the table, tucked it under his arm and walked towards the exit with his 'attachment' following him.

Lucy grabbed Hank and Alex's shoulders, pointing them towards hallway that lead to the car garage of all places and pushed them a little to start walking. She then grabbing the front of Riley and Kara's supersuits to tug them along, "Come on, we all need to go and probably beat up some punching bags to get rid of any excess anger. It'll help."

(*Inside the D.E.O. personal Garage*) 

They were all lined up to see two broken down S.U.V.'s hanging from chains near three punching bags. Lucy passed two pairs of boxing gloves to Hank and Alex, then slid on her own pair and gestured to the 'punching bags', "Alright, so here's the plan. Say what you're mad about, then punch the bag or in Rile and Kara's case, the cars, then let your fists fly." 

Each of them walked up to their own designated places and then waited for someone to be the first to admit something. Alex surprised them and was the first to do so, "I really can't stand your dad, Lucy." A few thumps followed her words. 

Kara went next, "I hate how I can't control my emotions all the time. How I can never actually be considered normal." She practically growled with fists flying out to dent the hood of her vehicle. 

"I can't stand how my Father compares me to Lois, as if she's some sort of saint that I should strive to be like, instead of being my own person." Lucy admitted with a snarl, hitting the bag pretty hard for someone who seemed a little small. 

"I hate how no matter how hard we work to make things safe, some people go out of their way to harm my people." Hank muttered, his fists pounding into the bag solidly for a few moments before he backed away. 

Riley was the last of the group, and she had stewed in her thoughts for a little too long so when she spoke, she had snapped out, "I hate how my rage can feel like it's going to consume me when someone hurts my ragtag family," her fists started lashing out but she kept going, the flood gates finally opening, "I hate how I still have night terrors of Krypton's destruction," by now the hood was starting to give as Riley's hits slowly gained more and more strength and her eyes were tearing up, "I hate how I feel when someone brings up our cousin in a way that says we're not good enough without actually saying it."

Everyone else stopped to look over at Riley, her hits still slowly growing in power. They could all tell that look in her eyes silently told them she had one more thing to admit, "and I hate, hate, how I feel like I will never be strong enough, or fast enough to protect the people I love!" She shouted her last few words, left fist rocketing out hard enough to knock the bottom of the engine block clean out of its brace with ease and freezing in place with her arm almost entirely inside the hood, shoulders heaving as tears streamed down her face.

Kara left her place to lead Riley away from the car, gently guiding her arm out and pulling her into a tight hug, her own tears joining the fray. Riley and Kara dropped to their knees, both began sobbing since they shared the same inner fears that Riley finally put out in the open. They could smell Alex's shampoo as the older Danvers walked over and pulled them both into her arms, a few tear drops landing on their heads after Alex kneeled down and hugged them close. Lucy was the next to join in but on the other side of the supers, hugging the group as tightly as she could.

Hank might have been the last to join, but he was just as important to them as the others. He leaned over to guide them all to their feet, holding on to keep them steady. None of them questioned how he was able to do it with two of them being quite naturally heavy Kryptonians because they were either too lost in grief or too focused on comforting the others.

"It'll be okay." He told them with a shaky, his own tears filling his eyes at not only all the stress lately but also because a few of the younger people he began to consider his children were breaking down, "I swear that it will be okay."

He rocked the group side to side, hushing them calmly like any natural parent would when their children were sad and crying. About ten minutes later, everyone was calming down. A few hiccups appeared here and there, but overall everyone was now breathing steadily and relaxing.

Alex, being the smart ass they all adored, spoke up with a slight hiccup to her words, "So, it seems that we all needed a good cry more than we needed to hit something."

Kara snorted and huffed out a laugh, "No kidding, I think this is honestly the best I've felt in a while."

The laugh and hiccups had Riley giggling. When Riley started giggling, Lucy couldn't help but join in and soon the entire group was laughing yet still clinging to each other like they were lifelines.

"Okay you saps, let's just leave all this here and go finish dealing with the Red Tornado with clearer minds." Riley hummed after she finally calmed down almost completely.

Lucy nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I'm all for cleaning this up later. Let's go do something that will make us feel even better after it's over."

Hank pulled out his phone when his, Alex's, and Riley's work phones all went off from a text message, "Huh, it seems Maxwell Lord has done a little digging on Red Tornado without us asking for help. He found out that Red Tornado is still being remotely controlled."

"So, wait, that's why the robot keeps going after General Lane. Because Morrow is telling it to." Kara said, having an epiphany on what was really going on.

Riley joined in with a clear mind and a new spark in her eyes, "Right, and Morrow wants revenge on him for nuking his project. So, if we take out Dr. Morrow." She trailed off and Lucy picked it up.

"If we take out Dr. Morrow, we take out the Red Tornado. But, how do we find Morrow?" Lucy asked, all of them trailing after Hank as he lead them purposefully to the command room.

Alex puffed up a bit, figuring it was her time to shine, "Easy, we draw out the android." The group came to a stop next to the large top-lit table in the Command room and Alex continued her excited explanation, "Then we trace the relay signal Dr. Morrow's using to control it, back to him. Kara, Rile, keep Red Tornado occupied until I can shut it down once the plan is put into motion."

An agent nearby waved to Alex and pointed at the computer that seemed to be there to set up for her idea, so she broke away and headed over with Lucy joining to help by studying strategies that the two Supers could use against it.

"Think you can keep a cool head while fighting it?" Hank asked Kara and Riley lightly, watching their faces and was happy to see the determination and new understanding filling their eyes.

"We're not afraid of our anger anymore," Riley told him after the two Kryptonians shared a look and a side hug, "instead we can use it."

Kara picked up where Riley left off like they used to, "We can channel it to work for us, not against us."

Hank smiled with pride at the two, then turned and walked towards the General who had returned at some point, "General Lane." He greeted with his stride barely slowing down and his smile changing into a stern but less severe look, "I think we may have a solution that will rectify your screw up. But I'll need your help."

(*Early the Next Day near the Outskirts of National City*)

"Signal's in. I have a position on Morrow, we're moving in now." Alex's voice came from over their Bluetooth radios, signaling that she and Lucy were heading after Dr. Morrow.

Kara and Riley watched the Red Tornado like a pair of hawks, ready to swoop in and strategically pick apart their enemy to protect their home.

Riley couldn't help but smirk when the Red Tornado's fist went through the hologram of General Lane, Kara joining in with a silent laugh when the robot swung a second time. They both had to admit that the salute was just salt on Dr. Morrow's wound and had to give the man points for that.

"How did you manage to project a thermally accurate 3D hologram of me over seventy miles away?" They could hear the impressed tone the General held for such technology.

Both of them had to stifle their laughter when Hank informed him, "Technology from those Kryptonians you're so scared of." And the lack of response from General Lane had them nearly giving their position away.

They were able to pull themselves together to hover out of the back of the military jeep they were in to quickly set up the large gun that would fire small rockets that Alex supplied them, albeit a bit warily. 

Kara fired it at the robot twice, then threw the remote off to the side when the Red Tornado turned to face them, "I think we got its attention." Riley called out over her Bluetooth radio, both her and Kara were moving into their new fighting stances.

Red Tornado's hands began spinning rapidly, signifying that it was about to attack so Riley hit a button on her cellphone in the inner pocket of her boot, giving a beaming grin when her playlist's first song was 'Ballroom Blitz' by 'Sweet' that started over some well-placed speakers. She laughing heartily when Kara's eyes rolled in amusement at her antics.

"Let's do this!" Riley cheered, her and Kara both launching at the robot at the same time, working more in tandem now than they had been over the last month or so. Even when they were constantly working together in the beginning, they were never on this level of team work. If they were each being honest, they trusted each other now more than they ever thought possible. Each other, and their family who were either helping them or waiting for them to come back safe.

(*A Basement not too far from the Supers versus Tornado brawl*)

"That won't do anything." Dr. Morrow called out to Alex and Lucy, making both women spin around and aim their guns at him. He pointed to some odd sort of configuration on his head, "Telepathic relay interface, to control his cerebral matrix. If you want to stop him, you'll have to cease any neural function from his creator. You'll have to kill me." He said, pacing a few feet back and forth.

Alex tried to reach out to him as a first option, "You don't have to throw your life away."

Morrow wasn't having any of it though, "The Red Tornado is my life." Then he swung a metal pipe nearby and swung it at them, sending Lucy diving out of the way and Alex into a physical brawl with the man.

Lucy leapt to her feet and darted into the fight to take over for Alex so the agent could see if they could somehow stop the connection without killing Morrow.

(*Back to the Outside Brawl*)

Kara and Riley were kicking the tar of the robot and the red being couldn't land a solid hit on either of them because then the other would swoop in and knock into it.

It was able to eventually get the upper hand though and backhand Riley away, then turning to put Kara into a firm headlock, cutting off her air supply.

Riley felt her anger flow through her veins when she got up and saw what was going on, but instead of being consumed by it, she could feel her need to protect empowering her, guiding her to shoot forward and easily break Kara free, "You will never," She paused to hit the robot with a small part of her actual strength, knocking it hard into the back of the jeep, "ever," then she knocked it to the ground with another solid punch, "hurt my family again with this robot, Morrow."

(*The Basement Brawl*)

Lucy had been put into a headlock by Morrow, and the man was refusing to let go, even being held at gun point by Alex. When the man tried to tighten his hold to snap her neck, Alex fired her gun, killing the man if the transmitters shutting off was anything to go by.

"Oh Rao, thanks for that." Lucy panted for air, then huffed as best as she could, "Oh jeez, being around them is going to give me a whole new vocabulary."

Alex shrugged and holstered her gun, "Eh, you'll get used to it pretty quickly. Hank did."

"Somehow, that's not very reassuring." The shorter woman admitted with a small smirk.

(*Back Outside*)

The Red Tornado boosted to its feet, only to whirl to a stop and slump over.

"You did it!" Kara panted over their radios to Alex and Lucy, her throat not feeling to great at that moment.

Riley winced when it kicked back on and stood up tall, "It's still going. It's still going!"

"Agent Danvers?" Hank asked over the radio, but it seemed that Alex noticed something off about the readings.

"There are no commands being transmitted to the android. Kara, Riley, it's become sentient." She explained to them with growing worry.

Red Tornado launched his vortex wind at them, sending them sprawling for a second but were soon back on their feet.

They both started firing heat vision at it as a last resort, using their memories to make it stronger than before. Memories of unwillingly leaving Alura and Zor'El on a dying Krypton, memories of holding a breaking Alex at the news of her Father's death from a tropical storm and his funeral, memories of seeing their birth home exploding in a ball of fire all filled their minds and hearts, powering their heat vision to a new height that they and the others would never have deemed probable. Channeling that rage and loss, not letting it take them over but to use it to protect, to stop this being so their family, their other 'soul twin', would never be hurt by it, or any other enemy ever again.

The power was too much for the Red Tornado, and the android finally exploded from such high-powered heat visions.

Kara and Riley dropped to the floor in exhaustion, not from using so much power, but from pulling such emotional memories that they kept locked away.

"Supergirl, Superboy, are you two okay?" They heard Hank ask them softly over the radio.

"Yeah, we're." Riley stopped to pant tiredly, Kara taking over the reassurances while they both leaned against each other, "We're okay. It's over. It's over."

(*Later that Day at CatCo*)

"There she is!" Kara was immediately bombarded by Cat's mother the moment she made it to Cat's office, "My car was supposed to be here half an hour ago."

She was honestly confused by that, "Oh, I didn't realize I was getting you one."

Katherine looked up at her like she was an idiot, "How else am I supposed to get to the airport?" The woman then turned to speak to Cat, "Honestly, Kitty, is this creature of yours some sort of unpaid intern? How do you justify paying a salary to such an unreliable person?"

Kara didn't even have time to start feeling anything but a little indignation when Cat slowly spun her desk chair around to look at her Mother, took off her shades and got to her feet smoothly, "First of all, I don't pay her very much. And second, you don't get to talk to her that way."

"Excuse me?" Katherine looked a little shocked at her daughter's attitude.

Cat started walking around her desk to her Mother, "Oh, I understand, Mother, that you have always been threatened by my success and you try to elevate yourself by denigrating me. Which is fine. But you are not allowed to do the same thing to my assistant who, by the way, is excellent at her job."

"I'll," Katherine stuttered a bit at the clap back that Cat finally delivered, "I think I'll use the ladies room before I go." The older woman grabbed her purse and strolled out of Cat's office faster than she usually did.

When Cat sat down on the couch with a sigh, Kara stepped forward with a sunny smile, "Thank you for saying that I'm excellent at my job. It made me feel normal." She admitted casually, waiting for Cat's normal sass to show she was feeling emotionally better and wasn't disappointed.

"Yes well, don't get used to it. Get me Advil." Cat huffed softly, rolling her eyes a bit for some over dramatic fake annoyance.

Kara stepped forward and gave Cat the small plastic cup containing Cat's usual 'after Mother visits' Advil, playfully shrugging away Cat's 'Thank you'.

"Would you like for me to call your mother a cab?" She offered, pouring a glass of water and handing it over so Cat could take the Advil immediately.

Cat scoffed at the idea, "No, she can take her broom." Stopping to knock back her Advil and take a few drinks of water to wash it down.

The light coming in from the window made it seem like Cat had an unearthly glow about her that distracted Kara, so the younger blonde shook her head a little and glanced out into the main room. Seeing that no one was paying them any attention, Kara turned back and muttered as loud as she dared to, "Cat, I was wondering if you would like to officially meet Alex, Riley and the rest of our family as my, uh, girlfriend? Significant other?" She floundered a bit at the end of her question, not knowing the exact word she should use.

"Better half?" Cat asked with a smirk appearing when Kara's jaw dropped in fake shock at the sass.

"Would it help if I told you what Riley actually nicknamed you? Might make things a lot more interesting in my opinion." Kara suggested, biting on her lower lip when Cat's curiosity got the better of her.

"Alright, I'll bite. What nickname has Riley given me? Please don't say it's something like 'Kitty'." The older woman's eyes were locked on to Kara's lips, but both stayed on opposite ends of the couch since they were at work.

Kara felt a slow and sly grin appear on her own face, "Well, she did call you Catwoman and the Pink Panther for the longest time." 

Cat's eyes seemed to flash and her partner gained wicked smirk, "Then I suppose I shall meet them all again. If only to level the playing field."

(*Outside of town at the D.E.O.*)

Riley could feel a sudden sense of playful dread, but a glance around revealed nothing that would usually trigger such a feeling.

"Did you feel that?" She asked and at Alex's look of confusion she elaborated, "That sudden sense of dread that we used to feel as teens before we got pranked by each other?"

Alex shook her head and went back to filling out reports, put out that Riley got the easier job to taking stock of the team's weapons.

"Oh well, I hope Kara's not planning anything." Another sense of dread washed over her, "Oh Rao, I have this horrifying feeling that Cat's going to prank me like I've never been pranked before, and I don't know why."

"Well, let me know when it happens if it does, I want to record it." Alex muttered as she finished the last page, grinning at Riley's paling face.

'Well, at least life will never be boring in the family!' Alex snickered to herself, turning into gut wrenching laughter when Riley tried to walk into the nearby practice room, only to come across Lucy and Astra making out on one of the benches.

"Mom! At my place of work and it's not even lunch time yet and you're already playing tonsil hockey with my friend! Come on!" Riley whined playfully, color returning as she got to tease her mom and Lucy a bit. She turned back to Alex, "Okay, I feel better now, let's go prank Hank or something!"

Astra and Lucy both rolled their eyes at Riley and Alex sprinting down the hallway almost silently to go find Hank, "And they wonder why people prank them so much." Lucy sighed before she and Astra continued making out softly, going slow to simply enjoy their time together.

After all, no one ever knows exactly when things start to rollercoaster out of control. Might as well enjoy the peace while it lasts...

Chapter Text

Chapter Seven: Pre-Destruction Krypton, Earthquakes, and Chosen Family. 

(*Krypton: Four years until Destruction*) 

Rile Zor-El was officially bored. She adores her twin, she truly does, but the debates that Kara and their Father would have about science were just so dull sometimes. Their Mother could be just as bad since she would either step in if they got too rowdy with their debates, or join in with them and be boring too! 

Her eyes caught on to a figure walking into the main entrance that they had been waiting on and she grinned as she recognized the person, "Aunt Astra!" She cheered, jumping up from her place on the couch and sprinting over to her mother's twin before she leaped into Astra's arms for their usual clinging hug. 

"Greetings, My Musical Soldier. Have you kept up with your lessons like you promised me?" Astra asked her, pulling back a little to bring her right hand up and bop Rile on the tip of her nose after she transferred Rile so the young one was sitting on her hip. 

Rile wiggled a little and got comfortable once she was moved to be carried by Astra, "Yes, Aunt Astra. I have made sure to work hard on my weak points. Kara has also been helping me with the Sciences and Maths, while I help her with the Ancient History studies since she lacks the attention span for it, like myself with Sciences and Maths." 

Alura, Zor-El, and Kara all moved to greet the amused Astra, "Sister, it has been far too long since your last visit." Alura smiled happily at her twin, hugging both her and Rile since the younger blonde twin was clinging to Astra and vice versa. 

Kara moved up after their mother walked over to Kalex to see if the A.I. wouldn't mind setting up the spare room for her twin, "Aunt Astra, how were your travels? Do you have any more stories?" She asked, unable to mask her excitement in her voice. 

Astra beamed at Kara, putting a hand on her back to lead the older one of the twins towards the table and exchanged nods of greeting with Zor-El, "Well, Little One, I shall tell all the stories you and Rile desire after the late meal." 

Zor-El nodded in agreement, leading the small group over to a clear wall, "I agree. Let us continue the ways of old and reach out to Rao, as our families have done before us." The adults and children turned towards their red star and each muttered thanks to their deity for different things, and another day of life over the span on an hour, slowly lowering their heads much like the fading light of Rao. 

"The meal has been set out." Kalex called out once the family members had finished, making Zor-El move to hold out a chair for his wife, then moving over to his own once Alura was seated. They all began eating and sharing stories of their days at their work places or the academy that Kara and Rile went to, a few moments later. 

(*Krypton: Three years until Destruction*) 

"Have you fared well in your training?" Kara asked Rile during their mid-day meal between classes. 

Rile nodded and gestured to a new medal pinned on her uniform, "Indeed. I have been made the group lead by both my Academy scores and my group's votes. How are you faring in the Sciences and Maths? I heard that your group is currently comparing how Kryptonian and other races technological ideas will work on both Krypton and other planets, both near and far." 

Kara hummed, finishing her spoonful of soup before she responded with a thoughtful frown, "That is correct. We are currently going over water and air purification ideas. We hope that we might find some successful tech, but we keep in our minds that it has been searched for before, to no success." 

"Have you thought about speaking with the others that are training for the Laborer Guild? They may have a perspective that your group has yet to consider." Rile offered, placing her utensils in her empty bowl and made sure her side of the small table was clean. 

"You speak the truth." Kara stood up, grabbing her empty bowl and gesturing for Rile to join her to return the items, "Will you be on the early travel back to our home, or do you have the history class on this day?" 

The slightly younger El beamed in excitement at the mention of one of her two favorite classes at the Academy, "I have the History class, will you tell Mother and Father that I will arrive merely half a tenth of Rao's visible travel, after you?" 

"Of course I shall. Do not forget that Aunt Astra will be visiting, not this day, but the next." Kara mentioned just in case Rile forgot the exact day Astra would arrive, yet again. 

"You worry too much. You have reminded me exactly twenty times in the last five days, I shall not forget between now and the time she arrives." Rile gave Kara a smirk that reminded the older twin so much of Astra. 

A soft chiming noise alerted the two pre-teens to the fact that classes were starting again soon. Kara sighed and gave Rile a quick hug before pulling away to look at Rile sternly, "Then I suppose we should leave for our classes. Please refrain from verbally arguing with anyone. Mother and Father do not need another 'Ancient Guild' debate turning into a brawl." 

Rile's smirk grew and a gleam appeared in her eyes as she walked backwards towards her next class, Maths, "I know not what you speak of, dear sister. It was merely a debate we decided to settle like our ancestors before us did. I was correct in both information given, and physical arguing."

Kara pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed again. She looked up to see Rile strolling out of the large room, whistling some sort of tune and rolled her eyes, 'My twin will test my sanity the more we age, I just know it.' 

(*Rile's Kryptonian History Class*) 

Reading through the first information crystal, Rile carried on with her reviewing and carefully took mental note of the differences between the Ancient and the current Guilds. 

The Laborer Guild started out as mostly people who dealt with pure physical labor such as ancient work factories which were now mostly gone or had animatronic workers, or those who would keep the cities clean and the flora from overgrowing. Now, the Laborer Guild works more on the upkeep and creation of the Military Guild's armor and weapons, or controlling the androids to build and repair buildings or controlling the ones in the few remaining factories. 

She placed that crystal off to the side and activated the next one, bringing up information on the Judicial Guild and could feel a small amount of wonder at how her and Kara's Mother could even have the patience for such matters. 

The Judicial Guild began with a multitude of different branches. There was the branch that dealt with law making, a branch that reminded Rile of her Mother with how they were the ones that would judge those who broke Kryptonian law. To her surprise, there was once a separate branch that covered alien's breaking Kryptonian law on Krypton instead of the unspecific one that existed to judge both Kryptonians and Non-Kryptonians now. There was a second, House inherited, branch involved in creating or changing the laws but Rile did not even want to start on thinking just how corrupt that had the chance of being. 

Shaking her head, Rile set that crystal aside and picked up the next one, grinning when information appeared about the Military Guild. Said Guild that Astra was a part of, and the one that Rile hoped to join soon. 

The Military Guild was much like it was in the Ancient times, only more technologically advanced and having more War Strategies than before to adjust with the times. The ranking system was somewhat flawed, in her opinion, because it allowed more reputable houses to rank up higher and faster than lesser known houses, or those who were houseless. She believed in fair earnings, and things such as the Military Guild's ranking system frustrated her. 

Rile huffed in annoyance and ignored the sharp look she received from a nearby classmate, reaching for the next crystal and groaning lowly in exasperation when information on the Science Guild appeared, 'Even now I cannot escape Father and Kara's obsession.' 

The Science Guild was different in the ways that instead of working towards finding new discoveries that could better the Kryptonian species' space flight, or making it easier to expand over Krypton, they were now working their hardest to repair the destruction their ancestors caused from over mining, hunting, and deforestation. It was a miserable thing to witness since her and Kara's Father Zor-El and their Uncle Jor-El told them to not speak of it, but Krypton was slowly dying. They have never uttered a word of it to anyone because the council forbade the two adults from ever spreading the information around. 

She tried to hide her scowl, setting it with the others and picked up the last crystal, glancing around to make sure no one was paying her any attention since she had been saving her favorite Guild for last. 

The Arts Guild was Rile's hidden life passion. When Kara was studying Science with their Father while their Mother would be either talking or out with Astra, Rile would hide away in her room and be in awe of the things that would be created by people in the Arts Guild. There were people who could create realistic paintings and sculptures. Ones who could fine tune cords on handmade instruments to compose the most slow and soothing or fast and exciting music both with and without voices singing of many different things. Rile had always wanted to see one of the Arts Guild's open compositions that involved the string and wind instruments. She remembered when Kara came across her studying one night. After a tenth of Rao's visible travel, Kara had sworn to not speak of Rile's study of the Arts Guild, but in turn had Rile swear to not speak of Kara's interest in the Judicial Guild to their family, lest she disappoint their Father. 

A soft chiming noise echoed through the air once more, and Rile tried not to be obvious as she rushed to place the Arts Guild crystal with the others into her small Academy single strap carrying case that went across her chest and rested on her back. She leapt to her feet and headed out of the room to walk to the transit station located just out of the main building, her brisk pace having her in the correct small travel pod, soon flying her back to her home. 

(*Krypton: Two Years until Destruction*) 

Kara was losing her patience with a few of her Sciences Guild group-mates. The class was debating the goods and bads of both the Birthing Matrix, and natural births. The few she was beginning to dislike had kept listing their ideas of the bads of both, even going so far as to exaggerate most of their comments. 

When the Class's Guild Elder mentioned that it was her turn to speak on the topic, she stood up straight and kept her eyes forward like they were taught, "I believe that natural births carry more of a risk for both the children and the carrier, both during birth and before. There are many possible risks such as physical injury from something as simple as falling a distance more or less than waist height. The good I see in natural births is that it allows more of a connection to be built between the child, the carrier, and the sire. The bad side of the Birthing Matrix is the possibility of the genetics not connecting correctly, thus a child is unable to be born from the union. The good side of the Birthing Matrix is that more often than not, the genetics will indeed take hold and a child will be created without risk to a carrier and the child. It also allows for specific genetics to be chosen and House 'marks', if you will, to be applied to the strands to mark that child as one of the House's members that would be different that the other House's own marks." 

She sat back down after speaking a shortened version of her ideas since her Father told her that going to the point with a few details was better for verbal communication in the Academy. Most Elder's did not require hearing the full drawn out points like Father, herself, and even Mother would give during their debates at home. 

'I could imagine Rile sneaking away to her room to read up on any new Arts Guild creations, or listening to the new and old compositions that have been made available for at home listening.' Kara felt a smile pulling at her face as she packed up to leave since the chiming noise was played throughout every room and hall. 

A short but firm quake began, yet ended almost as fast as it started, stopping the other trainee's in their tracks within the halls of the Academy, "Oh Rao, they're beginning to grow in strength." Kara muttered to herself, moving firmly past others to arrive at the transit location and hopped in the one Rile was already within, that would take herself and Rile back to their home, "They are getting worse, are they not?" Rile questioned her as the protective cover slid closed, the House of El transit taking off through Argo City. 

Kara nodded wearily, pinching the bridge of her nose much like their Father would when he was exasperated by someone else's actions, "Correct, and from what Father and Uncle say, the destruction of Krypton has been accelerated partly due to lack of the Council placing a halt on mining operations." 

Rile looked around at the reflecting walls of Argo City, a feeling of sorrow enveloped her heart, "Most of the people within Argo City have not a single idea of what is happening. If only the Council had listened to our Father and Uncle Jor-El, then maybe there would be a chance for our people to thrive in a new home." 

At Kara lightly grasping her hand, Rile turned back to Kara and saw the sorrow she felt was also being carried by her older twin, "Do not lose hope just yet, Rile. The Council may change their minds and listen to the Science Guild for once in their lives." 

They both tightened their grips as the transit continued to hurdle through the air, neither willing to admit that the time for a mass exodus of Krypton has long since passed. 

(*Krypton: Hours until Destruction*) 

The news of Kal Jor-El's birth was something that brought both worry and joy to Zor-El's family. That, the ever-quickening destruction of Krypton, along with the news that Astra was still missing since before she was supposed to arrive three turns around Rao ago, had the twins on edge like never before. Their Father Zor-El spent more time in his labs with their Uncle Jor-El than usual, and the fact that their Mother simply told them not to worry, had them worrying. 

Quakes had been strong enough for the Council of Argo City to cancel further study at the Academy to avoid any injury to the children since the building was considered old with weak foundations. 

"Without the Academy classes to mentally lose ourselves in, it is harder than ever to keep a positive outlook for Krypton." Rile admitted to Kara, having just changed Kal Jor-El's coverings and was wearing a small frown that seemed to take up permanent residence on their faces. 

Kara pulled Rile to her feet after the younger twin picked up their baby cousin and rested him on her hip, humming softly to him so he would stay at ease. She led them to the door that was the entrance to their Father's personal lab, "I am going through there to figure out just what Father and Uncle are truly working on. You are more than welcome to join me, but if you do not, you might wish to wait near Kal's play area." 

Rile shook her head and adjusted her baby cousin so he would be more comfortable, "No, we are going with you. From what I have over heard, they are making something that has to do with the three of us, so I believe that we have a right to know. No matter how young Kal may be to understand what is going on." 

Entering the passcode, Kara walked into the previously blocked off hallway with Rile and Kal on her heels. The older two quietly moved past the oddly empty rooms until they came to another door at the far end of the decently long hallway, "Has this door always been here?" Rile questioned, vaguely remembering the secondary transit that was for official House of El business only. 

"No, this is recent." Kara shook her head lightly, confusion also etched onto her face, "It was once a simple archway. Oh Rao, I hope the previous code works for this door as well." She typed in the code and was relieved when the door quietly slid open. At the sound of Zor-El and Jor-El's voices, Kara and Rile darted for cover behind a stack of nearby containers, with Rile carefully holding Kal close to her. 

"Brother, the two transports are nearly complete. All they lack is our children and our personal A.I's." Jor-El's voice could be easily heard through the cave-like chamber. The twins looked around the containers and caught sight of the two items that their Uncle spoke of. 

Another harsh quake rocked the flooring beneath them, and fear gripped their hearts when it did not stop, but continued. Alura and Lara Lor-Van ran into the chamber frantically, "We cannot find the children!" Alura shouted over the noise to her husband. 

Kal waved his hands towards his mother's voice, bringing Kara and Rile out of their surprise and prompting them to move to the group of adults, "We are here Mother, what is going on?" Kara asked worriedly, both twins having to be caught so they did not tumble to the floor. The House of El brothers shared a look, then Jor-El took Kal and led his wife to a transport a bit further up. 

"I am sorry my daughters, but now is not the time I can go into much detail. Quickly now, into the pod." Zor-El said as he lifted each of his children inside and buckled them in safely.  

Alura reached in and slid a small crystal into some sort of small container in front of them, then passed Rile her school bag that felt heavier than normal. "Krypton has reached it's end, dear ones." She murmured, lightly kissing both of them on their foreheads, "You must head to safety with your cousin. The pods had been programmed to take you to a planet called 'Earth'. Look out for Kal Jor-El, but do not forget to live." She begged them, stepping away so Zor-El could also give their children his goodbyes. 

The twins were horrified that it seemed to be happening so fast, "Mother, Father, why are you not joining us? Why are both of you, Uncle and Aunt staying behind?" Rile asked as the twin's eyes began welling up with tears, their young hearts breaking at the mere thought, let alone the reality of the situation. 

"You need not worry about that, Rile." Zor-El said, running a hand through both of his daughter's hair one last time. When he saw Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van step back from Kal Jor-El's pod and the transport taking off, Zor-El pulled himself and Alura back, "Now go, and be safe for us. Please." He begged them because, for the first time in his life, he was terrified for his children in a way that a parent should never have to be. 

Kara nodded, leaned forward slightly, and hit the three buttons their Father had gestured to. After a breath length of a moment, the pod shot forward after Kal's. They both looked back and watched with pure emotional agony and tears streaming down their faces as Krypton exploded behind them, feeling something snapping inside of them that seemed like it would never be healed at the loss. 

Rile realized too late that the force from the exploding planet would rock their pod, and could do nothing as the harsh jostling knocked them both unconscious. The thought-to-be twins would not awaken for a long time, their simple unconscious state turning into a deep sleep as they were pushed further into the Phantom Zone. 

(*Current Time: At the D.E.O.*) 

"So, why did we just use our powers until we blew them?" Kara asked Alex with a whine in her voice, unhappy about this turn of events. 

Alex gave her Kryptonians an amused smile. They were just so cute when they looked like unhappy puppies, "Well, you need your shots again, so I figured that now was a good time since no Fort Rozz escapees have attacked recently." 

Riley groaned from the recharge bed she was resting on, located near the new bed that held an unhappy Astra, "Oh Rao, Alex. We get that you're our doctor and all, but you know how much we hate shots. Mom apparently has a severe dislike of them too." She couldn't help but snicker at the memory of her powerless mom trying to out run Alex while the older Danvers' was in 'Doctor' mode. To say it didn’t work was a hilarious way to state the obvious after watching it in action. 

A hand shot through the air and smacked Riley on her arm, drawing a hiss from her even though it didn't hurt, "Hush, My Own. Brave One told me many stories of how you and Little One would flee at the mere sight of Alex with a needle, even with your powers." Astra drawled out with a wicked grin of amusement. 

'Huh, so that's where Riley gets that grin.' Alex realized, lips twitching as she was trying to stop her laughter at the two blonde's looks aimed at her. 

"Traitor." Kara hissed out at her. She then gave the other two Kryptonians a 'Spock' hand sign and pulled herself off her yellow sun bed before she walked towards the direction that would take her to the D.E.O.'s exit. 

Astra and Riley were going to join her, but a sharp look from Alex had them laying back again, but now folding their hands onto their abdomens to show that they were listening to the silent threat, "You two are staying right there. Kara is only allowed to leave because she has work at CatCo. Since both of you work here or in Astra's case, live here, you two will stay right in those beds for at least a few more hours. Feel free to sleep those hours away." 

Waiting until about twenty minutes after Alex left the room, Riley hopped up and ran over to the cabinet and pulled out a boombox. She placed it on the counter, made sure the iPod was hooked up and the cables were all plugged in snugly, then ran back over to her yellow sun bed and climbed in. Riley could admit that she was thankful for Hank, Alex and Vasquez since they made sure the three yellow sun beds were a lot like the long twin sized regular beds but with a few modifications. 

"Just wait, I have so much music to introduce you to." Riley told her mom when she was receiving a very confused look. 

It took only seconds for 'Hooked on a Feeling' by 'Blue Swede' to play from the side speakers, filling the room with music. 

Astra's started nodding and tapping her right foot along to the beat, a soft smile was slowly stretching across her face. 'I suppose humans have created music fairly well.' She thought as the next song began. 

"What is this one?" She asked Riley, head tilting at the odd tones that she has never really heard within music before. 

Vasquez slid into the room singing along to the first verse, prompting Riley to jump up and join them, "This is our group of friend's theme song. Shake it Off by Taylor Swift." They told the older woman with a snicker since Riley was taking over the second verse. Both of the agents, Riley still wasn't used to being called an agent, even in her mind, were happy when Astra joined them in the duo's dance. 

Lucy shimmied and shook her way into the room, already taking over the third verse. Unknown to the four, Hank had Alex record to goofy dancers for possible future embarrassment if his 'adopted all but legally' children and his almost-like-a-sister either dated or had children that he could show all of these moments to. 

(*At CatCo around the same time*) 

Kara's body seized with another sneeze, getting hard looks from the surrounding employees within one of the two public elevators. 

'I don't understand how they can live like this. The smallest cold and I'm already miserable!' She thought as she made her way to her desk, Winn joining her along the way. 

"Hey Kara, what's with the, uh, sniffles?" He asked, stuttering a little at the sight of Kara sniffling into a tissue. 

She winced at that, just knowing that Cat was going to freak out if it wasn't cleared up soon and explained, "Oh, there was a ten-year-old on the bus with a runny nose." 

They turned the corner and walked into the main area of the floor, moving over to their desks, "Okay so let me get this right. You're late, you rode the bus, and you have a cold?" Winn tried to get clarified, his voice was filled with disbelief. 

"Alex had Riley, Astra and I blow out our powers to get our yearly shots, or first shots in Astra's case. I'm not surprised I'm sick because Riley and I missed last year's shot." Kara set everything she was carrying down on her desk, and slid her messenger bag off to rest it on the floor near her chair. She sat down and continued with a sigh, "Give it a day or two and all three of us should be back to our normal levels as long as we get plenty of yellow sun time."

"Oh hey, I finished that thing for Alex that she wanted me to do for Momma slash Auntie Astra." Winn reached over and grabbed a folder off his desk, handing it to Kara, "Everything is in there, please don't lose it. I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep that hidden until it gets back to Alex unless you want us all to go to prison."

Kara placed it in her messenger bag. She stood up to thank him when she couldn't hold it back any longer and let out a fierce sneeze into her tissue. 

"Did someone just sneeze?" Cat asked as she walked out of her personal elevator slowly, glaring around like she was threatening to use heat vision on the culprit. 

'Oh Rao, quick Kara, do something!' Kara hissed at herself in thought, face scrunching in frustration at herself when all she did was turn away from Cat and tried to play it off like it wasn't her. 

She kept aiming her back at Cat as if she was checking her work space while the older woman was walking closer to the large office room but stopped closer to the middle of the bullpen, "Who did that? Who among you sprayed my office with a million microscopic killers? I can already feel my throat closing up." 

'Oh no, please Rao, no!' Kara tried to force down the urge to sneeze again, desperately trying with all her current might. Not even a second later she could no longer hold it back and felt not only her body convulsing some from an incoming sneeze, but could also feel that her job was on the line faster than it took her to use her powers to fly from National City to Midvale, which was already very fast. 

Cat spun sharply and placed a hand over her heart is honest surprise, confused how her Super was even sick at all and wondering how it was possible, "You, Kerah? You never get sick. That's the best part about you." She couldn't help but tease, feeling amused that the entire floor was watching them like it was a dramatic moment in their favorite T.V. shows. 

"That’s the best part about me?" The younger woman just looked so much like a kicked puppy that a few people on the far side of the room cooed at the adorable sight, but a sharp look from Cat had them scurrying back to their desks. 

"If I get sick, I will under-perform. If I under-perform, our stock prices will fall, thousands of people will lose their jobs, the S and P will take a hit, and you will personally have triggered the next recession. Do you want to be the next Lehman Brothers?" Kara had to purse her lips to avoid laughing at Cat's drama queen attitude and could feel her face reddening a little from the strain of it. 

She grabbed her messenger bag and Cat's drink, "I guess I will go home." She was barely able to get out, walking up to her boss and tried to hand her the latte, only to get a look that screamed, 'Don’t even think about it, Kara' from Cat. 

Cat narrowed her eyes, yet couldn't help but try to see if Kara would finally break and start laughing, "Don't exhale on the way out." 

Kara bit her lower lip hard to stop herself, and her body shook some. She walked around Cat and almost ran to the elevators. She finally caved in the empty elevator and lost her cool, laughter echoing throughout the small space till only two floors remained between her and the ground floor. 

Wiping away a few tears from her laughter, she pulled out her phone and texted Cat, "Thanks for that laugh, I needed it. Should be back to my normal in the next two or three days, but hoping for only a day till I'm back." 

The three dots showing up almost right after she sent it had her keeping her phone out while she was stepping up to the curb outside to hail a cab that would take her back to the apartment, "Then make sure to keep taking over the counter medicine to get rid of that cold. I really do need you back at work as soon as possible." She climbed into a cab and told the driver her address, going back to her phone when it vibrated again, "Besides, Carter wishes to have you join us for dinner tomorrow and I do not want to be the one to tell him that you actually sick. He would 'freak out', as your generation says, demanding to check on you at all hours of the day, and wanting to skip school." 

"That will be ten even, ma'am." The driver called back to her, getting her attention set back onto her physical surroundings after she fired back 'Of course' back to Cat. 

"Oh, here you go!" Kara responded as cheerfully as she could and passed forward a ten-dollar bill and hopped out of the cab with her bag on her shoulder. She pulled out her keys and fired off a text to Alex and Riley, letting them know that she was going to be working from the apartment. At Alex's lack of response and Riley's call, she felt a bit of worry. 

Riley's laughter had Kara on edge, and it didn't help that Astra, Lucy, and Vasquez were laughing like a pack of hyenas in the background, "Alex knows you have to be sick if you're working from home Kar. She's already heading over there to bring you into the D.E.O. So make sure you have anything you need because you'll be here overnight." 

At hearing that she hung up and ran as fast as she could without tripping over her own two feet to the apartment elevator. It took what Kara thought was the longest three minutes of her life to finally make it to the apartment, then another ten minutes to hunt down her and Riley's favorite pajamas, along with the things she would need to work from the D.E.O. She just finished throwing it all into a duffel bag when a knocking echoed through the apartment, letting her know Alex was already there to pick her up. 

"I'm on my way out, just had to grab some stuff!" Kara yelled out right before she opened the front door with her keys in hand to lock it behind her, "Hey Alex!" She grinned at the older Danvers, hoping not to get into too much trouble. But when a fierce sneeze forced its way out, it had her getting a pointed look from Alex and she knew she so was busted. 

(*At the  D.E.O.*) 

Lucy felt like she was about to burst into giggles at any minute. One reason was that she and Vasquez got to see their super friends get chewed out by the momma bear that is Alex, Kara because the older blonde got sick and didn't head back to the D.E.O instantly, and Riley because the younger blonde thought it would be cool to be a wing-man for Astra to score a date with Lucy. Reason number two was the best one and it involved Astra, the older Kryptonian. The total dork, just like her daughter, had fumbled her way through asking Lucy out while Riley stood around the corner saying some stupid things like ‘tell her she completes you!’ as if the youngest Lane wouldn't notice. Oh she noticed, and so did Alex if the redhead dragging the blonde away by the ear was any indication. Lucy did say yes because she was genuinely interested in the older woman, more than just making out, and Astra seemed just as interested in her.

When Alex finally lost steam for her rant, she hugged both of her chastened younger aliens, "Okay, you should be able to head back to work in the morning, Kara. You can leave now." And with that, Kara was jogging to head back home after she hugged Alex, Riley, and the others.

"Riley." The remaining blonde smiled sheepishly at the older Danvers that addressed her, "Since you're not sick, I need you to go to the stores you like and update your wardrobe to something other than the clothes Eliza and Kara picked out for you a long time ago. The only thing you seem to actively like in your closet is the leather jacket I gave you after Eliza told you not to spend money on 'something like that'." She pulled Riley close and hugged her, using a hand to wave behind her youngest Kryptonian to shoo away the others.

Riley pulled back but didn't break the hug, "Well, I have always wanted to go to Hot Topic, Tilly's, and maybe a few of those more upscale places. Think I could steal you away for an hour or so?"

Alex gave Riley one last tight hug, then stepped back, "I don't see why not, I've finished all the reports. Let's go ask Hank and if he says yes, we'll have an Alex and Riley day since I'm pretty sure Kara is going to end up over at Cat Grant's place again."

A soft snort rang out, "Kara is starting to stay over there more than at the apartment, so I wouldn't be surprised." Riley then pulled so her left arm and Alex's right were entwined as they left the room. She was following the way Alex would point or announce that lead them to Hank's last known location.

Ten minutes later, they found Hank in his office, "What can I do for you, Agent Danvers Duo?" He asked with a raised eyebrow at Alex's amused expression and Riley's hopefully excited one that was playing clear on her face.

"For the first time since arriving on Earth, Riley is going to pick out her own clothes from places she wants to go to, so if things are fine here I would like to go with her." Alex spoke up since Riley seemed to be lost in thought. 

Before he could respond, Riley finally seemed to find her way back, "Hey Hank, if you're not gonna by busy for a while, would you come with too? I've never really had new spiffy clothes before and two or more opinions to help decide are better than one." The slight pout and hopeful gleam in Riley's eyes had completely obliterated any chance of Hank declining. 

He sighed and stood up, guiding the two of his non-blood children out of the room, locking it after all three of them were in the hallway, "Well, we better get going then. Vasquez coming along, too?" He asked them as they all walked to the garage that held the personal vehicles. 

"Nah," Alex shook her head with a small smirk, "already asked via text message and they passed. Something about only shopping when they absolutely needed to." 

Riley lead the other two over to her truck once they finally made it into the garage, "Alex told me that you feel more comfortable if you drive when you're in a car." She paused and tossed him the keys to her two thousand and four, Ford F150 that was lifted, has a deep red paint job, tinted windows, black interior, cloth seats, racing seat belts, metal baby. "If you hurt her, I will get creative with my revenge." 

Her promise had Hank staring at the keys in his hand and wondering if it was worth it. But another look at the beautiful metal beast Riley created and he decided that yes, it would very much be worth the risk. He pulled himself into the driver's seat with a small grin of excitement, "Is this thing able to be driven as a company car? Bulletproof, able to seal up to avoid outside gasses, etcetera?" He couldn't help but ask, loving the maneuverability and comfort of Riley's truck. 

Alex looked over with an expression of curiosity, having a feeling that if Riley agreed to it, her truck would be the 'Field Frontline' squads transport vehicle. If not, then Hank would probably ask Riley to take a look and see what she could do with the regular D.E.O cars to better them.

