58. Marcus

One Month Later…  

The Danvers family was sitting around the kitchen table eating breakfast and chit chatting.  They were all in high spirits the last week or two, ever since Kara had started to hear the babies’ heartbeats.  To top it all off, today was their two month checkup with Dr. Landry. The twins were bouncing excitedly in their seats, and Kara was practically walking on air.  In fact, she had to check a few times to make sure she wasn’t actually floating.

“OK,” Kara chirped.  “I mean, I love him. I do.  I- I love him. But come on, JT has got to be the only one holding up the reunion right now!”

“Oh, obviously,” Lena played along.  “Here, but let me ask you this, right?  Would you rather have an N’Sync reunion or JT and Britney back together?”

“Ugh! My OTP!” Kara mimicked a stab through the heart, making Lena giggle.  “That's an impossible question to answer, and you are cruel for asking.”

“Yeah, well, you know, sometimes my Luthor genes just shine through.”  They all chuckled.

Maggie made an exaggerated gagging noise.

Kara laughed, unfazed.   “Lena, I’ve been missing you.  When are you going to tell us what you and Rhea are working on?”

“I told you, it's top secret,” the CEO winked.

Kara made a show of adjusting her glasses.

“As soon as I can tell anyone anything, you will get an exclusive, I promise,” Lena assured.  “I love working with Rhea.”

“Mmm,” Kara muttered non-comitally.

“Yeah, she's fantastic.  It's- It's like having a mentor, you know?  I know you two got off to a rocky start, but I think you’ll come around on her.”

“You’ve got to give me something, I have to have something to look forward to,” Kara pouted.

“Okay, something to look forward to…  What do you know about quantum entanglement?”

“Quantum wh-” Kara frowned in confusion.

“Polyatomic anions?”

The reporter grimaced.  "I'm sorry, I don't know the English words for science that Alex didn't study."

“Well,” Lena chuckled, “When you see what we're doing with them, it will blow you away.”

“I hope not literally.”

“Kara!”

“What?  I’m just saying!”  

Lena looked at her watch.  “I’m sorry, my darlings, but I have to get to work.  We’re doing our first test run today. Wish me luck.”  Her phone chose then to start ringing. “That’s Rhea. Love you all.  I’ll see you in time for our appointments.” She kissed her family goodbye and headed out.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Hey, sweetie,” Lucy greeted James.  They were meeting for lunch at the food court in the park downtown.

“Hey, beautiful,” James grinned and kissed his fiancée.  “How’s it going?”

“Great!” she answered.  “The wedding planner says everything is happening smoothly.  All we have to do now is show up.”  

James nodded, “Excellent.  I can’t wait.”

They held hands as they walked around, deciding what to eat.  “Oh! Falafels sound amazing,” Lucy pointed.

“Yeah, and these falafels are, like, the best in town, too.”

“You only know that because I told you that.”

James chuckled.  “Well, you do know best.”

“Damn right.”

Suddenly, the ground and everything around them began to tremble.

“Oh, shit, are we having an earthquake?” Lucy worried.

“Ma’am, stop what you’re doing!” they heard.  Turning toward the voice, they watched in shock as a floating woman with glowing eyes telekinetically threw a police officer into a food stand behind him.  Everything around them seemed to be affected by this woman, and all of a sudden, there were vending stands and cars flying everywhere.

James snapped into action, “Everybody get out of here! Go! Go, go, go, go!”  He ran around the area clearing civilians and guiltily wishing he had his camera on him.

Lucy called the DEO emergency number, “This is Major Lane!  We have a hostile telekinetic in Simmons Square!” She hung up and immediately joined her fiancé in clearing people out of there.

Supergirl showed up about thirty seconds later, catching a truck that was being thrown into a nearby apartment building.  As suddenly as everything started, it stopped again, and everything was still. The crowd cheered for Supergirl as she lowered the truck to the ground.  She headed straight toward her two friends. “Where are they?” she demanded.

They all looked around, but the woman had mysteriously disappeared.

