Summary: A DEO mission leads Lena Luthor, director Danvers and Supergirl to another planet. Luckily, Supergirl seems to know her way around.
* * *
'It seems like we have run into a problem,' Supergirl announced with her hands on her hips, in the middle of the DEO.
'That's an understatement,' Alex Danvers retorted with slight panic.
'An alien with similar powers as Kryptonians just attacked Supergirl and took Brainy hostage before fleeing to God knows where in his spaceship,' Lena Luthor summed up the events that had occurred not even five minutes ago.
'This is bad, guys. This is really bad. Who knows what that perp will do to Brainy, you all remember when Lex's goons had reset his brain, right?' The DEO director crossed her arms and started coming up with possible strategies to track them down.
'What did he want anyway? His attack seemed personal, do you know him, Supergirl?' The Luthor asked the pacing blonde.
When she didn't receive a response from the superhero, the green-eyed woman slowly approached her girlfriend and stopped her in her tracks. 'Babe, I know you're worried about Brainy, we all are,' she said quietly, 'but the best way to help him is to come up with a plan to get him out of there. Do you know who attacked you?'
'You're right,' Kara agreed and furrowed her brows as she tried to remember the assailant. She closed her eyes and sighed once she realised which species they were dealing with. 'That was a Dheronian. Dheron was one of Krypton's neighbouring planets, and our planets were constantly at war with each other until they successfully destroyed Krypton.'
The other two ladies were taken aback by the information. 'What do you mean they successfully destroyed Krypton?' Alex questioned curiously. She had assumed it had been a natural extinction event due to an unstable planetary core, not a planned coup from a neighbouring planet.
'Krypton and Dheron had evolved at similar rates, but Krypton had made more technological advances. We had things they wanted and comparably, they also had things we wanted, not a lot, but they were a few Dheronian developments we were interested in, like star travel. Anyway, Krypton and Dheron were caught in this rivalry until one day, they launched a series of probes into Krypton's core, which led to it heating up and exploding,' the alien explained. 'Rao, I never thought I'd have to see one of them again. They've haunted my dreams for so long as a child, it was hard to let go of my vendetta against them.'
'How did you find out about the probes? And if you knew about them, why didn't you stop it?' The redhead wondered, growing more and more confused.
'Some scientists found them when they were conducting some research to figure out why the core was overheating. By then, it was too late to do anything, but my parents were sure they would find a way to stop the explosion so they refused to inform the public about the imminent danger,' Kara recalled. 'Listen, I would love to talk to you about Krypton, but I don't think now is the right time to have that conversation.'
'She's right,' Lena chimed in. 'Okay, so now we know who the assailant is and we may also have a motive. Do you think he was driven by the feud between your species to have done something like this?'
'Possibly,' the blonde pondered. 'Although they literally blew up our planet and almost wiped out the whole Kryptonian population. If anyone was feeling vengeful, it would make more sense if it were a Kryptonian.'
'Maybe, they want to get rid of every last one of you,' the tech mogul brainstormed, making the alien wince at her words. 'I'm sorry, Kara. That was insensitive of me. I'm just trying to figure out why he would travel all the way to Earth to assault you. It seems like a very long way to go for a revenge, doesn't it?'
'It's fine. Actually, you might be onto something,' the superhero noted. 'Why come to Earth when Argo City's right next to them? And why pick me over Kal-El?'
'Maybe there's a bounty on your head,' Alex suggested.
'Maybe, but shouldn't we have encountered more Dheronians if there was a reward for my capture?' Supergirl countered thoughtfully.
'The trip might not be worth the money,' Lena pointed out. 'How far away is Krypton from here?'
'27.1 lightyears,' the Kryptonian provided.
The CEO looked impressed. 'Even with our fastest man-made spacecraft, it would take about 43 thousand years to make that trip.'
Kara almost looked horrified at the number. 'Rao, how do you live with such primitive technology? No wonder there are no humans on any other planet.'
'Not the point,' the oldest Danvers sibling cut in. 'We have a suspect and a plausible motive. Now we need to figure out where the hell he took agent Dox to.'