"Nah, Krypto here is my metal baby. I could work on the D.E.O vehicles and see what I can do to improve those, if you want?" She asked after hugging the two front seats from the backseat. 

Hank nodded in acceptance while slowing down to the new speed limit since they were entering the actual city, "Alright, sounds good to me. Now, where are we heading to first?" 

(*Three Hours Later*) 

The three agents stumbled into the apartment, Alex and Riley dragged themselves to lead Hank to Riley's room with their arms struggling to hold on to the bags of clothes, shoes, and even bathroom items. 

"Okay, that was fun until closer to the end of the trip." Riley admitted with a tired grin, already pulling out most of her old clothes and putting away the new ones. 

Alex just let herself fall back onto Riley's bed while Hank helped the blonde by placing the old clothes that were in good condition, into large trash bags to be mass donated.  

Once about five minutes passed, Alex felt she was no longer too tired to talk, "No kidding. I'm surprised that it was that much fun. Best part was when we went in that bookstore for a few books and coffee, and that cute barista slipped Hank her number." The redhead laughed at Hank's growing blush. 

Riley held out a hand to pull Alex to her feet, and offered to both the red head and Hank, "Since the two of you helped me so much today, allow me to make a home cooked meal for both of you? You can have it here, or even take it to-go if you want." 

Hank placed the last hoodie into Riley's closet, then turned to look between the two women, "Sure, I could take something to-go. I need to head back to base soon to make sure nothing got loose while I was away." 

"Agreed, I'll take mine to-go too. If you want, I could see if Astra isn't busy and send her over here?" Alex offered, only to frown a little when Riley shook her head negatively in response. 

"Nah, she has a date with Lucy tonight. I think after making supper for the three of us, to-go for you two, I'm going to enjoy doing some sketching tonight. It's been a while since I've been able to relax enough to work on some art and maybe since I'm off tomorrow, I'll go bug Kara at CatCo again while I hang out with James." That admittance calmed Alex's worry and had it give way to amusement, so when Riley strolled towards the kitchen Hank and Alex joined her, happy to be fed for their help. 

(*Next Day on the way to CatCo*) 

Kara was carrying Cat's latte, walking to work that morning when Riley and James came over and joined her on the way back, "Hey Kara!" Riley called out, right before she wrapped her arms around Kara's waist to lift her off the ground for a hug, then put her down and drawled out her next question with a smirk, "How was last night?" 

James had a cheeky grin and a happy skip to his step, "I'm sure it was nice for them, Rile. Was probably a nice surprise that Kara didn't have super strength to worry about as well." 

"Okay, you two!" Kara's ears and neck were turning a little red at their teasing but thankful that their voices were kept low in case they were overheard, "Yes, it was nice. No, I will not blow out my powers for a repeat experience, no matter how amazing it was. And finally, please don't bump me too hard because if I drop Cat's still hot latte this close to the building, I will cry." 

"Solar flare." James hummed knowingly, getting the Danvers' crinkle from both of the blondes.

Riley sighed and shook her head as realization hit her after James stared at them pointedly, "Kara, our cousin is such a nerd. But hey!" She leapt forward and walked backwards while looking at Kara and James, "I actually have a sculpture presentation at Carter's school in the next hour, so I will talk to you two later. Stay safe kids!"

The small group exchanged hugs before Riley took off at a sprint down a road to their left to whistle for a taxi cab. They watched her go as they kept walking, then turned their attention forward again when the taxi took off down the road.

"Rile sure is something else." James admitted to Kara with an easy smile, getting a laugh in reply.

Kara walked over to sit on a bench to rest for a minute, "No kidding. Since Astra can be just as awkward, I think it might be genetic."

He sat down next to her and tossed his empty cup into the trashcan next to them, "I heard about that. Sounded like one hell of a shock. Everything okay between you three?" He asked her softly, actually looking a bit worried.

"Yeah, everything is going really well. Nothing has changed much other than Riley gained a Mom, but she refuses to call me anything other than her sister, so that was reassuring on a level I didn't even know it would be." Kara said with a sunny grin that turned wicked at her next comment, "Here lately, Astra has been locked at the lips with none other than our very own Lucy Lane."

"No way?" James asked, and at Kara's slow nod he gave a low whistle, "Lucy has got game, there's no doubt about that."

A cellphone went off and it turned out to be Kara's, "Well, that's my queue. Wanna join me on the last few blocks back to CatCo?" She asked him, pushing to her feet and pulling out her cellphone to answer the call.

James gestured for her to lead the way, so they both started down the road as Kara finally answered, "I am almost back Cat, and your latte is still hot, I promise."

"Fantastic. Have you heard from your sister? Carter saw her at the school a mere minute ago, but he isn't exactly sure why she is there." Cat's voice came from over the line, softer than it would be if they were both at work.

Kara nodded even though Cat couldn't see it, without even realizing it, "Yeah, she's one of the people showing and going over some of the forms of art at Carter's school. I believe she's doing metal sculpting and pencil sketching."

Cat hummed thoughtfully at that tidbit of information. Then Kara could hear her sending a quick message to Carter about it before the older woman seemed to turn her attention back to the phone after the messenger app pinged on the computer, "Carter is excited, it appears that Riley has been assigned to his class since she is sitting at a side table in his class room now. Also, when you arrive at the office to drop off my latte, see to scheduling some sort of floor-wide team building exercise. HR has been on my case about the 'lack of office morale' lately. That will also require at least two non-CatCo people to chaperone it, so see if you can drag the other two Danvers down with us."

"I'll make sure it's done then. Be there in the next ten minutes or so." Kara said, then hung up right before the earth shook violently below everyone's feet, sending a lot of people to the ground hard and even causing some damage to the nearby overpass. Kara and James were able to stumble to their feet and the blonde noticed a large crack forming down the road and sidewalk, but didn’t see the car that was about to run into them due to dodging falling debris from the overpass.

Thankfully, James did and was able to push himself and Kara out of the way, sending them back down to the ground out of the way right before the quakes finally stopped.

(*Around the same time, at the D.E.O.*)

"This prisoner always makes me nervous." Vasquez told Alex as they double checked the 'cleaning' programs on Jemm's cell to make sure he wouldn't escape during the cell's weakest time. 

Alex patted their shoulder as she joined them next to the main computers, "Oh I agree, it's why Hank gave Riley the day off. She's the only new agent we've had in a while that hasn't already done this at least twice before. He doesn't want to risk it, especially since she doesn't have her powers at the moment."

Hank walked up to join them with his arms crossed and a narrowed eye stare at the screens, "Let's go ahead and get this over with."

"Initiating prisoner airlock." Alex called out, pressing a few specific keys to begin the process, only for an earthquake to rock the D.E.O and send nearly everyone tumbling to the floor, things falling or breaking loose around them, "Oh Rao," she grunted, tugging herself up and back to the keyboard she was using, "we lost power! Switching to emergency backups!"

"I need eyes on the prisoner!" Hank called out frantically, knowing that the others around him didn't exactly know just how dangerous Jemm truly is.

Vasquez had pulled themself back to their own computer and read the reports out loud, "System is rebooting now."

The quakes slowed to a stop, and the screens kicked back on to reveal something horrifying to everyone, only at different degrees. Jemm was missing from his cell.

"Hostile is loose, seal the base!" At his order, Alex lunged for the correct button on the other side of the long table and slapped it, triggering the emergency sealing as fast as she could.

(*Slightly Earlier a t Carter's School*)

Riley caught sight of Carter's wave and happily waved back, making her way over since the class wasn't technically started yet, "Hey kiddo, anything new happen since the last time we hung out?" She asked as she ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it to 'wild' status.

Carter scowled playfully and fixed his hair before he answered her seriously, "Yeah, I think mom and Kara are getting really serious. The 'new' phase of their relationship might be over, but they still seem to really enjoy just being near each other. I overheard Mom do that thing she does where she asks something important to her but plays it off like its nothing, and ask Kara if she wanted just go ahead and share closet space since Kara was over so much. It was like my mom's own weird way of asking if Kara would move in."

Any reply was cut off since the bell rang, having Riley move back over to the table at the side of the room with her thoughts racing. 'Kara might move in with Cat? As in, out of the apartment? This is fantastic for their relationship, but,' her thoughts turned to the sadder part of that double-sided coin of the situation, 'it will be the first time we haven't lived together since we were born. Might take some time getting used to, but if Kara wants to move in with Cat I won't say anything that might change her mind.' She thought resolutely, trying to ignore the lingering sadness and slump to her shoulders since even on Krypton families lived together, or if too large in number they would live near each other. Shaking her head to refocus, Riley turned her attention to the teacher at the front that was about to introduce her when the earth started shaking below their feet, sending the teacher tumbling to the floor and making the children duck under their desks in fear.

Even without super hearing Riley could hear the foundation cracking below her feet, but seeing a literal crack in the floor start spreading out, sending most of the kids scrambling, had her leaping into action. As she was running over, Carter had run to shove his teacher to safety, clearing that area of all but himself and now Riley. It was then that the floor finally gave out from under them and they were both dropped into the darkness below the school. During the fall, Riley knew she only had seconds to act, so she desperately pulled Carter close and tried to curl her body around his smaller one to protect him from any debris.

The last thing she saw and felt before she was knocked unconscious was her back slam into a floor painfully and Carter being mostly unharmed because of her previous protective hold. 

(*Not too far from CatCo*) 

Kara could now finally say that she did not like feeling human. Her broken arm was throbbing painfully and would be worse if it wasn't for the makeshift sling James made her with his over shirt.

At one of the bigger intersections next to CatCo she looked up and over at some of the skyscrapers, shock filling her at the sight of the damages caused after only seconds of an earthquake, "Oh Rao, this isn't good. Come on, let's get inside and see what we can do to help." She called out to James, leading the way through the main entrance and up the stairwell to their floor.

Walking into the bullpen area, Kara bit back a yelp of pain when one of the other employees bumped into her broken arm, "I need to call Alex and Riley, make sure they're both okay." She walked over to her desk and pulled out her cellphone as James joined Winn over at his desk, "Alex, are you okay?" Kara asked once Alex picked up on the second ring.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just some weird stuff going on at the D.E.O." Alex muttered through the line, sounding mentally exhausted.

"Liar. But, my arm is broken. Which, by the way, a warning would've been nice about how much that actually hurts. So, tell me what's wrong over there." Kara asked, not letting Alex's words lessen just how tired Alex sounded from work.

Alex sighed deeply and just decided to get it over with, "Well, we're on lock down." She finally admitted, knowing that Kara was going to keep asking until she finally said something about what was going on.

(*Other side of the Phone*)

"Wait, you're sealed in there with a bunch of angry prisoners while Riley and I are currently powerless?" Kara's voice took on a slight hysterical tone closer to the end of her question.

"It's standard procedure while we run safety protocols. Lucy and Astra left a while earlier to have an early dinner together so hopefully they're safe as well so, don't worry. Just keep yourself safe until your powers come back and if they do, call me." Alex paused for a second, Danvers' crinkle coming out in full when Hank shook his head in a negative motion after he seemed to have failed to get a hold of Riley, "Hey, is Riley there with you?"

There was a pause as Kara stopped moving papers around, "No, she had some sort of art presentation at Carter's school. Cat told me about how she ended up getting assigned to Carter's class. Why do you ask?"

Alex took a deep, calming breath as she could feel herself start to panic but still tried to reassure Kara, "Alright, here's the thing. I need you to try to find out if anything happened at Carter's school. Riley isn't answering her phone, but it's still on and we both know that she always answers that phone. Do not panic and try to keep Cat from panicking." 

"Okay, okay I can do this. I'll go alert Cat to the situation and try to keep her calm while you deal with whatever is going on over there. I'll also have Winn get a hold of Lucy while I have James keep calling Riley's number, hopefully she picks up soon." Kara decided to take charge as best as she could, considering the situation, much to Alex's relief since the older Danvers' was panicking at not being able to help her aliens. 

"Then that's a plan. I'll go deal with this here and you deal with stuff there. I like this plan." Alex muttered to herself, barely sharing 'byes' with Kara before she was lost in what she had to do at the D.E.O. 

(*At Carter's School, Forty Feet below the class room*)

To say she felt like she was in pain was putting it mildly. Something woke her from the darkness, and when she forced herself just that much more into being awake, she could hear a familiar kid's voice calling out to her.

'Wait, is that Carter?' Riley mentally asked herself, letting out a groan as she forced her eyes to open and saw that sure enough, it was Carter Grant.

"Riley! You're awake!" Carter called out happily with a grin, watching the older woman weakly move her head to look at the debris around them, then glanced up at the mostly blocked off forty foot fall between them and the classroom.

He helped her sit up after making sure she didn't have any major head wound or concussions like the classes he and his mom took, taught him to, "You took the brunt of the fall, so I only got a few minor scrapes. I did what I could to fix your injuries but there isn't much I can do with only scraps of cloth from your over shirt." Carter explained to her after she let out a surprise grunt from the pain that shot up her left leg and arm. It was her gazing at him with worry over his health, looking for injuries herself that had him rushing to explain.

"Something's," She stopped to cough at her somewhat dry throat, feeling put out that her voice was more of a rasp at the current moment, "Something is sticking me." Riley reached down and under her to pull her cellphone out of her back pocket, revealing that it was still on and working, but the screen was completely beyond useless now. She clicked the side to turn off the display to save the battery, knowing that the D.E.O or Winn could track her location with it if need be as long as the tracking chip inside wasn’t broken.

Riley pulled herself to her feet with Carter's help, trying to ignore the agonizing pain that almost caused her to heave her stomach contents back out, "Okay kiddo, do you have any idea where we are exactly?" She asked him as she gazed around what looked like a tunnel.

Carter smiled and helpfully put Riley's right arm over his shoulder, leading her slowly in a specific direction with his phone's flashlight, "This is an old mining complex from over a hundred years ago during the Gold Rush. Mom said it was ridiculous that they built the school over it, but we never really put much thought into its location beyond that." He stopped to help Riley go over a large piece of concrete, then pulled himself over to join her on the other side, "I memorized the old map of it out of curiosity with how they set it up. We're not that far from an exit, actually. Maybe only a thirty-minute walk from here."

"Sounds fantastic to me, kiddo. Let's get out of here, you lead and I'll follow." She coughed after her response, letting him pull her arm back over his shoulder and take some of her weight due to it making him happy to help, and relieving some of the pain.

(*At the D.E.O.*)

"Approaching Sector Twelve." Hank's voice came over the radio to the large group of agents currently barricaded in the Kryptonian A.I. room Alex had made for Kara and Riley.

Alex was in charge of keeping the group safe while Hank and two agents made their way around, looking for Jemm as fast and carefully as they could.

Hank called out to her over the radio, "Danvers, you see anything?"

"Nothing." She responded, keeping a hawk eye on the screens set up in the room, "Cameras are clear and heat sensors, negative."

One of the agents next to Alex spoke up before she could when the screens started flickering, "Yeah, we're getting some kind of interference on our end. Earthquake may have damaged the circuitry."

"On me." They heard Hank order the two agents with him, Alex was fighting the urge to pace out of worry for him.

The power sparked near the outside group of three, forcing them to turn on their head lamps. But when they came on, Hank was nowhere in sight.

"Henshaw, are you here?" The agent named 'Tsung' asked as quietly as he could.

"We only see two of you." Alex called out to them over the radio, her eyes desperately searching for Hank.

Then Tsung asked the other agent named Reynolds, "Where's Director Henshaw?"

They could hear that Reynolds' voice was starting to strain with his fear, "I don't see him! He's gone!"

Alex tensed up in her place near Vasquez when the screens started fizzing out till they could no longer see what the agents were seeing, "Be advised, we have lost visual."

"Hostile is in our sector! It's like he's all around us!" Tsung shouted over the radio, gunfire ringing out making the four agents at the two computers nearly frantic with trying to get the video working.

Reynolds terror filled voice came across the radio next, "What's he doing out there?!" Before both of their heart-rates on the screen flat lined and the gun fire cut off.

Donovan sighed from his place next to Alex, behind one of the other tech agents that was next to Vasquez, "Two agents down. What happened to Director Henshaw?" He asked as he turned towards Alex, who could only lightly shrug.

(*At CatCo in Cat's Office*)

Cat was pacing in her office with Kara sitting on one of the couches with an icepack on her arm. Winn was currently using his personal laptop to try to trace Riley's cellphone since James still had no luck over the last hour trying to call. They received news from the school earlier that Riley and Carter had fallen through a sinkhole caused by the earthquake and landed down in the old mining complex under the school.

"Ah-ha!" Winn cheered, sending the two women and James running over to him, "I finally got a lock on her signal, it looks like they're moving through the complex and heading towards an exit." He turned to look at Cat, not noticing the relief on all of their faces, "I take it Carter studied the map at one point?"

"Yes, he was curious about how they were able to mine so deep without bringing the land down on top of them. He must be leading them out of there." Cat let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and went to sit on the couch with Kara joining her. 

Kara's shaking was finally calming down from being uncontrollably terrified that Carter and Riley were trapped and possible injured, and she could do nothing about it, "James and I are going to go speak with Maxwell Lord soon about maybe reassuring people instead of striking fear into their hearts. I'll be back soon, please at least try to tolerate Winn?" 

Cat rolled her eyes, but then sighed and nodded at Kara's request when the younger blonde gave her the emotionally lethal puppy dog eyes, "Okay, but don't expect this to become a common thing in our lives. Now, go turn that lethal pout at Maxwell Lord." She waved her hand around dramatically, dropping the tension a bit more. In return she got a sunny grin and since no one outside the glass office was looking, a chaste kiss from Kara. 

"Let's go James! We got a jerk to exchange words with." Kara called out to James as she stood talk and strutted out of the room purposefully, leaving James stumbling to place a chaste kiss on Winn's cheek before he ran out of the room after the blonde. 

Winn stared at his laptop screen, avoiding looking into the amused gaze of his boss and best friend's other half, "As long as you don't say anything, I won't say anything." He heard her tell him, so he glanced up and they both shared a solemn nod, knowing their other halves were a little weird. 

(*In the Mining Complex*) 

Riley was resting on a large rock, catching her breath from walking with so much pain arching through her body, "Are we making decent time?" She asked Carter after she took a drink from a water bottle she had earlier attached to her front belt loop, then passed it to him to drink from. 

Carter took a few sips of water and passed it back, then considered his mental map, "I'd say we have maybe twenty minutes of straight walking from here. But that would be with clear paths, and we've had to go over a lot of debris so I know the distance but I have no idea how long it's going to actually take at this point." 

"Alright, let's go ahead and keep going since we've rested up already." She said as she leaned forward and pulled away from her previous lean against the wall of the tunnel and gestured for Carter to join her. He did and moved so he was walking next to her right side, "So, wanna trade embarrassing stories of your mom and Kara?" 

"Of course!" Carter laughed out, wiggling a little in excitement in a way that Cat and so many others would say he picked up from Kara. 

She pulled Carter into a side hug and he tucked his head close to her abdomen, leaning into her a little, "Here, I'll start. Did you know that when we first arrived on Earth, Kara had a problem keeping her feet on the ground? She almost always ended up floating around and it got to the point where Jeremiah, our adoptive dad and Alex's biological dad, would make a lead ankle cuff with a titanium cable that Alex would attach to Kara's ankle. It was hilarious because Alex would use it to pull Kara around the house like a kid would a balloon." 

Riley felt like she could ignore the pain in her body at the joy of hearing Carter laugh so freely in their situation, her own huffing laughter joining in as the hilarious memory played in her mind like it had happened only a few hours ago. 

They continued sharing stories while slowly making their way to the exit, Carter giving ones of his mom or himself and Riley giving ones of Kara or herself, neither even considering the possibility of another quake in their fun. 

(*At the D.E.O.*) 

Alex just finished loading her assault rifle when agent Donovan spoke up, "We can't leave. Director Henshaw ordered us to stay here." 

"We don't even know if he is still alive, Donovan. These people are relying on us. We're going, alright." It pained her to say it, but she still had to consider the possibility. She turned to the group of agents nearby and addressed them, "Do not open this door until you get an all clear from me. And only me." She stressed the last part and felt reassured when Vasquez gave a firm nod at the order. They pressed a few keys and opened the door for Alex and Donovan, then gave a thumb up to show that they were ready to close it the moment the two agents walked out of the room. 

That plan changed when none other than Henshaw himself was on the other side of the door, "Mind lowering your weapon?" He teased out at Alex, but the stress and deaths of the other two agents seemed to be getting to him if the weariness in his eyes was anything to go by. 

"What happened?" Alex asked as Hank walked past her and further into the room while Vasquez shut the door again, "We lost visuals." 

"That was interference from Jemm's psychic powers. He ambushed us." He explained while grabbing more spare ammo mags and reloading his weapons, "Tsung and Reynolds, they're gone." 

Alex stood tall and moved her weapons slightly in his view to emphasize her statement, "I'm loaded and ready to go." 

Hank shook his head in a negative motion, "You can't. Jemm has already shown how dangerous he is and I refuse to lose anyone else. Tsung and Reynolds were two losses too many." 

"Donovan, get back to your post." She called out to the agent who was going to head out with her a mere minute or two ago, understanding that Hank was on edge because of the escaped prisoner and the loss of two agents. Alex finally noticed her phone was off and whatever was on it had her breath shortening. 

"Alex, what's wrong?" Hank muttered his question softly, pulling the panicking redhead to the side of the room and waving Vasquez over to join them. 

She didn't answer until Vasquez was with them, by then her breathing was fast and uneven as she gave them the update that she only just read the text on her phone. It had been sent to her about twenty minutes ago, "It's Riley. She went to Carter's school for some sort of art presentation and was assigned to his class. Turns out, during the quake a small sinkhole formed under both Riley and Carter. Apparently a forty-foot drop happened and now the two are slowly making their way through the old mining complex below the school. Winn isn't sure if they're injured, if debris is slowing them down, or if it is a mixture of both." 

Hank placed a firm hand on Alex's shoulder and it allowed her to emotionally ground herself, "I want you, Alex, to see if there are any more updates on that situation. Vasquez, I need you to open the door for me, I have to go back out there." He stopped to give Alex a pointed look, "Alone, because Reynolds had psychic burns, so that means Jemm knows everything that he did. Since Reynolds was the head of security, it means that I have to hurry before he opens any of the cells to release the other prisoners and break down the shield doors." 

Vasquez nodded in acceptance and they moved back to their seat in front of the computer and got ready to open the door. Alex didn't bother telling Hank that she was not going to wait around and let him try to do this alone, instead she let him think she was standing down. If only he knew that she was merely waiting for him to go back out there before she would charge out of the room after him. 

(*At  CatCo , Cat Grant's Office*)

"I don't know if I should applaud you or slap you at this point Kara Zor-El Danvers. What you did was both completely idiotic, yet brave at the same time." Cat hissed out at Kara when the younger blonde and James came back into her office once Winn finished shutting off her broadcast about everyday human heroes. She had heard from Winn who had heard from James that Kara made an appearance as Supergirl to stop a robbery, but while she was still powerless. 

Kara stood tall and proud though as she leads Cat into the woman's own personal bathroom, then pulled her close after she closed the door, "Cat, I know that you will not like that I might be risking my life to save strangers, but this is part of who I am. It's just like how CatCo is a part of you. Please understand that I can't give up being Supergirl, even during moments like this where my powers are gone." She paused to gently place a hand on the side of Cat's face, "I will promise to be as careful and safe as I can be, though." 

The two stared at each other for a minute or so, "Then I suppose I should have Alex teach me 'Kryptonian Care 101' just in case." Cat gave in with a soft sigh and a roll of her eyes at Kara's stubbornness. 

"Thank you, Cat." Kara whispered, leaning so their foreheads were lightly pressing together and they shared a loose hug just to be close to one another. 

A knock on the door interrupted there relaxing, "Hey you two, Winn has an update on Rile and Carter's location." James called through the door. It took a second for him to hear the doorknob turn, then had to dodge two blondes nearly flying out of the bathroom. 

"Okay so, based on Riley's chip, she and Carter are almost to the nearest exit. They're still moving slow and taking breaks every now and then but they're almost out of there." Winn told Cat and Kara, pointing to the GPS tracker on the laptop in front of him. It showed that indeed, the dot was still moving through the mining complex. 

Kara thought for a moment before she gestured to the laptop, "Is there a way for you to pull up some sort of video feed of the area when they are near the exit?" 

Winn shook his head, "No, there are no satellites aimed in that area at the moment, and we can't physically get up there fast because no ground vehicle can get over there. Our best bet is to wait until their out, then try to reach Carter since he should have signal then." 

(*At the D.E.O.*) 

Sneaking through Sector Twelve in the D.E.O facility had Alex on high alert. Not only because of Jemm, oh no, but also because of how she knew Hank would be pissed that she took an agent and basically snuck out to help him with the dangerous escaped prisoner. 

"Clear." She called out to Donovan after panning her view down the hall to the downed agents and saw nothing that stood out as 'dangerous alien' to her. 

'Oh Rao, talk about a rough way to go.' Alex thought to herself, kneeling down to see the slight burn marks on the side of the two agent's heads. She picked up Tsang's neural inhibitor and pressed the correct button to turn it on and figured what might have happened while putting it on, 'Jemm must have zapped them with that crystal on his forehead, making the inhibitors useless since they were attacked physically.' 

Donovan stopping near her had her pulling out of her thoughts, "Put on that other inhibitor, now." She ordered as she stood up since she had finished putting on hers. The red lights started flickering and made Alex tense up with her finger on the trigger of her gun, "We’ve got to move, now!" 

The man dropped the inhibitor and seemed to be shaking, getting Alex's full attention, "Donovan, you still with me?" She asked, her voice filled with worry for the other agent. 

"He's in my head." And with that, Alex was already just so done with today. In fact, today raised the bar as one of her crappiest days at work to a whole new level. 

She watched Donovan stand up and pull out his gun, 'Today just so isn't my day. Doesn’t seem to be his either, poor guy.'. Watching him closely, Alex raised her own gun as well as Donovan started talking to her again, "I'm not sure how long, I can fight him." He was panting with the effort it must have been taking him to physically restrain himself from following Jemm's orders. 

"Go. Go!" He shouted at her, making Alex turn and start running through the halls of the D.E.O. After about five minutes of rapidly searching for Jemm while running from Donovan, Alex slowed when she came across the hallway near the practice room. Poking her gun around a small corner that would have led to two doorways and rooms, Alex yelped when a hand slammed over her mouth and she was dragged backwards into the power unit room of that area. 

At the sight of a very upset Hank once she got her bearings, Alex knew she was busted and in so much trouble, "What are you doing here?" He hissed at her, keeping his voice low. 

"Donovan and I were looking for you. I was worried since you didn't have any backup." Alex admitted between small pants from her heart racing at being yanked into the room like that. 

Hank shook his head and stared her down, "Where is he now?" He asked sharply. 

Alex couldn't lift her gaze from the floor, she felt like she was only two feet tall under his disappointed gaze. His almost shout had her jump a little, "You lost him. Damn it! That's why I told you to stay with the others! I didn't want you doing something stupid like this!" 

If it wasn't for the fear and worry that was heavily laced in his voice, Alex would have probably been stubborn about it all and just stared him down. But since that was very much not the situation, she could only feel shame. Donovan's voice over the radio broke her out of her wallowing in shame, "Agent Danvers, come in." 

She raised a hand to her earpiece and responded with a sigh of relief, "Copy Donovan, what's your status?" 

"I'm okay, but I'm out here all alone. After all, you're not getting rid of me that easily. Where the hell are you?" Donovan asked over the radio, sounding a lot more solid in tone than he was earlier. 

"Alright, rendezvous with me." Hank cut her off with his hand held out and a firm, "Don't. Don't, it's not Donovan anymore." 

He pressed a button on the side of his earpiece and it tuned him into the same radio frequency as Alex and Donovan, "Jemm, I know it's you." 

Sure enough, Donovan's body falling over and Jemm's creepy voice echoed over the channel, "You've only delayed the inevitable. I will free the prisoners and break through to the surface. There's no escape for you." 

"We have to move to a secure location before Jemm gets down here." Hank ordered before he moved towards the door.

Alex had a crazy idea, one that would get her in trouble, but would be worth it to her. She pulled her gun up and aimed it at Hank, "Back away from the door. Drop your weapon."

He turned and looked at her with confusion lighting his eyes, "Alex."

"Now!" She ordered. When Hank actually did do so, she hid her surprise and moved forward to kick it further into the room.

"Alex, what are you doing? I am not the enemy." He called out to her, making her realize just how the situation might look and had her rushing to explain some of it.

She tossed him a pair of cuffs and gestured for him to cuff himself to one of the metal casings nearby, which he did, "I'm sorry, but I will not let you risk your life out there when that prisoner is gunning for you, specifically. I have a plan and it will work. But to do it I need to know that you're safely out of Jemm's line of fire."

Once he was cuffed completely, she reached up and reactivated her earpiece, "Jemm, this is Agent Danvers. I know you want those blast doors open. You don't need to release the prisoners to do that because all you need is me. I have the access code. I'll be waiting for you in the control room." She locked eyes with Hank and steeled herself at the sight of the pure fear for her in his eyes, "Because one way or another, this ends now." After that promise she opened the door to the room and left it, making sure it closed completely behind her while ignoring Hank's frantic calls for her.

(*At CatCo in the Bullpen just outside of Cat's office*)

James ran back on to the floor with news on how some of the rest of the city was faring, "Okay so, rescue efforts are slowed to a crawl and fires are still burning. People are helping where they can and staying out of the way for firefighters and E.M.S where they can't." He reported to Cat, panting from running so far. 

"Excellent work, Olsen. Take a break to get water and rest, you've earned it." Cat told him with a wave of her hand, her eyes seemingly glued to her own laptop screen where she was typing up the previous quake and now thanks to James, the current happenings around the city. 

A second quake began rocking the building, but only lasted maybe twenty seconds. It was the explosion about ten seconds after that had the group around Kara's desk all on edge, "An aftershock must have triggered something because that last one was an explosion." Kara stated with a wince at their bad luck. 

"That had to have been the gas line." Winn muttered, lunging for Kara's desk that held Cat to call the floor above with the phone, "Please let no one be up there." 

"I'll go check the stairs." James said, then turned on his heel and ran towards said stairs. 

Even Cat face-palmed a bit at the whole 'if it's not one thing, it's another' situation they kept finding themselves in when someone actually answered Winn, "Of course someone is up there." She hissed in annoyance at the situation as she pinched the bridge of her nose. 

"Hi! Hi, yes. We're just a few floors below you. Help is on the way." Winn pulled the phone away and looked at Kara and Cat, whispering his next words just in case, "Um, I just lied to an entire floor of trapped people in a burning building, what's our next move?"

James came running back over through the area that had no one else but their group and added to the stress, "The stairs are blocked going up." 

Cat took charge as she stood up from Kara's desk with her laptop and briskly started walking to a pair of offices near the stairs, "I will get the three workers still remaining on this floor and the others on the floor below to move down to the ground level. I know you three will attempt to start helping the ones above so I will take care of the others." 

Kara actually felt herself swoon at the sight, but was brought back to the situation instead of Cat's swaying hips and strong attitude by Winn clearing his throat, "Right! Let's get started. If the stairs are blocked, the best bet are the elevator shafts. There is a ladder built against the wall inside of it." 

(*At the D.E.O.*) 

"Show yourself." Jemm growled out inside the Command room, not seeing Alex waiting in the shadows on the upper outer level catwalk with her assault rifle aimed at him, "Let us see if you die with more honor than your fallen friends." 

'Eat this, you son of a.' Alex let her thoughts trail off to focus on her plan, holding down the trigger to start shooting at Jemm to distract him. 

When he stumbled back a few feet from the force of the shots, she moved so her back was to a wall and clicked the detonator for the flash grenade set up she made to blind the alien, then ran from her location along the catwalk, dropping down so she ended up slightly around a corner from Jemm's position closer to Kara and Riley's pod. 

Grabbing the shotgun she placed there earlier, Alex stormed forward and kept firing at him. Three shots later had her successfully knocking the gem off of his forehead, making him lose his laser shooting ability, "It will take more than that to kill me, human." He taunted her with a scowl. 

Alex pulled out her pistols and started firing at him, realizing that maybe her plan wasn't as well thought out as she originally figured it was. 

Jemm darted to her and knocked the pistols out of her hands, then swung his arm at her and knocked her through the air and onto the floor, 'Oh Rao, that smarts.' Alex hissed to herself at the hit. She scrambled backwards on her hands and feet to try to get some distance from him. 

The lights flickered on and off, the flashing red backup lights kicked on and Alex froze against a wall as she watched Jemm get his alien rear kicked by someone or something. 

The being pressed a button on the main computer's keyboard that shut off the silent alarm and turned the power back on completely to reveal Hank. 

'Woah, wait. Hank is an alien too?' Alex was having a hard time processing that, remembering vividly that she saw green skin and Hank was a lot taller at that time. He walked up and held a hand out to her and she decided then and there that it didn't matter if Hank was an alien or even secretly Santa Claus, he was her boss and friend. So she took his hand and got pulled up with a cheeky grin, "Told you my plan would work." She sassed him, getting a hearty laugh from him. 

(*Inside the Mining Complex*) 

Riley groaned from her place on the ground, shuddering from the pain racing up and down her body, "You alright, kiddo?" She asked as she shakily stood up, having curled over Carter when an aftershock started dropping more debris on and around them. 

He leaped to his feet with his brows furrowed in a way that reminded her of Kara, "Riley, you're already getting to the point where you are severely injured. You need to stop covering me like that or you'll end up even worse off!" He chastened her but his jaw dropped when the woman stood up tall, even injured, and gave him a firm look that reminded him just who he was talking to. 

"I don’t think so, Carter. I am going to protect you from all of this no matter how much I end up hurt, am I clear?" At his nod she kept her solid stance, even through the added pain, but ignored it fully with Carter staring at her in awe, "Let's keep going kiddo, I can see the exit from here and I don't know about you, but I'm excited for some sunlight and fresh air." 

"Oh, I agree with you there, let's get out of here. Keep telling me stories please?" He muttered in question with a cough from the dirt in the air, checking his phone to make sure the battery wasn't too low and turned off the flashlight. 

Riley nodded and weakly pulled him close again in case she needed to protect him once more, "Alright, let me tell you some stories about Krypton." 

(*At CatCo*) 

The three worked together to pry the elevator door open with Winn on the phone with a worker from the floor above them, "Uh, problem. They can't get their door open." Winn told Kara and James after they got their floor's door open. 

"Alright, I'm going to have to climb up and open it from the other side." James decided, looking up at the distance between their floor and the other. 

Winn did not look happy at that and crossed his arms, "Wait, James, we're on the twenty-third floor." But at James' look, he groaned in defeat and pinched the bridge of his nose at his boyfriend's lack of self-preservation, "If I get a heart attack from this, I will blame you forever." 

James grinned cheekily and gave him a chaste peck on the lips, "Well, this will be one for the book of stupid things I do in life. I'll be back, I promise. Now get back on that phone of yours and let them know I'm coming, please." He turned and climbed the ladder, then started moving up as he heard Winn tell the others over the phone that he was indeed heading up. 

Going up a decent distance between the floors, James grunted from the effort at pulling the door open and moving so he was just barely on solid ground again, "Okay, grab the ladder." He ordered one of the three workers that were trapped on the level, "Watch your step." 

One by one he was able to get all three on the ladder and climbing down to Kara and Winn's awaiting arms that would pull them to safety. They had just pulled the third onto their floor when an aftershock shook the building and flung James into the elevator shaft. He was barely able to grab onto the main cables to stop from plummeting to his death. 

Winn yelled at the three workers to go get help when Kara noticed the cable James was clinging too started to fray, "James, reach for the ladder! Reach!" She yelled at him, her heart beating frantically in her chest from fear at him falling. Both herself and Winn saw the cable continue to fray more and more, their breathing getting uneven as they watched. 

Kara felt her muscles tense and when her arm felt no pain, she realized her powers were back. It was at that time that the cable finally gave out and dropped James, but for Kara it was all happening in slow motion as she felt herself super speed out of her over clothing and into her super suit, then dive down after James. He fell maybe only four floors by the time Kara had already caught him and was flying him back up to Winn. 

The two men hugged each other tightly with shaky and slightly hysterical laughter, "You almost gave us a heart attack." Kara panted at the power rushing through her veins again, and the near heart attack her friend gave her. 

"Go on Kara, we got it from here. The city needs Supergirl." Winn huffed out to her between his panting from his heart racing, both guys turning to go down the stairs while Kara rocketed up the elevator shaft to get to the roof exit. 

(*At the Mining Complex*) 

"Oh Rao, we made it." Riley gave a sigh of relief, she and Carter stumbling out of the tunnel and into the daylight. 

Carter took a deep breath and giggled, "This is nice, didn't know how fast I would miss fresh air." 

They hugged a wall near the exit though due to it being on a cliff face that had one heck of a steep fall, "We need to hug this wall and try to shimmy along it to get away from this cliff." Carter explained, tugging on Riley's wrist to get her to follow him. 

Leaning against the rocks, Riley's eyes widened in horror when a second after shock began and made her and Carter stumble. Her heart felt like it was about to burst out when it started racing hard in her chest. Just when she thought they would be okay, Carter stumbled and went off the edge, "Carter!" She screamed in terror, but when her pain disappeared and time seemed to slow down, she knew she had her powers back. Using super speed to rip off the clothes over her suit, she threw herself off the edge and raced after him. 

Twenty feet below where they were, she caught him and pulled him close, "Riley! Your powers are back!" He cheered as he clung to her tightly. His shaking gave away just how scared he had been though. 

"Hey kiddo, what did I tell you? We're family, and I refuse to let you get hurt if there is anything I can do about it." She hugged him, careful of her strength again and made sure he was tucked close to her before taking off through the air.

Flying over National City after dropping Carter off with his mom a few blocks from CatCo, Riley saw Kara leaving CatCo via flying from the roof, "Kara!" She called out happily, joining her sister in the air.

Kara darted through the air to slam into a hug, "Rile! Oh Rao am I glad to see that you're okay! How is Carter?"

"Don't worry, Carter only has a few scrapes and he's with Cat. Shall we help clear up National City?" Riley asked with a grin when they separated from the hug only to join Kara in cheering when Astra joined them in her old military outfit.

"Little One, My Own, my abilities have returned and I am here to join you with the repair of the city. Lucy is now with your mate as well, Kara." Astra greeted them with hugs. They all shared grins and shot through the air to help out around National City.

Kara started by pushing a bus full of children back onto solid ground since it was almost tipping over the edge of the broken highway. Once they were safe, she started taking care of the fires, using her freeze breath to put them out and clinching any sparking cables to avoid possible electrical shocks just in case.

Astra began by helping rescue teams move debris around to get to trapped civilians or carrying injured to the nearby hospital or on-site doctors. 

Last but not least, Riley flew around and made sure buildings were stabilized with her x-ray vision and heat vision, also using her super strength to straighten any crooked buildings. 

(*At the D.E.O.*) 

Thirty minutes later, Alex was leaving the each a message starting with their name, based on who it was, "Kara, Riley, Astra, it's me. I know that you're all busy, and that's good. I just wanted to let you all know that we're okay here at the D.E.O. We'll talk soon."

She hung up and followed Hank out of the Command room and into Jemm's old cell room, "You're probably wondering how I got out of a pair of locked handcuffs." He gazed up at her from his seat, "There's only one other person who knows the truth. You sure you wanna hear this? Please allow me to tell Kara, Riley and the others later, myself."

Alex moved to sit down next to him, "I trust you, you know that. We all do. Whatever secret you have, know that it's safe with us."

He took a deep sigh before he started, "I am not Hank Henshaw. He died many years ago. The D.E.O had been pursuing an alien for months. Not one of the Fort Rozz prisoners, but an innocent one stranded on this planet. The D.E.O tracked the alien down to a remote location in Peru. Henshaw led the squadron sent to terminate him. One of the agents on the squad realized the alien they were hunting wasn't a threat. That he was a refugee, like Kara, Riley, and their cousin. A sole survivor of a lost world. The agent tried to stop the mission, but Henshaw, he was obsessed. He'd finally trapped the alien he'd been hunting for so long. So, the agent made the ultimate sacrifice. That agent, he gave his life to save that alien. He died a hero." He fought away his tears at the memories of it all, and turned his attention to Alex.

She was looking at him with sorrow, "That alien, was that you?" At his solemn nod, she continued and gestured to his form, "But, how are you him?"

"I am a shape shifter. When Hank Henshaw died, I assumed his identity to reform the D.E.O. But I also made that agent a promise. That I would take someone under my wing who would stand out among the rest, some who would stand with the foundations of a new D.E.O with honor and integrity. I recruited you and knew that you would be that person. I soon grew to consider you as one of my own children, something I never planned on happening, and I knew I would never stop protecting you. That grew even more after those two Kryptonians wormed their way in as well. Then next I know, I have many non-blood children and even a few friends." He explained it all, standing up to pace about half way though.

"If your name is not Hank Henshaw, then who are you?" Alex asked him, standing to join him.

He turned to face away from her, "As far as I know, I am the sole survivor of my planet. The last son of Mars." Letting the change over-take him, he turned back to a stunned Alex in his true form, "My name, is J'onn J'onzz."

(*That night at the Apartment*)

The small party was in full swing at the apartment with the curtains closed for privacy. Lucy was sitting with Vasquez and Carter on the couch arguing about video games.

James, Winn and Kara were sitting on a mixed pile of beanbag chairs and blankets ranting about anything and everything to do with Clark's lack of power-naming skills.

Alex, Cat and J'onn in his natural form were sitting on the other side of the room near Alex's alcohol cabinet talking about the current state of government and some of the last few Kryptonians leaving Non's army to either join with the D.E.O or go through a trial time to get integrated into human society.

Lastly, inside the kitchen Astra was getting some cooking tips on how to feed humans and aliens while Riley finished up dinner for everyone.

Astra helped Riley place all the food on the large table, including stacks of plates, bowls and silverware so everyone could get their food and eat in the living room so they could all be together, "Alright everyone, time to dig in!" Riley called out, grinning at only certain people moving to the table due to the unspoken rule that the human's and non-bottomless pits get food first, since the Kryptonians would eat everything else fairly easily.

(*A block or two away*)

Outside of the apartment, three figures were floating not too far away, "When the humans and Martian leave, release that thing upon Kara Zor-El and Rile Ast-Ze. It will only choose one, but it will leave the second and the others in turmoil at the lack of knowledge on how to help the afflicted." The middle figure flew away after speaking, leaving the other two to lay in wait.

The figure flew back to the base hidden within Fort Rozz, growling out their promise, "Non will rule this 'Earth'. One way or another."

Chapter Text

Chapter Eight: Just another day in National City, Until it's Not. 

Riley floated out of the apartment after everyone had gone home for the night and Kara had left with Cat and Carter. It seemed that Kara was officially moving some of her stuff out and into the Grant home since Riley could easily take over the rent starting next month. Most of the items taken were some clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, shower soap and things like that.  

Surprisingly, the lack of Kara's items didn't make it seem as bare as Riley thought it would. Instead, the younger blonde decided that once Kara was completely moved out she'd offer the second room to Vasquez since they told Riley, Alex and Kara about how they were basically kicked out by their roommate after the person found out that they were 'different'. Lucy had officially moved into the third room earlier that day that used to be an art room Kara and Riley shared, so it would be an amusing thing to see if the three friends could live together peacefully. 

Both Vasquez, Lucy, Kara and Riley had to teamwork to stop Alex from going over there to 'exchange words' with the ex-roommate after the three Danvers' were told about it. Thankfully J'onn had told Vasquez that they could stay at the D.E.O till they found a place.

When Kara brought up the plan to move out, Riley brought up her plan to Lucy, Alex and Kara with the idea of offering the soon to be empty room to Vasquez. She was happy when they all approved of such actions and Alex stated that the worst that can happen is Vasquez saying no to the idea.