“She’s gone,” James sighed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Authorities are investigating a targeted alien terrorist attack that occurred earlier today.  Law enforcement has no leads on the identity of the alien or motive, but tensions are on the rise as fear of another attack- ”

Alex turned the sound off of the TV in the briefing room.  

“If the news keeps stirring up fear, there's gonna be a witch hunt for whoever this alien is,” J’onn mused.

“Things could get out of hand very fast,” Alex concurred.

“Okay,” Winn interjected, “So, we figured out what kind of alien she is.  She's a Phorian.”

Lucy frowned.  “A what?” 

“I never realized any had taken refuge here on Earth,” J’onn commented.  “Historically, they're a peaceful race of aliens.”

“Today, not so peaceful,” James said.

“Thank God Supergirl was there,” Alex sighed.  “Hundreds could've been hurt.”

“Normally, their telekinetic powers are benign,” J’onn informed them.  “I've never heard of a Phorian doing so much damage.”

“And they're also telepathic like Martians,” Winn added.  “They’re connected through their thoughts.”

Lucy turned to the director, “Do you think more of them will attack?” 

“For now, let's just treat this as a lone-wolf situation,” J’onn replied.

“So, how do we find her?” James wanted to know. 

“Supergirl and Mon-El are out surveying the city to see if they can come up with anything,” J’onn answered.

“I'd be happy to help,” James offered.  “I can get out there and see if there's any leads.”

J’onn shook his head.  “Mr. Olsen, you've been very helpful, but this is a DEO matter.  We'll let you know if we need your skill set, but for now-” 

“I got it.”  The hurt on James’ face was obvious, but he simply turned and walked out.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lena pouted all through her lunch with Rhea.

“Today was just our first test,” the queen comforted her.  “You can't expect it to be perfect on the first attempt.”

“I quadruple checked my calculations on this, okay?” Lena grumped.  “The reaction of the polyatomic anions was supposed to be strong enough to spark the core of the generator.”

“Neither of us has gotten to where we are without persistence,” Rhea patiently reminded her.

“If I can't make this work, we won't be able to power the portal that we're building,” Lena continued.  “This was supposed to revolutionize the way everything was transported, eliminate famine, the need for fossil fuels.  I wanted to help my planet. And get you home to yours.”

“And you will,” Rhea assured.  “You're making advancements in science that most people on Earth could not even dream of.  No one said it would be easy.”

“What if I can't make it work? What if I can't get you home?” 

“I have confidence in you, Lena.  I am going to the test facility to check the progress of the portal.  I know you don't believe it yet, but you're going to make this work.” Rhea caressed Lena’s cheek, and the CEO smiled gratefully at her.  “I’ll see you after your appointment.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

At the end of the school day, Alex and Kara picked the twins up from school and headed to Dr. Landry’s office.  Lena and Maggie would be meeting them there. The twins were practically vibrating with excitement because they knew they would be getting sonograms this time.  Jamie had begged her mother to let her look at the baby with her x-ray vision, but Alex felt weird about it, and wouldn’t let her. She wanted to see them so bad!  They all sang along to the radio during the car ride to the hospital, even Alex. Alien attacks or not, they were all excited.  

Once they arrived, the twins practically skipped to the doctor’s office.  Lena and Maggie were already there waiting for them. Lena looked sullen.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Kara asked in a panic.

Lena sighed.  “Our test run today was a complete failure.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Kara said, hugging her wife.  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You’re amazing, Lena.”

Lena smiled and kissed the blonde on the cheek.  “Thanks, love.”

Alex was called back first.  

When Dr. Landry appeared, she looked serious.  “Alex, how are you feeling, dear?”

“Pretty decent, actually, all things considered,” the agent replied.  “I’ve been seeing a therapist a couple times a week since the whole kidnapping incident, and Kara can hear the babies’ heartbeats, so a little morning sickness is welcome at this point.”

“Wonderful,” the doctor finally smiled.  “And you’re taking your vitamins?”

Alex rolled her eyes.  “Yes, I’m taking them. I’m not a kid anymore, you know.”

Dr. Landry chuckled.  “Are you ready to get a look at your baby?”

“Yes!” both Alex and Kara answered.