'Oh, that one's easy. His pod is made of Dheronian metal and the metal is known to leave micro-particles behind. We could just scan the atmosphere for that specific element and follow the trail,' the Kryptonian proposed casually.
'Seriously? That was the easiest part to figure out?' The governmental operative asked with disbelief. 'Well, Brainy used to be our tech guy so we're going to have to track him down on our own.' She gestured towards the computer, encouraging the alien to execute her plan.
'Yeah, about that. I don't know how to scan the atmosphere for that specific element,' the Super admitted sheepishly.
'Me neither,' the DEO director crossed her arms. 'Computer science is not my forte.'
'Fortunately, it is one of mine,' Lena stepped in. She stalked to the fortunately still intact computer and hit the keyboard expertly with her fingers before the screen on the wall projected a map of the world. 'Since we don't have a record of the Dheronian metal in our databank, I scanned the atmosphere for any unknown and foreign element.' She zoomed in to the U.S.A. and even further to National City.
'Wow, there are a lot of unknown particles in the city,' Alex remarked with uncomfortable surprise.
'There!' Supergirl pointed at the screen. 'There's a literal trail of particles and it's-, oh no,' she realised with wide eyes.
'It's heading for outer space,' Lena concluded. 'We should've seen this coming. The probability of that dirtbag staying on Earth was very slim.'
'Can we still track him if he leaves the Earth's atmosphere?' The Kryptonian questioned anxiously.
'I'm working on it,' the Luthor promised as her hands reunited with the keyboard. 'I'm hacking NASA's satellite to get to their celestial particle scanner,' she enlightened with an excited smile.
The DEO director pursed her lips. 'I wish you wouldn't announce your illegal activities around a governmental agent, Lena.'
'What are you going to do, Danvers? Arrest me?' The CEO smiled challengingly.
'Of course I'm not going to arrest you,' Alex rolled her eyes. 'You're just putting me in a compromising position.'
'Aren't those the best to be in, though?' The Luthor teased.
The oldest Danvers sibling narrowed her eyes at the other woman, 'no.'
'I'm in.'
'You're so hot when you're smart,' Kara blurted out, unable to contain the pride and adoration she felt for her lover.
'She's always smart,' the redhead noted uncomfortably.
'I know.'
'Gross,' she gagged. 'Keep it in your pants, Supergirl.'
Lena on the other hand was wearing an amused smirk at her girlfriend's confession. 'Or you could let me take care of you,' she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, making the Super blush harder.
'Ladies! Brainy needs us!' Alex reminded loudly. 'Please focus on the task at hand,' she practically begged.
'Right, Brainy,' her sister remembered while the CEO brought up the results of the extraterrestrial scanner onto the large screen.
'There,' the businesswoman gestured toward the wall. 'Since space is filled with unknown elements, I narrowed down the results to the particles leaving the atmosphere in the vicinity of National City in the past hour and the ones that formed a similar pattern to what we had found on Earth. That left us with nine possible outcomes, and if you compare the density of the particles, there are still three trails that could lead us to where the Dheronian is heading.'
'That one,' Kara pointed at one of the lines.
'How do you know?' Her sister wondered.
'The other two tracks are still en route to who knows where. That one has already landed on an astronomical body. The Dheronian has unfinished business so he wouldn't stray too far from Earth, plus he's got a captive. I don't know how big his pod is, but it gets cramped in there real quick, so I doubt he would want to travel farther away with an unwanted passenger,' the alien rationalised.
'Fair enough,' the redhead concurred. 'Can you check to see if it's the spaceship we're looking for?'
'If that celestial object happens to have a camera orbiting it, then I could-,' Lena paused briefly and glanced at the DEO agent, 'gain access one way or another.'
Alex gave her a look that said 'really?', but nevertheless appreciated the Luthor taking her previous comment into consideration.
'Alright, let's see,' the computer expert started, 'the possible target has landed on... Europa, one of Jupiter's moons.' She typed on the keys causing the partial map of the universe to grow on the screen. 'There's a space probe orbiting Jupiter with a camera attached to it, but it won't give us any clear shots of the moons.'