So earlier before the end of the party, after having that conversation with them about her idea, Riley made sure that she encouraged Kara to go for moving in with the Grant's. Once Kara made sure Riley was truly okay with it, the older Kryptonian told Cat that the move was now a 'for sure' decision.

She gave a tired sigh as she soared high through the air to do that night's patrol around the city, 'Well, that started happening a lot faster than I thought it would. It will be good for them though. Also, if Vasquez does decide to take the offer and moves in, they will have a solid place to stay.' Riley thought with a small yet growing smile as she cruised around in the sky, keeping an eye and ear out for any trouble.

It seemed like a calm night for the first time in a long while to the Super. Which was understandable since National City did just have a pretty bad earthquake earlier that day.

Pressing the button on her Bluetooth when her cellphone started going off in her boot, Riley answered and spoke out to whoever it was, "Hello, this is Riley Danvers speaking. I answered using my earpiece so I don't know who this is exactly, but based on the ringtone, you're family. What can I do for you?"

"Riley Jane Danvers, what have I told you about answering that phone of yours while you're flying? And don't lie to me, I can hear the wind in the background." The voice of none other than Martha Kent scolded her, sending her to a sudden halt near the end of the patrol route. She turned back around and began heading by to the apartment as some memories of her human aunt came up.

Riley had almost instantly adored Martha Kent since the older woman would actually invite Kara and herself to go spend time at the Kent farm in Kansas. Kara normally preferred to stay with Alex during the summer after visiting the farm for two weeks at most, but Riley would go to visit for the entire summer around the age of fifteen, and would do so quite happily after the nervous first visit she and Kara had. She loved how the animals didn't seem skittish around her and even enjoyed helping Martha with the farm chores. It also helped that the woman she grew to consider family allowed both her and Kara to practice their powers as long as they stayed out of sight from neighbors and possible satellites.

"Hey there, it's been a while! What are you doing up so late?" Riley asked with a happy grin, pleasantly surprised with the call. She put a mark on her mental calendar to go and visit her favorite Kent. Sure, she still adored Clark, even with his reclusive non-Kryptonian ways. But Martha was family that wormed her way into the Danvers' hearts with a warm smile and a hand ready to reach out to steady them if they stumbled.

A sigh that reminded Riley of where Clark got his from came over the line, "Alex called to tell me that Kara was moving out to move in with her other half, but you were going to stay there. So just in case, I express mailed you the old shirt that you brought with you from Krypton and ended up leaving here on one of the visits to the farm. It should be at your apartment in the next day or two."

Riley's jaw dropped in surprise, then she squealed a little in joy, "Oh Rao, thank you Aunt Martha!" She said with glee as she did a quick, spinning through the air and finally recognized the familiar Glenn Miller record playing in the background from Martha's side of the phone, "Relaxing day? You normally only listen to Glenn Miller when you are able to kick up your feet and enjoy a small glass of that whiskey you like."

(*Phone Side Swap*)

Martha cut off the water faucet in the kitchen and dried off her hands, "You know me too well." She paused long enough to swap her house phone over to her other shoulder and walked into the living room with her said glass of whiskey in her right hand and a plate of late supper in her left, "How is working with Alex? Last time we talked, you just passed the tests to join."

"Hold that thought." Riley said over the phone, followed by sounds of a short fight and some sirens. A minute or two later, Martha could hear Riley flying through the air again, "Sorry about that, a small group attempted to rob a store and I was lucky that a cop was nearby to take them to the precinct. Anyway, working with Alex isn't half bad, to be honest. There hasn't really been anything big that has caused us to get sent out into the field yet, but our boss says that he wouldn't be surprised if my first mission happens soon. So, there is that."

The oldest Kent chewed and swallowed a bite of her green beans before she spoke with a firm yet soothing tone, "Just remember to get enough sleep, eat enough calories, and for the love of Rao, spend more time in the sun. You know that it's what charges your 'batteries'. I know that you prefer nighttime, but you know that the rest of us worry when you miss out on too much recharging. No matter how much you try to argue that the moon is reflecting enough sunlight to recharge you, because it doesn't."

Riley could be heard sputtering and scoffing as the Kryptonian tried to come up with a reasonable excuse. Martha felt a small yet smug smile pull across her face as she went in for the proverbial kill, "Oh, and have you been keeping up with that college girlfriend of yours?"

(*Back with Riley*) 

"Okay first of all, she wasn't my girlfriend. Secondly, she's been busy on the other side of the country so no, we haven't been able to keep in touch. Third, she likes me as a friend as well. After all, you know why I could never actually date." Riley huffed with forced amusement at first while raising a finger for each part of the verbal list, but was letting out a disappointed sigh at the end and dropped her hand back to her side.

Martha was quite for a minute or two, then Riley heard a glass being set down before the older woman responded, "Have you at least told Kara and Alex who your friend from college actually is?"

Riley could feel the flush burning its way across her face, "Uh, not quite yet. I keep forgetting to." When her aunt scoffed, she continued, "Okay, I will tell them soon as long as things keep calm to avoid any unnecessary freak outs. Besides, if I don't tell them, their oblivious selves will never pick up on it. I'm surprised one of them is an agent and the other is looking at journalism. After all, Lena Thorul? I picked it up almost instantly."

At the sight of something flitting around at the side of her vision, she had to excuse herself from the call, "Aunt Martha, I'll have to call you back later. Something is going on that might need Superboy to check it out."

"Alright, I'll talk to you later then. Oh, and please tell Clark, Kara and Alex to call me more often. It'll be nice to know that my son and my other two nieces exist beyond the random call once every five months." Martha said with amusement, the sound of her heading into the kitchen and starting to wash dinner dishes echoed through the background.

"You got it, talk to you later." She then hung up and flew over to the scene she saw earlier, tensing when it was none other than Non and two of his minions. Riley had to fight a smirk off at realizing that his usual two generals had left his army, along with a sizable chunk of the other generals and grunts.

They all turned towards her as if having previously practiced it, "Rile Ast-Ze," Non started, reaching for some sort of knife in an lead sheath, "I did hope I would not have to do this, seeing as we Kryptonians are already so few in number. But your protection of the Humans is not something we can allow to continue." He gestured to her and the two men ran at her.

Unknown to them, she and Kara had been training hard with both Alex, Astra and the others, so the three in front of her were in for a rude awakening.

The one on her left lunged first with his arm pulled back, only to get a hard uppercut to the chin that sent him sprawling. His partner in the fight attempted to jump in but was met with the move Kara refuses to call anything but a 'Kangaroo Kick', to his solar plexus that had him breathing hard for air on the ground. A simple angry command had them pulling themselves up, albeit, quite slowly.

Non glared with displeasure at the two men stumbling to their feet, muttering about how their lack of training needed to be changed. He darted forward with the knife drawn and Riley was shocked when her body finally registered the Kryptonite. She tried to stumble away from it after he had given her a cut nearly six inches long between her elbow and her wrist on her left arm, but her upper arm was gripped by Non.

"You, Kara Zor'El, Kal-El, and Ast-Ze are all traitors. We have no tolerance for traitors who convert our people from the cause." He hissed as he put the knife close to Riley's throat. A glance at the blue glowing crystals on his and the other two's chests had her realizing they must have had some sort of protection from it, using the slight 'detecting' skills James tried to teach her and Kara. When Non placed the knife back in the holster to do some more 'My-Evil-Plan' ranting like her mom warned their group that he never shut up about, she went with her random idea that popped into her head and ripped the protective crystal off of his chest armor. While doing that, she used a sleigh of hand trick that Lucy taught her to slip the knife and it's holster off his belt loop.

Riley stumbled to the nearby ledge as she felt some of her strength return to her, yet still felt majorly woozy, "I've met some pricks in my life but you, Non, are the cactus." And with that she dived off the side with a smug smirk at the idiot, using her flying to take off close to the ground as fast as she could. Holding both the lead knife sheath and protective crystal in her hands she booked it for the D.E.O. Riley sighed in relief at the good luck since she just knew that Alex and the others would want to see the items.

 (*At the D.E.O.*) 

Alex, J'onn and Riley were walking through the halls of the D.E.O to the Command room where Astra, and Kara who had flown in from Cat's, were waiting, "Non's back and he's up to something. Oh, and he had a Kryptonite knife." Riley explained as they turned into the room, nodding in greeting to the other two since now wasn’t the time for hugs since they were discussing some serious stuff. 

"You didn't happen to get a hold of it, did you?" J'onn asked her with his eyebrows slightly raised, interested in looking at the weapon. 

She pulled the knife holster and gem pouch off her belt and passed the two items to him, watching his face light up with open curiosity at the items, "This is the knife and some kind of weird gem thing they were using to be immune to the Kryptonite."

"Wait, so you're saying that the gem is what makes them immune?" Alex asked to clarify, the Danvers crinkle out in full and she seemed deep in thought.

Astra walked up and joined J'onn in looking over the items while Kara moved to join Alex and Riley when they stopped next to the main table, "Well that certainly changes a lot of plans. Why do you think Non finally showed up personally after so long?" Kara asked loud enough for them and the other two to hear, leaning against the large table.

Riley joined her in leaning against the table, then sighed after she got comfortable and Kara had thrown an arm over her shoulder, "No clue. He said something about offing you, mom and I. So, he lost my attention during the start of his speech since I wanted out of there as fast as possible. It was when he was going to start that long-winded speech after I kicked the tar out of his minions that I simply just stole the knife and gem. Came to the D.E.O right after that because I'm not gonna lie, the Kryptonite knife gave me pause." 

"He wants you three off the board." J'onn cut in, walking around to stand near them with Astra following. Astra moved close and seemed to check for any injuries near Riley's neck, giving her a side hug when no such wounds were found, "This could be the beginning of what we've feared since Fort Rozz first crashed on Earth, a city-wide attack." 

"Alright, I'll go ahead and get out there again." Riley said as she tiredly pushed away from the table and broke away from the others to start making her way to the exit.  

She stopped at the sound of Alex's voice, Astra moving to walk after her, and Kara's hand on her shoulder though, "No, wait a minute. You need at least a few hours of rest to recover, you look exhausted." 

Riley shrugged off Kara's hand and turned around to them, "Alex look, I understand, okay? But now is not the time to try to corral me. There is something going on out there that we have very little information about, and we have to be ready to stop it." 

"You and Kara both need some sun before there is any attempt to find out about Non's plans after the Earthquake earlier. So go rest, relax and yes Astra and Vasquez will be joining you at the apartment, Riley. And don't even think about possibly trying anything Kara, because I've already had Vasquez alert both Grants while Olsen and Schott will be there as well. Alex, Lucy and myself will remain here to comb over Astra's information again to see if we missed something from the last time we checked." J'onn stated firmly and completely looked like their 'Space-Dad', as a tipsy Winn had dubbed him earlier that night, even in his Hank Henshaw form. 

"Okay," The younger blonde sighed in amused exasperation but still smiled softly at the currently nearby members of her stubborn ragtag family, "then I guess that's the plan. Are we going to be heading out soon?" Riley asked her mom since Vasquez seemed to be finishing up the last bit of work on their computer.  

Getting a nod, she hugged the others and after about five minutes of speaking with them about random things, she moved with Astra over to Vasquez who was finished logging out of their computer. Riley grabbed the two duffel bags that Vasquez had packed and walked with the two that were following her to the garage, ready to go home and go straight to sleep so she wouldn't have to think about the Anti-Alien rally in the morning. Lucky for Kara, the older Kryptonian didn't have to go protect it like she had to as a D.E.O agent. 

(*Next Day at  CatCo *) 

Kara answered her personal cellphone since she was on her break time, "Hey Alex, what's up?" 

"Have you heard from Riley today? Astra and Vasquez arrived at the D.E.O earlier and said that she had a fever. It might just be from that Kryptonite blade that I've been having the computer in my lab analyze, but I don't want to wait to make sure she's okay and risk her getting worse. Yet at the same time I don't want to wake her up if she is just napping it off, so I'm probably just going to message her and keep an eye out for a response." Alex babbled out and sounded a little worried over the phone like she usually did when one of the Kryptonians ended up blowing out their powers and getting sick.  

The younger Danvers saw Cat waving at her from the large glass walled office and holding up a file, "No, but if she calls or messages me I'll let you know." She paused to throw her food trash away and wiped off her hands and face, then continued, "My break is over though and I need to get back to work. Call me back with updates if she contacts you?"

She could hear Alex's nod over the phone due to the rustle of hair and a door that sounded like Alex's lab hissed a bit at sealing shut, "Sounds good to me, Kara."

Before either of them could hang up, Kara could hear Alex tense and her heart start pacing, "Alex? Alex, what's wrong?" She asked over the phone and turned to head to the side balcony she used to fly out of CatCo when Cat had seen the reaction and pointed in that direction so Kara knew she was clear to leave if needed.

"Kara, that dagger Non cut Riley with last night. It, it wasn't regular green Kryptonite." Alex stuttered out as Kara could hear her stumbling over to the computer, rapidly going over something and typing away on a keyboard.

Kara burst out of the side balcony door and took to the sky, flying as fast as she could to the D.E.O and swapped her call over to Bluetooth, "What do you mean, not regular Kryptonite? What else is in it? Come on Alex, you're scaring me, what's going on?"

Alex's voice nearly croaked as pure shock seemed to have an icy grip on her vocal cords, crackling her voice, "Whatever was mixed in with the green isn't good. I had a suspicion due to the weird coloring of it, so I decided to run it through some tests where I mixed Kryptonian blood on it and it turns out my gut feeling was right. Kara, if this is right? Riley might be powerless now. Permanently."

(*Later a t the Apartment*) 

For the first time in her life, Riley could say that she felt miserably sick. Even when her powers were blown out and she got sick when she was about eighteen, she could say that she felt a lot better then, than she did now. 

She was currently laying on the cold tiled floor in the kitchen, enjoying the chill from the tiles that seemed to help with what felt like a fever. Next to her was her battery dead cellphone, a small bowl of chicken-less chicken noodle soup, and the shirt that Martha sent her was nearby in case she needed to cuddle something. On top of that shirt was none other than the build-a-bear soccer gear wearing Husky dog that Jeremiah got her not long before his death. It has Alex's old soccer number on the back of its shirt and the house of El symbol on its paw as a nod to her adoration for both Kara and Alex. It also had a telescope on the left back paw, and a science beaker on the right back paw as a nod to Jeremiah and Eliza, when she wanted something added that reminded her of the two adults.

When she woke up that morning with a bad migraine and a high fever, she was even more surprised to find out that none of her powers were working and the cherry on top of her bad morning was that she forgot to put her phone on the charger. Riley felt like she could be compared to the living dead when she shuffled around to make her soup, let alone when most of the noises of attempted words were half-hearted groans at the best.

At one point Riley had slipped and landed on her knees in the kitchen from lack of traction with her socks, but was able to keep her bowl of soup from spilling. Since she couldn't pull herself back up she just decided to make the best of the situation and use the cold tiles to try to chill her fever.

A hard yawn interrupted Riley's humming to the Beauty and the Beast remake Disney songs that she had playing from a small speaker in the living room, then a knock on the door echoed through the apartment, "Riley, are you there?" Eliza's voice called out from the other side, sending the blonde rocketing up into a sitting position. 

"Ma, the door is unlocked!" She was barely able to call out through her yawns and cracking voice, still not a hundred percent sure if Eliza was really there and she wasn't just hallucinating or something. 

Sure enough, Eliza came bustling into the apartment with a large suitcase and a dufflebag, "Riley, where are you?" The older blonde asked in confusion as she set the bag on the couch and the suitcase next to the coffee table. 

Riley groaned and started to have another go at trying to haul herself up, causing her Earth mom's eyes to widen in surprise while rushing to help at the sight of her youngest struggling to stand, "What's wrong? Are your powers blown? I've never seen you this sick before! Where are Kara and Alex?" Eliza asked sternly, leading the Kryptonian over to the clear side of the couch once Riley was on her own two feet and noted that Riley just groaned, seemingly unable to talk clearly. 

When the younger blonde was situated, Eliza brought the items on the kitchen floor into the living room and put them on the coffee table, "You stay right there. I will be back with blankets, pillows, medicine, and a thermometer." At Riley's nod she moved to do all of that, and fired off a text to Alex for her eldest daughter to come by around lunch time with Kara to get Riley to the D.E.O for testing. Normally she wouldn't be very worried, but Riley seemed mostly out of it and Eliza could feel a deep seeded worry over just how sick the Kryptonian actually seemed to be. That mostly came from the fact that Riley put up no fight over having to take medicine. 

Eliza stopped in the bathroom after she gathered up all the items but the medicine and thermometer, taking a few deep breaths to put her 'game face' back on. She dug through the cabinet under the sink and was able to find both of the things she needed, then placed them on her collected pile and walked back into the living room. 

The sight of Riley curled up on the couch looking miserable had her glancing up at the clock and sighing with relief when she noticed it would only be about twenty minutes until Alex and Kara would probably arrive. Eliza moved over to the couch and started getting Riley comfortable by having her take the medicine, then putting the pillow at the end of the couch and having Riley lay her head on it. She also tossed her bag to the floor so Riley could stretch out, and covered her sick Kryptonian child with the blanket. Going to hand the stuffed animal to Riley, Eliza stopped cold and realized just which one Riley had with her and covered her mouth with a hand in surprise, tears filling her eyes at the memory of her husband. 

'Please hurry you two.' She couldn't help but think, knowing that if this was the animal pulled out, then Riley had to be horribly sick since she was so protective of it and normally had it hidden away. Lifting Riley's left arm, she was careful to place the husky there with the Krypton shirt and gently set her daughter's arm back down, smiling softly when Riley cuddled it and curled up protectively around the items. 

Eliza sat on the coffee table after she had moved the bowl of soup to the kitchen and started humming a tune to the song that Jeremiah would sing to all three of the kids after any of them had nightmares. All three because when one had nightmares, the other two would be there with them in no time, cuddling together to fight away the memories of it. Both she and Jeremiah would then sing them back to sleep a few minutes later, while running their hands through the children's hair. 

Which is what she was doing just now, running her hand through Riley's hair softly and lowly singing a nursery rhyme that she and her husband learned when they found out that their voices would calm Alex till she fell asleep. They were lucky when it also sent the two Kryptonians to sleep, and would even make the night-terrors disappear for a little while. 

The apartment door swung open as quietly as possible to show a pale faced Alex and a worried Kara, "Mom, we got your message, we need to get her to the D.E.O fast. There was something weird about the Kryptonite blade she was cut with and Clark thinks the green was mixed with something he called 'Gold Kryptonite'." Alex paused to check and see that Riley was really asleep, then continued, "I think it might have taken away her powers completely." 

Kara walked up to gently pick Riley up and her body shook from trying not to cry when the younger blonde curled up and placed her head on Kara's shoulder, "Come on," her voice was shaky and she had to take a moment to clear her throat, "we need to get her to Alex's lab a.s.a.p." Then turned and walked right back out of the apartment with a sleeping Riley still clinging to the Husky and shirt. 

Alex and Eliza hurried after her, making sure to close and lock up the apartment behind them. They were all rushing to the D.E.O so they never noticed one of Non's still loyal followers floating in a nearby alley with a wicked smirk and a dark look in their eyes, 'Step One, complete. Time to inform Non and begin Step Two.' 

(*At the D.E.O - Alex's Lab*) 

Eliza and Alex were going over test after test, double and even triple checking the results, only to be worried when they all came back the same. Riley no longer had any of her powers, and her body's reaction to that had her feverish and in pain. The only good thing is that she was already starting to recover from it after Alex had dosed her with a medicine that she and Eliza worked together to make as fast as possible. 

Alex ran a hand over her face and looked over at the now powerless, sleeping Kryptonian, "How are we going to tell her, Mom? Clark swore he got rid of all but a few loose Green Kryptonite shards. He was just as surprised as we were about the Gold Kryptonite that was laced in the dagger. Hell, he's already swung by to pick it up and is probably destroying it as we speak." 

Any response was cut off when Astra appeared in the room, making her way over to the two Danvers next to the computers but leaving her eyes locked on Riley's sleeping form, "I heard everything. I think the best option would be to have J'onn, Eliza, and yourself tell her. She has built a bond with the three of you that is much like a child and their family. I would like to be in the room as well, because she may need all of us." Astra said in a quiet tone, gesturing to herself, Kara, Alex and Eliza at the end statement. 

The man in question cleared his throat from the doorway, signaling his entrance. He barely walked five steps in when Riley suddenly started sitting up and yawned as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, "Tell me what?" She asked in the middle of another yawn, moving to let her legs hang from the side of the bed so she could look directly at the growing group in Alex's lab. 

Riley opened her eyes and was feeling a bit surprised at how many people were actually in the room. She took note of how J'onn, her Mom and her Ma looked at her with sorrow. How Alex and Kara moved to sit next to either side of her on the medical bed, nearly glued to her sides, "Jeez, it's just a cold. What's with all the long faces?" She said, trying to play off her growing worry with a weak smile and teasing words. 

When no one spoke up, her smile fell and she looked around at each person pointedly, "Right? That is all that it is? Nothing is really wrong?" 

J'onn cleared his throat roughly and stepped close, "Riley, that dagger from last night. It, hmm," he paused to run a hand over his mouth, then crossed his arms and looked at her directly instead of at the floor, deciding to just get it all out, "it had Gold Kryptonite laced in with the Green. After extensive testing on both it, and your blood and skin cells, we found that it has completely taken away your powers." 

Riley's eyes widened a bit and her jaw dropped. She was only able to make a few noises before she tried again with a weak, fake laugh, "I think I heard you wrong. You said it has completely removed my powers? You're kidding right? There has to be some mistake, right?" Her voice slowly raised in pitch through each frantic question. 

Kara and Alex wrapped their hands around her own and she could feel her heart racing as she started breathing heavy, feeling herself start panicking.  

Eliza darted forward and took Riley's hands, setting one next to the pulse on her neck and one over her heart, "Riley, breath. You're having a panic attack. Look at me." She said when the blonde's eye started hazing, snapping her fingers to help her child focus. Once Riley locked eyes with her and the breathing did even out, the Kryptonian curled up where she was and let out a broken sob.

The other three Danvers hugged Riley tightly merely a second later, with Astra and J'onn moving to join in when Eliza waved them over. Riley's body was shaking as tears streamed down her face. It hit her hard when she felt Kara's stone like grip earlier, and her strong emotional walls cracked and crumbled down around her. She clung to her family as best as she could. Riley was already running thoughts through her head, wondering if she would still be an agent of the D.E.O, how she was going to help people who needed it, and it was all wearing down on her already tired mental state.

She built those cracked walls up as best as she could and took a deep, shaky breath, "Okay. Could I speak with J'onn for a few minutes? Alone with no overhearing, please?" Riley asked as she pulled away from the hugs, continuing her deep breaths while a small realization hit her that brought a small smile to her face.

Kara and Alex gave her weak smiles and lead Eliza and Astra out to the nearby break room, Alex let the lab seal behind her so even super hearing wouldn't pick up what would be said.

J'onn watched Riley hop off the bed onto unsteady legs, but didn't offer help since he knew that she needed to do this on her own. He turned around when she was about to ask him to, so she could change from her pajamas into her Agent clothes. When she gave him the okay, he turned back around and saw her leaning against the bed instead of hopping back on it.

"Am I still an agent of the D.E.O?" Riley started off with, cutting right to the point.

His posture straightened up at that and he crossed his arms in front of himself again, "Yes. You will need to wait until you pass the usual medical check-up to do field work, but you did the usual test without any powers and have shown that even without them, you are still a very capable agent. I am not saying this just because of the situation. Alex might have been the reason you even got a chance to get in as an Agent. But your skill and determination are why you get to stay, Agent Ze-Danvers."

Riley felt her small smile grow a bit and stood up tall, "Sounds good to me, sir. I may need a few more days, but I will hopefully be back in time to start strong on Monday. I'll admit that it's going to feel a little weird not leaping into action to help, but maybe this is something I didn't know I needed." 

J'onn gave her a nod of approval with a proud look in his eyes after he looked at her closely to see that she really did decide to have a bright outlook on the situation, and he respected her for that. He then gestured for her to follow him out of the lab. Making sure she wasn't in pain, he locked up behind them and lead her to the locker slash gear up room, "I want you to put on the gear like you would in the red room situational training Alex had you do. Once you're finished with that, come get me from the armory next door." He then turned on his heels and marched back out. 

She walked over to the wall, and after a few deep breaths she hit the button used to set a timer that would encourage fast changing and booked it to her locker. Clothes were nearly thrown to the floor as Riley changed as fast as her tired body would let her. She yanked on the sleeveless shirt after pulling on her unrestricting binder, followed by her combat cargo pants and canvas belt. While she stepped into her boots, she was also strapping on her bulletproof vest. It didn’t look like much, but Alex had reassured her that it was stronger than usual, even though it seemed so thin. 

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Riley finished strapping her thigh holsters on that would hold her dual pistols. Then she put her each foot, one at a time, up on the bench in front of her to quickly tie her shoes, sliding her empty tactical knife sheath in it's place on her left boot. All of that was done by pure muscle memory that Alex had drilled her through. It took many hours but eventually she could get ready for a mission in no time flat, without her powers.

That being done, she ran over and tapped the button again, feeling the same small but happy smile at the fact that she had more than enough time left over. Riley refused to think about her lack of powers, not willing to spare a single thought at wallowing over it. Instead, she could feel a bit out of breath from changing that fast while being so exhausted, and that was what brought a smile to her face. It was then that she realized just how much she had missed the strain of exercise, running hard and fast to get someone quick, feeling strain from her muscles as she lifted something heavy. All of that reminded her of life on Krypton and she never knew how much she needed it back.

She marched out of the room towards the armory, her back straight as she stood tall and shook off the last clinging feelings of exhaustion. It was then that she realized that the loss of her powers didn't really bother her as much as she thought it would. Hell, fifteen minutes after being told and she was already excited about not having them. So yes, Riley felt more like herself then she has felt in a long time. Since before the destruction of Krypton, if she was being honest with herself. Knocking on the open armory door, Riley walked in when J'onn waved at her to join him where he was at a metal table with a few guns and knives strewn over it. 

"Okay, so here we have your two 9mm. Heckler & Kosh USP Match pistols with stainless slides and JetFunnels with the custom made ambi-slide release on the left-handed gun." He gestured to the two pistols and slid them over to her so she could put them in the correct holsters. After she did, he continued, "Your shotgun, a Franchi SPAS-12 with the foldable stock and no hook, along with an under barrel red dot sight and the attached strap you requested."

Riley took the shotgun and slung it over her back, looking at the closed large weapon case and squirming a bit in excitement, "What's in there?"

J'onn gave her a smirk and picked up the case, "I was hoping you would ask. Let's go to the indoor range and I'll show you your new long ranged weapon."

She trotted after him with an excited smile since she knew now that being normal again wasn't as bad as Kara figured it would be.

(*At CatCo – The Super Office*) 

Winn was sitting at his desk while James was sitting on the couch, both were watching Kara pace around the room. 

"So let me make sure I heard you right." Winn started, sharing a pointed look with James, "Riley was cut by a Green and Gold Kryptonite dagger, Superman stopped by to make sure it is destroyed but left right after it was. And now you are worried that she might get majorly hurt because she has never been completely powerless since Krypton?" He stopped and they saw Kara nod firmly. 

James then asked with a raised eyebrow, "You do know that even without her powers, Riley is still badass enough that she was put in as part of Alex's squad immediately, right?"

Kara gave a sigh and slumped into a nearby chair, "Yes, I do know that. But," she trailed off and picked at the lower part of some strands of hair, "that still doesn't make me feel any less worried. I got used to both of use being nearly invincible. It will probably just take me some time to get used to holding back my strength around her, and it sucks because she and I would always play around without fear of having to crushing each other." The blonde seemed truly sad that one of the few people in her life that were as durable as her, were no long so.

Winn stood up from his desk and walked over to pat Kara on the shoulder, "We get that, Kara. And I agree, it's going to suck for a little while, but maybe this will be good for her? You did say that she never really wanted to be so out in the open like Superman is, maybe this is her chance to do behind the scenes work like she always wanted to do." He looked over at the clock when his phone went off and gasped, running to grab his backpack before turning to the door as James calmly stood up from his place on the couch, "We need to go now since James and I are both needed by Cat to fix some kind of issue, but please remember to let Riley tell you if she needs help?" 

"Alright, I'll try." She tried to slip out via loophole, but at their narrowed eyes she rolled her own and muttered as she pushed them out of the room and into the elevator with her, "Fine, I'll let her tell me instead of hovering. Now let's all go down to our usual floor before Cat fires you two or something."

(*At the D.E.O - Outside Shooting Range*)

A hole appears in an almost dead center chest shot on a paper target and up on a tall sand dune nearly a mile away was none other than Riley and J'onn. Riley was laying prone on the ground with a OM 50Nemesis Mk III sniper rifle in her hands while J'onn was looking at the target with a pair of binoculars, "Good shot," he praised, patting her shoulder, "you're picking up on this quite fast." 

Riley beamed up at him when she pulled away from the scope, "Because you said that if I could get a perfect chest shot within one mag, you would let me keep it. Well guess what, J'onn. Six shots left and I'm getting close to calling this baby, mine." 

He chuckled and pointed down the long range to the tiny target that was far beyond the one she just shot, "Well then, what are you waiting for? Quit sassing me and hit the target, Ze-Danvers." 

His one of now three non-blood children laughed as she took aim. He could hear her calm her breathing and pulse, waiting for the perfect shot. One last first exhale happened, and he pulled the binocular's away from his face with a smirk, "Well I'll be damned. You hit it."

"What? Really?" She asked and leapt to her feet, he passed her the binoculars and gestured for her to look. Riley could feel her grin nearing sunny at the sight of her truly perfect shot, "Woohoo!" She cheered, passing the binoculars back and started doing a silly victory dance, "I am going to name her Sheila the Tank, because she is awesome, yet I still respect that she is a dangerous weapon."

"Sheila the Tank, does that name come from that show you may or may not watch during work hours that has to do with armored soldiers fighting each other in a basically empty canyon?" J'onn asked her with a sly smile, snorting when Riley froze and was probably trying to come up with excuses or a defense. He decided to cut her some slack, just this once, and asked, "Well, if you're naming the rifle, what about your other weapons? Are they not good enough for names?"

Riley narrowed her eyes and him and put her hands on her hips, "I'll have you know that I have already named them all, I just haven't carved those names on yet. My rifle is Sheila the Tank like in Red versus Blue, my shotgun is named Waverly like from that show Wynonna Earp, and my two pistols are named Lara, like in Tomb Raider, and Natasha, like the Black Widow." 

J'onn raised his hands in a 'surrender' gesture and laughed softly, "Well, I guess that's it then. Ready to head back? You need to put the names on those guns and I need to do more paperwork. Oh, and you need to make sure to get all of those guns, besides your pistols, back into your locker in the armory."

"Sounds good to me!" Riley picked up the rifle and dismantled it to place it back into the case, making a mental note to clean it when they got back to the D.E.O. "I get dibs on driving back!" She turned and took off at a dead run to the two door Jeep wrangler that J'onn drove to get them to the dunes with the rifle case now on her back, laughing when she heard him sprinting and cursing down the dune after her. 

 (*Nearby Mountain Top , National City*) 

Astra was looking out from her place on the mountain top and kept a slight ear out for her daughter in case of trouble. The older woman sighed and rested her chin on her hands, gazing at the city that was slowing down with the slow decent of the yellow sun. 

Lucy had helped her make a few CD's of music for Riley, and she had made sure to choose three CD's of thirty songs each that she thought her daughter would enjoy that she didn't already have. 'It took a while to find out what all she did have, but it will hopefully be a good gift.' She thought to herself with a soft smile. 

It had country music on them from the 1990's and early 2000's that Riley said she loved, but didn't actually have yet. Some of the older songs were by singers like Brad Paisley, Eric Church, Garth Brooks, and Lonestar.

She had listened to some of the songs out of curiosity and found that she preferred it over some of the faster and more rough tunes of recent music. Listening to the music reminded her of her deceased mate, Sia of House El. Her mate had been part of the Art guild, and had been one of their most talented. Sia could sing, dance, sculpt. She could do it all and it was honestly quite impressive. 

With Riley, Astra saw that her daughter would have been good in the Military guild. Yet over time, she had to admit that Riley would have flourished quite impressively in the Art guild just like Sia. Her daughter had the same skill, yet the differences between Sia and Riley were noticeable. Sia was better at painting, sculpting and instruments, while Riley leaned more towards singing, drawing and even dancing. Their daughter might have been able to make quite the impressive sculpture, if the Danvers' Trio one was anything to go by, but Sia was able to make it all seem real, as if the sculpture would begin to move and talk on it's own at any moment.

Another deep sigh left her, her eyes tracking her daughter racing J'onn to a vehicle, even though Riley would just let him drive anyway. A smile grew on her face, and decided that was enough thinking, Astra-Ze took off into the air. She was heading back to the D.E.O to speak with Alex and Eliza about possible plans to make sure Riley's health won't drop now that her daughter was technically human. 

What she did not notice, however, was a small black object soaring through the air after her in leaps. She wouldn't know that she was about to be placed into what was somewhat like a coma, that she was being hunted by... the 'Black Mercy'.

Chapter Text

Chapter Nine: The Toyman and a New Friend?

Riley was excited since it had been nearly a week after she had lost her powers, and during that time she had passed all of the medical tests. Thus, she was now able to go out on the field if needed. While that was quite awesome to her, what was even better is that it was the day that J'onn was going to be flying around and training Kara on better flight techniques today. She saw Kara's grin of excitement and Alex's amused smirk when the Riley would gaze at the others in the car, having been staring outside at the comfortably extremely cloudy day that allowed such a plan. 

"Alright," Alex called out a few minutes later, unbuckling when J'onn put the S.U.V in park on an old dirt road away from the base and far from National City, "we're here Wonder-Dorks, fall out!" 

Both of the blondes, though Riley's hair had been darkening recently to their old brown and medium blonde mix, scrambled out of the car with glee. They ran to the front and were bouncing around with giggles and even shared a few silly faces as the other two joined them. 

J'onn morphed to his true form and gestured to the sky above, looking over at Kara, "Well, let's begin." He launched into the air with ease that showed decades of practice, and it excited the two Kryptonian's that they could one day do something like that. 

Alex moved further from the car and beyond Kara and Riley, with her eyes tracking the Green Martian as much as she could since it was the first time she has seen him fly. She was in awe of another alien in flight that wasn't out to destroy them all or conquer the Earth. 

Kara threw back her head with a happy laugh, launching up after him as fast as she could without harming anyone or anything on the ground near where she was. 

What no one else noticed was that when Kara went to take off, Riley hopped a bit as if to take off with her. But when her feet simply went back to the ground, her own sunny grin disappeared without a trace. Riley could feel the all-encompassing disappointment instantly, her shoulder slumped and it hit her hard that she would not be able to fly with her sister anymore. Before, having no powers any longer didn't really bother her due to experiencing life without it once again since before Krypton's destruction. But now, now she realized how it hurt her emotionally just by how much she was losing along with it, regrets were flying through her head at the lack of attention that got her cut by the blade in the first place. Regrets that she did not call for backup before confronting Non and two of his lackeys. 

Sure, Riley knew her powers were gone and she's even embraced that fact when it came with new experiences on Earth that she didn't even have on Krypton. Yet, when it actually came down to the core of it all, it still felt like getting hit a hard punch to the gut, a punch that people called reality. Shaking her head to knock away those stray thoughts, she focused on the sound of J'onn and Kara tearing through the air to get her mind back on track. Riley looked up and gazed at the two flying around, her heart filling with a sorrow she didn't know would ever appear like it just did. 

When Alex turned back to her with a grin at Kara's antics in the sky with J'onn, Riley forced a grin on her face to hide her previous reaction. She was hoping that Alex didn't look too hard at her, lest she notice that Riley's eyes were telling a completely different story. A whoosh above them caught the redhead's attention, so Riley let out a low breath of relief at avoiding the questioning look that Alex began to show. 

(*Up in the Air*) 

What Riley didn't see was that while Kara and J'onn were flying around in the air, Kara had looked over her shoulder with a sunny grin of her own to talk with Riley about how cool flying around with J'onn was. The lack of a third flyer that has been by her side most of the time since they both landed on Earth, had her remembering that her Kryptonian soul-sister was stuck on the ground. Kara's grin dropped as that reminder hit her just as hard as it did Riley, and she felt herself slump a little as she lost any excitement she had. Apparently that had caught J'onn's attention, she had to force a grin when he glanced over at her with a silent questioning gaze at her slowing speed. 

Kara made sure to keep her mind on the training after that, focusing on the maneuvers J'onn had her mimicking. She made sure to make a mental note to talk with Alex later about the fact that Riley's cells still registered as Kryptonian. Hopefully there was a way to reverse it with Krypton or some sort of new Earth science if Riley wanted, since currently known Earth sciences was lacking for that situation. 

(*Back on the Ground*) 

Feeling her phone go off in her side leg pocket, Riley slipped away and looked at the message once she was leaning against the back of the car. Her eyebrows went up in surprise when it was none other than her behind the scenes gamer friend that she had yet to meet. Whoever it was had helped her stop her new found allergic reaction to tomatoes via console game chat, of all things. They had been keeping in contact over second Facebook accounts through messenger after that and were both equally surprised to learn that the other lived in National City as well. 

'Hey, are you sure about the whole meeting at Noonan's thing? It would be pretty cool, but it can also be insanely awkward. Just say the word and we can probably play some Halo: Reach instead.' The message read over the jean blue backdrop that she had changed the colors to. 

She glanced over her shoulder to see Alex still watching Kara and J'onn soar through the air, then looked back down at her phone to respond at the silent 'all-clear', 'True, but I will admit that it would be nice to have a face-to-face friend that wasn't made through my sisters and their friends. If you're still okay with it, that is. One in the afternoon today still good, if so?' 

The typing bubbles came up maybe fifteen seconds after her message came up as 'read', 'Well then, I suppose DetectiveDetecting and Ze-Denvers will be meeting for the first time irl. See you then, Denvers!' Riley shot off her own goodbye and to the other person, a 'see you then, Detective!', just in time to look up and see Kara and J'onn on their way back to the S.U.V. Their boss smoothly morphed back and started helping Alex gather up some items that were strewn about on the dirt that Alex had evidently placed to keep track of his and Kara's progress. What everyone didn't know at the time, was that it also picked up on her attempted hop to fly. 

Walking up to her, Riley couldn't help but notice the slight slump to Kara's form that so perfectly matched her own. She raised her arm and moved over to Kara to place it over her shoulder, giving her a soft smile even as her eyes watered a little bit. 

Kara sighed as she held Riley close with an arm around Riley's waist, having to remind herself in her head to not squeeze like she used to. She wouldn't say it out loud but part of her, no matter how much she hated it, was reassured by how upset Riley seemed to be about not being able to fly together, like she was. There was a quickly growing realization going through them both just how much they could no longer do together. They wouldn't be able to fly, play fight like they used to, team-work with their powers to take down a powerful enemy, or even giggle together after they would use their powers to prank Alex before they hid until she ultimately found them. Which in their mind, was half the hilarity because then Alex would chase the down and they would not use their powers while they ran from her. It was all part of the game they started when they were all young teenagers, and now every time they ran from Alex, it was a habit not to use their powers to do so. 

A flash of determination crossed Kara's features at those memories, getting her a look of confusion from Riley. Glancing at the J'onn and Alex, Kara then stood up straight and pulled Riley with her, "Since Riley is off work till tomorrow still, unless something comes up, I am taking her with me for a flight back to the apartment. Her truck is still in the parking garage spot near there so there is no real reason she would have to go back to the D.E.O. The three of us will be hanging out later too, even if I have to kidnap you from the D.E.O, Alex." 

Riley grinned impishly as she caught on to the possible extended plan that wasn't said and she dropped her arm to wrap both of them around Kara's waist. Alex was going to say something but Kara smirked and had launched them into the air, using her powers for the first time to flee the older woman. Both of them had their sunny grins back while Kara flew through the clouds with their laughter trailing behind them due to the speed. 

J'onn reached over and placed his hand on Alex's shoulder when the eldest Danvers' reached for her phone to probably call the two back, "Don't worry, Alex. Riley needs this." He dropped his and hand moved to the S.U.V, leaving Alex to join him when she was ready. Alex looked up at the clouds as she bit at her lip lightly. She sighed when she finally realized the actual looks on the two Kryptonian's faces from earlier that she kept letting slide as if part of her own imagination. 

'I guess they really do need that.' An idea hit her after she was back inside the car and buckled in, having caught the blue light from the radio clock in the dashboard, 'Wait. Oh Rao, if that blue crystal Riley stole from Non can negate the Kryptonite effects, could it reverse the damage the Gold and Green Kryptonite did to Riley's cells? If we can reverse engineer the change that the Gold and Green did, wouldn't that bring back her powers?' Alex looked over and saw J'onn looking at her in surprise at her thoughts. He too was worried after he noticed the rapidly rising depression that Kara and Riley started showing over the last two days, even though the two young women also showed that they seemed to be growing as people instead of just as Superheroes. 

They shared a nod before J'onn looked forward, starting the engine and taking off down the road to get Alex to her lab as quick as he could without raising suspicion. Alex was sending a text off to Astra, but then also sent one to Vasquez when she saw that her previous message from that morning was still unread by the older woman. She hoped that Astra had just forgotten to charge her phone again last night and not accidently destroyed yet another one. After all, replacing high-tech phones wasn't cheap, even for a secret agent salary she and now Riley, had. 

(*At CatCo, a few hours later*) 

Kara was walking around the office with James and they were going over layouts on their way back to their desks after grabbing coffee when they noticed that Lucy, a Lane, was in Cat's office. 

"Yeah, I was just as surprised. No idea what they're talking about but it seems to be going fairly civilly." Winn spoke up from his desk, giving James a pointed look when he noticed that the taller man seemed nervous. 

James shrugged lightly with a weak smile, "I haven't told Kara yet, but I figure since it was agreed upon by both of us, and we're still friends..." He trailed off with a light shrug. 

"Wait, what's going on? What did I miss?" Kara asked them with confusion, glancing between the two when no answer seemed forthcoming, "Did you two break-up and decide to be only friends instead?" 

Winn's eyebrows raised high since Kara was usually oblivious, "Okay, that was surprisingly spot on. Since when were you so good at picking up stuff like that?" At Kara's small scowl he continued, "Not that it's a bad thing, I was just a little surprised is all!" 

She sighed and sat down on her desk to look at Winn, who was in his desk chair, and at James who was leaning against Winn's desk, "I first noticed it when I noticed how you two now only hug and not kiss, when greeting each other. Figured it would be better to let the two of you say something about it on your own time though, since it's your relationship and not any of ours. I think that Vasquez saw this coming too, to be honest. They mentioned how the two of you seemed more like friends than significant others now." 

James nodded at that, "Yeah, we tried out the relationship scene with each other. It was nice, but it felt like we were trying too hard to actually be in a relationship and more than just friends. When we both were at the diner this morning for breakfast, I think it was an equal relief to find out that we were both struggling to be more. For us it was easy to decide to simply go back to being friends instead of together, together. I think the others might have already figured it out already as well, so it won't really be a surprise when we mention it." 

Lucy leaving Cat's office brought their attention to said brunette that strolled towards them, "Well, guess who just got hired by Cat Grant herself." Lucy raised her arms and pointed to herself, smirking while the three congratulated her. 

"Welcome to the club Lucy! Kind of amusing that CatCo has a Lane of its own now, though." Kara admitted with an easy smile, laughing when she got a hug from Lucy. 

"Yep! Also, if my mental map is correct your office will be on this floor too, so we can drop in with coffee during our usual runs." Winn offered with a small smile, taking his turn to give a hug. 