The redhead crawled up into the exam bed, and the doctor prepped her for the ultrasound.  As soon as they heard the heartbeat, they all grinned. When the picture focused more, and they could finally see the baby, Alex burst into tears.  “I’m so relieved to finally see it for myself!” she exclaimed.

Kara kissed her soundly, barely able to contain her elation.  Sure, she could see the babies with her x-ray vision, but as Alex said, now the moms could see it for themselves.  She bounced on her toes, grinning like a fool. “Oh my gosh, I’m so happy!”

Alex grinned at her.  “Me too, Angel.”

Dr. Landry took a few pictures with the ultrasound machine, and then they were done.  When Alex and Kara returned to the waiting room, the twins ran to them, knowing what was coming.  The girls bounced excitedly until the pictures were in their hands, and then they started squealing.

Alex plugged her ears, “OK!  OK! Give them back now.”

“Wait!” Jamie said, putting the photos down and taking pictures of them with her phone.  “OK, there you go.” She returned the pics to her mom and shared the ones she’d taken with her sister.

“I love you so much, Mom!” Jessie said, giving her a big hug.

“I love you too, baby,” Alex replied happily.

“Me too, Mom!” Jamie was not to be left out.

“I love you too, baby,” Alex hugged them both, and then they sat down to wait for Lena and Maggie’s turns.  They cuddled happily, enjoying the sunshine coming through the windows, and talked about baby names.

Maggie went next, with Kara in tow.  The Kryptonian could hear her wife’s heart beating double-time, so she held her hand and whispered soothingly to her.  “It’s OK, honey bunny. I’m here. Everything’s going to be OK.”

The detective squeezed her hand tightly and tried to breathe her nerves away.

“The ultrasound won’t hurt you, I promise,” Kara assured.

“I know,” Maggie responded, “But I’m still nervous.”

They answered all the doctor’s questions, and soon it was time for the sonogram.  Still, Maggie clutched Kara’s hand through the prep and held her breath as soon as the wand touched her belly.

“Breathe,” Kara reminded her.

Maggie took a shaky breath in and out, and then they heard the heartbeat.  

“Is that-  Is that it?” Maggie wondered.

“That’s your baby,” the doctor smiled at her.

The detective grinned a mile wide, and suddenly they were looking at the fetus.  “Oh, my god.”

Kara stroked her hair and kissed her on the head.  “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Wow, I think I’m in shock a little,” Maggie whispered.  “Wow.”

“Look how perfect it is,” Kara beamed.  “You’re doing so great, Mags.”

The Latina started to tear up.  “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m crying right now.”

“It’s fine, honey,” Kara soothed her.  “A baby is a beautiful thing.”

Maggie nodded tearfully.  “I’m happy, Kara.”

“Good.  I’m glad.  I’m happy too,” the reporter answered with a big kiss.  “You’re so perfect, Maggie.”

While they were talking, the doctor took a few pictures of Maggie’s baby for them.  “OK, you’re all set!” she told them chipperly. “We’ll see you next month.”

Kara lead a dazed Maggie back into the waiting room where the twins pounced on them immediately.  

“Show us!  Show us!” the kids demanded.

The detective offered up the pictures they’d gotten, and again, the kids went nuts.  Jamie snapped a few pics with her phone and gave the hard copies back.

Last, but certainly not least, Lena headed toward the back with Kara.  Except for biting her lip, the CEO gave every outward impression that she was unfazed by the whole thing, but her pounding heart gave her away to the sensitive Kryptonian beside her.  Kara took her hand and kissed the back of it, and Lena smiled nervously.

“It’s OK, sweetheart.  Everything’s OK. I promise.  You’re doing great, and the babies are doing great, and everything is great.”

Lena nodded.  “I know, I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”

“It’s only natural,” Kara tried to ease her mind.  “Maggie was nervous too.”

The CEO trembled a bit, but she squeezed Kara’s hand to steady herself.  “Thanks for being here with me, Kara.”

The blonde kissed her tenderly and looked her in the eyes, “Baby, there’s no place I’d rather be than right here with my beautiful wives who are going to have my babies.  You’re everything to me, Lena.”

Lena smiled softly.  “Thank you.”