'We'll have to do this the old-fashioned way then: trust our gut. How sure are you that the Dheronian took Brainy there, Supergirl?' The eldest Danvers asked the superhero.
'Given the other options, about 90 percent sure,' the Super replied certainly.
'That's good enough for me. Gear up ladies, we're going to Europa,' the DEO director clapped her hands decisively.
'I'm sorry,' Lena stammered, 'I must have misheard. I thought you said we were going to Jupiter's moon.'
'No, that's exactly what I said,' Alex nodded.
'We can take J'onn's spaceship,' Kara suggested. 'What about spacesuits? I've still got the suit Lena made me, but I'm not sure we have some supplementary suits for human space missions.'
'Don't worry about that,' the Luthor assured once she had processed the fact that she was going to space. 'L-Corp has been working on a new spacesuit designed to reduce mass and increase mobility.'
'You just happen to have that lying around, do you?' The Kryptonian grinned at her girlfriend's nerdiness.
The CEO raised an eyebrow at the comment. 'And aren't you glad that I did?' She countered with a smile.
'I sure as hell am,' Alex butted in. 'Alright, Lena and I will go get the suits, and you will ask J'onn if we can borrow his car. Meet us in twenty minutes at L-Corp,' she instructed before adding, 'with the spaceship.'
'Roger that,' Supergirl acknowledged and flew out of the window.
*
'We're here,' Supergirl announced quietly as the spaceship came to stop in a secluded area.
'Wow,' was the only reaction Lena Luthor could provide her company with at the moment.
'Before we head out, some ground rules,' the DEO director spoke through her comms. 'Keep your comms on at all times and don't wander off on your own. One wrong move and this could be the last place we'll be seen alive. Also, the Dheronian seems to have the same powers as Supergirl under the yellow sun so please be careful and watch each other's backs. Remember, the mission is to get Brainy and if possible, to capture the Dheronian. If something goes wrong, we regroup here at the car. These spacesuits, yours as well, Kara, are equipped with a GPS so if you get lost, just find your way back to the red blinking dot on the screen. Got it?'
'Got it,' both the Kryptonian and the fellow human replied.
'Let's go.'
The three ladies stepped out of the car without saying a word. The tension had risen and their playful banter that usually reigned their conversation was put on pause.
'Just follow me, I know the area,' the Super let them know, making the CEO glance at her incredulously.
'What do you mean 'you know the area'? We're on an inhabited moon nowhere near Earth or Krypton,' the Luthor retorted.
'My father took me on trips to study the stars and the composition of different celestial bodies. One of those was to Jupiter's moons,' the alien explained softly as she lead the way to a hideout spot she had noticed the last time she had been there.
'How come I'm finding this out only now? Are you holding out on me, Kara Zor-El?' Lena asked with mild shock.
'What? No! It just never came up during our conversations, I guess,' the blonde answered honestly.
'Guys, shut up,' Alex Danvers interrupted their discussion as she crouched behind a boulder. 'Look, there's the Dheronian's pod.'
The superhero used her X-ray vision to scan the area. 'There's a crack in the ground over there which we could jump or fly over,' she reported, 'and the Dheronian's keeping Brainy behind those rocks on the other side.'
'Smart location, those rocks are providing him with protection and there's no way he won't see us getting over the crack,' the L-Corp CEO noted. 'What's the plan?'
'I can distract him,' Kara proposed immediately. 'He'll think I came alone and I can steer him away, while you free Brainy.'
'That sounds dangerous, Kara,' her sister warned and her lover nodded in agreement.
'Do you have a better plan?' The hero questioned expectantly.
'I do not,' Alex conceded.
'Great, we have a plan,' the Super smiled before she faltered. 'Once you have Brainy, if you notice things getting dicey, get out of here. Whatever happens with me, promise me you'll return to Earth with or without me. Both of you.'
'Kara, I can't,' the DEO agent's voice trembled. She had a sense of déjà vu, and just because they had gone through this once and it had worked out in their favour, didn't make it easier the second time around. 'Not again.'
'Kara,-' Lena called softly, also unable to say the words her lover was desperate to hear.