James was next and tightly hugged her, laughing at her smacking him on the shoulder when he lifted her into the air for a second, "No kidding, we can also send in Kara if Lucy is having a bad day. That sunshine Danvers could turn her frown upside down with a simple sunny grin, I swear." He laughed when Kara lightly smacked him on the arm for that comment. 

Lucy turned back to Kara, but with her eyebrows furrowed as a thought came to her, "Speaking of Danvers', how's Riley been? She, Vasquez and I usually end up talking after each of us get off work about what's going on during our days, but she seems to be getting more and more restless recently, even with the chats that normally help." 

Kara gave a sigh, looking down at the floor and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Her loss of powers is starting to get to her, I think." A thought hit her as her frown morphed to a look of amused exasperation, "I suppose she didn't tell any of you about how she heard a siren this morning and went to fly out of the window half asleep? Luckily I was already doing my early patrol so I was able to catch the sight of my sister flinging herself out of a window." At their dropped jaws and widening eyes she quickly explained her lack of action, waving her hands in front of her with wide eyes of her own, "Oh no, oh Rao, no, she didn't need my help, thankfully. The moment gravity kicked in, her reflexes did as well and she grabbed onto the windowsill to pull herself back in." 

The others sighed with relief as a group, Winn having placed his hands on his hips and gazing towards the floor, James putting his hands over his face, pulling them slowly down to rest near his mouth, and Lucy staring at Kara with her eyebrows furrowed while she was slowly shaking her head in exasperation at the late reassurance to that heart stopping situation. 

Someone brushed past their group and unmuted one of the TV's news reports, muttering something about a prison break-out. 

"The eccentric criminal known as 'Toyman' to his fellow inmates, escaped from the Van Kull Maximum Security Prison this morning. The Toyman got his name from the dangerous and." The reporters voice was cut off when Winn lunged for the remote and muted the TV again. 

He dropped the remote onto a nearby table and walked briskly to the crappy coffee maker in the nearby breakroom. 

"What's going on with him?" Kara asked, nose scrunched up in confusion at Winn's bad reaction to the news. 

She and Lucy both looked over at James, only to get a shrug and raised hands from the man, "Don't look at me, I don't have a clue." 

A group of smartly dressed people in suits walked into the main cubical area from the elevators, the leading woman holding up a badge, "Special Agent Cameron Chase, with the F.B.I. I'm here for Winslow Schlott Jr." 

Winn spoke up from his spot that he paused at when the large group walked in, having been on his way back to his desk and friends, "That's me." His voice cracked a bit, knowing exactly why they were looking for him. As the group of agents escorted him out, a glance back at his friends showed the worry for him on their faces, clear as day. 

(*At Noonan's, a little while earlier*) 

Riley was nervous, looking around the café for the tell-tale jacket and hat that her friend said she would be wearing. Rao, she couldn't even find her by voice since the both of them usually used some of the voice-mods available to the public. 

A glance to a table further to the back had her taking an attempt at a calming deep breath. She made her way through the small crowd, walking over to the small table that held a black-haired woman wearing the distinctive black leather jacket resting over the back of her chair that she was looking for. 

"Detective?" She asked, summing up all the courage she learned from the people in her life. Mainly from people like Martha, Eliza and J'onn. 

The woman gestured to the seat across the small table from her and looked towards Riley as the taller woman sat down. While doing so, Riley pulled off her own worn leather jacket to rest it on the back of the seat but left on her heavily worn Boston Red Sox team black and red baseball hat on. She had the hat since that first visit to the Kent farm when it was given to her by one of Clark's friends, Chloe Sullivan, and wearing it made her feel like she could rely on it to help steady her nerves since it's already been with her through so much. 

"Denvers," she paused her greeting to look over at Riley from the menu on the table, only for her to freeze in shock. The woman blinked hard and shook her head a little, shock giving way to a slight dimpled smile and an amused knowing glint in her eyes. Holding her hand out for a handshake in greeting, she introduced herself, "Detective Maggie Sawyer, recently of the NCPD. Originally from Gotham." 

Riley accepted the handshake and couldn't help but grin at her, "Well, now that I know who you are, your gamer tag makes so much sense. To clear up mine, my name is Riley Danvers but when I was doing a temp job at CatCo, Cat Grant went around calling me Denvers or Donner. I preferred Denvers out of the two nicknames." 

A waitress stopped by their table and after Riley took a minute of looking through the menu, both women ordered their lunches and drinks. Maggie was a bit surprised by the amount Riley ordered, but didn't say anything, figuring the younger woman was simply hungry with a fast metabolism if her guess of who Riley actually was, was incorrect. She was pretty sure that she was right though. They only had to wait about ten minutes before it was brought over to their table during their conversation about the current computer game named Star Wars: The Old Republic, they were both playing as Sith characters. 

Maggie grinned at the sight of her favorite out-to-eat meal in front of her and told Riley, "Alright, let's dig in!" With that said the conversation still continued, but between bites of food or sips of drinks. The two talked more about video games, but also their pride parade experiences and Dinah Shore. That bit was mostly Maggie, and when Riley told her that she, Kara and Alex had never been able to go to either one yet, the detective nodded firmly and announced that she would gladly remind Riley and drag the other Danvers' to the parade and weekend party. Another surprise was when both found out that they both loved the tv show 'Wynonna Earp' and 'The 100', which both were currently in their second seasons on TV. 

Maggie grinned widely, ignoring the empty plates around them and nearly knocking over her glass in excitement when she leaned forward, "Please tell me you ship WayHaught and Clexa, Riley. Because they are so awesome and are two of my o.t.p's."

Riley quietly squealed in elation, letting their conversation pause as a waitress took their dishes and thanked her before continuing once the woman had walked off, "Dude, yes! WayHaught and Clexa are my o.t.p and I will go down with those ships."

A phone's notification went off, and at Maggie's wave of 'go ahead', she pulled out her phone. The text from Martha had her blushing from getting a small chasten, 'Oh, so no one thought to inform me of what's been going on since the last time we talked? And while I'm speaking of talking, have you told Kara and Alex about how you are friends with Lena Luthor yet?' 

She fired off a fast response, pausing half way though at Maggie's snicker that was aimed at her growing blush, 'I'll catch you up tonight. Currently at a lunch meet-up with a new friend of mine, and no, I haven't had the time yet. Yes, I know that it's worse the longer I wait because of who Lena's brother is, but the moment things calm down, I'll tell them.' When Martha replied with an agreement to talk later, Riley put away her phone and went back to talking with Maggie.

The two then got lost in their chats about video games, other tv shows, movies, music, and even debated some of the weird laws that were strictly only held in National City. One of those weird laws, is that during a city parade an elephant and a giraffe could not be near the lions, during the parade. Why such laws existed, they did not know, but had a good laugh at the mere thought of who could have caused such a law since animals like that were usually either in the wild or in a zoo. Normally avoiding the Lions, too. 

They never noticed the time passing by till their 'short lunch meet-up' turned into meet-up that went on for nearly an hour and a half. Riley stood up since they both seemed to need to go to other places due to previous plans and pulled her jacket back on, walking up to the register with Maggie. 

"I should probably be heading back to the precinct already. We should hang out again sometime, it's kind of nice to have a friend that isn't working in the same place as me." Maggie offered after paying for her half of the meal when they made it to the register, but letting the stubborn Riley pay for the other half at the taller woman's insistence. 

"Sounds good to me, and hey, I'll catch you later on S.W.t.O.R? I hear they finally updated the storyline quests!" Riley paused and grinned at Maggie as an idea hit her after they finally made it outside of the building, "Oh, in fact, I'll do you one better than that! How about this weekend you come to Game Night? You'll be the first friend I've invited over, without knowing you from Kara and Alex!" 

"Message me the time and day, I'll see if I can make it, and if I can or can't, I'll let you know soon." They shook hands goodbye and Riley felt lighter than she did earlier that day, kind of in awe that Maggie is her second self-made friend, and might even be another best friend if the tiny Detective did indeed turn out not to be evil.  

That was apparently a thing they had to watch out for, from what Clark tends to pout about. Quite often, really. 

(*At CatCo, Side Room, around the same time Riley arrived at Noonan's*) 

"I'm sure you're aware that your Father escaped from prison this morning. Has he called you?" The F.B.I. agent asked Winn, firmly yet soothingly in an attempt to see if Winn was hiding anything. 

Winn wasn't having it, though, "Nope." 

She continued, lightly tapping her pen on her notebook, "Has he come to your house?" 

"No." Winn sighed, knowing that this was all simply protocol, but was annoyed about it either way. 

A few more questions were asked before unknown to the agent, Kara started listening in. 

(*Kara's PoV *) 

"Mr. Schott, your father is unhinged and extremely dangerous. Did he have any friends he might want to contact?" The woman asked, taking notes on even the short answers Winn was giving her. 

Kara saw her best friend's head shoot up and he locked gazes with the Agent, "If it weren't already apparent by the trail of bodies that he leaves in his wake, he hates people. So no, he didn't have any friends." Winn cut off the Agent when she attempted to speak after his rant, "The day my father set off a toy bomb and kill half a dozen people was the day I stopped being his son." And with that, Winn picked up his messenger bag and walked out of the side room towards the nearby small balcony that the employees could access. 

She trailed after him, wondering if he needed someone to talk to after that. 

Winn sighed when he saw her join him, and turned to look back out at the city with his hands resting on the railing in front of him, "Guessing you were listening to that whole thing, huh?" 

"You told me your dad was in prison, but not that he." Kara's voice faded when Winn turned his head to look at her. 

"Because I didn’t want you looking at me the way that you're looking at me right now." She took a deep breath at his words and couldn’t help but drop her gaze to the floor, before looking back up as he continued, "You wanna know the worst part? He wasn't always crazy." Winn shrugged stood up straighter, "In fact, he was a good dad, he was normal." His eyes seemed to lose focus like he was remembering something, "We'd go to his workshop and tinker, build a toy together." 

Turning towards him, Kara couldn’t help but weakly ask, "So you never saw any signs?" 

His voice cracked at his next words, and his eyes seemed to water a bit as if he was trying to avoid crying, "No. He was, he was quiet. Scared to death of losing his job." Winn's voice started growing strong again and he furrowed his brows in memory of what happened, "He was angry. I guess no one knew how angry until it was too late." Seeing that Kara was paying rapt attention, he continued, "His boss stole his toy designs, and got rich off them. He didn't fight it because honestly, he was a coward. He never said anything, never stood up for himself." 

Winn took a moment to take a breath to try to calm down, his angry starting to rise. After a minute, he started up again, "What he did was put a bomb in a teddy bear, and then sent that one to his boss, Chester Dunholtz. Except his assistant opened the package. It killed her and five other people." 

Kara sniffled from her own tears at her friend's story, "I know there's nothing anyone can say to make you feel better right now." 

"Well, hey, you and Riley have a homicidal maniac you both knew, hunting the two of you and Astra down right now, so you know where I'm coming from." He cut in, his voice cracking again, but the air seemed a bit lighter than before. Although that could have just been from him finally realizing how high up the balcony actually was. 

"At least your father knows enough to keep his distance." She snorted at his response, feeling some amusement and annoying at the mention of Non. However, her eyes narrowed at her friend when he opened the flap to his messenger bag and pulled out a cloth toy with a string on the back. 

He slid his finger into the loop at the end and said before he pulled on it, "Except that I found this on my desk this morning." 

"Son, come see me at our favorite place. I'll be waiting for you." The adorable but now also creepy doll's voice box echoed out. 

"I don't know what to do. I know that I lied, but I've spent my entire life just trying to forget what he did. Trying not to be consumed by this anger, that I have for him. And trying, even in my best moments, to forgive. But I still just, hate him." Winn's voice grew louder in his anger, and it took Kara's solid hug to ground him. 

Just as they were separating, the Agent who interrogated him walked out, "I'm leaving an agent here, in case your father shows up." That being said, she turned to leave, but was stopped by Winn calling out to her. 

"Agent Chase," he sighed again, feeling like the sighing was probably going to be common in his life now, "there's something I have to tell you." 

(*At the D.E.O., Alex's Lab around the same time*) 

Alex was over at her desk, mixing a few things on her own since her mom had left to go back to work. She could feel herself nearly shaking in excitement at her current attempt of curing Riley's loss of powers since the last test pointed to the current test that she adjusted, being a possible cure. 

J'onn had left earlier to deal with some issue that came up with some sort of wonky flying alien nearby, but he informed her that she should keep focusing on her work unless something came up with that. If it did, he would alert her to it. 

Her excitement nearly had the single drop of blue liquid from the crystal she was trying to add, turning into a small stream of the stuff. Thankfully, she had been able to successfully only add that one drop, or she would have ruined the current attempt. There had been twenty different tries, already being close to curing it. She didn't want to waste any more of the crystal since they would eventually run out, so this one or the next one would be the last attempts until the D.E.O got their hands on more of the crystals. Which might be impossible. 

Taking a deep breath behind her mask, Alex had the chemicals mixed via what Kara like the call the 'Science Blender' and let it slowly mix until she would check on it in about an hour. She stood back and watched it carefully, writing on a tablet what she had done so far, worded preciously in case it didn't work and she needed to change something else. 

The sound of a small group stumbling through the door caught her attention, "Alex, something attached its self to Astra, we need to figure out just what it is!" J'onn called out to her frantically, shooing the other agents that helped lug the Kryptonian on to the medical bed to make room for the Danvers' to move about freely. 

"Oh Rao." Alex's eyes went wide at the sight of the large, dark colored leech looking object that disturbingly reminded her of a face-hugger from 'Alien', but on Astra's chest instead of her face, or in her chest. She completely forgot about the slow-moving mixing machine behind her, and focused on figuring out what had Astra in some sort of leech-coma. 

(*At the National City Docks*) 

"Approaching the target now." Winn lifted the collar of his shirt to speak into the mic, taking a breath in through his nose and wincing at the smell, "Oh God, it still smells like fish." 

"You don't need to speak into the wire for it to work." Agent Chase told him over her own mic, looking down at him from a nearby bridge with a pair of binoculars. "Echo Team, move into position." 

(*On the Bridge*) 

"You can't let anything happen to Winn." Kara said pleadingly as she walked with the agent over to the back of the nearby van, the one that held a group of Agents that were gearing up.

Agent Chase turned around and sighed, "His father killed an agent the last time we apprehended him. We're not leaving anything to chance. Besides Miss. Danvers, the only reason you're here is because your friend wouldn't do this without you." She paused to load her gun, "So be quiet and stay out of the way."

Kara watched as the woman climbed through the back of the van, then turned and looked back in the direction of the arcade that Winn went inside of. 'Rao, please let this go smoothly.'

(*At the D.E.O.*)

Riley had jogged into the Lab after a passing Agent updated her at J'onn's orders when she arrived at the D.E.O. base, that her Mother had been attacked and was in Alex's lab. 

Seeing a metal claw that reminded her of a toy crane machine had her bursting through the door, "No, stop!" Riley called out desperately, recognizing the 'leech' almost instantly from what was basically a horror story that her Mother once told her. 

Alex had the claw release its grip and pulled it away from the weird alien thing, both her and J'onn waiting for Riley's explanation as to why they needed to stop. 

"Do not attempt to physically remove it, if you try to, it will get defensive of its prey and kill her." Riley began pacing, running her left hand through her hair and cursing in Kryptonese under her breath, her gaze going back to the object every so often. 

"What exactly is this damn thing?" J'onn asked her sternly, wondering what sort of crap they were dealing with now. Because if it wasn't one thing happening, it was another. 

Coming to a stop from her pacing, Riley turned back to them both, looking paler than before, "That thing is what's called a 'Black Mercy'. It's a leech, for all intents and purposes, since it feeds off of the host. My M... Astra," Riley paused in her information to correct how she called her mother since she wasn't 'Superboy' at the moment, "is currently trapped inside of a fantasy world inside of her head. A fantasy world where everything she wishes is true, seems real." 

Alex cut in here, frustrated that the thing seemed almost impossible to kill without killing Astra, "Well, how do we remove it or kill it then, without harming Astra?" 

"The only way to remove it, and thus, killing it in the process, is for Astra to reject the fantasy world the Black Mercy is supplying her." Riley bent forward a little to brace her hands on the side of the bed, glaring at the leech attached to her Mother. 

J'onn excused himself to send a message off to Kara, at that, and left two of the four Danvers' in the lab. 

(*Astra's Dream World*) 

Having the door lock behind her as it slid closed, Astra stormed over to a nearby window and hissed, "I cannot believe Non had the guts to send that leech after me. When I get out of here, I am going to skin that Rao forsaken family-less bastard alive!"

A light ringing echoed through the room, signaling that someone of her 'fantasy world' family was at the door. In her rage, she stomped over to the door and let it slide open, only to freeze in shock at just who all was on the other side of the door.

"Ieiu 'Mother', are you not yet ready for Alex Dan-Vers' and my own ceremony?" Rile Ast-Ze asked Astra in a stuttered mix of Kryptonese and English that her own mind seemed to 'translate' the Kryptonese words to a mentally whispered English meaning, donned in the ceremonial robes used during a bonding between two souls, in such occasions.

Honestly, Astra was sort of stunned at realizing what this dream version of her daughter was speaking of, and how she seemed to be talking in both languages on Krypton. She did have to give it to the Leech, it had found a way for the Brave One to still be considered family on their birth planet.

Deciding to just go with it since her fantasy world was not ending, even though she knew it wasn't real, Astra reached forward and held her daughter's hands, speaking the same way, "Aonah 'Daughter', I simply need to change into my own robes, then I shall be ready. How was the Brave One, the last time you spoke with her?"

Rile had a bright grin and teasing that seemed to light up the room, "Kara had snuck away from the zrhythrevium 'Family Members' to speak with her for me. It was lucky for us both that Alura was caught up watching over Kal-El, since she does not know the true meaning of stealth."

Speaking of Kara, her niece stumbled through the door with a bashful smile aimed at the two Ze's, "Alex Dan-Vers and her kin are ready, Rile." She then turned to look at Astra specifically, "Once you are robed, my Ieiu wishes to speak with you, Aunt Astra."

Her response took a moment as the dream seemed to shake for a moment, before it righted itself, "Very well, it will only take me but a moment, kir chahv 'little one'." 

The door slid open once again, and a single person entered the room, "Zrhemin 'Wife', our aonah is zrhueiao 'lovely', it must be your genetics shining because from what I remember of our bonding ceremony, I never did wear the robes very well." Astra could feel her heartbeat stutter at seeing her mate that died before Rile was even born. 

Astra's voice actually cracked with emotion at name of her heart spoken with the ache in her soul that she had always tried to hide, "Sai-El." 

(*At the Old Docks Arcade*)

Winn had forgotten how creepy the old Arcade became since he was a kid. Until he walked inside of it for the first time in a very long time, that is. 

"I love you. Do you love me?" A robotic voice asked, making Winn jump and tense at the scare. Looking over, he saw a puppet-like doll sitting on a nearby stand with a giant tooth filled grin. 

'Oh man, if I wasn't so angry at him, I'd be thoroughly creeped out by now. Actually, I take that back. I am creeped out.' Winn thought while walking up to the doll, and picking it up with a small scowl. 

The creepy robot voice puppet repeated, "I love you. Do you love me?" Instead of saying anything, Winn started walking deeper into the Arcade, not noticing the red eyes of the plush dog on the rack behind him following him as he walked on.

"Dad?" He called out shakily, coming to a stop in front of the back wall skee-ball machines. His eyes widened a bit at actually seeing his dad, further along the machines. 

His Dad had a bit of a wistful tone, one that seemed to say that his dad missed him, "God, look at you." The older man muttered. 

Winn started walking closer to his dad, his voice stuttering in fear, but also longing because he missed the dad he had before all the toy idea stealing and bomb making happened, "You, you need to turn yourself in." His voice cracked from all of his current emotions. 

Winslow let out a small laugh at seeing his son, "I broke out of prison for you, for us." He took a breath and continued, "I'm sorry I was gone so long." 

"You need a doctor, okay? You need some help." Winn tried to reach out to him in an emotional sense, knowing what his dad did was wrong, but also feeling his heart break all over again. 

"My son. My good boy. My greatest work." Winslow continued muttering, pretending not to hear Winn's pleas and ignoring Winn's hurt look at the last remark. 

With some of the arcade machine lights flashing around them, but most of the building still dark, Winn could feel the emotional wall he built as a kid begin to crack rapidly like a weak wall of ice under heavy pressure. This place that was once filled with happy childhood memories, before they were corrupted by the bomb his dad had killed so many innocent people with. Suddenly, Winn felt his anger break loose and he threw the puppet down to the floor between himself and his dad, snapping out, "I thought this was your greatest work." 

Taking a second to gather himself up after witnessing that, Winslow tried to reach out to Winn one last way, "We're the same, you and I. We're linked. Together, we can do anything. That genius that lesser people call madness, that's inside of you too" 

"We are not the same, Dad. There are things you have done that I will never do." Winn denied strongly without having to think twice about it, feeling like he could never hurt people like Winslow Schott did. 

(*Outside on the bridge*) 

Agent Chase closed her laptop and placed it deeper in the van, "We got eyes on Schott. Tactical teams, mobilize. Come on, let's go." 

Everyone of began climbing out, but when Chase saw Kara hop out and go to follow them, she stopped to blonde, "No. We can't do our job and worry about you too." Chase walked off with two geared up agents following behind her, "We're Oscar Mike." 

Kara wasn't going to let her friend be in possible danger without backup, if she could help it, and snuck away to a nearby alley. Rapidly changing into her super suit, she readied herself in case she was needed. 'I really hope this goes well and they are able to talk him into going back to prison.' 

The sound of hissing gas and coughing after a volley of gunfire had Kara leaping into the air. She didn't want to risk Winn's health, so she was soon diving into the arcade building without a second thought. Attempting to suck in the gas, Kara could feel her lungs quickly aching from not doing that before, and her body kept trying to stop and use her freeze breath. Thankfully she was able to get all of it and launched herself into the air as fast as she could get away with, trying not to cough it all back out. 

Making sure she was far enough away from anything, she then let out the deep breath. 'Oh Rao, that is not something I want to do a second time.' Kara though with her face scrunched up in disgust and fighting the urge to cough. 

It was around ten minutes later that she was able to slip back into the crowd of agents dressed in civilian wear. Approaching Winn, she covered her mouth as a cough slipped out, her body still uncomfortable after that event. 

"Woah hey, are you okay there?" Winn asked, not having heard Kara cough since that time she lost her powers and got sick. 

Kara nodded with a small yet amused smile, "Yeah, I don't normally inhale." 

Winn cut straight to the chase out of worry and slight terror, "They're going to kill him." He paused to gesture at one of the nearby weapons an armored agent was carrying, "They're going to go find him, and then go kill him"

"Not if we find him first." Kara cut him off, trying to reassure him. Sadly, it didn't work in the slightest. 

"Kara, no. No, okay? I'm not going to make you commit a federal offense by going around these guys." Winn sighed as he started calming down again and continued, "No. This is, this is my burden." 

Kara was not to be deterred though and pressed on, "Which means it's mine too." Winn growling in frustration as he tried to walk past her had her stop to gently grab his arm and turn him towards her to make sure he was listening, "Winn, thing about everything you've done for me. For Riley. The last few months, becoming Supergirl and Superboy, all the crazy things you helped us deal with. We wouldn't have been able to do it without you." 

"You'd be fine." Winn said with a look of disbelief, "I mean, yeah, the Supergirl and Superboy suits sucked. But you, Kara? Hell, you and Riley? With everything that you both have? Everything that you, that you are? No, you don't really need me." It was obvious that Winn truly believed that they may only be humoring him, when Kara knows that she and Riley probably wouldn't have continued saving people if Winn wasn't there to 'boost them up' and guide them through the process. 

"You're wrong. Winn, Riley and I know what it's like to feel isolated and alone. Riley never talks about it, but the reason she can't stand small spaces is because she woke up somehow in the Phantom Zone, and she still can't stay in a compact area for longer than a few minutes. We both relive our own darkest moments. But when we're with friends, with family, family that we consider you to be a part of, we never feel that way. I never feel that way." Kara saw that she was reaching him finally and kept going, "When your dad says he misses you, I believe him. Because if you weren't in my life, I'd be lost too. Even with Riley, Alex, and the others. You're my best friend, Winn." 

Winn gave Kara a small shaky smile, "I have a creepy little doll I could give you for when you're lonely." 

They both laughed at that, the tension in the air around them dissipating, but still filled with worry. 

Kara gave Winn a quick hug and pulled back to look at him, her hands gripping his upper arms lightly, "Please just let me be there for you, the way you've always been there for me?" Her own cell phone interrupted their 'moment'. Seeing that it was Cat texting from the work cellphone number, she gave Winn an apologetic look, "Just, not till tomorrow? Cat just texted me." 

He waved her off with a knowing smile, "Go ahead, I'll let you know if uh," he paused to look around and see that the agents were pretty far away from them now, "if anything changes." A pointed look and slight eyebrows raised silently told Kara that he was going to look for his Father, but wait for her to do something about it.  

(*At the D.E.O, the Red Sun Room*) 

Lucy was being a drill sergeant for Riley after the hero had approached her about needing help. The shorter woman agreed because not only was the hardcore P.T helping Riley not freak out over Astra, while Alex and J'onn were going over ideas with Eliza over the phone. It was also keeping her own mind busy since she had to pay close attention to push Riley to the max, but not too much too fast. 

When Riley had originally led her to the Red Sun training room once she agreed, Lucy was a bit confused since Riley was powerless and didn't technically need to use that room anymore. But at how Riley was moving without putting too much thought into it, she figured that it was done subconsciously. 

Something good out of it for them both was that not only had Riley been taught new exercises, Lucy had also learned a few new fighting techniques from Riley's old training that Astra started back on Krypton. 

Astra, the thought of the woman brought back the memory of two days ago when they both decided that they were better off partners in 'crime' and wing-women for each other, than serious relationship partners. It had been fun while it lasted though, Lucy had to admit. Hell, they still had an 'open friendship' if they both ever needed to relax. Of course, that would end if either ended up in a relationship, or if one of them, possibly both, wanted to simply be friends and nothing more. 

A hurling sound brought Lucy back to the present. She cringed as she had a front row view of Riley getting sick from pushing so much, then stumbling over to her and collapsing at her feet in pure exhaustion. 'Hmm, from what Alex told me, Riley's already doing a lot better physically than she was last year. That's good, and I can push her a bit further over time. Hopefully Kara will join in one day soon, maybe even get Alex too.' Lucy thought to herself while passing Riley a canteen of water, telling the blonde to stand up and sip at it, not gulp. 

Riley did as she was told, clenching onto the canteen as if it was going to disappear if her grip loosened. Around five or six sips later, she passed the canteen back and moved over to the 'cooldown' station to go through the stretches so her muscles wouldn't be too sore later.  

Lucy joined for the stretches after capping the canteen of water, "I'm going to the apartment to go with Vasquez and pick up those groceries we need, later. Are you heading back to Alex's lab after this?" 

Nodding, Riley took a deep breath as she felt the stretches start relaxing her muscles, "Yeah, I am. Also, when you get to the apartment don't forget the list I wrote out and stuck to the fridge door. It has everything needed written down, otherwise, grab whatever else comes to mind."

The two women gathered up their items once their stretches were done, and Riley shut off the Red Sun lamp lights on the way out of the giant room. Stopping in the hallway to let out a strong yawn, Riley muttered a 'catch ya later' to Lucy and dragged her feet towards the lab while Lucy was headed to the garage after giving a goodbye of her own. 'Rao, please let Alex, J'onn and Ma find a way to help Mom. I'm not sure what would happen to us all if she dies from this.'

A text with the Reaper Noise from Mass Effect that she set for Alex, sent to her phone had her sprinting the rest of the way when it simply read, 'We found a way to help Astra. Get here, fast.' 

(*Astra's Dream World*) 

Her mind seemed hazy as she stood next to Sai-El, watching her closely related family and those of the Dan'Vers arrive at the ceremony site to celebrate the bonding of Alex Dan'Vers and Rile Ast'Ze. Together they would be known as Alex-Vers and Rile-Ze after the event, since they were both currently the last main blood of their own line. They would probably have at least two children from the Matrix, the first taking on the Ze name, while the second born will be taking the Vers name. 

The sound of someone cursing quietly after a light thump, like someone ran into a wall, had Astra excusing herself for a moment and going to check it out. 

She turned the corner into a hallway outside of the main entrance, freezing at the sight of Rile dressed in Earth clothing. Astra lunged forward to drag her daughter into a nearby supply room, "Rile Ast'Ze, how are you inside of this mind trap with me?" She hissed lowly as her eyes narrowed in confusion. 

"Mom, we need to get you out of here by having you completely deny this whole thing. That is the only way you will be able to defeat the Black Mercy." Riley whispered back, trying to stay quiet to avoid getting caught at the sound of voices in the hallway near them. 

"But that's the problem! I have..." Astra's voice trailed off at remember how the dream world shook like it was about to collapse, until she caught sight of Sai-El, "Okay, so I might be clinging to your ieiu 'mother', but I truly do understand that this is all fake. By the Great Rao, this version of you is about to be bonded with the Kryptonian version of Alex Danvers, so trust me, I know." 

Riley's eyes went wide with shock at that, and she was barely able to control the volume of her voice, "Bonded? Truly?" She actually seemed stunned in an awe and heartbroken way. Riley raised her hand to stop Astra from saying anything when her mom opened her mouth to speak about Riley's own reaction. "No, mom, don't. Just," Riley trailed off as she looked out into the hallway, and heard the bonding ceremony music begin, "come on." She grabbed her mom's hand and pulled her over to one of the open doors, peering inside. 

Sure enough, Astra's dream version of her and Alex were in the center of a large circle that held both of their families. Dream Alex was holding onto a green and gray bracelet with what she assumed to be the Vers family crest, nearly merging with the Ze family crest. Dream Rile was holding a black and red bracelet with the house of Ze crest on it, again, nearly merging with the other house crest. 

Riley felt an odd ache in her chest, causing her to pull away from the door and turn to Astra. She rebuilt the wall that began crumbling, the one she put into place when she was merely fifteen years old, before she spoke up. 

"Okay, you know what, we need to get out of here. If ieiu is the only thing keeping you here, you need to deny the dream version of her. Although Kara, myself, and even Alex love you and want you to be happy, this world is not what's going to actually do that. I know it might be hard, but mom, you are going to soon be dying out side of all of this so you need to..." 

Everything went pitch black for them and the sound cut out sharply. A creature screeching in pain was the last thing they heard before they woke up. 

(*Sun Room in the D.E.O.*) 

Kara was pacing the length of the small room, glancing between her Aunt and Krypton sister. It had been nearly three hours since Riley had been 'sent' inside of Astra's dream world. Most of that time, from what J'onn had said, was spent working through the Black Mercy's defenses until Riley could reach Astra. 

Riley shot up into a sitting up position was what stopped her pacing and her movement caught everyone's attention until it was pulled away at the Black Mercy falling off of Astra and shriveling up as it died. 

The youngest Danvers was suddenly up and out of the room before anyone could say anything, however. J'onn and Kara both gave Alex a nod and shooed her after Riley when Alex stopped by the door to alert them that she was running after Riley. Alex gave a thankful look to them both and took off in a jog after Riley while a slightly pale Astra just calmly sat up on the other lab sun bed.  

No one was really worried about her physical health since Alex had done scans earlier and she was woken up within the allotted time. Besides feeling weak, nothing physically bad happened to Astra. J'onn was still worried about the possible mental repercussions the Black Mercy might have caused to the woman though.

(*Alex's Lab – D.E.O.*)

Riley froze with her back to the lab door when it opened, not expecting anyone to have taken off after her. Alex noticed this immediately and gently closed the door behind her, as if worried to startle the now brunette Kryptonian. 

"Hey, what was that all about? Did you see something in Astra's dream that spooked you?" Alex asked carefully, not wanting to seem pushy, even though she did want to know what happened. 

Turning around to face Alex, Riley sat on a metal table and placed her face in her hands after resting her elbows on her knees. Her words, muffled by her hands, sounded like a jumble of some obscure language than anything Alex knew or knew of. That's saying a lot since she knew of all the languages of Earth and even some alien languages. 

Alex moved over and leaned against her desk, directly across the room from Riley's form, "Want to try that again? I couldn't quite understand that." She asked with a bit of sass to 'break the ice' and try to relax the Kryptonian. 

Pulling her head up, Riley ran her hands down her face before making a 'steeple' shape and resting the tip of the two fingers on her chin, "Yeah, it was something in Astra's dream. I uh, I got to see something that I know wouldn't be possible in reality. I just needed a few minutes to shut that door again, which amusingly enough, I was able to do during that slight jog. I realize how silly it was of me to take off like that as well." 

Riley hopped off the tall table and started heading for the door near Alex, only for the red head to pull her to a stop and gaze pointedly at her, "Are you going to be okay? Don't shut me out, Riley, please." 

"Alex, I just need to forget it, okay? I know it isn't possible so let's go back and you can check on my mom to make sure she's alright." Riley pleaded with 'puppy dog' eyes, and was helped by some sort of small alarm echoing though the room from one of the machines. 

'Saved by the bell.' Riley thought to herself, and made sure to stay out of Alex's workspace so she didn’t make things worse with whatever equipment was currently freaking out. She simply watched and waiting to jump in to help if Alex called out for her. 

Alex however, was cursing up a storm over the machine she set earlier that was going off with a silent alarm off and on for the past two and a half hours. It was simply crazy luck that she remembered about it, since Riley had leaned against said machine and had somehow turned off the 'silent' part of it. 

Pulling out enough of the mixture to place a drop on the earlier prepared slides that held a bit of hair, skin, and even bits of nail on three different slides, she applied the drops to all three and moved the nail slide under the nearby microscope. She froze at what she saw before moving on to the hair slide. Getting the same result, Alex could feel her heart rate speed up as she removed that slide and placed in the final slide that held the bit of skin. 

While all of that was going on, Kara, Astra and J'onn all had made their way to Alex's lab and joined Riley near Alex's desk, "What's going on?" Kara asked lowly to the small group, not knowing what was going on. Everyone shrugged until Alex turning sharply to look directly at J'onn, "It works." She simply stated with wide eyes and a rapidly growing grin. 

Riley, Astra and Kara watching in confusion as J'onn quickly moved closer to Alex, "Truly? You got it working that fast?" He asked, pride and a little bit of awe filling him at the skill and brilliance the woman he considered a human daughter, showed in her work. 

Alex had a nearly beaming grin as she nodded, looking over to Riley and waving a hand to get Riley to move over to her. It took a slight push, however, to get the brunette moving, "Wait, what's happening, exactly?" She asked the question that Astra, Kara and herself were all previously silently thinking. 

Reaching behind her to fill up a vial of what she now knew was a cure, Alex held it up for the others to see and the dark blue but still mostly clear mixture caught the group's full attention, "This, is going to cure the gold kryptonite affects. If you want it, that is." She said to Riley, quick to reassure that Riley didn't have to take it unless she wanted to. 

J'onn joined in on the conversation and placed a hand on Riley's left shoulder in support, "If you need to think about it, take all the time you need. After all, I doubt that vial is going anywhere." 

Gazing at J'onn and seeing that he was simply there for support had her turning her head to look over at Kara. Noticing this, Kara walked forward and hugged Riley, "It's up to you and you can decide now or later." Kara whispered to Riley, but could feel her sunny grin appearing at what she knew was Riley's look of exasperation. They had talked about the possibility of a cure for the last few days and Riley had long since decided that if it was indeed created, then she would gladly take it on the spot. 

Astra stepped forward as well and gently ran a hand reassuringly through Riley's hair, not saying anything because she felt guilty and desperately wanting Riley to take it now, if only to make it so her daughter was less in danger. Riley being powerless terrified her since it was so much easier to lose her that way, in her mind. 

Riley pulled away from the others and grinned happily at her new spot next to Alex, "Well Doc, what are you waiting for? Can't believe I'm saying this for the first time in my life, but, stick me!" 

The other laughed at her badly hidden excitement since Riley nearly tore her own sleeve trying to raise it so Alex could stick her with a needle to put in a syringe of the stuff. 

Alex rolled her eyes and dragged Riley over to her lab equipment by the collar of her shirt, then let go to start measuring out a dose since sticking her with the entire vial at one time was completely insane. 

Splitting the semi-large vial between two bags that would be attached to a 'drip', Alex then set up the IV on the metal stand and latched on to Riley's shirt collar with her left hand while pushing the IV stand with her right hand, leading the way out of the lab back towards the sun room, "You'll need sunlight while this goes through your system to recharge your cells as they fix themselves, so it will kick in faster." Alex explained while the group began making their way down the hall and back into the sunbed room. 

Figuring that the others didn’t hear the conversation the two were having before the machine interrupted them, Kara kept quiet for now about what Riley had seen, even if only for a moment, but was determined to bug her about it later. From the looks of it, J'onn had also caught on to something having happened based off of Riley taking off out of the room earlier and the slight worry in Alex's gaze that sure wasn't from the cure. 

(*That Night at CatCo*) 

Winn, James, Kara and Cat were all sitting on the two couches in Cat's office with drinks on coasters in front of them on the coffee table or being held, "So wait, you're telling me that Alex is such a brilliant scientist, that she was able to cure a previously thought to be incurable change in a Kryptonian? That woman is frighteningly intelligent, far more so than I first anticipated." Cat admitted as she swirled the scotch around in her glass. 

Since the level was empty of everyone except the four in Cat's office, Kara had her feet pulled under her and was cleaning with her head resting on Cat's shoulder. She nodded lightly and stretched out a shoeless foot to poke mindlessly at the back of Winn's toy doll thing that he got from his dad. Her friend was currently taking the front apart to get to the inner chip that made the voice thing on it work. Not actually focusing on the conversation, she replied without thinking, "Yeah, she was the one who donated the water cleaner she and I built together when Riley and I messed up stopping that boat fire." 

Cat looked at her sharply and the movement made Kara move her head, lest she injure Cat, "What do you mean, 'she and I built together'?" Cat asked her firmly with narrowed eyes. 

"Well," Kara started, but was interrupt by Winn's ah-ha cheer, 'Oh Rao, I dodged that bullet.' She thought to herself, but a glance back at Cat had her solidly turning her view back to Winn when she saw Cat's curious and stubborn stare that she got when she wanted to know something that she couldn't have answered right then and there, 'Then again, maybe not.' 

Winn waved at them all to lean a bit closer to the table and pointed at a symbol carved onto the chip he had in a small plier grip, "Okay, all of you see this etching?" He asked, pointing at the 'Y' shaped mark. At each of their confirmations he explained, "It's a Slingshot. Slingschott Toys was the company my dad created. It went bankrupt, but the old factory is still standing." 

James looked thoughtful and asked the main question that came to his mind, "Well, do you think that's where he is? Or is it possible that he might be hiding out somewhere else?" 

"I know it is." Winn seemed very sure of this fact, so Kara took that chance by the horns and used her super speed to dash into Cat's office bathroom, change into her suit, before speeding out the balcony doors. The others simply saw a slight blur mixed with a 'whoosh' of air and the balcony door suddenly open. 

Cat stood up and went to close the door, followed by placing her glass on the small side table, shooing out the two men after grabbing her jacket, purse and shoes, "Out, it's closing hours and this can be done at whoever's apartment. I am going home since Carter is arriving back tomorrow, you two can go do whatever it is either of you do in your spare time or wait to see if Kara needs help, I don't care. However, I will make sure Kara texts you later with updates. Now go!" 

(*At the Toy Factory*) 

Having used her heat vision to make a line of space in the shut door, Kara pushed it open and walked slowly into the factory, freezing mid-step at the large grinder machine turning on. "Mr. Schott? I'm a friend of your son's." 

Looking around, she saw many different old toys that someone would probably expect to see in a circus or a giant kid's toy store. There were large letter blocks, a giant spinning wheel with lights, wooden chairs for kids, wooden crates built to hold toys, a ton of different dolls, plushies, clown toys, and even a few marionette puppets hanging on a rack. 

Kara moved few more steps forward when odd cymbal clap and rolling noise turned her confused and slightly nervous stare down to the floor a dozen or so feet ahead of her. She watched and couldn’t help but feel some amusement at what was basically a toy version of herself clapping cymbals together and 'riding' on a unicycle. When it stopped about four feet away, she knew darn well that Winn's dad was 'toying' with her. 'Oh Rao, Riley would be having a blast with all of the puns.' Kara rolled her eyes at her own thought, then focused back on what was currently going on. "I know how much you love your son. Think about what's best for him!" 

"That's all I think about." At his voice, Kara leapt through the air to stop him as painlessly as possible for Winn, only for the man to jump right as she started blurring towards him. In the end, she missed him, and the box he was standing on lost the top to drop her into some weird mud-dirt. 'Crap, I knew holding back on my speed would one day bite me!' Kara scowled in thought, then tried to speak to Winn's dad. "Mr. Schott, you have a chance to make it up to your son." 

Unfortunately for her, the man seemed to be a bit more unhinged than he did at the Arcade, and that was saying something, "I am making it up to him. That's why I'm here." 

A child's voice could be heard from a storage box above and behind her. Kara turned her upper body as best as she could to see a lead lined box that held what she assumed was a child, "Help! Is anyone out there?" 

"Oh, it's so easy to lure a child if you offer them a toy." He seemed unaffected by the event and Kara wondered if there was actually a child in the box, or if it was just another one of his tricks. She wasn't willing to risk it though, and started trying to yank herself free. 

Winslow apparently found that a bit humorous if his tone of voice was anything to go by, "Oh, you're drowning in quicksand, by the way. The more you struggle, the deeper you sink." 

"I'm scared!" The supposed child's voice called out again, distracting Kara for a few seconds, making her pause her movements. 

"I understand that even you and that sibling of yours need oxygen. Where is Superboy, anyway?" Winslow seemed to now be rubbing salt on a 'wound', sparking Kara's annoyed frustration into being. "Anyway, I digress. Back to the moment. Soon, you won't be able to breathe." He messed around with a yo-yo and started moving down sizes of the letter blocks as the child was still crying out, but stopped when Kara's eyes lit up, "Oh, I wouldn't do that! Slingschott quicksand is laced with thermite. Add heat," he paused to make an explosion noise, "this whole place will blow." 

Kara reached forward to grip on to the side of the box, trying to pull herself out but didn't use her full strength just in case it wouldn't help the situation and only get her more stuck. She heard the metal hook creak and ignored Winslow to call out to the child, "I'm going to save you!" 

Noticing that it was getting closer to dropping into the grinder, Kara blew concentrated air out to push it away so the box wouldn’t land inside of it. With that out of the way, she started growing frantic that she was still stuck in the stupid sand, 'What in Rao's name am I going to... ah-ha!' Kara interrupted her own train of thought at an idea and used her freeze breath to freeze the sand. Her heart seemed to race and time slowed around her as the box was dropped from the hook. Using a mix of strength and flight, she launched herself out of the now frozen sand and gently gripped the box in her hands, lowering down to the floor to pull it open. 

Looking inside, Kara gritted her teeth in frustration when it was only a creepy Supergirl doll with a voice chip. 'Still would have done the same every time, just in case someone was in trouble. But Rao do I find Winn's dad annoying!' 

(*At the D.E.O.*) 

Riley had just finished the second bag on the I.V. drip, and it wasn’t even taken out for ten minutes before she started fidgeting. Three minutes after that, she was up off the sunbed and strolling down the hallway to the command room. Alex was at a console with J'onn, who had seemed to recently return from somewhere, while there were two empty seats nearby. Ignoring Alex's frustrated stare, Riley dropped down onto one of the empty seats after turning it around. She crossed her arms over the top of the back to rest her chin on said arms and stared back at Alex in defiance. 

J'onn simply reached over a bit and smacked Riley over the head with a folder he had, turning Alex's frustrated look into one of amusement and Riley's defiance into stunned surprise. He gestured to the four screens in front of them to get both of their attentions back on to the task he started. 