They talked briefly to Dr. Landry, and then it was time for the ultrasound.  Again, Lena’s heartbeat skyrocketed.  

“It’s OK, sweetheart.  It won’t hurt,” Kara promised.

Lena climbed into the seat, and the doctor prepped her for the exam.  As before, the heartbeat came first, but this time there were two different ones.  Lena’s stomach dropped like she was falling. She squeezed Kara’s hand, and suddenly, they were looking at their babies.

“There’s one,” Dr. Landry pointed, then moved the wand a little.  “And there’s your second one. They look perfect.”

“So perfect,” Lena breathed.  “Wow.” She started to cry as she watched the view on the ultrasound machine.  “I’m having two babies, Kara!” she exclaimed a little panicky.

“I know, baby, I know,” Kara soothed.  “It’s gonna be OK. I promise. We have lots of experience with twins, and we’re going to have lots of help.  It’ll be OK. You’re gonna be so great. I know it.” She kissed her wife to help calm her. “I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have babies with than you.  They’re going to be so perfect!”

When Dr. Landry was done taking pictures, she wished them well, and told them to come back in another month.  Again, the twins were all over them when they came out, going wild when they saw both of their new twin siblings.  Jamie took some final pictures before they left, and then it was off to the DEO for training and back to work for Lena.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Amy wiped the sweat from her brow.  Ever since the Danvers had convinced her to start training with them, she’d come to the DEO, signed a dozen non-disclosure forms, and Alex had worked her to the bone.  The chef hadn’t realized how truly out of shape she was until that first day, when they’d tested every one of her abilities to see how they compared to the others. She already knew she wasn’t as strong as Jamie, but she was happy to discover that Lyra and Mon-El were fairly equal to her in strength, although she couldn’t jump over a building like Mon-El could.  

She was early today, so she figured she’d get some running in on the treadmill before the rest of the gang arrived.  She’d already lost ten pounds in the three weeks she’d been training, and it felt good. It felt good to be getting back in shape, and even though she still had a ways to go, she was still happy with her progress.

When the gang arrived, Jamie and Jessie ran to her, squeeing and talking so fast at the same time that she couldn’t understand a word of it.

“Whoa, whoa!” Amy held her hands out to them.  “Calm down. One at a time.”

“Look!” Jamie said, holding her phone out.

Amy took the phone and looked at the photo.  “Aww!” she grinned. “Babies!”

Jessie helped her scroll through all the sonogram pictures, making sure to point out whose was whose.

“That’s awesome.”

“Isn’t it cool?” Winn beamed.  “I mean, it’s completely insane, but it’s still really cool.”

“I can’t wait to meet them,” Lyra added.  “I love babies.”

“You do?” Alex was surprised.  

Lyra nodded.  “Yes, on Starhaven, I used to work for my mum at her daycare.  It was fun. Babies are great. They’re so sweet and innocent. They don't try to hurt you or take advantage of you.  They just want to be loved.”

Kara and Alex looked at each other.  “Really?” they asked in unison.

“Yes.  Is that so hard to believe?” Lyra replied.

“No, no, of course not,” Winn hurriedly answered.

“It’s a little surprising,” Kara admitted.  “How would you feel about working for us when the babies are born?  We need a nanny that we don’t have to hide Supergirl’s identity from.”

Lyra’s eyes lit up, “Really?”

Kara and Alex nodded.

“Maggie has been looking,” Alex explained, “But she hasn’t found anyone yet.”

“You would trust me to do that?” Lyra checked.

“Sure, if it’s something you’re interested in,” Alex nodded.

“Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s kind of hard for me to blend in.  Bartending isn’t really my thing, but the alien bar is the only place I can get a job looking like I do.” Lyra explained.  “That’s much more my speed. I would be honored to take care of your children.”

The Danvers beamed.

“Awesome!” the twins cheered.

“Yes, very awesome,” Lyra agreed.

“It’s a wonder you didn’t say something sooner,” Kara mused.

Lyra shrugged.  “I didn’t know that’s something you were looking for.”

“I’m glad we got this all worked out,” Kara said, patting Lyra’s shoulder with a grin.  “I mean, you’ll have to work at the bar until the babies are born. Can you handle that?”