'I need you to be safe,' the blonde insisted. 'If we all die out here, this whole mission would've been for nothing. Please,' she begged gently. 'If things don't go as planned, promise me you'll get to safety without me.'
As much as it was painful for both women to even think about losing their favourite person in the world, they knew it would hurt the hero more if they didn't say those words.
'I promise,' Alex swore.
'Me too,' the Luthor concurred, although her tone lacked conviction.
As if she sensed her sister's worry, the DEO director spoke again, 'don't worry, I'll get Lena out of harm's way even if she's kicking and screaming. I promise.'
The gratitude in the Super's eyes spoke louder than any words could have. 'I love you both,' she smiled adoringly.
In return, she received a chorus of 'I love you too's and with one last brave smile she said, 'let's kick some butt.' As far as last words go, she was sure she could definitely have done worse, but before she had a chance to stand up, a gloved hand grabbed hers.
'Come back to me, Kara,' the green eyed woman pleaded.
'Always, I promise.' With that, Supergirl stood up and walked towards the edge before shooting into the sky and appearing in her adversary's line of sight.
*
'Lena, we have to go,' a panicked Alex Danvers called out.
'Two more minutes,' the person in question replied pleadingly.
'By then, the cryogeyser will have erupted and leaked a high concentration of methane or worse, ammonia. Considering the amount of radiation we've been exposed to just by being here, I don't think the suits will be able to protect us for long. We have to leave, now. Remember your promise, Lena,' the DEO director reminded.
'Fine,' the Luthor relented as the ground began shaking violently.
*
'Thank you, ladies, for rescuing me from that Dheronian, and I'm very sorry to hear about Kara,' Brainy apologised genuinely in the DEO med-bay.
'Don't count her out yet. She's a fighter, she'll find her way back, you'll see,' Alex Danvers rejected his apology from her medical bed.
The DEO director and the L-Corp CEO were receiving an IV treatment to remove the radiation from their body, although they had both been fortunate enough to escape the toxic environment before they started feeling the effects of the poisoning.
'How come you're doing fine after all the radiation you've been exposed to?' the redhead asked the Coluan.
'Most of us were genetically manipulated to survive in different atmospheres,' Brainiac 5 explained simply.
'Director Danvers,' an agent came running into the room, 'an aircraft not unlike the Dheronian's was seen crash-landing a few miles East from here.'
The Danvers sibling locked eyes with the Luthor before they both pulled the needle out of their veins and rushed to the DEO parking lot. 'I swear to god, if that son of a bitch dared to come back,' the green-eyed woman cursed with fury from the passenger seat.
The rest of the ride consisted of sirens, reckless driving and mostly silence. The businesswoman was already out of the car before the other woman had even cut the engine and she marched towards the wreckage.
'Hey, wait up!' Alex quickly followed her steps. 'It could be the Dheronian. Stand back,' she instructed and pulled out her weapon. With careful strides she approached the capsule and pressed the button to open it, revealing an unconscious blonde and a cuffed passenger. She sighed in relief and gently shook her sister's shoulder to wake her up. 'Kara,' she called.
The superhero roused from her slumber and squinted at the figure standing above her. 'Lena?'
'She's safe. She's here. It's good to see you alive and well, sis, but never scare us like that ever again, got it?' The DEO director warned before offering her her hand to pull her out.
'Thank you,' the Super hugged her sibling tightly.
'Human bones,' Alex squeaked painfully.
'Sorry!' Kara immediately released her hold and smiled at her before another presence grabbed her attention.
'Go,' her sister chuckled, knowing fully well who had caught the hero's eye.
With her heart pounding in her chest, and a wide grin forming on her face, Kara approached the green eyed woman. 'Hey, stranger. Did you miss me?'
'So much,' Lena admitted unashamedly. She pulled her lover in a warm embrace, 'you came back.'
'I promised, didn't I?' The blonde reminded softly.
'And you caught the bad guy,' the Luthor noticed appreciatively behind the Super's back.
'Hey, he wasn't that bad, he gave me a ride home,' the Kryptonian joked lightheartedly.