Before either of the two could comment, Astra joined them by dropping a pair of heels onto the desk and gracelessly dropping onto the final seat, "That was far more painful of an experience than any time I have ever been trounced in a fight." 

"Oh, it couldn't have been that bad." J'onn drawled with a smirk, only for Astra to level him with a glare that could slay legions of enemies all on its own. 

Alex and Riley simply watched the two, wondering when they started their weirdly adorable friendship, "Not that bad?" Astra scowled at him, "If it's not that bad, then next time you can be the one to wear the dress and heels to dinner with an enemy, to buy time for someone to sneak information. Did you at least retrieve any useful information, in return of that horrific event you call dinner?" 

Riley busted into laughter at that, unable to contain it due to not expecting that comment. What made it even better was when Vasquez, as they went to walk past, stopped to add their two cents, "Honestly, I think he could pull it off." 

J'onn glared at Vasquez but they were already walking away and whistling a tune to where ever they were heading. "Anyway, I got a couple of shots." He gestured again to the four screens at the small console-desk and Riley went silent at seeing the serious situation. 

"What's in the I.V?" Alex asked, making Riley and Astra notice the weird colored liquid inside of it. 

"I'm guessing some combination of sodium sulfite and sodium iodate." He explained as both he and Alex got mixed into the science of the situation, leaving Astra and Riley confused at where that train of ideas was going. 

Alex noticed their confusion and explained it a little better, "The by-product of which would be hydrochloric acid."

Astra's eyebrows shot up in surprise and Riley stared in disbelief before the older Kryptonian asked, "But wait, wouldn't she be melting from that?"

"Her vitals were stable but her brain showed minimal activity." J'onn's statement only added more onto the pile of currently unexplainable science and confusion. "Lord's keeping her alive somehow, but for what? We don't know yet."

Riley stuck up a hand as if to pause the conversation and then rolled her hands around as if 'rewinding', "Woah, okay wait, back up a minute. Lord? As in Maxwell Lord?"

A simple nod from Astra had Riley looking back at the screens trying to piece together what in the fresh hell Maxwell Lord was doing in his apparently evil basement of science that looked like creepy hospital rooms.

Alex leaned a bit and muttered to J'onn, nearly sounding like an explosion of sound to Riley's ears since her super hearing decided to kick in just then. She caught on to what Alex was asking, but still clamped her hands over her ears and went a bit cross-eyed at the instant change of having that ability again. Riley then put a fingertip in each of her ears and shook her hands to remove that feeling like she needed to 'pop' her ears. It seemed that while she was doing this, the conversation had finished but all four, now including Vasquez as well, stared at her in a mix of confusion, amusement, and worry. They were all just watching her spaz out for a moment or two. 

At Riley calming back down, having focused on Alex's, Martha's, Kara's and Eliza's heartbeat like she and Kara had a tendency to do with people close to them, even though Eliza and Martha's heartbeats were faint due to the distance, the others simply start moving to do whatever else it was they needed to be doing. When Riley stood up though, the brunette accidentally put her hand she was going to lean on to stand up, cleanly through the desk instead of bracing on it. 

Other Agents near them quickly turned heel and trotted away as they stifled their laughter at the Superhero version of a horrifyingly amusing proverbial train wreck. J'onn did the same with Astra and Vasquez, while Alex sighed and pointed to the hallway that would lead to her the sunbed room. "Okay klutz, move it. At this rate, we're going to have a lot of broken objects unless we get you resting on a sunbed and maybe even used to your powers again." 

Riley pouted pitifully at that and went to drag her feet, but her feet causing literal gouges in the floor had her stepping lightly, "Oh Rao, never thought I'd have to get used to this all over again." She bemoaned, discontent with her current wrecking ball situation.

Unbeknownst to her, Vasquez had sent off a text to James for her best friend to come visit. They knew the two would appreciate their effort to keep both of the dorks from being bored. Then again, Vasquez was quite sure Pam from H.R. was going to probably end up blowing a gasket at yet another person just waltzing into the D.E.O to speak with an agent slash asset superhero. 'Ah well, semantics. That and Pam is probably used to it by now.'

(*At Cat, Carter and recently also Kara's Home – With Cat, Kara and Winn *)

"You know, I never should have let you go in there. If he would have hurt you." Winn started furiously before Cat Grant herself cut him off.

Cat laughed before she looked over at Winn with a 'really?' Expression, "Let her? I hate to break it to you, actually, I don’t mind at all, but let is an extremely loose word when Kara has her mind set on helping people. You either approve or disapprove, and she makes choices on that or the severity of the situation. There is no let."

Kara got up from the couch with Cat to move over near Winn while shooting Cat a look and muttered, "Woman, you are not helping the situation!" 

Winn had pulled out his cellphone and was typing in something when Kara stood near him, "Who are you calling?" She asked, having a bad feeling at his next words.  

"Agent Chase." He nearly hissed, about to hit the call button. 

'Yep, knew it, time to stop him.' Kara thought, then made sure to gently yank the phone away so she didn’t break it, "No. You know they'll kill him." 

A water glass was firmly set down was what caught their attention, "Okay, here is what is going to happen." Cat started as she stood up, glaring at the both of them, "First off, Winn, you are going to go get whatever it is you need to track your Father, I know you have such tech at your place since that 'other office' of the Super-Stuff that is located at CatCo so no use in denying it. Secondly, Kara, you are going to go check on your sister at the D.E.O, and you're going to take me with you. Winn, once you are done gathering your items you are to call Kara and she will bring you to the rest of us, and we will create a more solid plan there." She stopped to stare at each of them with their stunned looks, "Am I clear enough for the both of you or must I repeat myself?" 

Both Winn and Kara were nodding rapidly, Winn out of understanding and slight fear of Cat Grant, yet Kara out of understanding and a very solid amount of attraction, "You got it, Cat." Kara said with a slightly dopey grin.

Of course, Winn looked over at her like she had suddenly gone insane, but it was Cat's look of amused adoration that had her feel so fluttery inside. She like that feeling.

(*At the D.E.O.*)

James was currently sprinting down some vague hallway that looked somewhat familiar with Astra having taken off down a different hallway split off maybe a minute earlier. The growing group at the D.E.O was somehow talked into a surprisingly exciting game of Hide-and-Go-Seek-Tag by Riley, Vasquez and Lucy. Riley had been the one to mention it, while Vasquez and Lucy gathered everyone else up for the game. Hell, even Kara and Cat both joined in for the second round after they arrived.

The people he last knew were hiding was himself, Astra, Kara, Cat, Vasquez, Lucy, Riley, and J'onn, while Winn would join them whenever he finally gathered up his computer stuff.  

It was currently Alex's turn, and they had all sprinted off with more than a little bit of amusement and terror, human speeds for Kara and the currently ever stumbling Riley, when Alex had wickedly stated it was her turn to 'Go hunting for prey.'. Yes, even J'onn took off running at that, though he tried to play it off like he was just acting like the others, they all knew better. Thankfully, there was a system where the people found would send out a message to silenced phones that would be carefully watched, if they were found and tagged or made it to the 'Base'. 

Seeing a supply closet, James basically dove into it, ignoring the surprised stares of a few agents that were walking down that hallway. He stopped to shoo them away before closing the door and hiding in a corner in the back of the small room behind a shelf. 

It was maybe five minutes into his hiding when Lucy sent out the first message with a proud standing Supergirl picture attached that said she had made it to the 'Safety Base', and a few minutes after that Kara sent out a message that she and Cat were found but were able to escape to safety. Why they were found at the same time James didn’t want to know, but luckily all Cat said about it is that the Supergirl picture actually made her laugh as the reason they got found and almost caught. 'Yeah, like anyone is actually going to believe that!' He snorted in laughter, but then clamped his hand over his mouth at a suspicious noise from the hallway. 

Subconsciously holding his breath, James counted to ten in his head and could hear the thudding of his heart rate climbing. He started shaking a little, unable to help feeling excitement at the childhood game and stare at the door to see if Alex actually found him already or not. He knew he probably couldn't out run or dodge Alex, but damn it all if he wasn't going to at least try! 

Hearing someone singing quite loudly in the distance and closing in fast, James couldn't contain his curiosity and poked his head out to see who it was. Sure enough, Riley was sprinting down the hallway at a fast for humans speed since that power hadn't returned yet, and belting out the song 'Run Around' by Jason Radford. 

Letting out a hearty laugh at the sight of Riley booking it with Alex on her heels, he came out and watched the hilarity in action. Well, he was until Riley went to run past and grabbed him by his shirt collar, pulling him along her dead sprint. 

"Are you mad, dude? Run! Alex would have tagged you on her way past!" Riley laughed with a beaming grin of pure elation, but no signs of getting tired since her powers were quickly returning. She pulled out her phone and started a playlist, giggling as they both ran on with Alex on their heels. It took a minute, but soon the 'Valerie' cover done by the tv show Glee started blaring through the phone's speakers and Riley gained a skip to her step that James stopped by pulling her to run faster since Alex was now closing in on them due to that slow down.

Panting in effort to keep running, James glanced back once they turned down the hallway that would lead to the 'Safe Base' room, when he saw that Alex was almost in lunging reach. He squeaked in a way he would deny till the end, and nearly dove into the empty car garage room with Riley, both booking it to the back wall that held the bench that would be their safety. 

Cat, Lucy, J'onn, Astra, and Vasquez, minus Kara since she went to go check on Winn, were cheering them on from their places on the bench being as loud as fans at a competitive sports game. "Run! Come on, move those legs!" Lucy screamed in exuberance with Astra jumping to float in the air before dropping back down at Cat's seemingly subconscious tug at the older woman's boot. Hell, even J'onn was almost roaring his calls since everyone seemed caught up in the excitement of the game. 

Riley was really into it and sharing a look with James, grabbed him by the back of his shirt and tossed him as gently as she could to Astra, who caught him carefully since that wasn't thought of to have a rule against. 

Oh, but Alex wasn't going down without a fight. If Riley was going to improvise, so was she, and with that Alex let out a faked pain filled yelp. When the blonde stopped abruptly, she realized that it wasn't very thought out of a plan since she wasn't able to stop in time and slammed into the frantically turning Riley at full speed.

Bad news was that Alex got the wind knocked out of her and probably did end up spraining something, but the good news is that Riley's flying seemed to kick in at all of the heart racing moments that the game encouraged, keeping them floating in air instead of hitting the concrete hard. Alex couldn’t help but smirk down at Riley from her position of being hugged safely to Riley so she wouldn’t fall, even with her ankle smarting her sass roamed free, "Tag, you're it."

No one really noticed due to the playful jeering at Riley being caught, but when Riley reached up gently brush a few strands that fell forward back behind Alex's left ear, Alex stared after glancing to see the others busy horsing around, and lightly place her left hand over Riley's right while her right was resting against the lower left side of Riley's face. The redhead finally had a guess of what Riley might have seen in Astra's dream world and could understand why the brunette needed a minute to recover. After all, they never truly considered the other family, because before they could, they had fallen in love. 

It was something that had happened a few months and a year past the arrival day of Kara and Riley, just after their 15th when Alex had realized the almost random silly things Rile, now Riley, would do for her. Riley had brought her flowers, crafted extremely elaborate yet comfortable and tame in color wrist bands for her, and even had taught Alex about Kryptonian life since it was still hard for Kara to talk about. Riley had taught the curious Alex about traditions, the birthing matrix, how the cities had to reside under what reminded Riley of glass domes, how they used flying versions of Earth's cars, and so much more. It was after one of the tradition lessons that Alex had learned about the courting tradition. 

Alex was surprised at first, but had decided to accept the courting before she had thought about the possible repercussions of Eliza finding out. It all had ended before Eliza ever found out, because Kara finding out had spooked them. Kara had taken it in stride and even approved, but it made them both fear what would happen if Eliza did not. Would Riley be sent away? And that thought scared Alex enough at the time that they had decided to stop, even though it had broken both of their hearts. 

Many years had passed by, Alex having graduated college and joined the D.E.O, Riley having graduated and opened her own vehicle repair garage. Even after eight years, they still loved each other, were in love with each other. But that same fear they had as teenagers kept it at bay, and over the years of not even talking about it in the slightest, they were worried about mentioning it to the other in case the other had moved on. They didn't want to lose one another, more so than they figured they already had, and they were frighteningly good at keeping it walled away in their minds. 

A light throat clear jolted them both back to the present. It was none other than Astra standing near them while the others were now laughing about other events that happened during the game, "You both might want to join the others," she paused, having known the looks on their face from the ones her and Sai-El had shared on Krypton before their planned bondings were canceled and they were encouraged to court each other, "however, if your powers are back fully now Riley, I would suggest you have your suit ready because Kara has been gone for a while, and I have a bad feeling about it." 

Alex leapt to her feet and Riley floated to a standing position, neither really looking at each other as they mumbled excuses and darted in opposite directions. Riley striding out of the garage to get her super suit, and Alex heading out of the other side door probably to go to her lab. "Rao, J'onn, those two need help." Astra muttered as she narrowed her eyes and placed her hands determinedly on her hips.

J'onn calmly placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded in agreement, glancing between the two doors the two women left through, "So we're going to need to step in and call in the cavalry."

(*Just outside of the Toy Convention*) 

Kara had been tracking Winn once she couldn't find him at his apartment. The fact that his cellphone and laptop had been dropped in the outside hallway had her on high alert and in the air faster than someone could blink.  

It took her a good twenty minutes to finally find him, having heard his voice at a large building that a Toy Convention was being held at. Hearing her best friend and the sound of a single shot going off and agents running up with weapon safety's clicking off, Kara busted through the glass at the top and landed between him and the hail of bullets from the Agents. 

The gunfire cut off a second later since the Agents knew that they weren't getting past Supergirl. Winn's frantic voice caught her attention though, "He planted ten bombs here. You have to find them before he blows this place up!" 

Thankful for Alex training them to react under pressure in a possibly volatile situation like this, Kara began scanning around. Not seeing any of the bombs with the crowd, she turned her gaze to the floor and heard Winslow's voice from below, "Natural consequences. This is gonna hurt me more than it's gonna hurt you." The man muttered to himself, moving his finger to start the detonation timer. 

"He's detonating the bombs!" She barely had time to shout before she pushed off into the air. Looking once again with her x-ray vision, she counted all ten bombs further along the room where most of the crowd had been heading and shouted desperately at them all, "Everybody move! Come this way!" 

Kara could have sighed with relief when the crowd moved as a whole and began running towards the area under her current location. Having a sudden idea since she didn't have time to get to all of the bombs, she shot heat vision at a specific row of water sprinkler pipes, making that one row spray down rapidly. The absolute moment the last person was within that 'safe area' and away from the water, Kara used her freeze breath to quickly build a large wall of ice between them and the bombs as fast as she could, knowing that she might only have two or so seconds remaining. 

The wall was only just thick enough when the bombs exploded violently, shattering the wall and the force of it knocking everyone over. Scowling, Kara launched up again to head-off Winslow's quick escape route. It was merely a second in human time when she landed solidly in front of him. Completely sick and done with the man's games, and how he had hurt her best friend and tried to hurt the crowd, Kara marched forward with determined intent. That man was going back to prison if he wanted to or not. 

(*At Riley, Lucy and Vasquez's Apartment*) 

Since Lucy was out with Vasquez and Astra for some sort of musical festival thing that her roommates were going to introduce Astra to, Riley let Kara and Alex know that her place was free for their usual trio after-work get together. 

Kara was on her way there after dropping Winn off at his apartment and handing him a watch that if the face was lifted and the button under it was pressed, it would alert Kara, Riley and the D.E.O to his location. The Minecraft sword design on the face of it was Winn's favorite look to it. 

Alex had ordered the food and had it delivered to the apartment, not quite sure how to feel about it all since the wall she had built up refused to stay up now. She wiped away a few tears of frustration and went into the bathroom to clear up any traces of them before the two Kryptonians arrived.

Riley on the other hand, had been doing a patrol after catching up on what happened that day with Kara and Winn over the Toyman stuff. Since the night was almost absent of crime, minus a few attempted break-ins she stopped, it was mostly done to clear her head of what she saw in her mom's dream world, and what happened with Alex during the later game. She realized that the wall she had to painstakingly built as a teenager and reinforced over time, refused to stay up again. It was like some sort of dam had burst and nature refused to allow it to return. Hearing Kara's heartbeat approach, Riley looked over and smiled softly at her. That quickly changed when Kara slammed into her and they barrel rolled through the air, both of them laughing in joy at being able to play fight or just fly together again without holding back.

It was maybe five minutes later when Kara and then Riley flew down into the large window that Alex had left open for them, landing in the apartment that had a few soft yellow light lamps turned on through it. Alex sat the box down on the coffee table while Kara human speed jogged over to the fridge to grab the drinks for everyone. Riley ended up using super speed to flash into her room to change into her pajamas and grab Kara's spare set since Alex was already wearing hers. 

Walking back into the living room, she tossed the pajamas to Kara and smirked at the whoosh of super speed changing as she dropped down in her usual spot on the couch at Alex's left side since Alex sat in the middle. Kara joining them stopped any awkward conversation with her excited babble over them starting the tv show Criminal Minds from season one all over again. Why Kara loved the show so much with her personality, neither Alex or Riley would ever understand. 

Riley reached forward and grabbed three slices of pizza, passing one each to Kara and Alex. They all 'toasted' their pizzas together when Alex held out her own and said, "Here's to the three of us. We should come with a warning label." 

"Ooh, it's starting!" Kara cheered since the loading screen finally went away and the first episode began. Her eyes were glued to the screen, but she still noticed how Alex and Riley looked at each other for a few moments, then turned back to the screen with very slight blushes when she couldn’t help but giggle at Reed's antics.  

Truthfully, Kara wasn't as imperceptive as she let people think. However, she decided not to bug them about something that seemed to be recently changing, for now, and her smile changed from being aimed at the tv to being about how adorable the two people she considered to be so close to her heart, were acting. 

(*A few blocks away*) 

A figure floating, shrouded in the shadows of a building, snarled angrily at the what he had seen. 'Non will not be pleased about any of these events! Yet it is that fool's fault for allowing Rile Ast-Ze to escape with the gemstone. He must be corrected by the Generals as a whole, or he may yet be the cause of our plans destruction.' 

He turned in mid-air and flew off with his eyes starting to glow red with rage, 'Kara Zor-El and Rile Ast-Ze must perish, or all of our hard work will come undone before our very own eyes! Myriad must begin soon!''

Chapter Text

Chapter 10 : Evil Aliens, Forever Family, and Relationship Advice from Cat Grant. Uh oh. 

(*At Night, on the mountains near National City*)

Flying through the air to the large fire that Winn alerted them to, Supergirl and Superboy arrived at the scene, readying their freeze breaths to put it out and continue on. That plan was put on hold when they both could hear screams of terror. Following their hearing, Kara and Riley's vision locked on to a dog under the truck and camper that had people inside of it. 

"Kara, you get the camper and I'll grab the truck with the dog?" Riley asked, both of them diving into action at Kara's nod of agreement. 

"Help! Save us!" A man yelled as loud as he could when the swooping sound that was now a sign of help to National City could be heard outside, his family crying out with him. 

The fire was raging ever close, so Kara wasted no time in carefully lifting the camper on to her shoulders. A glace towards Riley showed her that the truck was easily lifted with her right hand and the Husky was gently held in her left arm. "Come on! I know where we can drop them off!" Kara called out after they were both in the air. Riley simply just followed along without question, both using their freeze breath as they flew over the large fire and thankfully putting out the worst parts without actually freezing anything this time around. 

Kara could hear the awe filled gasps and comments from the family when they looked out of a window near them, but a 'ack' noise from Riley was what had her laughing. The dog's tail was wagging and there was now a trail of drool on the left side of Riley's face that said the brunette was ready to say 'ew' or coo at how cute the happy dog was acting. 

(*National City, the Next Day*) 

"Well, where did you put them?" Alex asked while walking down the street with Kara on the way to Noonan's. She had just finished reading the front of the CatCo Tribune paper that talked about the raging fire Supergirl and Superboy put out. It also talked about how Superboy seemed to return from some sort of hiatus that the hero had disappeared on. 

Blindingly sunny was the only way to describe Kara's happy grin and bounce in her step, "By a very nice lake with no raging fire. Riley was the one who carried their truck and dog next to the spot I set their R.V down at. Once they were safely on the ground, we went back and put the rest of that fire out." 

Folding the paper and placing it under her arm, Alex then held up a hand to stop Kara's rambling, "Okay wait, you did at least make sure to place them near a major road, right?" 

Kara full on deadpan stared at Alex as if she was silently yet sarcastically asking 'Really, Alex?'. It made Alex grin and raise both of her hands in a playfully defensive way, "What? You know I had to ask just in case! Sometimes the two of you don't consider those kind of things!" 

Riley's voice calling out from next to the main entrance to Noonan's drew their attention to her laughing figure, "Hey now, that only happened once and we even went back to fix it!" 

"Riley!" Kara's attention was diverted at the sight of Riley holding their usual from Noonan's and Cat's latte, "And you got the food!"  

Alex laughed at Riley's eyes going wide and snatching her now empty left hand away, making sure to count all of her fingers since Kara lunged forward to grab the bag like she was close to starving,  

"Jeez Kara, you act like you haven't had anything to eat in a week!" Riley muttered, smiling shyly at Alex. That smile brightened into a happy grin when Alex smiled right back and initiated hand holding of Riley's left hand with her right hand. 

The three began their walk down the path, Alex and Riley still holding hands while Kara happily munched on a sticky bun with one hand. They had to pause though, so Kara could hop up from behind Riley to have the now light brunette carry her around for a piggy-back ride with her arms crossed around Riley's collarbone. Once she was settled, Riley passed Kara the latte Cat wanted so Riley could use a free hand to eat. It still amused Alex over how natural it was for the two Kryptonians to goof around like that, and the two didn’t even have to think about it, they just did it. All three of them may have gotten some glances from people who seemed to think they were odd but not a single of them really cared to pay any attention to it. 

"Hey, did you two hear about Senator Crane's anti-alien rally that's set for today?" Riley asked after she unwrapped half of her usual breakfast burrito that Kara had passed to her from the Noonan's bag. Waiting for their responses, she grinned and watched with amusement at how Alex would pull her arm once every few bites she would take of the burrito, to snag bites of her own.  

Kara paused as she went to start on sticky bun number two, her shoulders slumping somewhat and a whine entered her voice when she asked, "Oh Rao, that's today? Cat has a board meeting soon about it and on top of that, she's also been stressed over that reporter randomly leaving. Although, she did tell me that she got Lucy to drive his career into the ground. I'm not sure if Lucy actually agreed to that or even knows about it, but Cat seemed happy about it either way so I wasn't going to comment." 

Alex nodded with a smirk at Cat's antics, then swallowed her latest bite before she spoke, "Yeah, so once we drop you off near CatCo, Riley and I will be heading to the D.E.O to plan for this upcoming madness." 

Of course, Riley couldn't help but chime in truthfully with one of the Star Wars quotes that had always been stuck in her mind. In fact, most of those had been stuck there since she first stumbled across them after Jerimiah had taught her how to use the VHS player. She was able to watch the Star Wars trilogy when the adults went out on a date with each other, and Alex was helping Kara understand higher level Earth math, those nerds, "I got a bad feeling about this." 

Maybe ten or so minutes later, Kara hopped off Riley's back and waved bye to the two that continued walking towards where Riley had probably parked her truck. Alex and Riley waved back, and the sight of the two still holding hands had Kara nearly glowing with how happy she felt for them. 'Now to deal with the CatCo coverage of that rally.' She thought with a deep sigh in the currently empty public elevator. 'Riley might end up being right about today. Something bad is going to end up happening, I can feel it too.' 

(*At the D.E.O, Agent Armory*) 

The agents were all suiting up for a protection detail for the Senator because even though they did not share the woman's views, protecting her and the civilians at the rally was still the right thing to do. Each of them made sure to carry weapons that would work against most Humans and Aliens, just in case. 

Among the small group of both humans and now aliens that made up Alex's team and standing next to Alex, was Riley. She had swapped out her civilian clothes for her agent gear that currently included some of the bits of blue crystal that Alex had used to reverse her loss of powers. Plus, since literally every last bit of gold Kryptonite was finally gone, Alex went ahead and had those bits of crystal added to the new suit materials Winn required to make two new and stronger suits for Kara and Riley, each. One new suit for both of them had the crystals that could be removed after they ran out, without affect the suits, while the other suit did not. The crystals wouldn't protect them from Kryptonite forever though. The only problem was that it naturally lost power over time, but the more it was exposed to any kind of Kryptonite, the quicker it ran out of its power. Once the agent gear and suit crystals were drained, that was it, no more Kryptonite protection from those shards. Because of that, they were going to use the stuff while it lasted. 

The door slid open sharply to reveal Hank as he strolled back into the room and stood near the front of it, gathering the now suited up agent's attentions, "Okay people, listen up. We are going to go in two vehicles. Of them, one will hold squad 'A', the other car will hold squad 'B'. When we reach the location, 'B' will fan out and blend in with the crowd furthest from the podium with the civilian over-clothes that have been provided. Watch out for long ranged attacks. 'A' will be closer and will not be blending in as civilians, but passing as every-day government security and F.B.I. If you see something that needs immediate attention but cannot call it over the radio without alerting the target, do the usual double beep for trouble, and one beep for all clear." He stopped to look around at all of the people around him, then gave an approving firm nod at their serious attention, "Alright everyone, let's move out." 

They all marched along in two lines behind Hank when he strolled down the hallways towards the garage, squad 'A' behind to his left and squad 'B' behind to his right. In no time, they were all loaded up into the subtly armored vehicles and swiftly on their way to National City. The agents in squad 'A' with Hank were Alex, Riley, and three agents named Ocampo, Abernathy, and Wick. Squad 'B' in the other SUV had Vasquez, Astra, and three agents named Harkness, Vidal, and Lawson. No one really talked during the ride since they were all settling into the headspaces they needed to be in, so they were as prepared as they could be for whatever might happen. 

Hank gave a small smile that he quickly let drop to focus like the others, at seeing how close Alex and Riley sat together. He was thankful that Astra didn’t have to step in like she thought and figured that the older Kryptonian would be happy about it as well. He didn't say anything since both were focused on the mission and had respect for the fact that now was not the time for them to get lost in their minds over one another. 

'Let's just hope this goes smoothly.' Hank thought before his eyebrows furrowed in slight annoyance at his own thoughts, realizing their luck so far with 'smooth' plans, 'And in Kara's words, I just jinxed us.' 

(*At CatCo, around the same time*) 

Kara stepped out of the elevator and grinned at her best friend rushing up from the bullpen, "Winn, hey!" 

"Talk in the Super office later. Cat's on a warpath." Winn muttered as he darted past her with wide eyes and into the elevator that closed with only him inside of it. The entire event happened in seconds, leaving Kara staring at the elevator doors with eyes narrowed in bewilderment. 

An alarm going off almost silently alerted her to the fact that the meeting was starting soon, and she still had to give Cat her latte, put all of her stuff down at her desk, and gather up all of the notes that might be needed. 'Oh Rao, I do not want to be late, more so if Cat's already on a warpath like Winn said.' Kara thought to herself, speed walking as fast as she could get away with towards her desk. 

She sent out a quick email to all of the department heads that simply stated, "She's ready for war. Please arrive at the meeting room five minutes before the scheduled time, and have things prepared." Kara almost laughed at seeing one of the six department heads that was the only one on the same floor as Cat, nearly sprint out of his office and down the hall to the designated meeting room with a small folder. He was soon followed by the other men and women department heads that quickly arrived via elevator. 

Lucy walked out of her office and had to dodge the last department head to avoid a collision. Hearing Kara's giggle, she turned to her blonde friend with a look of confusion and pointed after the rushing group of people. The blonde typed something on her computer, and hearing a ping from her Facebook messenger, Lucy pulled her phone out to see the message. "Cat's on a warpath so the department heads are going to arrive at the meeting area five minutes ahead of schedule to avoid any backlash from it. You should probably gather your stuff and join them since I am heading there with Cat in the next few minutes." At that, Lucy just rolled her eyes and nodded to Kara in understanding, turning back to her office to grab the folders she would need. 

Sure enough, once she was in the meeting room and was settled in like the others, Cat and Kara strolled into the room with Kara moving to a nearby corner to take notes for Cat, while Cat stood at the head of the table dramatically with a 'bring it on, world' gleam to her eyes. 

Dropping a folder down on the table, Cat began the meeting, "Miranda Crane is in town." Walking over to the other side of the table she continued with annoyance lacing her tone, "She is a lightning rod for bigots, hippies, and aliens. Yes, that is the order in which I detest them." 

Kara looked down at her tablet to hide the grin she was fighting off at Cat's words, knowing that her partner darn well treated aliens by how they acted and not by their 'not from Earth' status. 

She focused back to reality when Cat continued, "Our top reporter has made the mistake of dumping CatCo for a cash grab at Vanity Fair. His ruin will be swift and merciless, thanks to Lucy," Cat gestured to Lucy as she moved past her to the other far side of the table again, "who will serve him a lawsuit by the end of today." 

Lucy's eyebrows shot up at the 'end of today' comment and tried to cut in, "That's not how it works," But got cut off by a firm toned Cat with ease, "By the end of today." 

Working hard to not smirk at Lucy's playful grouching, Cat moved on to the next issue at hand, "Meanwhile, we need someone to get to the rally. Kerrah, get me a list of who's available." 

"Actually, I'll do it." James offered with a small grin, feeling quite in the mood to 'go out on the field' as it were. 

Cat went to shut him down with a squint of confusion, "You have lay-outs to do. Kerrah." She tried to tell Kara, only for James to interrupt again, making her give him a slight glare. After all, she was still trying to subtly train Kara to become a Journalist, if that's what Kara wanted to be, and tended to get snippy at those who cut into those plans. Even if they did not know they were doing so. 

James went out on a limb, hoping he would not get in trouble for it yet also not expecting any extra leeway just because he was friends with Cat and Kara outside of the office, "Ms. Grant, it's nothing that can't spare an hour and with all due respect, I'm the most experienced photojournalist you have. And with my connection to a very famous alien, I may just be able to get us a good quote from Senator Crane." 

Sure enough, Cat's next words and pointed stare gave him plenty of knowing just how much he barely escaped her wrath, "You had better get us a quote that will offend virtually, everyone." Giving a single nod and glance to Kara, Cat looked over at the department heads and stated before she turned and strutted out of the room with Kara on her heels, "That's all." 

(*Later at the Rally*) 

Riley's jaw was clenched at seeing some of the vicious signs people were holding up at the rally. Things like a picture of Kara and herself in their super suits with a red dashed circle, or even a few that said 'Super Freak' with an odd angle extended font to the Super part that had her confused as to who thought of that idea. Honestly, it looked kind of cool to her. 

"Hey, this rally isn't scheduled to last long. We'll all be out of here before you know it." Alex said as she gently gripped at Riley's elbow to ground the Kryptonian, glancing to make sure she was okay. Seeing that she was, Alex turned back to the rally to keep an eye on things with the scanner device she was holding in her left hand when Crane started talking. 

Senator Crane had a look of disgust on her face as she spoke to the crowd, "Aliens. Extraterrestrials. Non-humans. Whether they're wearing a red cape or not, they are a threat to this country, our freedom, and our lives. Starting today, we need solutions. We need to know where they live, what they do, and who they eat." 

'Oh Rao,' Riley thought with a scowl while continuing to look around to protect this bigot, 'this lady cannot be serious, I mean really! Only two planets I can name that have aliens that would eat humans, and they are not even able to fully colonize their own planets, much less be a space faring species.' Her scowl faded a bit at seeing James at the rally, 'James is here! Probably sent by Cat for a quote or something. Maybe I should talk with Kara and Alex to see about starting game night back up and inviting Maggie, along with her wife Kate that I have yet to meet.' 

"Most importantly, we need to stop them from landing in our country." A slight blur caught Riley's attention from the Senator's continued rant when she noticed a tall and almost sand colored alien dashing past at super speed. 

Looking over at Alex and Hank, Riley muttered to the two, "I'm going to change. There is a large and very fast alien here, and it does not seem friendly." At Hank's accepting nod, she slipped into the nearby van and changed once he closed the doors behind her. 

Done with her careful changing so she wouldn't trip and put an arm through the ceiling or sides of the S.U.V, Riley slipped quietly and surprisingly subtly into the crowd next to Alex and Hank, nodding to them as if she just arrived while tuning back into the rant, "It's time to stop talking, and start acting! Monsters are coming for your families." At that, the alien Riley had noticed launched one of the agents on the rally elevated flooring, then grabbed another one with a roar. 

Using super speed to stay on the unknown Alien's heels, Riley would pause long enough to gently set down the guards and police the alien was knocking around before continuing after the fast being, not paying attention to the surprised looks from the rally goers that a Super was helping them, even after what was said by the Senator and the rally goers. She could hear Alex and Hank running through the crowd to check on the Senator and sighed with relief when she caught sight of James activating the watch device that would call Kara to the rally. 

Hank froze when he and Alex arrived near the Alien though and had to nearly dive out of the way when the they flipped a car towards them. Riley had just finished catching the last launched police officer when the calvary arrived. Kara flew down into the underground parking and landed softly at the lack of the violent Alien, moving to check on the Senator that was on the ground, "Careful." Kara said as the woman tried to leap to her feet while injured. Spinning around to try to catch sight of it, she asked quickly, "Where did it go?" 

"I don't know, it was just here!" Senator Crane panted out, eyes wide as she looked around in fear. 

"Supergirl, do you have a visual? Is it down there?" Alex called out to Kara over the radio from outside, feeling a slight rush of wind as Riley appeared next to her and Hank. 

Riley could see Kara shake her head before she answered, "No. Whatever it is, it's gone." 

Things quickly calmed down after that but left a tense atmosphere in its wake. With Kara escorting the Senator safely to the other agents and an E.M.S vehicle, Riley walked with Hank and Alex towards the S.U.V's, "Transport Senator Crane to headquarters, right now." He ordered firmly, yet his shaky undertones had the others worried. 

"What was that thing?" Alex asked him as they continued to walk, knowing that Kara would be heading back to the D.E.O as well when she was done giving James a lift back to CatCo to make sure he made it back safely. The Kryptonians and Hank tended to be very over protective in situations like this. 

Hank glanced at both women near him, then turned back forward and quickened his strides, "A creature that doesn't leave any survivors. We have to move her now, before it comes back." 

"I'll see you two back at the D.E.O then." Riley excused herself to take off in flight to go deal with a few attempts at break-in's and robberies, leaving Alex and Hank to continue talking about what had just happened with him freezing mid-combat. 

(*At the D.E.O.*) 

Walking down the hallway towards the main room with Hank, the two supers couldn’t help but roll their eyes at Senator Crane's overly dramatic complaints, "I'll tell you what happened." the woman said with spite lacing her tone, "You people screwed up royally, and I will not be kept here." 

Hank wasn't having any of the woman's crap though, "Madam Senator, I assure you it's for your protection. I know your friend Sam Lane talks a lot of crap about the D.E.O, but we're here to help." 

"The General told me that for all your big talk about monitoring aliens, you're the first one to let them in through the front door." Crane verbally fired over her shoulder to the two supers, not noticing Alex slip away to get something from the large table. 

Kara chimed in with frustration while Riley slipped over to stand next to Hank's right, so he wouldn't have to be near the Crane woman, "I guess you forgot the part where I saved your ass." 

Crane wasn't done though, and just kept digging her verbal grave deeper, "Mm. For all I know, you all staged that little stunt. It's just like an alien." 

"Pardon me?" Riley asked with her eyebrows raised, unable to believe that a politician could be using so much mudslinging and belittlement. Things like that just were not done on Krypton in polite conversation, it was considered bad form. 

"You're all the same. Disgusting insects who've come crawling from your own diseased, backwater planets," Crane continued rambling, but Riley had to hide a grin when she saw Alex quickly stroll back over with a shot of something, "looking to suck our resources for yourselves." 

Sure enough, Alex stuck the Senator with zero pause and injected the stuff into the woman's arm, getting an 'ow' from her, "Sedative. You're welcome." Alex said with a small wicked and mischievous smile that had Kara fighting a grin and Riley coughing to cover her laugh. 

"My team and I are currently tracking your attacker, we'll keep you updated." Hank informed her as he started walking away, hiding his amusement at Alex's viciously protective actions. 

"I told you I'm not staying here." She tried to argue, but Hank cut her off sharply, "Madam Senator as long as it's out there, you're in here. Enjoy your stay at the D.E.O." He then turned and continued walking away. 

Seeing a group of agents walk up to escort the Senator to a 'guest' room, Alex, Riley and Kara trotted along after Hank. 

Making it to one of the red sun training rooms, Kara spoke up with a scowl, "I should have let it eat her." 

Hank lightly shook his head at her sass, "It would have. It still might. What we're looking for is a White Martian. That creature and its kind slaughtered my people." He took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of the raised platform as his voice gained a sharp tone, "The White Martians came from beneath the planet's surface, bringing fire from the planets guts. And they burned us all. 

Alex winced at how hard it has to be for him to be telling them all of that, "J'onn, I'm so sorry." She started saying until she was softly cut off by him. 

"Don't. Knowing what we're up against might just save lives. This creature belongs to a race devoted to the mission of killing me and mine. It'll be back. It might have attacked the Senator, but it was more than likely to draw me out." He stood up and started pacing, "It is because as Martians, we not only share our ability to shapeshift, we share a link. If I assume my true form, phase, or reach out to it with my mind, it knows. It sensed me when I used my powers to investigate some odd information found on that drive that Astra recovered from Maxwell Lord. We will discuss that later since we will need to deal with the possible confrontation with him. Anyway, thankfully Riley and Kara scared it off because I couldn't fight it today. I couldn't even move." 

Kara placed a gentle hand on his shoulder while Riley nodded in agreement with what Kara said next, "You will next time, and you are not alone. Not anymore." 

"We'll find it, just stay low for now, and we could see about bringing it in." Alex promised, continuing the conversation, "In the meantime, we'll keep Senator Crane here. It's the safest place around." With that, Alex walked from the room once she gave him a quick hug, moving to make sure all agents were on high alert. 

When Alex and Kara had both left to get started on that plan, Riley stood next to the man she considered a father figure, "We'll take the White Martian down. Besides, you are part of our family and something that every last one of us can agree on, is that we refuse to lose anyone else." She paused to smile at him softly, "You're stuck with us, old man." 

Hank's eyebrows shot up at her sass, "Old, am I?" He asked before taking a playful swipe at her, making Riley laugh as she took off down the hall at a human speed. 'I hope that things really do go as well as they are all hoping. Fate knows we could use a break.' He thought, closing the door behind him as he left the room feeling a bit lighter than before. 

(*Next Day at CatCo*) 

Riley, after having called ahead to make sure Cat had a clear schedule for at least a few minutes, had to watch her speed as she walked into Cat's office and then to the balcony where the woman was waiting for her. 

"Alright, what is this all about?" Cat asked her from one of the outside seats, holding a glass of M&M's. 

Sitting down nearby on a nearby couch, Riley dropped her head in her hands and rested her elbows on her knees, "I don't know how to do it Cat." She said with a sigh before dragging her hands to clasp them below her chin. 

Cat just sat there silently with her eyebrows raised in slight confusion, gesturing with her free hand for Riley to continue to train of thought. 

"Okay so, I want to ask Alex out on a date, but is it too soon? If it isn't too soon, where should I take her if she says yes? Or should I just make her a home cooked meal?" Riley's voice started going higher in pitch as she began panicking, "Oh Rao, what if she says no and she's really no longer interested?" 

Setting down her glass of M&M's, Cat raised her hand to silence the babbling Kryptonian, "I am going to stop you there, because there is no reason to be panicking. She is interested in you, you are interested in her. In fact, she had this almost exact conversation with Kara not too long ago." Cat paused to sit up straight and brush non-existent lint off her pants before she continued, "Now, what you could do is keep panicking, or you can take my advice and go for it. Like I said, you are both interested in each other, probably have been for years now if what Kara tells me is right, so take the plunge." 

Riley sat quietly and in awe as Cat wound herself up into a speech that she knew was coming. Sure enough, Cat stood up and started almost pacing with her hands waving around to emphasize her points, "This might be scary for you, but you are both so deeply in love with each other. For Rao's sake, apparently everyone can see it happening besides the two of you, Riley. Carter even said something about it!" Cat sat down on the other side of the small out door couch next to Riley and held the Kryptonian's hand to get the younger woman to look her in the eye, "Tell me, right here and now, how you feel about her. Maybe then you'll finally realize that any possible outcome will be worth it." 

The super thought about it and took a moment before she spoke to catch Cat up with the situation and let out how she felt about it all, then glanced down at her hands that Cat still determinedly clung to as she said, "I'm not sure exactly when it started. I think it was not long after we first arrived on Earth, but I didn't know what it was at the time. When I was about fourteen, was when I first realized that I was in love, much like how Alura, a woman I still consider a mother to me, would tell Kara and I about when we were even younger. It felt like a single smile from Alex would send me flying, or her laughter would brighten even my worst days and memories." Riley stopped to take a deep breath to calm her emotions a little, continuing when Cat squeezed her hands reassuringly. 

"Not long after I realized that, I decided to take a leap and ask Alex out on a date. Imagine my happy awe when she said 'Yes'. We ended up dating for about a year before Kara's obliviousness finally ended and she caught on. Even though she was excited for us, it hit us that we hadn't told her or Eliza, and Alex was afraid of what Eliza would do if she didn't approve. So, we broke up. Ended up trying to avoid each other for the longest time and tried to date other people in college." Riley let out a self-deprecating laugh, pulling her hands away so she could run them down her face and placing them under her chin again, "I couldn't do it. I was still so in love that it hurt just thinking about being with anyone else. So instead, I just kept quiet about it. Not saying anything in case Eliza ever found out because I didn’t want to disappoint her either." 

"When we were all at the D.E.O playing that chase game, and all of you were teasing me for losing, Alex had looked at me while we were floating there in a way that nearly had my heart beating out of my chest. It was one of the first times in a long time where she actually looked me in the eye, and I could feel cracks appearing in the proverbial walls I put up years ago. The reason I am so scared of trying to ask her out, is that, I can't lose her Cat." Tears filled Riley's eyes and the Kryptonian's breath turned shaky, leading Cat pouring them both a fair amount of whiskey as the older woman fought a bit of tears off. 

Knocking back her drink, Cat waved her hand for Riley to continue, wanting the younger woman to realize that it is all worth it, without actually saying anything else yet, "Go ahead and sum up the emotions of this for me, just keep going." She said reassuringly, even though she was now holding Riley's drink as well, in case she needed it since Riley couldn't even get tipsy from human alcohol. 

"I fell in love with her even before I could understand what love truly is, Cat. It feels like I can reach the stars, even without my powers. When she smiles, my heart soars. When she cries, my heart breaks and I fumble trying to do whatever I can to help her. I am terrified of the fact that I am so deeply in love with her because she can shatter my heart so easily, yet I trust her that if she does not feel the same, to at least let me down easy. It would hurt, but as long as she is in my life, I'd be okay with that." Riley stopped as it suddenly hit her what Cat said earlier, that Alex had the same conversation with Kara not too long ago and she went from slumped in her seat to sitting up and feeling almost renewed, "But to me, it's all worth it in the end. It's worth the feeling of falling, flying, the tears, the laughs, the terror and the joy." 

Cat grinned, ignoring the tears in her own eyes as it finally hit Riley that indeed, Alex loved her just as much in return, "So, what are you going to do about it?" She asked pointedly, using a nearby napkin to pat away any stray tears on her face. 