“I’ve done worse,” Lyra replied.

Everyone chuckled.

Mon-El entered the training room with a wave, “Hey, sorry I’m late.  I got caught in traffic, and I didn’t want to leave my bike somewhere random.”

“Mon-El!” the twins ran to hug him.  “Look!” Jamie showed him the sonogram pictures on her phone.

“Cool!” he grinned.  “You’ve gotta show Eve, she’ll go nuts!”

“Guess what!” Jessie exclaimed.  “Lyra is gonna be the nanny for the babies!”

“Cool!” he responded again.  “I’m looking forward to doing some babysitting myself.  Ever since we heard about the pregnancies, I’ve been noticing babies everywhere.  I never realized just how cute they were.”

“I don’t plan on babysitting,” Amy told them, “But I do plan on getting some snuggles in.”

“And how!” agreed Winn.  “Anyway, I’m gonna get back to work.  You kids have fun now.” He kissed his girlfriend and headed out.

“OK, people, let’s do some warmups!” Alex directed.  She walked them through a few exercises, but five minutes in, and all of a sudden she started hovering off the ground.  She screeched and tried to get down, but she just kept floating. “A little help?” she cried.

Everyone just stared at her.  

“What’s going on?” Mon-El nearly shouted.  He grabbed her leg and pulled her back down to the ground, but she floated back up as soon as he let go of her.

Jamie tugged her sun blocker off and put it around Alex’s wrist, pushing the button to turn it on, and the agent immediately fell back to the floor.

“Jesus!” Alex grumped.  “What the hell?”

“What the hell is right!” Jessie huffed.  “The baby has powers?”

Alex didn’t say anything about Jessie swearing.  She just looked shocked as she placed her hand over her belly.  “Shit!”

Jessie started crying hysterically.  “It’s not fair! Jamie has powers, and now the baby has powers, and I still don’t have any powers!”

Lyra put her arm around the girl, trying to soothe her.  “It’s OK, sweetheart. Powers aren’t everything. You’re still important, whether you have powers or not.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Jessie argued.  “You all have powers!”

“Jessie,” Amy tried, “You met me before you ever knew I had powers.  Did that make me less of your friend?”

“No,” she answered.

Lyra nodded, “No, because powers aren’t what makes a person.  It’s your attitude and how you treat people that make you who you are, and you are a kind and loving person that I’m proud to call friend.  Having powers isn’t going to change that one bit.”

Jessie sniffled.  “But I want to help people!” she insisted.

“There are literally billions of ways for you to help people without powers,” Alex reminded her.  “People do them every day. I don’t have powers, and look at me.”

That soothed the preteen a little.  Her mom was pretty badass, and she did everything she did with zero superhuman powers.  She hugged her mother, who let her cry on her shoulder.

“I know, baby,” Alex soothed.  “It’s OK.” She held Jessie until she stopped crying.  “Come on, baby. I’m sure your powers will come in soon, you just have to wait it out.”

“Yeah,” said Mon-El, “Just give it some time.”

Lyra, Amy, and Jamie all agreed.

“Let’s get back to our workout, shall we?” Alex insisted.  “It’s not an emergency, I’ll tell everyone about the baby later.  Kara’s gonna flip out, so let’s make sure I’m the one that tells her.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

That night, when the Danvers women were all home making dinner, Alex made her announcement.  “Guys, I have some big news,”

“Did you find the woman from the park?” Kara asked.

“No, this isn’t about work,” Alex replied.  “Um… the- um. My baby has powers.”

The other three women just stared at her in shock.

Maggie was the first to break the silence, “Oh my god, are you OK?”

“Yeah,” Alex quickly assured them.  “Yeah, I’m fine, but I started floating earlier this afternoon when we were in the training room.  Jamie put her sun blocker on my wrist, and it stopped.”

Kara’s heart was in her throat.  “Don’t take that thing off for a second!  What if the baby hurts you?”

“It’ll be OK, Kara.  We just have to make sure to make a baby-sized red sun band for when she’s born.”

“She?” Lena asked.