Riley stood up sharply from the couch and purposefully strolled over to the doors to Cat's office, not paying attention to Cat's texting that was the woman telling Vasquez that they needed to record the upcoming conversation between Alex and Riley for the group, "I'm going to the D.E.O, and I am going to ask Alex out on a date because I want to spend the rest of my life with her, and if she says yes, I want the rest of my life to start as soon as possible." She said with a determined look before continuing out towards the hidden balcony Kara used to leave CatCo quickly. 

Getting a confirmation from Vasquez, Cat couldn't help but smile proudly while watching Riley as she left, muttering to herself, "Go get her, Rile." 

(*At the D.E.O.*) 

Running at a human speed through the D.E.O, Riley quickly found Alex in her lab, just finishing typing up a report on some sort of test she seemed to have done recently. Wasting no time so she wouldn't lose her sudden courage, Riley cleared her throat and smile when Alex turned and smiled somewhat shyly at her, "Alex," Riley started as she walked closer to stand maybe a foot from the red head, "I know you might not be interested, and if not, just let me know, but would you like to go on a date with me?" 

Alex stared in shock for a minute, jerking back into the moment when Riley shuffled nervously, "Yes!" Then cleared her throat at her almost shout, moving closer as she did so, "I would love to." She told the Kryptonian, smirking when the blonde blushed with a happy grin. "When would this date be?" 

Riley's brain kick started again at that question and she couldn't help but blab out, "Are you busy for the rest of tonight?" 

At Alex's silent head shake of 'no', the slowly growing grin, and eyes almost glowing at how adorable she thought Riley was being, the Kryptonian nearly stuttered at her next words. Amusingly enough, neither had noticed a nearly cooing Vasquez recording the moment to send to the group that was so excited for the two women, knowing the two wouldn't mind, "Want to go try out that restaurant Kara keeps dropping not-so-subtle hints about?" 

"Sounds good, semi-casual wear and would six tonight work?" Alex asked as both of their shy attitudes seemed to clear away completely and bit her own lip to fight off a smirk when Riley nodded rapidly. 

"Works perfectly for me." Riley said, fighting the urge to swoon at said smirk. Instead, she gently pulled away, slowly moving backwards towards the door to the lab with Alex walking with her, "Meet you there at six then?" 

Alex nodded, grinning when Riley bumped into the door and blushed before the Kryptonian moved to the side a little to stop in the hallway, "Yeah, I'll see you there at six." The red head finished, feeling daring enough to lean forward to place a light chaste kiss just to the right of Riley's mouth. 

Riley's face lit up in a blush and the blonde gave a shy grin, backing up again when Alex leaned back to get ready to close the lab door when she left, having to turn around to walk correctly when she almost walked backwards through a wall, leaving an indent from her klutz moves. 

Vasquez and Lucy, who had joined Vasquez near the main computers, gave Riley a thumbs up when the blonde shot past, the super leaping into the air to do some silly acrobatics. At Hank's throat clear, the blonde actually swooped down to snatch him up and do a playful waltz in mid-air for a minute, then set him down gently on her way out of the D.E.O, waltz with an invisible partner, humming some sort of song as she went. 

Hank watched Riley leave, then turned to Vasquez and Lucy with his eyes narrowed in pure confusion, even as a smile started forming, "What was that all about?" Only to chuckle under his breath when they both pointed at Alex's lab and he saw Alex smiling giddily while nearly glowing with excitement, "Never mind then." 

(*The SuperAgent Date*) 

Arriving at the restaurant about ten or so minutes early to make sure it wasn't too packed, Riley was already liking the relaxed atmosphere of it, and from talking with Lucy since she and Astra apparently have already been there, the place had pretty good food too. 

Getting a table for two took no time at all since the place wasn't anywhere near packed, and soon Riley was sitting down at said table with a glass of water. 

At six exactly, Alex walked in the main door, her red hair and leather jacket catching Riley's attention. She stood up and saw how Alex approached one of the people standing behind a small desk, to be pointed to where Riley was waiting. 

It almost felt like forever till Alex arrived at the table, both women feeling nervous that they might somehow mess up the date before it had even officially begun. 

Of all the things to be an icebreaker, it was someone bumping into Riley, sending her tripping forward trying to catch herself, only to finally stop after moving two feet and into Alex's arms, luckily without hurting the red head. 

"Hey there." Alex greeted her with a smile, getting grin from Riley when she leaned forward to place a soft kiss on the corner of the blonde's mouth, neither noticing Kara slip away, feeling like her duty had been done successfully. 

Riley pulled back with a blush and shy smile, then gently tugged Alex to the table for two, "Hey," she responded almost quietly, then shook her head with a light laugh, "so, I guess that's one way to break the ice." 

Alex snickered at that, sitting down in her seat across from Riley with a warm smile and rested her chin on her left hand with her elbow on the edge of the table, "Mm, no kidding." 

The two soon slipped into a calm and relaxing conversation after that, swapping stories of both college and job incidents of times before they worked together at the D.E.O. It wasn't until a college story Riley told about how her friends Lena and Megan had got into an argument over what sort of science was better, then it hit Riley that now was probably a good time to bring up the Thorul thing. 

"So, Lena Thorul." Riley drawled out, trying to sort how best to tell Alex, only to get cut off by Alex's snort of amusement and a familiar giggle nearby that had her glancing around but turning her attention back to Alex when the red head spoke. 

"Don't worry, Kara and I figured it out almost instantly when you told us. We just decided not to say anything since she seemed like a decent person. It did take a while to get used to it, but we figured to avoid any stress over it all together, we would pretend to not know so no one ended up panicking." Alex chimed in with a cheeky grin, taking a sip of a soda that she ordered earlier. 

Unable to help her sigh of relief, Riley rolled her eyes at Alex's playful teasing and foot nudging. Thankfully for the hungry pair, their food arrived a few minutes later and conversation continued between bites and drinks. Their conversation ranged from work, to even telling Eliza, a suggestion that Alex brought up and asked in Riley was comfortable with that. 

The blonde nodded and reached to lightly grasp Alex's hand, "The moment you're ready to tell Eliza is good for me." She said seriously, smiling softly when the red head grasped right back. 

"Then I will, but when she comes to visit. She'd skin us alive if it was said over the phone or worse, over email or text." Alex said cheeky and playful grin, pulling a hearty laugh from Riley. 

Nearly an hour later, they had both realized the time when a call came in from Kara, who had slipped away once the ice completely broke, having left to go back to CatCo. Riley listened in as Kara rushed to explain the situation to Alex. "Alex, I'm sorry something came up during the date between you two, but we're pretty sure the White Martian shapeshifted into Senator Crane. Which means the real Senator might still be in danger somewhere. I'm headed to the D.E.O now." 

"Good, hurry. Riley and I are heading there now as well." The red head leapt to her feet as she put away her phone and rushed to the door with Riley following on her heels, only for the dark blonde hero to stop and pay for their food, citing a family emergency as the reason for their rush to the shocked host who was nearly bowled over by Alex. 

Once the transaction was done in maybe three minutes by a thankfully rushing host who had to check them out after two other groups, she booked it outside after Alex, using a bit of her super speed when she knew she was out of sight of city cameras and public view. She arrived only to turn around with a fierce blush when she came across the older woman changing out of her casual wear and into her Agent clothes in the backseat of her truck. At Alex's throat clear, Riley used her super speed to change into her super suit that was under the front passenger seat. 

Of course, Alex being in a 'lead the charge' rush had her leaping out of the truck and on to Riley's back to use the small cables on her bulletproof vest to hook her safely to Riley, before the Super launched into the air towards the D.E.O, leaving the now locked truck in the nearby parking garage Riley had left it in earlier. 

At the speed they were going, it took maybe two minutes for Riley to be flying them through the halls to arrive on a catwalk in the main control room, Alex unhooked herself pulling out her gun with Vasquez and Lucy joining them a second later with their own guns. No one messed with the group's Space Dad, not even a shape shifting White Martian. 

(*Earlier at the CatCo Super Office*) 

Winn, James, Kara and Cat were all in the Super office going over James' photos that were taken of the Rally, looking for any shots that caught the White Martian alien they were looking for. 

"You did a fine job on these photos, Olsen." Cat admitted since it was after office hours, while the four looked over said pictures from the Senator's rally. 

James gave Cat his signature cheeky grin from his spot on the one of the chairs around the lighted table Kara moved into the room for them at Cat's behest, "Thanks! Near-death experiences tend to make me shutter-happy." He then gestured to all of the of the photos, "Do any of you see anything?" 

"Nothing out of the ordinary yet. Well, besides the giant White Martian from Mars, that is." Winn chiming in from his own seat, gesturing to a zoomed in shutter photo of said alien. 

Humming in though, James got up and moved over to the main computer and pulled up the White Martian picture Winn had gestured to, noticing something off about it. Putting it through different filters, he stopped and went back one when one showed an odd glow at the creature's eyes. Applying that same filter to all of the photos, he felt himself pale at one of the ones he took of the Senator after the creature was supposedly gone, "Hey, take a look at this." He stood back and let Winn, Cat and Kara move up to see. First, James showed them the White Martian pictured before flipping to one of Senator Crane before and after the attack. 

Cat's eyebrows climbing high, "Well I'll be damned, Olsen. Nice catch." She backed up and could see Kara already calling Alex. Gathering up her jacket and purse, Cat nodded to the door at the other two, "Come along then, we've done what we can here and Kara can contact all of us later. I am also sure that Riley, Alex and a few others will be there as well. Besides, Carter swears you both owe him a rematch to some sort of game." 

Shrugging, both men waved bye to Kara as they followed their boss, letting Cat's words sooth their worries for the moment. 

Kara on the other hand, used her super speed to drop her civilian clothes into a bag near the couch since Cat had admonished her the day before for ripping so many shirts open when super speed could just as easily allow her to rapidly and safely relieve herself of her over clothes. 

Tucking her phone into one of the inner pockets in her boots, Kara came to a complete stop outside of the Super office and couldn't help but laugh when she noticed the window next to the door was wide open so she could slip out without being caught by the security cameras. 

Shutting the window behind her, she was quickly flying out towards the D.E.O, using a bit more speed than usual, deeming the situation more than worth the risk. 

(*At the D.E.O.*)

Tensed and ready to leap into action, Riley watched the Martian disguised at the Senator like a hawk. Alex nodded to Hank when he looked over at the growing group, and his hand slowly slid down to his gun, pretending that the others were not on the catwalk not too far away so as to not blow their cover. 

"There are no hidden aliens here." Riley could hear him mutter to the Senator look-a-like, tightening his grip on the pistol at his side. 

Neither Martians were looking at each other by this point, standing nearly shoulder to shoulder instead, "Are you absolutely of that, Director Henshaw?" 

The group clicked off the safety to their guns and took aim at Hank's next words, Riley willing Kara to hurry at what was about to go down. "I wish I could say yes. But I never said you were attacked by a White Martian." 

The White Martian smirked at Hank, "Well, you're smarter than I thought." It backhanded hank down the catwalk the two were on, by a few feet, and Riley shot forward next to the bullets that Alex, Lucy and Vasquez fired. Realizing the possible causalities though, she kicked the alien at the abdomen to stop it from attacking the agent that was up with Hank and the White Martian. 

Diving after it, Riley could feel herself snarling as she let the others fire away at the shifter, herself more focused on protecting agents that it attacked to try to fight its way out of the base. She didn't know how many times she had to take a blow from the Martian to stop it from striking an agent. Being slammed into walls, throw through ceilings and scratched something awful, Riley continued to stick to the Martian so she could block its hits aimed at her humans.

In one of the hallways almost back to the Command Center, Riley had to risk breaking arms to yank two agents out of the way from being breathed on by some sort of freaky sand storm looking stuff that made her think it needed one hell of a tic-tac.

Hearing Alex and Hank and Alpha Squad running through the halls behind her, Riley was determined that everyone make it out okay and continued defending the agents, not noticing the wear-and-tear done to herself that had her stumbling, her hearing going fuzzy, and her vision going hazy.

Throwing herself forward, she couldn't help bumping into the side of a doorway, cleanly knocking a chunk off. Riley could feel an odd exhaustion setting in as she continued pushing herself to drag agents away from any hits the Martian might have landed if she didn't, not feeling the last attempt at an attack harshly scrape at her back and further ruining her already tattered suit.

Hearing a 'whoosh' noise had Riley's shoulders slumping with relief that Kara had arrived to take care of business. With a shaky grin, Riley felt herself swaying in place as she watched Kara kick the tar out of the White Martian. It didn't last long, sadly, and Kara was tossed away so the Martian could take off in flight to escape. Kara followed, but not before telling Alex something that Riley couldn’t actually hear due to the weird underwater sound everything was having.

Stumbling over to Alex and Hank with a woozy grin and eyes out of focus, she was caught by Lucy and Vasquez when her legs gave out from under her, "Alex! Superboy is down!" Riley could barely hear Lucy yell out frantically. A few of the agents she saved that were already nearby rushed over with some sort of gurney and it took Hank's stern tone to get her to actually lay down on it to be wheeled to the sun room.

"Rile Jane Zor-El Ast-Ze Danvers!" Alex yelled next to her ear, sharpening her attention somewhat. "There you are. Try to stay awake, okay? Also, did you really need to get this banged up?" The red head asked her in exasperation.

Nearly panting awkwardly for breath as she was laying on her side, Riley gave a weak smile and rasped out, "Of course I did! All the agents are mostly okay and none of them were badly injured. That alien isn't going to hurt any of my people." She paused to cling to Hank's hand with a cheeky grin, "And that includes you, Space Dad. Everyone is okay though, right?"

Hank nodded as he tightly held on right back and she never noticed how his eyes had grown red with tears that he refused to let fall. It was because of the sight of one of his 'Earth Kids', as most of the group dubbed themselves, being so beaten up by a monster that killed his family on Mars. The super had never realized just how much of a beating she had taken, it seemed.

From the scans they've done so far, the White Martian had broken a few ribs, gave her a concussion that was already healing thanks to the yellow sun lamps, had placed three wide and deep acidic cuts along most of Riley's back that were struggling to heal, she even had one of those slashes on her outer left thigh and one across the area just above her collar bone. Riley's suit was in tatters, and she had so much damage done to her. Yet she was worried about the agents in the D.E.O, Lucy, Vasquez, Alex, and Hank, ignoring any and all of the damage she currently had.

Since the concussion was gone quite fast, Alex finally let Riley dose off to sleep and finished cleaning the clawed areas of Riley's leg and back. The tatters of Riley's suit though, were pulled away and left in a pile to dispose of. Sure enough, once the acid was cleared away, the cuts began to stitch close in front of them till all that was left were slightly raised pinkish skin. Small scars that would either stay or disappear over time.

Turning around, Hank walked out of the room with Alex on his heels since there was nothing more to do than let Riley rest. "I should have known." He muttered dejectedly.

Alex cut him off abruptly and followed him into the side room that, for some weird reason, people in their group always ended up in during serious conversations, "This isn't your fault. If I hadn't have left you locked in that room in during the Jemm incident, you wouldn't have had to change to save me. If only I could have done better with hacking his computers, you wouldn't have even needed to use your powers to sneak into Maxwell Lord's lab."

"No, Alex. That was not your fault, I got impatient and that's on me. Either way, it sure feels like it because members of my team would have died tonight were it not for Riley." He ran a hand down his face, "She was that injured, and now having to rest up on that table because of me. This is my war, not Earth's."

"Not anymore." Alex took a calming breath to stop her own tears, "I am so sorry what happened to your planet, and I can't imagine what it feels like. But together, all of us, we're gonna protect this one."

Hank nodded jerkily before he spoke up again, his voice hoarse, "It wasn't just my planet." In his mind, he could see the barren wasteland that his home world had turned into as if he was back there. His people standing together in what they figured were their last moments which they spent with their families, having no more weapons or ways to fight back against the White Martian menace.

"We'd fought back. We'd known war. But nothing like that. White Martians had been toiling underground, building weapons of death. Fire traps. Their technology overwhelmed us. There was no honor in how they fought." He felt himself stutter over his words, but forced himself to continue, to get it all out, "They herded us into camps. I swore that no matter what, I'd protect my family. That we would survive. But when we got through the gates," the tears were harder to fight off, and a few escaped, "they took the women and children. Men were forced into labor. The others went to the furnace. My wife and daughters, burned."

Alex dropped her head, still trying not to cry but feeling so heartbroken for the man she considered another father, she could not stop her tears any longer.

Walking across the small room to another wall, Hank leaned against it with a hand and continued, "I escaped. I survived. To my great shame. I will hear my family's screams until the day I die." 

Moving over to him, Alex placed a hand on his arm, "Look at me." She said softly to him, and tried again when he did not, "J'onn, look at me." He did, and her heart was breaking all over again as she watched him cry, "There's no shame in surviving. If your family would have lived, you wouldn't want them to be ashamed." 

"I agree." Riley's voice rasped out, getting their attention as Kara hovered close to Riley in case the stubborn younger Kryptonian needed help. Her posture was tense and her face radiated how serious she was being. Hank and Alex both straightened up and gazed at her searchingly, "I've never, uh, never said this to anyone before, but after being awake for twenty-four years in the phantom zone, I had a lot of time to just sit and think." 

Kara and Alex looked over at Riley with horror, and J'onn felt himself pale at her words, "I wondered, 'why did they not build a pod for themselves as well?'" Riley walked up from her place next to Kara and stood in front of her third father figure, feeling a pure refusal at even the idea of losing him, "It took me so long till it finally hit me. It's easier to just let go, than it is to survive. J'onn," She stopped to place her hands on his shoulders and look him in the eye, her currently raspy voice cracking with emotion, "we too, lost everything. Everyone. For the longest time, every breath taken every day, felt like it was more than I deserved." 

Raising his arms, he pulled Riley into a hug and with a gesture, the other two quickly joined in. But Riley wasn't done, "The hardest part about it all, is wondering what happens next. Wondering if it's worth it rebuilding a life, oh Rao, if it's even worth living anymore. But J'onn, it is. There will always be people who will stick to you like a leech and never let go because they care for you. You're our Space Dad J'onn, we'd be lost without you, and I'm sorry for sounding rude but, I can't lose another parent. Please." 

Clearing her throat, Riley pulled away waited a few seconds as everyone dried their tears before she fired a weak but cheeky grin at all of them, "Come on, don't you science nerds have a White Martian to track? Besides, I think I'll need a while longer under the sun lamps." 

With that, the four made their way to Alex's lab since Kara ended up using her super speed to move the detachable sunlamps to a chair in Alex's lab so Riley could stay with them while they worked. Glancing around in her sun seat, Riley placed her head in her hands and sighed in frustration. 

"What is it?" Alex asked on her way back into the lab, having go to get some supplies with Kara. She stopped abruptly at her main table when she noticed the White Martian finger was gone. Looking around the D.E.O from what she could see through the glass walls, Alex turned back to Riley, Kara joining them a second later with a confused look as well, "Where is J'onn?" The red head asked as she felt dread creeping up her spine. 

Riley stood up sharply and stormed from the room with the others on her heels, "I think he took off to track the thing. Vasquez!" She called out as they entered the command center area, "Could you track Senator Crane's location?" 

Vasquez nodded and maybe spent a minute or two typing, no one saying anything about the satellite hacking they did, and a location popped up on the large screen. "There, at the underground parking lot near the rally." 

Alex motioned Kara and Lucy to join her, "Alright, lets head there." At Riley moving to join as well, she pointed to the solar chair in her lab, "Nope, back to your chair. You are not a hundred percent yet and you know as well as I that you could end up far worse off than you did earlier if you don't recharge." 

"Be safe, please." Riley told her, leaning forward to brush a stray lock of hair back behind Alex's left ear, "Well, as safe as you can be, fighting a giant White Martian." 

Nodding, Alex reached up and ran her hand through Riley's hair once at an attempt to comfort her Kryptonian, "I'll do my best. Your Bluetooth ear piece is in my lab next to the chair you confiscated. You can keep up with what's going on with it, but radio silence just in case." 

Kara and Lucy walked past since Lucy was now geared up completely and Kara was carrying Riley's favorite shotgun with weird pink lit ammo rounds in it, "What?" Kara asked with a shrug at the confused looks she gained, "I was testing some things and decided to try out this ammo since for a lack of Kryptonite on this planet now, it tends to pop up when we least expect it. So I'm expecting the unexpected and using Riley's gun to do so." 

Shaking her head in amusement, Riley blushed when Alex took a chance since everyone's attention was locked on to Kara and placed a chaste kiss on the side of Riley's mouth, "I'll be back soon, and I'll see about getting that gun back to you in one piece." 

A scoff of fake offense had their attention back on Kara, who was now resting the shotgun on her shoulder and had agent diving out of the way as she swung it around, "Come on Alex! We have a Senator to free from the clutches of Marvin the Martian!" 

The number of deadpan stares and giggles that got, were far too many. Hell, half the agents in the room seemed to snort or giggle in amusement, Alex and Riley both shot deadpan stares at Kara to hide their own laughter, while Lucy, Vasquez and a few others were nearly rolling on the floor with their laughter. 'Well, I have to give it to her. Laughter is some of the best medicine for tense situations like this.' Riley admitted to herself, thus let her own laugh break free, Alex swatting at her arm with a light chuckle as well. 

Moving over to share a hug with Kara and Lucy, Riley then gave Vasquez a side hug before she went ahead and headed to Alex's lab to get some sunrays in the chair that Alex had moved to a somewhat hidden corner of the room. Getting comfortable, Riley could finally feel the exhaustion that felt deep in her bones and gave in to it, settling into a deep sleep. 

Unknown to the now exhausted Kryptonian, the Bluetooth device was flashing red, before it finally ran out of power until the next time it was charged. 

(*Almost an Hour Later*) 

Jerking awake, Riley pulled off some sort of headphones that someone must have placed over her ears to help her sleep. Setting them off to the side, the now revitalized Kryptonian stood up and stretched with a happy smile. Using her super vision, her smile dropped into a curious frown when she saw that Alex, Kara and Hank weren't there, and that Lucy seemed to be in the medic room with another agent. Super speeding to see what was going on, she froze half way there at a sharp yelp of pain that her mind registered as belonging to Alex. 

Not even wasting a second, she ignored the usual rules Kara and herself imposed on themselves and shot out of the D.E.O, sending any loose light weight objects soaring into the air behind her. Coming upon the sight of J'onn stepping away from the defeated but not dead White Martian, Kara wearing red sun cuffs and Alex on the floor in obvious pain, Riley snarled and dive bombed at the rising enemy that was gunning to try to attack J'onn as his back was turned. 

The two slid along the ground for a good twenty feet and Riley lifted her now clasped hands above her head and brought them down with just enough power to knock the White Martian out. 

Standing up, she turned around. Upon seeing the stunned looks the others were aiming at her and shrugged, "Apparently someone placed lead laced headphones over my ears after I went to sleep, probably to let me sleep better. So it turns out, I didn’t hear the beep of the Bluetooth's battery dying, or anything really, till after I finally woke up. I apologize." Riley said as she moved over to gently lift a scowling and fussy Alex into a bridal carry. 

J'onn removed Kara's red sun cuffs and at 'Supergirl's' stern look, he allowed her to carry the White Martian back to the D.E.O and grabbed Alex's assault rifle and Riley's shotgun instead. "Alright then, let's head back to base." 

The three awake aliens leapt into the air, Kara and Riley protectively flying on either side of J'onn. Riley might have missed a lot, but she had a feeling that what she did miss, Kara and Alex would fill her in on. 

Taking Alex to the Medical room back at the D.E.O, Riley had to promise to watch the movie Homefront with Alex and a bowl of popcorn after she was cleared to head home, before the red head would let go of her civilian clothes. The doctor there just laughed and patched up Alex, shooing them both out maybe a minute later. 

"Where to, now?" Riley asked, only to have Alex grab her wrist and pull her along to the high security cell area. 

"My kind will come for me and you will die! They will come and you will all know destruction!" The White Martian in Senator Crane's form snarled out in rage nearby. 

Kara's voice was firm and steady when she asked, "There are more of you, then?" 

"Thousands. Millions." The Martian's fists slid down the glass as it tried to intimidate Kara. 

"Then let them come. We'll be waiting." Kara's response sent shivers down Riley's spine from how awesome her sister sounded. 

Strolling out of the room with no cares to give to the White Martian now throwing itself around the cell cage, Kara met Alex and Riley just outside of the room and in time for Hank to start walking by, "You did the right thing. I'm sorry you had to." Kara called to him. 

Hank stopped in his tracks and turned to the three women, squinting in thought for a moment before he spoke, "My daughters were named K'hym and Tanya. It's not the same, but," He paused to make sure he had all three of their attentions, "Any man would be proud to call all of you his daughters." 

Kara leaned forward immediately and hugged him, Riley joining a second later, quickly followed by Alex. Not a single person didn't feel the urge to cry again. Hank pulled back though and tried to puff up like a tough guy, "Alright, enough of that." 

"Right, of course." Alex cleared her throat and pulled the Kryptonians back with her, "Boss." 

Watching him turn on his heel and walk away, Kara leaned over a bit to Alex and Riley and muttered, "Icecream at Cat and I's place." 

She got sniffles and nods in acceptance since it indeed had been one hell of a day. 

(*At Cat, Carter, and now Kara's too, House*) 

"So, let me make sure I heard you right. The next time Eliza shows up, you're both telling her?" Kara asked after the swapped their icecreams. 

Riley nodded and swallowed a bite, "Yep! Alex suggested it and, if it still feels good at the time, we will." 

Alex shot Riley a thankful look at the last bit the darker blonde haired Kryptonian tacked on. 

"Another topic that needs to be updated is that Astra was able to sneak that girl away from Maxwell Lord's lab. Apparently Vasquez found some files in Maxwell Lord's information that J'onn swiped, where Maxwell was planning on turning the girl into some mind controlled version of Kara called Bizzaro. Why? Well, that seemed to be answered too by the fact that Maxwell Lord went into a villainous ranting rage when Astra freed the girl, then he tried to kill her with a green Kryptonite sword." 

Kara and Riley's eyes both started glowing at the edges with that info, which had Alex rushing to reassure them before they broke something of Cat's and Cat skinned them alive, "But! The woman Astra freed helped out and now the Sword has been destroyed by Clark, while Maxwell Lord is sitting in one of the containment cells." 

"If it's not one thing with this group, it's another." Riley muttered, the growing heat in both Kryptonian's eyes vanishing. 

Finishing up the three cartons of icecream, Kara walked with Riley and Alex afterwards as the two were headed out of the back door to the high hedges backyard to head back to their respective apartments. 

"You two sleep well, okay? And please remember that if anything comes up, everyone in our ragtag family is only one call away. Oh, and please be careful!" Kara called out to them as Alex stood in front of Riley on the Kryptonian's feet, arms wrapping around each other. 

Riley laughed while starting to float them both above the ground, "You worry to much, Kar!" She called out to Kara, "Besides, I'll drop Alex off at her apartment and head back to my own, where I will probably be grilled by Lucy, Vasquez, and if he's there, James." 

Alex scoffed and smirked, "Thankfully I can just lay down and pass out. Also, don't forget Kara, tomorrow night is Game Night so for the love of Rao, tell your Cat woman to keep her claws to herself so you're not goo-goo eyed while we play. After all, Riley is supposed to introduce us to her new friend and said friend's wife!" 

Kara threw a clear sheet paper she balled up from the nearby printer and laughed hard when the two muttering women both got hit on their foreheads, "Get on out of here you two, I'll see you both tomorrow! Carter won't be there since he left to his dad's the day before yesterday!" 

The floating women nodded, then Riley took off into the air with a burst of speed and laughed at Alex's playful shriek of 'Riley!' 

Heading back inside, Kara made sure that all the doors and windows were locked on her way upstairs. Arriving at the master bedroom that had a nightstand lamp turned on, her eyes locked on to Cat's form, the older woman standing near the bed wearing a bathroom and glasses. Said bathrobe slipped free and Kara felt her eyes go wide, "Well? If I am to not keep you up too late, I suppose we must make do with the time we have. Chop chop, Kara." 

Further into town, beyond Alex and even Riley's apartment, a figure finished planting the red Kryptonite Maxwell Lord had him finish making and place at a building that had a small bomb planted in it. 'I really hope this works. Half of the ingredients Maxwell Lord sent on the list didn't even show up right, just blobs of ink. If this doesn't work out like he wants, I'm a dead man.' He finished and snuck out of the building, putting his hands in his pockets and tried to blend in, 'Look out National City, if this works like the boss wants it to, we won't have our two super heroes anymore.' 

Chapter Text

(*The Apartment*)  

Sitting next to the open window in the living room, Riley breathed in the cool night air as she gazed out at the stars and moon. Something that the people Kara and she knew would find amusement in was how Kara preferred the sunlight, while Riley preferred the night when the stars and moon were out, and the sun was long gone. There was something relaxing to her about the moonlight, stars, and the soft yellow city lights being the main sources of light. The fact that their own moon on Krypton was nowhere near as bright as the one orbiting around Earth might have been one of the reasons it originally caught her attention. Rao, ever since the first time she's seen it, Riley always preferred it to the bright yellow star that signaled daylight hours. 

Her relaxation was shattered as she noticed a shadow floating a few blocks away with a familiar clothing design that had her rocketing out of the window after it when the metal shoulder mark gleamed. The mark for those part of Non's army was noticeable when the figure had slipped up and blocked some of the stars in Riley's line of view. 

Cursing under her breath, Riley tried to keep pace with the other Kryptonian, clicking the signal for Kara on her wrist watch when it hit her that she might need backup. The merry chase went on for a solid ten minutes before a visibly frustrated Kara came rocketing from the left of both Riley and the mystery person, putting said person into an arm locked hold that Alex taught them. 

Riley's eyebrows shot up and she floated to a stop next to Kara and the struggling unknown Kryptonian. "What? Cat and I just finished and I was about to fall asleep with her being my little spoon when you pinged me." Kara hissed at Riley with a frustrated glare, causing a blush to appear on Riley's face. 

The younger Kryptonian cleared her throat and nodded apologetically to Kara, "I do apologize for that, by the way. But you're faster than I am and from the small set up of tech I spotted near the apartment, this person had been camping out and doing surveillance of us for a while now." 

Kara's glare shorted out and she made sure she did indeed have a firm grip on the mystery person, "Who are you and why are you spying on us?" She asked firmly, not easing her solid hold even though the unknown Kryptonian ceased their struggling. 

"My name is Hal-Dar, I am one of the D.E.O's contacts within Non's army." The man rushed out, glancing side to side in a panicked manner, "Non and his Generals have plans to begin the Myriad soon. They must have had some sort of hidden sensor because I was found out. I barely escaped, but you must warn Ast-Ze and the others, Kara Zor-El and Rile Ast-Ze." 

Sharing a look, Riley nodded firmly, "Alright then. Come back with me to the D.E.O." At his nod she pulled off her hooded jacket and tossed it to him to put on, now that Kara let him loose, "Stay flying next to me, just in case." Looking over at Kara, Riley smiled at the drooping eyelids, showing how tired Kara must be lately, "Go ahead and head home to Cat, I can take it over from here. Sorry for the false alarm." 

Waving her Kryptonian sister off, Kara pulled Riley into a quick hug, "Don't worry about it, it's a good thing that you actually call for backup now. Also, I suppose I could take you up on that offer and head back. Fly safe, okay?" 

"I'll head to the D.E.O immediately with Hal-Dar here and check in with Alex. When I get there, I will also send you a text so you know we made it safely." Riley pulled back from the hug and gave Kara a reassuring smile to go along with her words. 

Kara gave her one last stern look, which was offset by the smile the older blonde was fighting, before she turned and shot off back towards home. 

"Well," Riley started, gesturing for Hal-Dar to follow her, "let's get you to the D.E.O. You can speak with Astra directly over there and we can get you settled in." 

Hal-Dar nodded gratefully and they took off towards the desert base. Landing at one of the entrances a few minutes later, Riley waved in greetings to the first patrol group as they walked through the short red sun lit hallway. 

She noticed his look of confusion at the lights and went to explain, "Red sun lamps. They negate our powers, thus allowing the D.E.O to install them at all of the entrances to avoid allowing enemy Kryptonians easy access to the base. They would have to go through the red sun hallways and four heavily armed patrols located in each area." What she didn't mention was that there were secret lead lined entrances Kara, Astra and herself usually used that did not have the red sun lamps. Hell, besides the three Kryptonians the only others who knew the exact locations of said entrances were the rest of the 'Super' group and very few agents. 

Riley forced herself to seem relaxed and unaware when Hal-Dar started looking around the D.E.O areas they walked past, almost as if cataloging all of the details he could. Arriving at the main command room, Riley called over to Astra, but gave Alex a pointed look, nodding her head slightly towards the Kryptonian next to her that was tensing up more by the second. "Ieiu, this man claims to be one of your informants, a man named Hal-Dar." 

Sure enough, Astra turned around sharply to glare with her eyes going red from her heat vision being ready to fire, "Rile, move!" 

There was a split second that Riley used to do as her mom yelled, barely dodging the man as he lunged to use her as a shield. 

Astra's heat vision hit the still recovering Kryptonian man in the chest, the strength of it knocking him backwards off his feet and into a wall on the other side of the room. 

He stood and snarled at them all, clicking on a small device in his hand, "Myriad will begin soon, and Non sends his regards, traitor!" He then pulled a Green Kryptonite vial out of his belt pocket and drank it before anyone could react. 

It must have been laced with something else as well, since he dropped to the floor dead within seconds. 

At Hank's orders, few D.E.O agents hustled towards the body and picked it up, taking to Alex's lab to make sure the Kryptonite didn't affect Astra and Riley. Moving over to stand next to Hank, Alex and Astra, Riley's questioning gaze was aimed at Astra, "I figured he was acting weird, but how did you know?" 

"Well, the name Hal-Dar was actually the name of one of our ancestors. It was to be given to my informants to pass on to anyone who found them out in Non's army. That way, when someone came here claiming to be Hal-Dar, it would alert me to pull out any other informants to avoid their capture." Astra explained, moving to use a nearby secured laptop to send out a specific signal that would silently alert those informants to flee when they could and head to a safehouse if they could not make it to the D.E.O. 

"Alright, Vasquez, get a hold of the agent that was in charge of the double bunkbed rooms to make sure those rooms are still prepared for the informants to move in to. Then do another scan for unaccounted Fort Rozz prisoners." Vasquez nodded to Hank and turned to their work phone to call said agent. Hank then turned to the two Kryptonians in the room who were standing next to Alex, "Now, this Myriad thing he mentioned, anyone know details?" 

Astra shook her head in a negative way, "No, not until the actual informants arrive. Even then, they might not know anything either, Non and his Generals might be keeping their true plan hushed up." 

Riley shrugged helplessly when he looked towards her, "Honestly, I don't know any more about it than anyone here." 

"Riley, contact Kara and have her come in. Alex, take a sample of that Kryptonians blood and see if you can find out who he really is. Also, take that clicker with you, even though I'm pretty sure we all know what it was used for." He said, waving his hand at the two women to dismiss them. 

Using her Bluetooth, Riley called Kara with a small sigh and running a hand down her face to rest near her jaw, "Kara," she said when her sister answered the phone, "we need you to come in. That Kryptonian was actually a spy for Non and Vasquez seems to be close to finding another Fort Rozz prisoner." ' Rao, here we go again. ' She thought to herself in exasperation over the situation. 

 (*Later at the D.E.O.*)  

Kara had already been helping with whatever information both she and Riley could possibly think of long after Hank had mentioned the spy's earlier babbling, but they were interrupted by Vasquez calling out to Hank, "Sir, got a trace of something." 

Putting the discussion of whatever Myriad was to the side, Hank moved over to the dual screens Vasquez moved the information to with himself, Vasquez and Astra going into their 'Fort Rozz Prisoner Hunting' modes. Looking over his shoulder, Hank raised his eyebrows at the others still standing around, "You all have a fairly long day ahead of each of you, so go get some rest." 

Even Alex put up no fight at the dismissal, the red head almost dragged her feet in exhaustion till she reached Riley, who had easily pulled Alex into her arms. Showing just how tired she was, Alex put up no fight over it and just grumbled with a small pout as she ignored a few amused looks and rested her head on her Super's shoulder. Kara and Riley both gave quiet goodbyes to the others before they floated off to one of the secret entrances that would lead them directly outside just beyond a red sun lamp hallway. Flying at a relaxed speed, the two floated to a stop around the part of town they would part ways at since Alex and Riley's apartments were in the other direction than the Grant house. 

"I'll see you tomorrow. Cat found a second assistant so with the lighter work load, I should be able to help with the patrols more often." Kara muttered to Riley, then leaned over to gently hug the now dozing Alex, "Get some rest as well because knowing our luck, we'll all need it." 

Riley nodded softly in understanding of Kara's recently ever-growing protective attitude, "See you tomorrow then, Kar." Once Kara was officially on her way back, Riley flew to her apartment and landed gently just inside the window, not wanting to bother Alex. Honestly, Alex had never actually taken the two Kryptonians to see her current apartment so Riley hoped she didn’t mind another 'sleepover'. She gently settled the older woman on her own bed and was able to wake her up enough to coax her into changing. While Alex changed, Riley had left the room and changed in the bathroom. 

"Riley, I'm finished." Alex called out to her from the other room. Riley walked back into her room and was surprised to see Alex holding out her arms, "Cuddles and sleep, if you don't mind?" Alex asked her, and the red head chuckled as Riley dove onto the bed to cuddle with her. Low volume music could soon be heard through the room from a Bluetooth speaker connected to Alex's phone. 

The two women fell into a deep and comfortable sleep together to 'Once Upon a Dream' by 'Lana Del Rey', which Riley knew was one of the more recent songs in Alex's main playlist that was created when they were all still teenagers, part of a few that were deemed 'worthy' of being added on to the old list. 

Neither ever noticed Astra stopping by the door to Riley's room to check on her daughter, only to smile softly at the two cuddling together with Alex's light snoring and Riley's random bouts of floating just making the sight more adorable. The music seemed to provide a steady noise to offset Alex's almost random soft snores, while Riley's floating would be fixed by Alex grabbing the bed they were both floating away from in her sleep, leading Riley to float back down due to Alex beginning to slip off from her spot over the Kryptonian. The cycle seemed so ingrained into the both of the women that it never once woke them up from their deep sleep in the slightest. 

Grinning, Astra continued on to her own bed and sent out a quick message over her phone in the group chat, confirming that now everyone of the group were all officially at their homes and safe as she was the last one turning in for the night. That, and a short clip she couldn’t help but take a minute ago of the two goofs in one of the other rooms. 'Too adorable not to share. Besides, there should be no shame in such a love like the one they share. Rao, it is good that Cat and Kara's love is also not hidden with shame.' Her last thought popped into her head as she laid down, grinning at the memory of Kara and Cat in the sun recharge room sharing a few chaste kisses, neither embarrassed by being caught, just amused at Alex's and Riley's over-dramatic reactions. 

 (*Next Day at CatCo *)  

A panicking Winn rushed up to Kara as she walked out of the elevator on to their floor, "We have a problem." 

Kara continued on towards her desk yet glanced at Winn in confusion, "What happened? Is it any worse than the Blood Feud that Astra is predicting Non to call out within the next week before he unleashes the rest of his forces on National City once the Kryptonian days of Remembrance are over?" 

"Uh, not quite." Winn said with a thoughtful expression since it just hit him why all the Kryptonians seemed to call a cease-fire earlier, without warning, and how none of them were willing to fight each other. He shook his head a bit to refocus and continued, "First of all, that new second assistant Cat hired? She seems to be gunning to be the only assistant, even though everyone knows that will never happen. Secondly, game night is tonight where we will all finally meet Riley's gamer friend and said friend's wife so remember to bring extra snacks. Lastly, the target that the D.E.O was tracking has disappeared off the grid, like, completely. Just, gone." 

Dropping her shoulder bag on to her desk, Kara went to respond but did a double take at the name she noticed on the small plaque at the new second assistant's desk, "Wait, how do you pronounce that name?" She asked in a curious whisper, but then shook her head and refocused with a thoughtful squint, "Really? That has to be the third target in a row, something fishy is going on." 

Winn moved back to his desk at Kara's pointed glance to Cat's elevator, "Alex said that while Riley sets up for game night tonight since it's Riley's day off, she's going to head to the D.E.O with the other agents to see if they can find some link between the escapees." 

"Good morning, Miss Grant." Kara greeted professionally, giving Cat a small but genuine smile along with it, "Your latte, hot." She passed said latte before her notepad off her desk and moving follow Cat into the older woman's office to begin their work day. 

An auburn-haired woman stopped them both by offering Cat a large glass mug with a saccharine smile, "Your coffee, Miss Grant. I hand pressed it myself using beans grown in the shade of guava trees on the slope of Mount Baru in Panama." 

Cat's eyebrows shot up at that, knowing that she did not ask for such a drink, nor did she like regular coffee unless it was after a night of heavy drinking. Glancing at Kara and seeing the blonde subtly nod pointedly, Cat sighed "Kara, you will be the one to answer the phones after you call Olsen and Lane up to my office. Come along, Siobhan." She strutted past without taking the offered coffee, and as she sat in her office chair she noticed Kara muttering softly to the new second assistant in what appeared to be reassurance or possibly explaining Cat's usual dislike of regular coffee, "Chop chop, Assistant two. You are wasting precious daylight." 

Kara knew that Cat really did have an extremely busy day of work ahead of her and rushed to her desk. She also knew that when that happened, Cat would always be 'in-the-zone' to make dead-lines with ease and tended to snap at or verbally crush people without even realizing it. 

The two got to work when Siobhan walked into Cat's office, neither Cat or Kara noticing the new assistant gritting her teeth and glaring at Kara every so often, as if whatever happened was the younger blonde's fault. 

 (*The Apartment*)  

Having finished their jog in the rain with the red sun bracelets on, Riley closed the door behind them as she and Astra entered the apartment, panting but grinning happily at the tired feeling they both got from the long jog. Most of their exhaustion came from when they were on their way back, where they were play-fighting and chasing each other in a free-style parkour version of tag, with the apartment building entrance being the 'safety-base'. 

"You can go shower first since you have to head in to work soon, Mom. You can also borrow some clothes from my room as well." Riley offered, removing the bracelet and dropping it into a lockable lead-lined drawer. She then flipped a switch behind a small painting on her way to the kitchen to put the few groceries for game-night that they had picked up on their way back from the small food market a few blocks down. 

Astra pulled off her own bracelet and dropped it in as well, then made sure to close and lock it, sighing with relief at the slight aches already starting to disappear thanks to a few well-hidden ramped up sun lamps, though knew the boost would only last a few seconds, "If you're sure, then that works for me. Don't forget your own though, you stink." She dodged the hard-plastic cup thrown at her on her way to Riley's room with a hearty laugh. 

Riley recovered the cup she threw and rolled her eyes with amusement at her Mom. "Easy to see where I got my bouts of sass from." The super muttered to herself with a small smile before opening a water bottle and beginning to take a drink. 

Her musings were interrupted by Astra still fully clothed, popping her head out of bedroom with a wickedly teasing grin, "What is this?" She asked, holding an article of black lace clothing into the hallway with a single finger for Riley to see once her daughter turned back around to see whatever it was. 

The spit-take done by her daughter would be a memory that would never cease to amuse her. She laughed as Riley made frantic gestures for her to put it back while stuttering with a growing blush, "I swear that is not mine! Put that back from wherever you got it because if that is Lucy's, she's going to kick the tar out of you for going through her sacred 'Date-Night drawer!" 

Neither women heard a specific red head stop outside the apartment door, freezing at Riley's whisper-yelled words before she had the chance to knock. Alex dropped her hand and carefully twisted the door knob, moving to slip into the naturally lit apartment. Looking from a panicking Riley to a snickering Astra, Alex's her eyes went wide in shock that Astra discovered the lace bra and panties she was going to try on that Lucy had suggested, on her next date with Riley to ' raise her confidence level ', as Lucy put it, even if nothing happened. 

When Astra playfully flung the items at a blushing Riley, Alex darted forward and caught the clothing mid-air, tucking it into an inner pocket of her leather jacket. She glared at the older woman, "I would appreciate it if you would not throw my under-things around, nor go through my own set of drawers here." Alex fought down a smirk when the now wide-eyed Astra nodded quickly and stood straight before mumbling 'bathroom', almost instantly disappearing into said room. 

"Well then, I'll just go grab my iPod that I forgot and head to the D.E.O." An awkward feel in the air seemed almost visible, though Alex didn't turn around as she muttered, fighting off a blush of her own as she rushed to get said item. 

As Alex went to speed-walk to the front door, she halted to a stop and slapped a hand over her mouth so she wouldn't break into laughter at the sight of Riley still being somewhat slack-jawed and blushing in the spot between the living room and the kitchen. She shook her head at the blonde and jogged up, sharing a quick chaste kiss with a now shyly smiling Riley, "I'll see you after work." Alex said with a slightly dopey smile of her own. 

"See you later, Alex." Riley called out breathily as the redhead jogged out of the apartment. A freshly cleaned and dressed Astra caught Riley a few minutes later, her daughter sighing softly as she gazed wistfully and tenderly at the door Alex had left from. 

Walking over, Astra gently patted Riley's shoulder, "Come on daughter, allow me to help you set up a few things. You can also teach me how to make that homemade Shepherd's Pie before the others arrive in a few hours." 

Riley shook her head slightly and grinned at her mom, "Sure, let's go ahead and get the food out of the way, then we can set up for game night." 

 (*Apartment – 7pm, Four hours before Fort Rozz Alien hit*)  

Riley looked around the apartment, making sure anything 'alien' or 'agenty' was hidden carefully out of sight while Astra strategically set up the food on the counters so that the more vegetarian friendly foods were separated from the meats. 

Lucy and Vasquez had arrived a few minutes ago and were using the two showers to freshen up before anyone else showed up, so them already being home was reassuring. One last glance around had reassured her that everything was ready, just as the door to the apartment swung open to reveal Kara, Winn, and James being herded in by Cat. 

Catching sight of Riley, Kara shot forward with super speed and slammed into the younger Kryptonian in a hug, "Carter called me leiu before he left!" She whispered fast but with a bright grin and slightly teary eyes. 

A few people nearly went crossed eyed from the squeal let out by both Kryptonians that could have shattered glass if it hit a little bit higher in pitch, as they both adorably freaked out over whatever Kara had whispered by jumping around in place while hugging. 

"Alright you two, break it up." James said, popping a hand towel at them that he grabbed from the back of a seat at the dining room table. "If the new couple is arriving on time, then that means they will beat space-dad and Alex here, so avoid doing... all this." He gestured to all of them with a teasing grin. 

Kara raised an eyebrow at him and put her hands on her hips when she and Riley broke away from the hug, "You just gestured to all of us." 

Lucy laughed from her place on the smaller couch with Vasquez, "Of course he did. You two are probably the most badly hidden aliens in existence. How more people haven't figured it out in less than two seconds, I will never know but I remain thankful for that since Pam would find a way to kill you both. Honestly though, I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire city knew and just all keep silent about it like the rest of us." 

Seeing that Cat was claiming half of the bigger couch, Kara rushed over to help share that half, leaving the other half open. "Thank you for claiming a seat." She muttered with a goofy smile and share a quick kiss with Cat. 

Winn and James had moved to sit on the floor next to Lucy and Vasquez, while Astra dropped down on to the leather roller chair that was next to two women on the large couch. Kara and Cat shared half of the bigger couch, which left the large lounge chair and the other half of the large couch open for others to claim for game night. 

Two voices she recognized from her games, one of them Maggie, and the other normally just a voice in the background, could be heard as two sets of footsteps made their way down the short hall to the apartment door. Riley waited with nervous excitement until a few quick knocks sounded out, to open the door and greet the two women, "Maggie, sup dude!" Riley greeted her gamer friend with a happy 'dude hug'. Turning slightly to Maggie's wife, Riley felt herself accidently slip into her old teachings and bowed at the waist particularly as she took the woman's offered hand, not kissing it but still holding it delicately, "Kate Sawyer, it is good to meet you." Riley then stood up straight after releasing the hand and blushed a bit at Maggie's amused grin. "Go ahead and head on in. There's beer in the fridge, a case of water bottles next to that, and wine in an ice bucket at the dinner table." 

The two thanked her and headed inside, soon being greeted by the others already in the apartment. "Well, glad I finally got to see that sort of reaction to people." Hank's voice could be heard from a few feet away, making the blonde jump in surprise. 

Riley beamed happily at seeing not only the group's Space-Dad, but Alex as well, "Hey Space-Dad, the others are inside and we'll be starting the games in a few minutes." She said to Hank, then focused on Alex with a somewhat shy grin as the laughing man strolled into the apartment to a chorus of happy greetings from his unofficially adopted kids, his unofficial sister, and even the new couple who seemed to already relax among the group. 

"Hey there." Alex muttered, pulling Riley closer till they both bumped noses in the greeting that Kara had previously swore was 'the most adorkable thing ever'. 

That pulled a soft laugh from Riley with ease, "Hey you." The blonde returned the silly greeting, then gently pulled Alex with her towards the apartment in a backwards slow walk, not noticing that most of the people already in said apartment were watching them from the doorway with grins, "We should head inside with the others, if only to avoid Kara whining about game night being late to start again." 

Kara's amused voice cutting through the air had both women startling, "You still pick on me even though you didn't realize we were all at the door and it’s usually you making it late. Meanie." 

Alex shared a chaste kiss with Riley before she darted towards Kara, sending the other Kryptonian running deeper into the apartment with a squeal and giggle to avoid being tickled. 

“Well? Let’s get this party started!” Lucy called out, reaching forward to grab Riley by her shirt and pull her back into the apartment, “Food and drinks first though, we don’t want our Danvers’ to feel like we’re starving them.” 

That pulled laughter from the others, even the three fake-pouting Danvers’, and with some reassurances that there would be plenty of food for the people patiently waiting for their turn. Kate and Maggie joined the other humans, not that they knew that quite yet, in getting their food first.

(*Small Time Skip*)  

The people who were playing Charades and not just watching, had been split into teams of two. The teams were drawn by random via papers in a hat, and the results were a bit interesting. Kara and Vasquez ended up being the first team, followed by Alex and Maggie, James and Cat, then Kate and Riley. While those groups were teamed up, Astra, Winn, Hank and Lucy decided they would simply enjoy their drinks and the view of the amusing train wreck they were about to witness. 

“Five dollars says that James and Cat wins.” Hank muttered to the others near him as he dropped a five on the table, grinning when they all raised their eyebrows in surprise, “What? We all know this game will be challenging for all of them due to random teams, but between Cat being ‘The Queen of all Media’ and James with his Photojournalism...” He trailed off with a pointed look, explaining his bet. 

Astra smirked and leaned forward to put a five on the same small table as well, “I’ll take that bet, and say that Kara and Vasquez will win the game.” 

Two other fives hit the table, Winn simply pointing at Alex and Maggie, while Lucy gestured to Kate and Riley. At the other two’s confused looks over the seemingly underdog choices, Lucy shrugged, “Might as well, and it’s only five bucks.” 

A rowdy shout and cheers ringing out pulled their attention to the quickly escalating game where Kate had been doing acrobatics, getting Riley to call out the correct answer of ‘Gymnist’ quickly once the people in the game all got over their initial surprise. 

Winn took a sip of his soda and laughed at the scene in front of them, “It’s gonna be a long night.” 

In the end, Winn walked away fifteen dollars richer and both Maggie and Kate feeling relaxed with how well they seemed to fit in with the group. 

 (*Next Night – D.E.O*)  

Hank pulled a stand carrying a screen and tech over to the group of Agents, “Due to Agent Vasquez’s new tracking system, we’ve caught the location of a rogue. Fort Rozz Prisoner number Two-Four-Four-Four.” He left the stand and moved towards the group, “He’s been hiding in National City using the name Gabriel Phillips. Considering this being feeds off rotting flesh, there is some worry over how he has been gathering his food source.” 

A few winces broke through on some faces when he said that, but Hank trudged on, “He’s been spotting coming and going from an abandoned warehouse downtown where he is probably storing his food. Proceed with caution when approaching him, we don’t know if this being is friendly or not.” 

Turning to Supergirl, Superboy and Astra after he nodded at the other Agents with Alex leading them for to head out. “Supers, there are strange reports of heavy machinery being moved around by people we’ve recognized as part of Non’s non-Kryptonian side of his army. While Alex and her squads head to the warehouse, I need the two of you to be stealthy and check out what’s going on. If you are confronted, get out of there. We don’t know if they have other strange Kryptonite weapons and I would like to avoid finding out the hard way if they do, anytime soon.” 

Riley and Kara nodded in understanding once they saw Astra was ready to head out as well, the three disappeared out of the building and into the sky to await updates on where to head to. ‘ Rao, let’s hope Non hasn’t made more toys lately. ' Kara thought to herself as they soared through the night. 

(*Warehouse – Downtown National City*)  

Three unmarked and reinforced black vans came to a hard stop just outside of the warehouse and the Agents leapt into action. Alex lead the others towards the door they parked near, “On my mark.” She muttered lowly to the other Agents as they all huddled around the door, “One, Two, Three. Go!” 

The group flowed into the building when Alex opened the door and began looking over the area for any hostiles or traps, one of the Agents closer to the middle of the group held up a scanner that would alert them to any dangerous toxins in the air or just nearby. 

Unknown to them, a figure just out of their line of sight finished double checking their armor and helmet, with his weapons set to stun. 

Alex knew something was up, however, the moment she saw their target chained up on his knees, “Help me!” The alien called out to the armed agents, then lowered his tone to try to alert them to the situation, “Help me, he’s here.” 

That sent them into high alert and everyone turned the safety off their guns as the previously unseen figure stepped out from the shadows on the other side of the room. A charging or powering noise could be heard from the armored figure, right before a blue pulse shot was fired and hit an agent, knocking the wind out of them and back on their rears. 

“Weapons free!” Alex called to the others, signaling everyone to open fire. Noise levels quickly shot up as they all fired their issued weapons at the being, doing little to no damage to the armor as more blue pulses were fired in return, flinging Agents backwards all over the place. 

Something was off about all of it, however. Firing another clip of rounds, Alex noticed that the being was heading straight for the escapee, and that the blue shots did no actual damage to the others. Hell, the falls and knocking into things seemed to do more damage than the actual shots. 

The armored figure finished crossed the last few feet in-between them and the alien, grabbing the chains as it shot up into the air and away from the warehouse with its cargo in tow. The following lack of gunfire left the warehouse sounded just as quiet as it was before. 

Hank’s worried voice could be heard over the com-link while a few agents still standing rushed around to help the others back on to their feet, “ Agent Danvers, are you alright? " 

“We were ambushed and the hostile is gone. He was abducted.” Alex sighed in frustration and feeling more than just a little bit baffled as she stood up from her crouched position behind the shell of a car. 

 (*Outside of National City*)  

Astra, Kara and Riley flew overhead in the clouds as they trailed after the small convoy. 

“What do you think they’re moving?” Riley asked the other two in a low tone, just in case there were people below with super hearing. 

Astra chimed in since Kara just shrugged, flying lower to try to catch sight of any distinctive markers, “That’s a good question that should try to get answered, along with ‘where are they moving their cargo’, and what for.” 

Joining in a slow descent to get closer to their target, Kara’s hearing locked on to a strange noise coming from one of the containers, “Alright, do you two hear that or am I going crazy? I think they’re transporting tech, but what sort of tech? It doesn’t sound like anything you would hear from Earth.” 

“You would know.” Riley muttered with a small smirk, knowing her joke was lame is what made it amusing to her, along with the dual eyerolls from the other two Kryptonians. 

Astra suddenly stopped mid-flight, leading Kara and Riley to bank hard to avoid crashing into the older woman. They flew back over as she spoke with a scowl of frustration at how careful Non or Non’s remaining Generals were being, “We should head back to base, we’re not going to find out much more while sticking to Henshaw’s orders since they seem to be heading to Fort Rozz, and the cargo crates lined with lead aren’t going to help much beyond alert us that they are hiding something.” 

Kara turned and lead the flight back to the D.E.O base, smiling softly when Riley started gently drifting around in slow, wide barrel rolls in joy of flight at night, “Agreed, and if we’re lucky Alex and the other Agents will be back from their mission as well. Hopefully they had more luck than we did.” 

 (*D.E.O Base*)  

Vasquez pulled up a few stills of the kidnapper that were caught on a small camera attached to one of the Agent’s helmet, and they had it moved over to a screen where Alex and Hank were sitting on either side of them instead of the tablet they had in their hand, “Alright everything is ready, now we just need to wait on the others and we can start the debrief.” They turned to Alex and grinned slyly, “You know, you never did tell us how the date with Riley went. Also, do you two have a second date planned yet?” 

Alex blushed and let out a sigh with a small smile, “The date was probably everything I could have asked for, for a first official date. Though it was disappointing that it was interrupted, I can’t wait till the next one.” Glancing around and seeing no sign of the Supers yet, she continued, “And nothing is official yet since I don’t know if she’s going to say yes or no, but I plan on asking her out somewhere, this time. Hopefully nothing will come up because I have plans to take her to her first musical. None other than ‘Wicked’.” Alex slipped two tickets out of the ‘go’ bag she kept with her that was near her feet and showed them to Vasquez. 

Letting out a snort of amusement, Vasquez pushed on Alex’s arm to get her to put them back in case the Supers decided to appear soon, “We all know she’s going to say yes to a second date, and I know for a fact she is going to love said date, with or without the musical because you know she’d be happy so long as you are there. Though she will probably enjoy the musical as well.” 

Just as she finished replacing the tickets and zipping the bag up, a rush of air breezed through the room, signaling the landing of Kara, Riley and Astra. The Supers moved over to join the others near the monitor, with Riley stopping near Alex to tilt forward a bit so she could lean on the back the chair and sigh happily when she rested her forehead on the top of Alex’s head, “We had no luck beyond finding out they were heading to Fort Rozz with lead lined cargo containers that gave off some not-so-good sounds.” Riley muttered with a deep sigh, relaxing by just being near Alex. 

J’onn nodded at the information and began updating everyone on the other front, “We’ll look more into it later. At the moment, Alex and her team went to gather the ex-prisoner, only to see him taken by a masked kidnapper with advanced extraterrestrial weaponry that knocked most of our agents flat out.” 

“Well, the big question is, where did he take our target?” Alex thought out loud, then gestured to one of the screens in front of the group as Riley pulled away to float in a sitting position, “I ran all the images of the kidnapper through our database and nothing matches up.” 

Kara shrugged after everyone was quietly in thought from that, “Maybe if this person has done this before, they’ve run into local law enforcement?” 

Vasquez nodded in agreement as they quickly clicked away at something on the tablet they still had, “We could interview NCPD.” 

“Agreed. We could see if some of their missing persons are our missing aliens.” J’onn leaned forward somewhat to see something Vasquez was trying to show him on the tablet. 

Astra spoke up for the first time since the three Supers arrived, a worried look etched on to her features, “This person might even be an interstellar bounty hunter, and we will need to be prepared if that is the case. As far as any of us could know, they could be anywhere in the galaxy, and anyone.” 

 (*Across the City*)  

In a strange room where the walls were covered in alien tech and four reinforced cages were located, a mechanic voice could be heard from the kidnapper’s armor, “You are Fort Rozz prisoner number two-four-four-four. Guilty of armed theft, and murder. Disguising yourself as a human will not keep you from facing justice. Show yourself.” The figure took on a demanding tone when they spoke their last words. 

The alien who had been kidnapped earlier, before the D.E.O agents could recover him, tried to say as he knew he simply took the fall for his brother, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Turning on some sort of laser above the restrained alien, the armored figure kept a wrist weapon aimed as he spoke, “By breaking the law you have forfeited your right to exist.” 

“There is no death penalty on Krypton.” The alien tried once more, having a bad feeling about the situation as he glanced at the ceiling, thinking how he didn’t regret taking the fall for family, but hoped his family would forgive his brother before shifting to show his true form. “Is this what you want? Will you let me go now?” 

His heart plummeted and sheer terror gripped him when the armored figure grabbed the back on his neck and pushed him forward so strange restraints held his head down, “Wait, please! Don’t kill me, please! Please!” 

The reddish laser soared down with a press of a nearby button, silencing the sudden screams of terror. Permanently. 

 (*Next Day at NCPD*)  

Riley tried to hide the spike of nervousness she felt as she fixed the tie on her fitted ‘Agent’ suit that matched J’onn’s. ‘ Not only did I get a suit, but I also received one of those badges. Now to just make sure I don’t lose it... ' She thought to herself as she double checked to make sure it was still inside of her inner jacket pocket. 

J’onn stopped mid stride and batted the blonde’s hands away, straightening the tie himself and mutteringly lowly so no one besides those with super hearing could hear, “Easy, Riley. Detective Sawyer isn’t working today so we’re good on that front, and if you’re nervous, treat this like a Kryptonian meeting, formal but somewhat relaxed.” He dropped his hands once he had it fixed and gave her a look when she raised her hands to fiddle with it again, making her drop said hands quickly. 

“Right, sorry. I’m ready as I’ll ever be, then.” Riley nodded briskly, smiling minutely when J’onn nodded once in return before he turned on his heels and caught up with Alex, the blonde quickly rejoining them right before they all strolled towards a specific office. 

J’onn knocked a pattern on the open door as he followed Alex into the room with Riley on their heels. Alex took the lead and spoke for them while all three raised their I.D’s to be seen, “Agents Danvers’ and Henshaw, F.B.I.” 

Out of the two men previously in the room, the one standing introduced them both to the Agents, “I’m Detective Warren. He’s Draper.” 

“We’re looking into a recent kidnapping in National City.” J’onn started, pulling up the armored figure on his tablet, he turned and showed the two Detectives, “This is our primary suspect.” 

“Halloween already, huh?” Detective Warren said, adding two cents in a tone that was not needed nor wanted. 

Alex tried to brush past it though and plastered a fake smile on her face, “Any help would be appreciated.” 

The man seemed to have a huge dislike for the F.B.I as he sassed, yet again, but with a small fake laugh, “Feds come crawlin’. You must be embarrassed.” 

Riley turned her head to look out of the office with x-ray vision, her eyes slightly glowing as she scanned to make sure the coast was still clear. She brought her focus back to the room and canceled her x-ray vision to not raise suspicion just in time to catch Alex’s reply. 

“Well, as long as the job gets done, it doesn’t matter who helps. I mean, look at you guys.” Riley knew Alex was about to bring that Detective’s world down around his ears just by the red heads tone and posture if he took the bait. 

Warren raised an eyebrow and seemed quite offended, “Meaning?” 

‘ Hook, line, and sinking boat .’ Riley thought as she watched the scene play out, shaking her head a bit with a small smirk. 

“Crime’s gone way down in National City over the last few months, a lot of that, thanks to Supergirl and Superboy.” Alex knew she had them both, the mouthy and silent Detectives, by the line, “But you don’t mind that they help, do you?” 

“I’ve got an interview with a donut,” Warren bowed out of the verbal sparring with a sigh and headed out of the room after Riley stepped out of his way, “wouldn’t want to be late.” 

Detective Draper finally spoke up, leaning forward in his chair, “Sorry about Warren. He’s a good cop, he’s just uh... not enlightened.” 

Riley stepped forward and nodded politely in greeting to the man, “Is there anything you could tell us, Detective Draper?” 

The man nodded once in return, almost a mirror movement of the blonde, “Not much though. We don’t know who this guy is. We do know that he has been kickin’ around for months though.” 

“There’s been more kidnappings?” J’onn asked as he stepped closer to the desk, allowing a look of worry to show. 

“At least five that we know of. But he’s, uh,” Draper glanced out of the office window to make sure Warren was still in the hall and not in hearing range before he slid a file over to Alex, J’onn and Riley, “he’s not just kidnapping them.” 

Alex opened the file and Riley inhaled a small, sharp breath at the crime scene photo, moving to slightly rub at her neck at Draper next bit of information for them, “We found all the bodies down by the river. All of the decapitated.” 

Lifting the file for emphasis, Alex questioned him with honest confusion, “How could we not have heard about this?” 

Draper had an explanation for that as well, “The mayor wants this kept quiet but, all the victims were... weird. Having fish gills, kind of weird.” He glanced out of the room and seeing Warren look back, he pulls the file away, “Hope that helps.” 

“Thank you, Detective Draper.” J’onn told the man, leading Alex and Riley from the room with a brisk human pace, his easy smile falling off as if was never there. He spoke up again when the three of them left hearing range, “There’s an alien serial killer in National City.” 

Nodding in agreement, Alex spoke before she lead the way out of the building and towards the S.U.V they arrived in with Riley hopping into the driver’s seat to take them all back to base, “And we need to find out who’s next.” 

 (*Later at the D.E.O.*)  

Vasquez pulled up the information on the major set of screens in the command center while J’onn updated everyone, “Based on the human aliases of our guys victims, I think they were actually these five alien prisoners from Fort Rozz.” 

“Any connection besides Fort Rozz?” Alex asked, using the keyboard in front of her to quick cycle through the information they had. 

J’onn shook his head and crossed his arms, “Not that I can see. All different backgrounds in crimes. None of them were even cellmates.” 

Riley walked over to join them, having changed out of her Agent suit and into her Super costume, “The killer has to be picking them for a reason though.” 

“Wait a minute.” Alex said in realization while pressing a few keys to have the order of the victims on screen begin moving, “Look at this. See what happens when you arrange them in the order that they were killed? He’s killing the escapee’s in their prison number order.” 

“Which would make the next target, Prisoner two-four-four-five.” J’onn said, using the same keyboard to pull up a picture of said target. 

Riley stepped forward and picked the Bluetooth ear piece off the desk and placed it in her left ear, “I’ll head out now and see if I can get started on finding him first, get a hold of Kara so she knows what’s going on and we can double the effort.” With that said, she was soaring out of the hidden passage from the D.E.O to hit the skies and begin looking. 

 (*That Night, just outside of National City College*)  

Kara called out from over their Bluetooth connection, “ I won’t be able to meet up with you anytime soon Superboy , dealing with a major apartment building fire and a very aggressive rogue alien .” 

“Don’t worry about it Supergirl. Just make sure to get those civilians to safety and be careful out there.” Riley returned, sticking to their nicknames just in case someone could hear from Kara’s end. 

A deep and metallic voice caught Riley’s attention, making the super turn and head in its direction, “ Prisoner two-four-four-five. Show yourself. " 

“Supergirl I have to go, I found the killer!” Riley clicked the ear bud to end the call and risked a bit more speed at seeing the killer’s target try to run, but get hit at the knees by something thrown. “Hey!” She called out as she landed between the ex-prisoner and the armored being, “I thought masks were only a thing in Gotham? Are you going to tell me who you are, murderer, or will this have to be done the hard way?” 

The being dropped its arms to its sides and chains appeared, making Riley slide into a fighting stance, “The hard way it is, then.” 

Riley shot in to the air to dodge the chains flung in her direction, feeling her heart begin to race like it always did in a fight, more so as the chains rattled through the air below her. Cutting through the air as fast as she dared, Riley swung hard, but was left mentally reeling in surprise when the armored being simply moved out of the way, leaving her open for a counter-attack. 

Chains rattling through the air again forced her to turn swiftly to catch them and avoid a direct hit, but with a twist of its arms, her grip on the chains turned in to the chains having a grip on her. Knowing there wasn’t an easy way out of this, Riley let herself be thrown, only to use the whiplash of the chains to launch herself back at the being and she huffed a breath of triumph when she landed a hit on them and sent them spinning through the air. 

That moment was soon ended as more chains were launched at her, and the brawl began to pick up. Good hits were landed by both the Super and the armored being, the chains assisting and hindering both of them as they fought. Riley could honestly say that all of the spinning started making her a little nauseous, but catching sight of the terrified ex-prisoner during one of the spins honed her focus on the battle once more. Risking her super speed, Riley darted behind her opponent and wrapped the chains around them, lifting them off their feet for a few seconds before she spun them around and slammed her head forward to headbutt the armored helmet, sending the other staggering back. 

Deciding enough was enough Riley launched into the air again, only to feel chains wrap around her ankles, jerking her to a stop and her arms were quickly chained as well. Not wanting to break whatever she was attached to via chains, she used her heat vision to burn off all four connections and turned her gaze back forward. Forcing herself to keep quiet at the lack of ex-prisoner and killer, Riley resisted the urge to yell in angered frustration. ‘ Rao, can anything go right today?! ' Gently as she could in her current mood, she yanked the chains out of the concrete and grabbed whatever was thrown at the ex-prisoner earlier, then shot off in the sky back towards the D.E.O. 

 (*At the D.E.O.*)  

Back in the command center near their usual top lit-up table, J’onn crossed his arms and nodded to the objects Riley recovered, “Black star alloy. With that kind of technology, this guy is definitely not from around here.” 

“Then why is he killing other aliens?” Kara asked, still covered in soot and slightly smelled of smoke from the fire she put out earlier. 

Alex responded to clear up a bit of Kara’s confusion at the situation, “He’s not just killing these victims, he’s executing them. We’ll run diagnostics on the weapons and the possible connection they have to Fort Rozz to see what we can find.” 

At that the group broke apart and everyone went about whatever it was they needed to do, leaving Riley and Vasquez at the table. Vasquez let out a small huff of annoyance at the lack of orders until an idea hit them, “Hey Superboy, what do you say to a competition in the red sun training room?” 

“Rao, count me in! What sort of competition?” Riley grinned at Vasquez, who moved off with Riley quickly following the shorter agent out of the main area and down a hall. 

Vasquez chuckled lowly in amusement, excited that they might have someone to join in on the game, “You’ll see.” 

 (*Later, still at the D.E.O.*)  

Riley let out a harsh gasp, still being somewhat tired as she stared at Vasquez in both surprise and feeling more than a little impressed at what just occurred. 

She got a cheeky grin and a shrug from them in return, “I know, right? I’m pretty good at this if I do say so myself.” 

Looking back, Riley stared at the target on the other side of the room with her jaw dropped in awe, “How?” Was all she could ask, starting to grin in excitement at the cool-ness factor of what she just witnessed. 

Vasquez laughed hard at that, wiping away a tear or two that said laughter caused before they could answer, “Told you I could hit a far target with a knife throw, and the how would be quite a few practices during college when I wanted to impress a girl that was in my class, off campus.” They grinned and patted Riley’s shoulder, “You were the one who challenged me to hit the target while we both sparred with hand-to-hand combat!” 

“I can easily say that I regret nothing and now I feel the need to see if you can do that while sparring both myself and Alex...” Riley trailed off in thought, considering when that would work best if Vasquez agreed to it. 

They were cut off though, by the door to the large training room swinging open and the red lights shut off as the regular lights kicked on, “Come on you two, Alex found a match!” Kara called out, wasting no time to turn back around and jog the way she came, but now with Riley and Vasquez quickly on her heels. 

The sight of Alex turning a corner to stroll down the small hallway to the command room had Riley lifting Vasquez up by a few inches and using her returned super speed to zoom down the hall. Now having joined the red head, while happily amused that Vasquez just kept walking like that didn’t just happen, Riley spoke up in question, “What did you find?” 

“We ran diagnostics on the masked man’s weapon from the attack. The metal baton was standard police issue and was covered in human DNA.” Alex explained as the now group of four made their way towards the center of the command room, “So we ran it through the database and we got a match. Detective Warren. Good thing we already know where he works.” 

A small pout mixed with confusion, appeared on Kara’s face, “That cop you guys interviewed who hates me?” that pout morphed into a bit of oddly vicious glee, “Ooh, I’ve wanted to catch a corrupt cop ever since we binge watched ‘The Wire’.” 

Riley rolled her eyes and chuckled lowly, because of course that would be exciting to Kara, “Well Miss Corrupt-Cop-Catchers, after J’onn tells us what’s going on, you two get to go catch us a bad guy while I assist Astra.” Giving a two fingered salute to a nearby guard who nodded in greeting to the group, she strolled towards where J’onn was waving them over, where he and Astra were looking over a map of the desert outside of town, probably due to recently new information on Non’s army. 

 (*Next day, near the outskirts of National City*)  

Riley sat in the back-passenger seat of the SUV that the D.E.O was taking towards their real target’s location. She would have flown, but with the murderer being who he was, they didn’t want to risk Kryptonian powers alerting the guy to the fact that they were there. 

With the way they were taking the bumpy backroad, it was no surprise to anyone that Lawson was the one driving. That woman could drive anything, but it was normally high speeds or nothing for her. 

When they seemed to be back on some sort flat road again, the two SUVs cruised to a stop. Instantly agents of Alex’s squad swarmed out of the vehicles to begin saving Kara. 

“Trap Leader this is Greyhound. Give me a sitrep.” J’onn’s voice called over the team’s radio. 

“Moving in now.” Alex said as took point with her AR at the ready, Riley on her heels with a shotgun and half of the rest of the squad following in a row to hide their numbers. The other half banked around the side in the trees while they approached from the unpaved driveway. Every precaution was taken to avoid any possible traps outside, so while the other squad checked and dealt with anything outside, Alex and the others pushed for the main door. 

The three lined up at the door, and with a short nod, Alex gave her orders. 

A resounding thump echoed through the small cabin as the door was firmly kicked in by Riley, allowing the other two agents with her and Alex to swarm inside. The forest group broke in through the backdoor a second later. 

“Clear!” Was echoed out one by one from the agents. 

“Director, she isn’t...” Alex was cut off by Riley passing her shot gun over to Wick, her eyes glowing blue from her x-ray vision. 

Riley then brought her foot down hard, shattering a few wooden planks out of the way. The dim red glow from some strange source became more visible, “Because they’re down there. Allow me to clear the way for you.” 

Alex leapt forward and gripped the well-hidden grapple points on Riley’s armor just as the super dropped down into the cavern below. The decently sized ship was stoutly made, but it wasn’t made in mind to find off a very angry super powered Kryptonian. 

What wasn’t part of the plan was for Riley to stumble the moment they burst through the top of the ship, sending her careening to the side while Alex instantly turned her Assault Rifle towards the Jailer and unloaded the ammo towards him. 

The red light in the room was far more than just emergency lights it seemed, as Riley could feel her powers rapidly draining due to the red sun lamps. Master Jailer swung an arm out and sent Riley tumbling again when she tried to lung at him with the powers she had remaining, leading her head to slam solidly into the cage holding Kara. 

Other agents were now dropping in via rope lines, joining Alex in the assault, but they too were sent flying. Thankfully one of them had been able to tug the Professor away from the commotion and dove over him protectively. 

Kara yanked harder at the bars, though it did nothing to free her. She cursed at the armored man when the Jailer quickly over powered Alex and forced the red head down so her neck was right where it needed to be for the machine to behead her next. 

Alex’s last reach for her pistol was aimed true. More shots were fired, and though every shot missed the Jailer, he didn’t seem to realize that it simply shot a darkened glass window just enough that the sun’s bright rays beamed down into the ship. Right on to Kara and Riley. 

His masked smug voice sent a burning anger through their veins, “ You wasted your ammo. ” 

“No I didn’t.” Alex leaned forward as much as she could, grinning wickedly as Kara reared back to punch the cage doors away and Riley rocketed to her feet, “Here comes the sun.” Alex kicked him hard in the side, and even with his armor he was forced backwards. A second kick from her sent him stumbling backwards, and the two Super’s gazes locked on to him with a vengeance. 

“Alex, move!” Kara called out just before her fists connected firmly with the cage doors, sending them flying forward and away leaving her clear to walk out freely even as the doors slammed into the Jailer and made him stumble again. 

Riley shot forward with a roar when he straightened up and fired at Kara, grabbing his hands before he could fire again, and crunched the weapons under her grip. The Master Jailer’s eyes widened for all to see; his helmet having been knocked off when the doors to Kara’s cage slammed in to him. What he did not expect, and neither did anyone else, was for Riley to drop the man’s wrist, forcefully grab him by his neck. Something dark warred in Riley’s eyes that no one but the Jailer could see, and a crack of a neck sounded just lower than familiar footsteps, signaling the end of the Master Jailer. 

It was all over so fast, that it felt like the fight only lasted a second when Alex came back over from finding a way out they could all take to get back to the surface. 

Wick tossed Riley her shotgun back, Kara took off to take the Professor back to the college and Alex walked over while the other agents dealt with what remained of the Jailer. “You okay?” 

“No.” Riley muttered with a lost look towards the place that was now vacant of the Jailer’s body, a deep red gem pulsing beneath the skin of her left side, though she and no one else had noticed, “I don’t think I am. ”

Chapter Text

Chapter Twelve: Living Nightmare

*35 Years Ago – The Phantom Zone*  

The computer records show that it had only been a week since Rile made the decision for both herself and Kara. Three days in the Phantom Zone and the hibernation systems had failed to the point where only one of them could sleep through however long they were stuck there. So Rile did what she thought best and activated Kara’s mid argument since both wanted the other to have the security of the system active.

Now, one week later, Rile realized just how terrifying the Phantom Zone actually is with nothing to really see but the vast lack of life outside the pod. 

*One Month Later*  

Rile had exhausted the computer’s data banks. She had read all she could since she was forced to be awake for every miserable second the two Kryptonians were trapped. Sure, she did not need food or liquids as the pod had no issue keeping up with Life Support, but that did not mean she couldn’t already feel the lack of social interaction scraping at the insides of her mind. 

For a moment, Rile wished Kara was awake as well so she wouldn’t be so alone. She mentally shoved that thought away though since she didn’t want Kara to have to deal with this feeling as well. It was already bad enough for one of them and she figured that both of them didn’t need to feel miserable. 

*One Year and Eleven Months Later*  

Two years. Two years since being trapped in the Phantom Zone and Rile was already hearing the voices of her and Kara’s family speaking to her as if they were in the pod with them. 

“No Ieiu, you know Aunt Astra is right. The battle strategies she did during the skirmish with the Daxamites proves that they were merely testing our planets defenses for a proper attack. If she had brought more than just a token of fighters, their real attack later would have actually done damage to our people. Instead, they underestimated Krypton and paid for it.” Rile muttered to the two people seemingly leaning against the outsides of the pod’s glass on her left and right. 

Astra smirked with this new victory and Alura rolled her eyes with a sigh, admitting defeat without words. 

She knew they weren’t real, but with each passing day it felt less and less true. 

*Five Years Later*  

Rile bobbed her head and swayed around to the music coming from the computer systems. A year ago she would have mentally drifted till she could pretend to be back home on Krypton, but as of a few weeks ago, she could no longer pull herself away from where she really was. 

Seven lines were carved into the metal wall to the left of her. One for every year they had been trapped in the Phantom Zone. Rile knew her mind was fraying. She finally had to admit it to herself when, just to feel grounded, she had yelled as loud as she could till her voice had given out on her before she had discovered the music files. 

Thanks to the Medical part of the Life Support on the pod, she wouldn’t scar from the all the scratching she had previously been doing to herself when the yelling hadn't been enough. 

There were some days where Rile’s memory was missing hours or even a full day of time. She started recording herself daily, and was surprised that she didn’t pass out during the mental black outs. Instead it seemed like she was still fully awake, but something changed about her. Her posture, the look in her eyes... she saw someone stubborn there after her worst mental breakdowns. 

Rile wasn’t sure she wanted to know what was happening. 

*Thirteen Years Later*  

The music had stopped a few years ago, same with her access to read the virtual library of data that was stored. The computer having locked it to save power due to the unexpected amount of time spent holding the two El’s. 

Only the noises she could make and Kara’s own steady breathing was there to latch on to. 

Rile was silent while slumped forward, her forehead resting on the back of Kara’s seat as her mind locked on to the sound of her sister’s breathing. 

The others she had seen were long gone as well, leaving her with nothing but desperation and talking to herself as she tried to keep her thoughts from drifting to the hopelessness of the situation. 

She also lost track of the years, and had to rely on the computer to keep her updated now. Sometimes when her mind would cease drifting aimlessly and remember the current situation, she would scream and cry into the void. It led to her lashing out at the metal of the pod around her as her mind felt like it was close to shattering, desperately wanting to break things around her to fit how she felt. 

Rile wouldn’t stop until her voice gave out, her body no longer able to produce tears at the time, and her knuckles raw from hitting the walls around her as she begged, screamed and cried for those that were lost in the death of Krypton. For Kara to please wake up because she couldn’t take it anymore. 

Twenty lines were carved along the walls she so desperately lashed out at. 

*Four Years Later*  

Rile was once again slumped forward against Kara’s seat. Staring sightlessly at the blank screen in front of her that had been built into the seat itself. 

Twenty-four lines now marked the walls. She wasn’t sure if she could keep up with them anymore. The will to keep track was gone, replaced by a growing desperation for everything to just stop. 

She jolted in surprise when the computer kicked on, staring in blank-faced confusion at the three red dots on the screen that had been only showing the time for so long. Kara’s gasp from waking up made her fear that the computer decided that neither should hibernate, but the movement of the pod shooting forward towards the exit of the Phantom Zone halted her from saying anything. 

“Rile? I think the pod was able to reactive its guidance systems! We’re leaving!” Kara’s excited voice dragged silent, tearless sobs from the Rile. She hoped that this was really happening, and that it wasn’t all just in her mind again. She needed it to be real. She didn’t know what she’d do if it wasn’t. 

She couldn’t quite respond to Kara. After four years of not speaking or even humming, she felt that she forgotten how. Her silence worried Kara, but simply placing a shaky hand on the top of Kara’s seat for Kara to see, kept that worry on a backburner. 

In a mere two days, Earth would be seen from the view port of the pod and it was highlighted by Kara's excited babble of information that was given from the now rebooted computer. 

What happened next would begin to shape things to come for them. One way or another. 

Chapter Text

(*Eleven Years Later, Current Time - National City – Riley’s Apartment*)  

Riley hummed lowly, slowly waking up in a warm and soft bed. A lazy glance at the clock on her dresser showed that Vasquez and Lucy were probably at work, while she had the day off. Her first major idea for the day was to test out the new gym area of Cat’s house since red sun lamps had been installed. Then she had plans to clean up after a good work out, before heading to the D.E.O to see if Alex still had the day off or not. Riley figured that no one could blame her for the shyly excited smile that broke free at the warmth in her heart from the mere thought of Alex.  

“Might as well feed the beast.” She muttered to herself, the rumble in her stomach at the smell of food from another apartment dragging her out of bed. It was a good twenty minutes later when her body finished pulling away from the lull that had remained from her deep sleep, sliding out of bed and going through her morning routine. After all, she couldn’t stay in bed all day, not with her brain remembering that today held another date with Alex, sending her heart racing with excitement. Alex wouldn’t tell her where they were going, but that was alright with Riley because Alex would be there.  

The natural lighting in the apartment from the windows thinner inner curtains felt so much easier to Riley’s eyes than artificial light did. Thankfully, in her opinion, the blinds did keep most of the harsher rays from piercing their way through, even with the blackout curtains pulled back. Kara was the one who loved the beaming sunlight, while Riley preferred the dimmer warm lights and the shadows as direct sunlight seemed painful to her eyes. She never really grew to love the light from Earth’s yellow star as much as Kara did, always missing the softer lighting that came with Rao. Heck, the days Riley was most active were when storms rolled in. There was so much that she found so incredibly soothing about them.  

A soft tune sounded out throughout the apartment as well, from the radio in the kitchen that Lucy or Vasquez left on. All three were fond of music being left on as background noise. The upbeat song that the new CatCo radio host said was to be a heartwarming catchy song called ‘I Gotta Feeling’ by the Black Eyed Peas ended up gently echoing throughout the apartment, leading Riley to sway and sing along. It was one of the songs that could always get her to do so since she heard it a few weeks previously, and today was no different.  

The Super went through the motions of making tea like Martha taught her, pouring the hot tea from the small stove pot into a pitcher with sugar already in it that she pulled from the cabinet, and then filled the rest of it with fresh cool water to begin the motions of mixing it with a basting spoon. Pouring some of it into a glass once the pitcher had its lid before placing it in the fridge, Riley sang along to a few more songs from the radio between sips of her tea. Her fun was eventually interrupted during the start of the next song from accidentally crushing the ceramic mug to dust. Thankfully it was empty by then.  

“Not again.” Riley sighed as her left arm shuddered and left hand twitched, the veins pulsing red for a few seconds. It was happening more and more often, and the Kryptonian was ready to throw in the towel and see if the D.E.O had better stuff than she had access to with Kara’s own medical scanners built towards their Kryptonian physiology. Staring at the once again regular veins, she flexed her hand, “Should probably get it looked at because this is not normal. Besides, Alex and the others would kill me if I just let it continue since it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.”  

‘Obviously. We both know better than to keep quiet about things like this. ’ She spun on her heel with a wide-eyed gaze locked on to a figure she hadn’t seen quite so vividly in the last few months since she had started her phone sessions with Dr. Quinzel once more. With everything having been going on, Riley started speaking with the woman far more often than the usual semi-frequently, once every two months, since their first phone session five years ago. Those conversations were back up to twice a month.   

She would be forever thankful that Bruce introduced them when she ended up snapping at him, followed by rapid apologies and panic. He was a far more kind soul than many would give him credit for, and Riley appreciated it when he looked the other way the day she used her powers and Chloe’s hacking assistance to free Harleen and Pamela from Belle Reve.  

The person Riley heard was none other than the thirteen-year-old Kryptonian teen sitting in a chair she had pulled out earlier to sit in once she finished making breakfast. It was like seeing a photo of her the day she and Kara arrived on Earth, “Rile Zor’El... long time no see.”  

If anyone else had been in the apartment, they would have seen Riley talking to an empty chair, a fiery color slowly pulsing a single time through her irises.   

‘ See, yes, but you know we are always here. Besides, our shattered parts make up the whole, do we not? Even Ms. Harleen knows that. ’  

A pulse went through Riley’s skin, nerves feeling like nails on a chalkboard. The red mist hazed around her vision for a moment and a distant scream of rage echoed in her skull. She hesitated seeing a second figure forming at the edge of her view, this time standing in a darker corner of the room surrounded by the same swirling smoke.  

“What’s wrong with R.J?”  

‘ Neither of us knows. We are all one in the same, so we are all equally clueless. Whatever it is has begun to spread to you and I as well. ’  

Riley refocused on Rile’s smaller form, “Any ideas?”  

‘ Not yet. We should approach Alex and the D.E.O at the very least. ’  

*Knock, knock, knock.*  

‘ Speak of our future bond-mate and she shall appear. Always had awkward timing, that one. We’ll speak again later. ’  

Riley turned toward the apartment door and made her way over to it, then pulled it open only to allow her eyes to roam the figure in front of her, “Alex!” She stepped aside to let the other woman in and smiled at the red head bringing in three cartons of eggs.  

“Heard from a little troublemaker that you were out of eggs. Something about how Lucy failed about five times trying to make an omelet for Vasquez? From Vasquez’s terrified description it was a miracle Lucy didn’t set the apartment on fire during her attempts of Frankenstein half cooked food monsters.”  

“I haven’t even checked, to be honest. Thank you for bringing over some more though.” Riley glanced over towards the dining table and corner of the living room, sighing softly at the other two having vanished again. A soft kiss on the corner of her mouth dragged her attention back to Alex.  

Alex slipped away to put the cartons in the fridge, “Well, I do have an ulterior motive. I may or may not be hoping that these work as a good bribe for breakfast and to butter you up for our second date.” Making her way over to the radio on the kitchen counter, Alex turned the volume up a little more so she could hear it easier as well.  

“Oh? Consider me happily accepting this bribe.” Riley wrapped her arms around Alex’s waist from behind with a smile. “Where are we headed then?”  

“That’s the reason for the bribe. It's a surprise but... trust me when I say that you’ll love it. I promise.”  