“Well, I don’t know if it's a she, but I’m tired of calling the baby an ‘it.’  I’m just going by what Jessie said.” She chuckled.

Kara crossed her fingers.  “I’m praying for at least one boy.”

“I wouldn’t mind a boy one bit,” Alex admitted.  “Here’s hoping.”

“Just as long as they don’t punch a hole through their mother, I’ll be happy,” Kara sighed.

“I’ll have to make a new sun band for Jamie, though,” Alex mused.  “Hopefully she can make it through the night without it.”

“I’ll just give her mine,” Kara said.  “I only use mine for sex, anyways.”

“Don’t tell her that,” Maggie quipped with a smirk.

“Oh, Rao, I’d never hear the end of it,” Kara rolled her eyes.  “I’ll be right back.” She headed to the bedroom to get her red sun band and give it to Jamie who was in her own bedroom doing homework with her sister.

“Are you sure you’re OK?” Lena asked Alex.

“Am I nervous?  Yes. Am I scared?  Nah. We have the technology to keep the situation under control.  I’m confident that everything will be fine overall.”

“OK, my love,” Lena conceded.  “We love you so much, you know.”

“I love you too, sweethearts.”  Alex kissed Lena and Maggie sweetly.  When Kara returned, she remembered there was something else she needed to tell them.  “Oh! I almost forgot. Kara and I were talking to Lyra, and did you know she used to work at her mom’s daycare on Starhaven?  We think we should let her work for us when the babies are born.”

“Lyra?  Really?” Lena said curiously.  “I guess I’ve never really gotten to know her that well.  I’m surprised.”

“Yeah, we were a little surprised too,” Alex agreed, “But she fits the profile.  She’s an alien who knows who Supergirl is, she’s proficient in English, and she’s got some extra strength to add toward the bodyguard aspect.  Plus, she loves our kids. I genuinely believe she’ll take good care of them.”

“I’m willing to give her a shot,” Maggie responded.  “But I’d like her to get some earth training. CPR and stuff.”

“I think that’s wise,” Kara agreed.  

Alex nodded.  “She can do that through the DEO.”

“Baby CPR?” Maggie checked.

“Well, no,” Alex admitted.  “We’ll have to find somewhere else to do that, I guess.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Maggie told them.  

“OK,” Alex said easily.

“Thanks, honey bunny,” Kara chirped, kissing the detective on the cheek.

“She’ll need some sort of an ID,” Maggie added.  “Find out if she has one, and if she doesn’t, get her one.”

“I’m on it,” Alex nodded.  She texted Lyra right then and there.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

That night, Lyra and Mon-El were out patrolling the streets when they stumbled upon the alien known as Brian - a known criminal suspect.  (He was also one of Maggie’s confidential informants, but they didn’t know that.) They hid behind a fence and waited to see what went down.  Sure enough, just a few short minutes later, another guy came walking up the alley to meet Brian. There was a clear exchange before the pair of aliens jumped out and pounced on them.  Mon-El accidentally knocked the drug dealer out, while Lyra shoved Brian up against the dumpster by his collar.

“Where do you people come from?” Brian whimpered.  “Please, don't hurt me!”

Lyra let him go, but crossed her arms over her chest and stared threateningly at him.

“Come on, it's just a little bag of weed!” he complained.  “It's for my anxiety. I was kidnapped recently and I'm very, very tense.”

Lyra continued to stare at him.  He knew full well that Lyra had been a part of the same kidnapping by Cadmus.  She pulled her fist back.

“Wait!  You know the attack on Simmons Square?  Yeah. That woman. The one with all the crazy powers?  Everyone's looking for her, right? I know where she lives.”

“Now we’re talking,” Mon-El said.  “Spill.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Mon-El and Lyra went immediately to the woman’s house.  They knocked on the door three times before they decided to break the lock and let themselves in.  As they were wandering around, they heard a noise and turned around to see a young boy trying to run away from them.

“Wait!” Lyra called out, running to cut the boy off.  “We’re not here to hurt you,” she said gently, lowering herself to his eyeline.  “See? We’re aliens too. We’re here to help you, OK?”