The two began swaying gently side to side, the song drifting through the apartment. Riley couldn’t help but feel enraptured by Alex’s voice singing along, softly joining in at the chorus due to Alex’s playfully begging look. The super slowly twirled Alex during the end of the song before they both came to a stop with the final note ending.  

“ And that was Save Me by Remy Zero! Thanks for tuning in National City, we’ll be right back after this commercial break! ”  

“So...” Alex dragged out with a soft smile that Riley would always swear could power her up far better than any rays from the yellow star, turning the radio back down, “breakfast and then we can head out?”  

Riley returned the smile, “Got some stuff I need to do really quick once we’re done eating, but I don’t see why not.”  

Raising her eyebrows, Alex wrapped her arms around Riley’s waist, “Oh? Anything I can help with?”  

“Of course! Gotta drop off some food for Kara, and Cat wants another latte while we’re already there. What... are you going to promise me something else? Maybe the world?”  

With a teasing grin, Alex pulled away, bodily throwing herself onto one of the armchairs in the living room area. Her grin softened as Riley stepped fully into the kitchen, her thoughts just as warm as her heart, ' I don’t think that’s possible since you are my world. ’  

Alex turned on the TV to start up the recorded first episode of Wynonna Earp, a new show that had caught her interest when she saw a trailer for it the other day to the point where she had set up Riley’s TV to automatically record the episodes to watch when she had the time to. With the wall between the kitchen and the living room having an opening between the sink counter and shelf that was on either side of it, Riley was able to watch as well if she wanted.  

Riley looked over where Alex had stretched out on, unable to ignore the sight until another cast iron skillet crunched in her hand. “Damn it, not another one.” Her left hand was back to trembling and locking up for a few seconds until Riley took a few deep breaths to relax the muscles there, but a strong red light pulsed through the veins in her hand and up her arm.   

It was already getting worse.  

“Hey Alex, wanna get breakfast at Noonan’s today instead?”  

“Sure, sounds good to me. We can go ahead and call in an order for it and Kara’s sticky buns while we’re at it. Also, does she keep sending you pictures and short videos of puppy dogs and kittens too? Because she tried to bribe me earlier into bringing her some. Makes me wonder if Cat has an iron grip on how many sticky buns she devours now, though I somehow doubt that.”  

The crumpled cast iron skillet was quietly lowered into the kitchen trashcan alongside two of its other brethren that had previously been accidentally destroyed in the last twenty-four hours.  

“Yeah... iron grip.”

(*Thirty Minutes Later, at CatCo*)  

“Good morning, Siobhan.” Kara cheerfully chimed to Cat’s other assistant just after swallowing her last bite of the sticky buns that Alex and Riley delivered. Alex had tried to withhold the amazing things when Kara tried to drag out a bit of information on Alex’s date plans with Riley when James and Lucy dragged the other Kryptonian away for a minute, as even Kara hadn’t known about it either. Thankfully the three returned quickly so Alex didn’t have to wait too long to finally head over to whatever said date surprise was since it was getting closer to the top of the hour and Alex seemed to be in a rush to get wherever they were going.  

“Karrah.”  

Deciding to just let the woman’s snide tone slide, Kara pointed to the envelope Siobhan was carrying, “Is that for Ms. Grant?”  

Neither woman nor Winn noticed Cat watching the scene happening near Winn’s desk from her own desk within her office, raising an eyebrow when Siobhan strut past Kara and into her office with Kara trailing after her, “Yes? What couldn’t wait until the staff meeting is done with? Is someone dying?”  

“Not at all, Ms. Grant! Just wanted to deliver this packet to you directly.” Siobhan placed the still sealed envelope on Cat’s desk.  

No one moved a muscle and Siobhan’s smile dropped. All Cat had to do was raise an eyebrow to have Kara darting forward to grab the offending object, then move back just outside of Cat’s personal office to open it once her x-ray vision proved it to be clear to deliver. Removing the pack of papers to rest against the envelope on the outside, Kara strolled back over and handed it to Cat.  

“Thank you, Tweedledum. Take Tweedledee with you and round up all of the department heads for a staff meeting stat with a side of ASAP.”  

Kara nodded at Cat’s orders and hurried out of the room with Siobhan on her heels, “I’m not trying to undermine you, Siobhan. You need to realize that and get over whatever it is you’re trying to do. I’ve been working for Cat for a few years now and trust me, when I say she has a preferred way of doing something, I’m not kidding. Previous assistants have been fired for things far simpler than not doing her mail correctly.”  

“Listen, I already know I’ll be better than you as Cat Grant’s assistant. She’s just treating you with kiddy gloves for some reason. You don’t go out of your way to bring her special, high-quality coffee, nor snacks. Instead, you bring her a latte from a local run-down food joint and supply her with M&M’s.”  

With Sioban’s spite on top of all the other stuff that had been going on, Kara had had enough. “I get her that latte order and those M&M’s, because that is what she likes! She doesn’t drink full on coffee unless it falls under certain occasions. Neither does she snack on anything fancy because she sees it as a waste of time because she already likes the regular stuff. If you would stop trying to one-up me, maybe you would have already read the note and guidelines I made for Ms. Grant’s orders, and you wouldn’t be getting in trouble like you have been!”   

Kara huffed in an attempt to remove the dregs of her frustration at the end of her mini rant, ignoring Sioban’s shocked stare to grab a few files off her own desk, then move to stand in front of Sioban, “Listen... I apologize for ranting like that, but I am trying to help teach you what you need to know so Ms. Grant can set my focus on other tasks she has decided to delegate to clear her own schedule up a little more. Please, just grab the two files I left on your desk near your keyboard and follow me. We have a limited time frame to personally gather all of the department heads, and this will be done in person so you can learn where they are all located.”  

Sioban did as Kara requested, though tilted her chin up with a scowl as if looking down upon Kara, “Fine, I’ll do it your way. For now.”  

(*Just outside the Musical Theater – An Hour later*)  

Carefully leading Riley inside with the Kryptonian was wearing lead-lined headphones and a blindfold on top of the promise of no x-ray vision, Alex guided her into the building.   

When she pulled both items off, Riley instantly thought they were inside of a movie theater. Between the snack bar, the ticket booth, and even the mini arcade inside the main area made it feel like a good guess, “What movie are we watching?”  

“Not quite a movie... let’s grab drinks and some snacks. We need to be in our seats in the next twenty minutes if we don’t wanna be late!”  

Even now Alexs was determined to keep it as secret as she could, down to taking her time in choosing her own snack to leave only just enough time to make it to their seats before the show began.  

Linking her left hand with Riley’s right, Alexs leaned over to place a soft kiss on the corner of the Super’s mouth, “Remember, if you end up not liking it, we can always go somewhere else.”  

“Not liking what?”  

The curtains pulling away to reveal a stage drew Riley’s attention like a laser pointer to a cat, “What...”  

Lights cut out from above with music beginning from stereos around the seating area, and within a minute or so later, costumed people took to the stage, some singing and dancing dramatically.  

Just like that, Riley was enraptured.  

Alex gently placed a noise canceling headset over Riley’s ears, without blocking her view for even a second, to dim the volume to make up for the difference Riley’s super hearing brought to the table. With a pleased smile at the awe all but etched on to Riley’s face, she turned back to watch the musical, taking Riley’s right hand back into her left once she was situated back to resting in her own seat with her head on Riley’s shoulder.  

“ The wickedest witch there ever was ... ”  

( *CatCo – Same Time* )  

“I could throw her into space so easily. I daydream about doing that now.” Kara couldn’t help but admit to Winn on her way into Cat’s office, a few paces behind said woman. Sioban, the person in question that Kara was ready to throw into space, was already inside with the department heads and Lucy while Cat was a few steps behind Kara and Winn.  

Cat forced away her smirk just in time to stroll into her office, "My massage therapist spent the entire session talking about how her surrogate has celiac disease, and my Pilates instructor just informed me that he's quitting to open up an artisanal yarn store in Vermont." She dropped her purse off to the side on her desk, set down the glass of water Lucy had passed her when she walked by, just beyond her open notes, and pulled off her shades, "So, which one of you hearty souls is going to give me a reason to not start firing people? Things to go along with my plans of kick starting an awareness about different medical issues not as talked about. Chop chop."  

One head stepped forward, "The National City Men's Chorus is organizing a Lego drive for children within the city hospital, as well as local schools." At Cat's slight hint of interest, he continued happily, "If this is a success, they are already considering donation drives for Veterans and the homeless next."  

"Hmm, consider me please. Get it done. Next."  

He stepped back with a smile and closed the file he brought with him at Cat's acceptance of that coverage.  

Glancing at another department head when no one else moved forward, she called out, "Fashion. Speak."  

Smiling hopefully, the redheaded woman perked up, "We're seeing crushed velvet as important look this fall, along with a steady return of motocross leather jackets and darker tones for casual dresses. Interest has been showing a steady climb for these and with the right suggestions, we could be seeing an even further rapid increase. Though a few things to note is a steady incline of interest in cargo pants and knee length skirts. We believe that is due to our residential supers."  

Nodding slowly, Cat thought back to Riley's shopping spree a little while back and how Kara told her that the Super was almost overwhelmed at first due to how many people were in the store at the time, which was slightly odd for the specific shops Riley had gone to. She added in a suggestion at that memory, "Good. Also keep an eye out for a jump in more grunge, punk, and emo type fashion as well. If some of the stores' shopper counts are correct, we could soon be seeing a return of older fashions by young adults and even younger generations. I'm talking 80s, 90s and early 2000s. Hell, keep an eye out on casual wear from those years, too."  

"Yes ma'am!" The head of Fashion stepped back, then braced her personal notepad on one hand and quickly jotted down the suggestions with a pen in the other.  

"Alright, anyone else?"  

"Ms. Grant," Siobhan cut in quickly, holding up a sealed manila envelope, "this came for you via private courier very recently. I picked it up to keep it safe from prying eyes."  

Not having it after her screw up earlier, Cat narrowed her eyes, "Why didn't you open it? It could be anthrax or any other such powdered threat. Kerrah, take care of it."  

Kara could feel a spike of frustration dig at her sanity a little deeper at Siobhan’s repeated decision with Cat’s mail, though she still stepped forward to take it instead, "Of course, Ms. Grant." A quick glance with x-ray vision proved yet again that it was clean, though the object inside with a paper had her curious. Pulling it open and tilting it upside down, a thumb drive fell into the palm of her hand. She carefully passed the thumb drive to Cat before she pulled out the letter and handed that to her as well.  

"Curious..." Cat drawled the letter's contents dramatically, "Make the liars pay for their lies. Make the cheaters feel the pain of their betrayal."  

Lucy's attention was drawn back to the meeting at those lines, "That's the website for adulterers, Diamond Discretions dot com."  

"It's like Ashley Madison," James added on, remembering somewhat when Lucy mentioned the name, "except the difference is, this is supposed to be un-hackable."  

"Suppose someone just took that as a challenge because it was attacked by an anonymous hacker last night. However, none of the data they took has been released yet. It riled up quite a few people as that website caters to powerful elected officials, public figures preaching about morality that they themselves refuse to follow. Doesn't the public have a right to know the truth about who those people are?"  

Cat winced at Lucy's explanation, knowing exactly just what sort of shit storm such a news report could cause, "Unfortunately, if we publish these names, we give these disgusting bottom-feeders legitimacy. Besides, while under no certain terms do I condone cheating, I hope you understand that CatCo is not a gossip rag. Such things like this fall under that category, as the painful truth is that very little people actually care about this sort of stuff. It doesn't harm them and theirs, so while it might spread like wildfire, it'll be burned out just as quick with people already moving on to the next 'surprise' of the day."   

Tossing the drive to Siobhan as one of the few remaining chances to allow her not to screw up, Cat told the assistance, "You there, brown hair. Put it in the microwave and set it to popcorn, baked potato, whatever setting to melt it, I don't care which just get rid of it. Everyone but Danvers and Lane, dismissed."  

Comfortable count it may be, Lucy still felt tensed up over the thumb drive, "I'm sorry Cat, I honestly just don't understand why you won't have the story published."  

Kara moved over to pour three small glasses of water, passing two of them to Lucy and Cat, "It's sad to say, but she's right, Lucy." Taking a drink almost felt like swallowing a rock with this sort of topic, but she did so anyway, "When big things are happening every other week, stuff like this ends up getting swept under the rug, no matter who reports on it. Pointing out someone's lack of moral fiber has lost traction lately. Heck, most people don't even spend more than a few days a year thinking about everything bad Lex Luthor has done, for example."  

"That... that makes a lot of sense when you put it that way." Lowering her glass, following draining half of the water in it, Lucy sighed, "I do apologize for pushing the matter earlier, Cat.  

“No need, Lucy. It’s still good to hear differentiating opinions to weigh what we should and shouldn’t print. We just need to keep it civil like we did today, if it happens again.” Cat raised her glass in a toast to Lucy who relaxed and returned the motion.  

“Now...” Kara leaned forward with a curious glint to her eyes, bringing forth a new topic, “has anyone figured out where Alex took Riley for their second date yet? She wouldn’t tell me anything!”  

( *Musical Theater – Almost Three Hours later* )  

Alex held Riley’s right hand with her left, gently swinging their arms a little as they both walked back towards the main area of the theater, "So, what did you think of Wicked? Was it good for your first musical? And if so, what were your favorite songs?”  

Riley on the other hand was gob smacked, staring at Alex with a look of awe aimed specifically at her, “That was amazing, Alex, and my favorites were probably ‘What is this feeling’ and ‘Defying Gravity’! I remember watching the Wizard of Oz a long time ago, but that?” Unable to fully word her joy over witnessing Wicked for their date, Riley leaned forward and shared a soft chaste kiss with Alex, “Thank you.”  

“No need for thanks, but you definitely won’t find me complaining if involves more kisses like that.” The redhead chuckled, carefully running the fingers of her free hand through Riley’s hair.  

The Super just smiled shyly and nodded, “And the same goes to you. Thank you again for the wonderful date.”  

“Oh, who said it was over just yet?” Alex muttered with a sly smirk. Leaning close and wrapping her arms around Riley’s shoulders since they were now outside in a nearby ally, she gently nipped at Riley’s bottom lip, “Fly us back to your place? It should be empty for a few more hours at least. If you want to, that is. No pressure.”  

“No pressure at all.” Riley reassured her, adjusting their stance so she could carry Alex snugly against her, “Hold on tight.”  

“When it comes to you? Always.”  

( *CatCo, Cat’s Office – 2 Hours later* )  

“Greetings, Catco employees.”   

Screens and monitors all around the building were suddenly and forcefully changed to show a long-haired blonde woman speaking to everyone in said building. Cat calmly strolled out of her office to join Kara, James, Lucy, and Winn near Kara’s desk, listening to the hacker continuing her speech.  

“I’m disappointed in all of you. Especially you, Queen of all Media”  

Cat, as usual, seemed completely unaffected by the display of ability, “Hmm, the hacker who sent the drive earlier today, I assume? What sort of name do you have people call you? The Peroxide Avenger? Or maybe you prefer the edgy classics like Phantom or Cyber Legion?”  

Without fail, it got the hacker to continue sharing information on the situation, “I handed you the story of the year. How sinners have turned the internet into a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah. But... you failed to act. So now, all will suffer.”  

The hacker now in full rant mode allowed Kara to fire off a quick text to Riley, alerting her and possibly Alex as well about the incoming threat.  

“...even traffic signals.”  

One last text was sent Riley’s way at the mention of traffic signals. “ Red alert, traffic lights failure incoming. ”  

“The age of Chaos begins now. Enjoy.”  

( *The Apartment – An Hour Ago* )  

Yawns kept fighting their way free from both Alex and Riley, driving the two to give up watching anything else after the pilot episode of Wynonna Earp for now, and get a late nap in if not just outright head to bed early. Alex had excitedly pulled the show up on the TV almost as soon as the two walked into Riley’s apartment, wanting to show Riley a new show they could watch together.   

Comfortable pajamas were slipped on before the pair laid down on Riley’s bed, laying on their sides to face the other.  

“When everything’s made to be broken... I just want you to know who I am.” Riley crooned softly along with the song drifting from the alarm clock, gently brushing Alex’s bangs to the side and smiling when it fell right back in place. The movement got Alex to move some strands firmly to the side with a pointed blow aimed towards the top of her head as best as she could.  

Alex playfully rolled her eyes when Riley started giggling at her antics, “Laugh it up while you can, McGiggles. If I wasn’t as tired as I am, I’d give you something to laugh about.” She wiggled her fingertips at Riley threateningly. The movement would have driven the blonde to float out of reach if she hadn’t lunged forward to latch on to the super, “No, no... no tickling just yet. Only sleep.”  

Riley scooted closer to cuddle close, carefully resting her forehead against Alex’s, “Cuddle time is best time.”  

“Mmm, damn right it is. Now shh... sleep time.”  

“G'night, Alex.”  

“Goodnight, Riley.”  

( *The Apartment – Now* )  

An alarm blared from both Riley and Alex’s work phones, sending the two leaping to their feet and into action from deep sleep. Alex changed into her agent gear while Riley instinctively pulled on her own Superboy outfit. The second she was done changing, Alex glanced at the alert on said phone.  

“It’s Kara. Some hacker is messing with stoplights.”  

Rushing wind and a missing Riley was all she needed to know that her Super was already on it. Feeling her skills were better used elsewhere, Alex called Cat on her way out of the apartment, “Any updates on the hacker yet?”  

“ Nothing yet. We’re on the backfoot here. Whoever this hacker is, she’s been tearing through the city lights and a slew of other things. It’s almost as if there are multiple hackers. ”  

“I’m heading in to get to work with Hank and the others.” Leaving the apartment building, Alex didn’t even react beyond a relieved huff when out of the corner of her eye, she saw Riley fly by and lift a family of three out of the way of an incoming truck that had lost its traction, skidding to a stop over the sidewalk that was now clear. “I’ll get a secure line set up between us and you as soon as I can.”  

“ Thank you. And Alex? ” A bone-weary sigh could be heard across the line in a mix of relief and exhaustion, followed by a rush of air that Alex could place to Kara leaving the office as Supergirl.  

Alex slid into the driver seat of Riley’s truck, knowing it was a bit safer than using her bike at the moment, “Yeah Cat?”  

“ Stay safe. ”  

“Always am.”  

(*D.E.O. Desert Facility – An Hour Later*)  

“Alright people, what do we got?” Voice strongly echoing through the main security room, J’onn placed his hands on his hips and looked around at each monitor, most were showing the chaos going on in National City and a few showed the rapid tracing attempts on the hacker’s whereabouts. By his side as his second in command, Alex came to a stop and crossed her arms.  

Vasquez rolled their chair back a foot or so and spun it around to look back at J’onn since their trace was almost fully automated at this point with the dozen or so people working on it, “A whole lot of nothing so far. We’ve cut off access to a portion of National City’s stop lights so far, but whoever is doing this has either been planning this for ages with a million and one back up plans, or there is an entire team doing this.”  

Furrowing her brows, Alex crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes in thought, “What makes you think that?”  

“This is insanely efficient to an honestly concerning degree.” They turned back to their personal desk and pointed at their screen, leading J’onn and Alex to walk over to see what Vasquez was motioning towards, “Whoever is doing this is targeting stop lights, banks, and almost any of the major resources connected to the web.”  

“She’s trying to take out the city’s entire mainframe.”  

“Certainly looks that way.”  

Cat’s voice could be heard in Alex and J’onn’s ears via the earbuds that had her connected to the conversation at the D.E.O, “ Looks like we’ve got another villain on our hands. ” A slight pause followed by a huff of exasperation from Cat released some of the tension around J’onn and Alex’s shoulders, “ And I’ve got to stop letting Riley goad me into watching Scooby-Doo with her. Ugh. Anyway, I’ll see about getting all of my teams on assisting in finding this hacker. Freelancers too. ”  

“Thanks Cat, and stay safe.”  

“ Not my style, but I’ll do what I can. ”  

With a click of the connection ending, J’onn turned towards Alex, “We’ve got all but a small army hunting for this hacker on the net, so take a subtle team and get some boots on the ground as well. See if anyone might know something. I’ll hold down the fort here and once things calm down a little more, Riley and a team can head out and do a patrol around the industrial side of town to see if there are any groups or people of suspicion lurking around out there. Supergirl and the General can cover the more super side of things.”  

“You got it.” Alex turned on her heel and took off down a hall, patting the shoulders of three agents along the way, “Lawson, Wick, Abernathy, with me.” She then called out to three others without stopping her path towards the armory, “Ocampo, Harkness, and Vidal! When the other Agent Danvers gets here, arm up and head to Industry.”  

A nod of acknowledgement from Ocampo was all she needed to know it would be done as the ex-military Agent was like her own second in command in all but title. It would take only a few minutes for her chosen squad to arm and armor up in a more civilian style without sacrificing too much protection, so Alex fired off a text for Riley to head to the D.E.O when she could, and carried on with her own orders. A stray thought crossed her mind the second she opened the armory door.  

‘ Time to hunt. ’  

(*Three Hours Later – National City Industrial Park*)  

Riley leaned against a wall just outside of the far side of the Industrial Park from where the team originally entered, “Nothing. No sign of anything, even any teens who might use one of these places as a hangout at night. Even with the enhanced senses I can’t even pick up on anything.”  

To her left, a few feet away and sitting on a lower concrete wall while Vidal sat behind her and played with her hair, Harkness scowled at the reminder of so many places checked just to find not a hint of any activity, “We didn’t even come across anyone on a graveyard shift, it’s weird.”  

“It’s suspicious is what it is.” The other three turned to look towards Ocampo as the woman rejoined them after the update over comms connection to Vasquez to share with J’onn, “I know damn well that a place like this is supposed to have security guards at the least, but what we’ve seen here? Nothing. It’s eerie and somethings up, even if it doesn’t have anything to do with that hacker.”  

“Agreed.” Vidal chimed in, pulling her hand away from Harkness’ hair to lean forward so her chin was resting on the Agent’s shoulder, wrapping her arms around the other woman’s waist, “I’m all for smooth and easy missions from time to time to break up the chaos, but this isn’t normal. We should take note of what we’ve found here, or lack of, and head back to base. Something isn’t right here and I highly recommend we look further into it later.”  

A soft, chilly wind blew through the silent Industrial Park as if highlighting Vidal’s comment, sending Harkness leaping off the short concrete wall and into a brisk walk towards Riley, “Okay yeah, nope. Get us back to the jeep, Danvers. My skin feels like it’s ready to walk off without me after that.”  

Looking towards Ocampo, Riley latched on to Harkness and Vidal when the other Agent only nodded in agreement before scurrying on to Riley’s back, “Alright, let’s get out of here. Hold on and keep your heads tucked close. Don’t want anyone to get whiplash, though I’ll do my best to avoid that, it can still happen.”  

Rustling wind and sand was all that was left behind by the squad, but the second everyone loaded up within the Jeep and took off back to base, a low to the ground mist slowly rolled out from the shadows of one of the buildings near where the squad had all but fled, and over where they had previously been standing at the far side of the Industrial Park. Within the shadows, the mist morphed together to take on a humanoid form, an icy blue glow for eyes that stared at where the squad had been resting.  

The next eerie breeze had a voice on the wind like crackling glacial ice, and one word, a name, was hissed from it, “ El. ”  

Just as it arrived, it soon vanished, guided by another breeze but this time back into the Park, seeping under a closed hanger door until the mist was fully inside of that building.  

The silence it left behind was deafening.  

(*The Next Afternoon – CatCo – Cat Grant’s Office*) 

Cat Grant paced behind her desk, a hand on her forehead since she felt a headache coming on at the news from Riley, “What do you mean the Industrial Park was empty? Everyone knows the guards are lax and let the kids hang out in the safe areas there, even though they pretend they’re breaking in.”  

“That’s just it,” Riley shrugged, leaning against Alex’s side with the redhead’s arm over her shoulders, “we didn’t find a single person there. It’s something that’s being placed on the sidelines for now, but... something’s very wrong and Vidal, one of the other Agents, has a bad feeling about it that I’m in full agreement with.”  

Another harsh mumble from Winn cut that conversation for the time being, and Kara walked over to him from where she was leaning against Cat’s desk, “What’s happening?”  

“This hacker, she’s created what’s called an ‘Oscillating Variable Matrix’ to cover her footprints.” Winn leaned back and sighed, “Diabolical wouldn’t be a strong enough word for her.”  

“But...?”  

“But! I have created an inverse pathway which will hopefully lead me to wherever she’s hiding. Hell, she could be organizing these attacks from the other side of the globe...”  

An electronic voice from Winn’s main personal laptop cut off his ramblings, “ No. Just on the other side of your screen. ”  

In an instant, Alex and Lucy both began rapid fire texting Vasquez and J’onn about the hacker’s current connection to Winn’s laptop while Kara, Riley, James, and Cat walked over to Winn to see the hacker on his screen.  

“ You know, you’re fairly clever for an ape. ”  

“And you are freaking me out for an evil blonde computer face.”  

Upon catching sight of Riley, the hacker smirked maliciously, then looked back at Winn, “ Then let’s talk in person. ”  

Kara stepped forward so she was slightly in front of Riley and scowled, “Name the time and place.”  

“ How ‘bout now? ”  

Digital pixels morphed from the screen, sending everyone behind Winn stumbling a few feet back and Winn leapt up and over the back of the couch to join them, while Alex jumped up and drew her gun to aim at the new figure, Lucy doing the same.  

A blue woman in a blue outfit with reddish blond hair had formed from those pixels, but it was the three red lights on her forehead that drew Riley’s breath from her lungs. In an instant, a memory ripped to the forefront of her mind, one of the Phantom Zone that made it feel like she was back in that pod all over again. It nearly made Riley stumble away when the woman took a few steps closer to the majority of the group in Cat’s office.  

“Supergirl... Superboy... what exactly makes you both so super?”  

Kara, still standing the closest, looked baffled, “That symbol... I’ve seen it before.”  

“It’s a sign of my people. The font of omniscient knowledge. I know all about you... and even more about Superboy.” That wicked smirk was back, and she stepped closer to Kara stare pointedly over her should at Riley who was all but trembling from the memories being dragged out from the dark corners Riley had tried to hide them in, “Little Rile here was my personal amusement for a while. So much music, so much history... so much screaming . All because I was curious what would happen if the life support was only allowed to keep one of you asleep.”  

Red flickered through Riley’s veins from the fingertips of her left arm all the way up to her left eye where a migraine began to throb painfully, though the glow vanished just as swiftly as it appeared.  

“What are you? Some kind of living internet?” Winn asked the person, feeling himself move so where he was also somewhat in front of Riley to draw the woman’s attention away from her and towards him.  

Her smirk took on a smug edge, “You might call me that.” She raised her left hand, extending some odd form of bladed fingernails to distract Kara from her right hand swinging forward in a powerful punch, launching her out of Cat’s window and onto the balcony.   

“Which one of the friends should I skin first? Oh, I know... how about you?” The bladed left hand slashed out, but before it could connect with Winn’s face, Riley darted forward with a rush of rage boiling in her veins as she took the blow instead.  

“Dont. Touch. Them.” Riley’s own left arm flew out to violently slam her fist against the woman’s abdomen, sending her stumbling back just in time for Kara darting back in with a swift kick, knocking the being towards the middle of the room.  

It was enough to give Alex and Lucy a clear shot, along with J’onn and Vasquez who stormed into Cat’s office from the main door. J’onn’s voice bellowed out through the room and the otherwise empty floor, “Hold it right there!” Vasquez threw a metal object in the woman’s direction, but she was already morphing back into pixels, going right back into Winn’s computer and what everyone could assume was back into the internet.  

“Thank god we have our own personal black ops unit.”  

Picking up the metal object that was none other than the same trap used to catch Leslie Willis, J’onn growled in frustration, ignoring Winn’s whispered comment.  

Cat was the first one to break the following silence, “Just what in the fresh hell was she? And how do we deal with someone who can just leave and reenter digital space at will like that?”  

“There was something embedded in the Wi-Fi signal that was being used to mess with the city’s mainframe. Something alien. We tracked it here just as Alex and Lucy alerted us to the hacker’s takeover of Winn’s laptop.” Taking the device J’onn handed them, Vasquez brought up the reason for two’s swift arrival.  

J’onn took over the conversation from there, “Not just any sort of alien, but one from Fort Rozz.”  

“Yeah, we figured that.” Kara looked over to where Alex had her hands on either side of Riley’s face, coaxing the other super to slow her panicked breathing, “She went after Riley.” Knowing the woman could still possibly be listening in, she used J’onn’s form’s name, “Hank... she knew about things no one else should, and if she was being honest? She tortured Riley for years for her own sick amusement.”  

A thunderous look overtook J’onn’s face, “We’ll find her.”  

When he turned to speak with the other’s Kara’s hand shot out and gently turned him back towards her, lowering her voice so only he could hear her, “Something’s wrong with Riley.”  

“What?”  

“I’ve had my suspicions, but tonight just confirmed it... there was some sort of red glow going up Riley’s arm and towards her head. I wouldn’t have even seen it had that glow not been reflected in the monitor behind that woman. I’m certain no one else saw it. Whatever that was, I’ve seen hints of it when I visited the apartment and Riley accidentally mangled a cast iron skillet in an attempt to make supper the other day.”  

J’onn laid his hands gently on Kara’s shoulders, “We’ll find out what’s going on. We can run some tests tonight while others search for that signal again, now that we know what to look for. In the meanwhile, you and Cat head home and get some rest. I’ll call you in the second we know more.”  

“Thank you.”  

“Anything for my kids.”  

Movement from across Cat’s office drew Kara, and in turn, J’onn’s attention.  

“Hey,” Alex called out to the two with Riley leaning against her side with the redhead’s jacket on, “are we heading back?”  

Seeing Winn packing up his computer stuff, now shut down, with James’ help while Cat walked over to stand with Kara as Vasquez and Lucy moved over to stand near Alex and Riley, J’onn nodded, “Yeah, let’s head back. The rest of you get some sleep. We’ve got a long day tomorrow.”  

The group split off into two, one heading to the D.E.O and the other heading to Cat’s house as the woman offered the two guest rooms to Winn and James for the night for safety in numbers.  

A symbol with three red lights flashed ominously across Cat’s monitors in the dark of the night the second the two groups got into the elevators, then flickered out as the being traversed the digital world once more.  

(*A Few Hours later – D.E.O Desert Facility – Alex's Lab*)  

“Yeowch!”  

An Agent walking past Alex’s lab jumped nearly three feet in the air, startled by the surprised shout of pain from within the lab. Alex’s chastising tone following on the heels of that yelp sends the Agent power walking away out of habit in avoiding the stern side-eye the senior Agent would give if anyone was caught eavesdropping on a conversation.  

“If you would have told me about this sooner, you wouldn’t be in this current predicament, now would you!” Riley’s wounded look took the angry winds from Alex’s sails, “Okay, I didn’t mean for that to hurt and I apologize, but I did need that sample. However, I won’t apologize for being frustrated that it took this long for whatever this is, to be discussed and tested.”  

Rubbing her left arm where Alex had drawn the blood sample, Riley sighed deeply, “It’s alright, and for what it’s worth, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I planned on it but with everything going on I just kept pushing it back and I know I shouldn’t have.”  

With the samples now rotating within the machine to test for any oddities, Alex turned back towards Riley and gently placed her hands on each side of the Kryptonian’s face, placing her forehead against Riley’s, “You and Kara may think you’re invincible, and for the most part you both are, but I still worry. Something like this? An odd change to your body where you’re suddenly losing control over your strength and feeling bursts of extreme rage? Riley...”  

“I know, Alex. No number of apologies I can give will make me feel better about how I ended up worrying you, but I’m still sorry. I promise to come to you immediately from here on out. Or at least the moment I can.”  

“Thank you.”  

“It’s the least I can do. After all, you’re always patching us up after any scuffles or mishaps.”  

“Oh, is that what they call getting your butt kicked, now?”  

“Hardy har har, Alex.”  

Soft laughter filled Alex’s lab that led Riley to hop down and pull a willing Alex into a slow dance, humming the tune to some Kryptonian song that Alex recognized from the handful of times Riley had hummed it in the past. She hummed what she could remember, sparking a look of joy onto Riley’s face that warmed her inside out to see.  

Silently closing the door to Alex’s lab, having seen the pair dancing, J’onn felt a small smile fight through the worry he knew was etched on his face. A voice calling out for him further down the hall pulled him away from the lab and towards the main security hub.  

He could speak with Alex later.  

(*Same Time – National City Gardens*)  

“ Maddie, will you mar...? ”  

The man’s voice cut off when the woman he was proposing to looked up and away from him with wide eyes. He leapt to his feet and spun around to see what she noticed.  

Digital pixels bled off his tablet to form a blue woman with reddish blonde hair, deadly looking nails resided on her left hand, though she seemed disinclined to use them on the pair, “I would kill you both but your world is days away from ending anyway.”  

No other words were needed to send the couple sprinting away from the threatening woman as fast as their legs would carry them.  

Seconds passed before another figure arrived, this time from flight.  

“I calculated the odds of you locating me at only 6.3%. It would be higher but after so many of your people cut ties, well...” Turning around slowly with a wicked  smirk, the woman continued, “But then logic never mattered much where you and I were concerned, did it, Non?”  

Sure enough, Non himself had arrived but without his usual entourage, “Where have you been lurking?”  

Answering his questions in her own roundabout way always did amuse her. It was continued with even to this very day, “To think... I was once linked to the Great Coluan cyber construct. Now I wander the same realm as Candy Crush.” She shrugged off her annoyance and moved a few feet closer to him, “By the way, I call myself Indigo these days.”  

“It suits you far more than Brainiac 8 ever did.”  

“Indeed, I am my own woman now. I hear that Astra continuously turned you away and now she’s working alongside Alura’s spawn... and her own. Still upset that you were ignored for the middle El?”  

Non’s form grew tense at the mockery.  

“Your pathetic devotion to Myriad hasn’t landed you a throne thus far, no matter how much you dream of it. In fact, I remember when you used to dream of me.”  

While not the most brilliant of Krypton’s Generals, Non was still someone not to be trifled with. He picked up on what she began to hint at with ease, “I know you of old... what have you done?”  

The air grew thick with tension as Indigo stepped close to Non, “I merely set the wheel in motion. Earth will be torn asunder and when it is, only Kryptonians and I will survive it.” She knew that Non would never go that far, just as so many other Kryptonians would not, if only to avoid bringing what happened to their own original home world down upon this new place they called home.  

“See you after the apocalypse. If you can survive the gift given to Astra’s little spawn, that is.”  

“Indigo, what have you done?”  

“If the humans are to have an extinction event, why not throw a Kryptonian one into the mix? Turns out it’s quite easy to fool a human into working for you when you can pretend you are a high standing, well known public figure.” Indigo dodged backwards to avoid Non’s grasp, morphing into digital pixels to escape back into the digital world. She left Non with a final statement.  

“ I can’t wait to see how well you and those who remain by your side stand against the uncontrollable rage of a Kryptonian on the brink of shattering. Have fun. ”

(*Next Morning – D.E.O Desert Facility*)  

A dozen tests against an older blood sample and only one conclusive outcome was shared between all of them.  

“Something is definitely there that shouldn’t be.” Alex tossed down a folder with copies of the final reports on J’onn’s desk, “But what? I have no idea. There are no matches to any previously known or more recently discovered viruses, human or otherwise. It has the makings of a virus, but isn’t one, so I have no idea how to cure it.”  

Looking between each report and Alex’s clearly stressed form, J’onn did what he could to try to assist her thoughts on the matter, “Could it be something that effects Kryptonians specifically?”  

Alex threw her arms up in annoyance. Not at him, but at the situation. “That’s the thing that’s next to impossible to test. Whatever the hell this is, it can’t be split away from the blood samples by any usual means.”  

“Meaning you can’t even test to see if this will affect non-Kryptonians.”  

“Exactly.”  

The silence that followed was deafening, and it was Alex’s growing distress that had J’onn standing up stand a little closer in a quiet show of support. That same support gave her what she needed to continue.  

“Why does this keep happening?” Seeing J’onn’s concerned yet questioning stare, Alex clarified, “First it was Krypton and the time in the Phantom Zone, then it was the bullies in school at Midvale, followed long after by the crap with Reactron and Non, and now... now there’s some bullcrap of a virus running rampant through Riley’s system, slowly spreading through her body! Why can’t life just give us a break for once? Why does this have to keep happening? Why can’t I fix this?!”  

“You can’t fix everything, Alex. You’ll go mad trying.”  

“That’s not...!”  

J’onn cut her off by pulling her into a tight hug, allowing her to sob into his shoulder, “Things happen, Alex, for one reason or another. We can’t demand the ability to fix everything from ourselves.” His hug tightened a fraction when he felt her arms wrap around his torso to cling to him, “You’re so used to helping Kara and Riley on your own that even now with your circle growing, you still fall back on that habit. Let us help. Please.”  

Sobs slowly quieted to sniffles and hitched breathing, which further steadied into an exhausted sigh, “Okay, J’onn.” Alex took a step back, nodding reassuringly when J’onn waited with his arms still out just in case, to show she was a little steadier now, “Who do you have in mind?”  

“Well...”  

(*The Next Day – CatCo – Around Noon*)  

The hustle and bustle of CatCo carried on even with the threat of the strange hacker possibly lurking in their midst. That wouldn’t stop the well oiled machine of those who have been working at CatCo for a while now. No, all it did was make each and every one of them determined to help their boss figure out who this threat was in anyway they could.  

Most of the IT groups worked in around the clock rotations across the digital space and sending any credible information they could find to a contact with the government, who was actually Vasquez at the D.E.O, while journalists hit the pavement on foot to speak with contacts and possible leads.  

It was one of those journalists who found a couple that had seen a strange being that appeared out of the man’s tablet, which in turn led to one of the IT members finding a camera that caught sight of said being speaking with a man towards the corner of the camera and a fair three or so dozen feet away.  

To say Cat Grant was proud of her people wouldn’t feel like a strong enough word for the woman. They had all come so far together, and even now, when she sent out the call, they would band together as a force of information hunters not to be reckoned with. The findings already being found, even the smallest bits of information, were painting a concerning picture that she knew would only help later on down the line. More so after the video of the hacker meeting up with Non of all people.  

Yet the lack of information from the Fort Rozz database left a deepening pit of growing frustration among the D.E.O and those at Catco in the know.  

“So not only do we have to worry about this hacker from the Space Prison that can conveniently erase her own records, we also have to worry about her connections to the Kryptonian terrorist.”  

“ Yeah, it’s not the best news but it’s all we’ve got. ”  

Cat places a hand on her forehead in an attempt to battle off another migraine she could feel barreling down the tracks towards her at Winn’s voice over the comms connecting her office to the Alex’s lab at the D.E.O where Winn was assisting from.  

Those migraines became more frequent ever since the villains started using their brains for their schemes.  

“ Is there no other source of information we could approach? I would offer any information I could, but it was never my jurisdiction that was given the knowledge of non-Kryptonian prisoners. ” Astra questioned openly from her own connection, wind just barely in the background as she was on patrol.  

“ Not that we know... ”  

A realization hit James like a bolt of lightning. “Wait.” He cut Vasquez off, leaning against the back of one of Cat’s couches with his side, raising a finger to show he had a realization, “There is one place we can go to for information on aliens that even the DEO and Fort Rozz doesn’t have access to, and I’m sure this situation would be extremely understandable for its use.”  

Kara raised her eyebrows as she gave a huff of a laugh, “I think we’d hear out almost anything at this point.”  

“James has the right idea.” Heads snapped towards the voice from Cat’s balcony that held none other than Superman himself, “I can’t stay long, of course. Somethings going on in Metropolis that I need to head back soon to deal with, but I can take you somewhere that might be able to help with your problem here in National City before I have to go.” Clark gave a small teasing smile to his cousins, “If you’re up for a flight, that is.”  

Wind whipped through the room for a moment, just long enough for Kara and Riley to appear standing next to Clark in their own suits. Riley gave Clark a strong hug that dragged a grunt of surprise from him at the sheer strength of it while Kara teasingly ruffled his hair, “Of course we are, baby cousin!”  

Riley set him back down gently, even though she didn’t need to be so careful with how he was made of sterner stuff like herself and Kara, the very second she felt her left arm and side of her torso begin to tremble for a moment, “Lead the way, Superman!”  

There was something about Riley and Kara, both clearly a solid nine inches shorter than Clark, picking him up and ruffling his hair fondly like he was still their baby cousin that amused the onlookers in Cat’s office.  

“We’ll hold down the fort here.” James called out to the trio of Supers, “Get back as soon as you can though, we don’t know what she’s got in store for us next.”  

It was highlighted by Cat raising a single brow at Kara and simply stating, “Be back by four, we still need to pick up Carter from school.”  

Kara beamed at Cat, “You betcha! We’ll be back before then!”  

Knowing there wasn’t time to waste, Clark stepped towards the barrier of the balcony and took to the skies, Kara and Riley swiftly on his heels. Wanting to ease up some of the tension he could see in their shoulders, Clark offered a challenge, “Last one to Greenland gets to round up the hay in October?”  

“Won’t be me!” Kara was off in an instant, leaving Clark and Riley to scramble after her.  

“Hey, no head starts!”  

“Not like you’re gonna beat me anyway!”  

A glance between Clark and Riley was all that was needed for the two to push their speed as fast as they could to trail after her. Neither was as fast as Kara, but they were certainly a good contender for each other.  

(*An Hour Later – Near the North Pole*)  

The three Supers landed carefully, Kara and Riley following Clark as he guided them to the secret entrance of his ‘lair’, as Kara jokingly called it.  

“Welcome to the Fortress of Solitude.”  

Around the trio were walls of glacial ice, the falling snow covering it and the ground in a thick layer that made everything look the same for miles.  

Riley looked around with confusion, clearly having expected a door or cave that would lead to somewhere “Uh... where is it?”  

Bouncing with excitement, Kara rubbed her hands together and hopped in place for a moment with a happy grin, “How do we get in? Is there a secret password that opens a portal or something?”  

“Well...” Clark kneeled to brush snow off a large chunk of yellowish metal with the House of El sigil stamped on one end, “nothing quite as fancy as any of that.”  

Quiet laughter escaped from Riley at the sight while Kara brought up what it reminded the two of, “Seriously Clark? You leave the key under a doormat?”  

Clark stands up and crosses his arms with a smirk, knowing if he considers it hefty to lift, then Kara would be in for a surprise considering its size, “Go on then, pick it up.”  

Kara is immediately suspicious of his attitude but reaches for the key anyway, grunting in surprise when she has the put some effort into lifting it up, “Oh Rao, what is this made of?” She passes it to Riley without question when Riley lifted her arms to offer to take it from Kara.  

“Only a...” Clark trailed off, baffled at the sight of Riley holding it with an ease that neither he nor Kara could quite pull off, carefully tossing it up in the air and catching it, then inspecting it curiously, “... million tons of condensed dwarf star. Well, I guess now we know who’s the strongest out of the three of us.”  

Giggling at Clark’s growing grin and Riley’s slight blush in embarrassment of playing with the key, Kara turned to notice an indent in the wall where it could be placed, “Alright, come on. We got information to find, and quickly.”  

The air took on a more serious tension at the reminder, and a section of the wall pulled in and slid out of the way at the pressure of the key that Riley placed into the correct spot. Once the key was set down and covered again, the three Kryptonians made their way inside. They would need to be quick to find any information Kara and Riley needed, and Clark needed to return to Metropolis as soon as possible.  

It wouldn’t be until Kelex shared the alarming information on a Coluan they would learn goes by ‘Indigo’, that Kara and Riley would rush back to National City like a fire was lit under them. In the same flight back, Clark offered assistance once the threat in Metropolis was wrapped up, and his cousins welcomed him to do so if the threat was still ongoing.  

The situation was like a race against time, one that felt like the largest threat yet.