The boy just stared at them, but didn’t seem to be afraid anymore.  After a few seconds, he reached out to touch Lyra’s face, checking to make sure she was real.

“Will you come with us?  We want to keep you safe,” Mon-El assured him.

The boy backed away from Mon-El, but when Lyra held out her hand to him, he took it.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“We've been in here a long time.  You must be hungry.” Alex nudged over a couple of cheeseburgers to the boy.

Marcus remained silent, telekinetically pushing the food away.

“OK.  Look, I know you don't wanna be here with me.  I'm just trying to help you, Marcus. I'm trying to help you and your mom.  I promise you that. But the authorities are after her because she did a bad thing.  And if you help us find her, then we can protect her from doing something bad to somebody else.  So do you have any idea where she could be?”

The boy still refused to speak.

In the other room, Winn, J’onn, Mon-El, Lyra, James and Lucy were watching the kid on the monitors.

“Maybe she should give him, like, some action figures,” Winn suggested.  “Right? Like, if somebody had given me action figures when they interrogated me about my dad when I was 10, like, I would-  I would've sung like a canary.”

“This kid is completely shut down,” Lucy stated the obvious.  

“And pulling him into an interrogation room like some criminal off the street, I don't think is the best way to get him to open up,” Lyra added.

“Yeah, this kid's life has been upended badly,” James chimed in.  “Okay, first, he's a refugee.

Then his mom ends up missing.  And if he's turned on the TV at all since yesterday, all he's seen are adults yelling about her, calling for blood.  I wouldn't trust anybody either, if I was this kid.”

“James is right,” Alex said as she exited the interrogation room.  “I've been in there for hours, and all he does is just stare at the camera.”  She watched the video feed as Lyra paced back and forth impatiently. Every time Lyra went one way, Marcus’ head followed.  “He's looking at you.”

Lyra scoffed, “At-  At me? Through a wall, Alex?”

“He's an alien with telekinetic and telepathic powers,” Alex reminded them.

“Hey, look at that.  It's like the Mona Lisa,” Winn quipped.

“You said that he connected with you,” Lucy said, hands on her hips.  “Did he say anything to you?”

Lyra shook her head.  “No, he just saw that I was an alien like him, and he took my hand.  We had to look around the house to find out what his name was.”

“He identified with her,” Mon-El agreed.  “Maybe she should talk to him.”

“Perhaps you’re right,” J’onn nodded.

“Yeah, but… maybe not here?” Lyra suggested.  “Maybe we can take him somewhere a little less scary?”

J’onn tilted his head, “What do you suggest?”

Lyra looked at Alex, “What if we bring him to your place and see if he opens up with the twins?”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Alex conceded.  

“If I can help this kid, I'd like to,” Lyra told them.

“All right,” J’onn nodded.  “Take the day, see if you can find out where the boy's mother is.  We'll check in with you later.”

“Hey, you'll be good with him,” Winn encouraged her.

“Thanks, babe,” Lyra kissed him and followed Alex out.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lena powered up the generator, but after two seconds, it stopped working, throwing sparks everywhere.  She threw the control tablet down on the table and huffed in annoyance.

“Still isn't working?” Rhea asked.

“Was it me throwing it down in disgust or the sparks that gave it away?” Lena grumped.

Rhea spoke to the scientists around them, “Can you give us a minute?”  She waited for the staff to filter off before she spoke again. “Failure is a part of the process, Lena.  I told you this was going to take time.”

“It's not about time.  I'm just not getting it,” Lena complained.  “You know, maybe we should pay a visit to Stryker Island.  Get Lex Luthor to come in and save the day.”

“You think he could get this working?” 

“Lex was the genius who was supposed to save the world.  You know, I just thought if I could make this work, I would prove to the world and to my mother that I was as good as the golden boy.  I think most of all, I just wanted to prove it to myself.”

Rhea shook her head.  “You don't have to prove anything.  You're smarter than Lex.”

Lena scoffed.

“No.  I'm not saying that to make you feel better,” Rhea promised.  “I'm saying it as a scientist. As someone who knows. But you need to stop trying to think like your brother.  From what you've told me about Lex, he's a man who's concerned with power, and that's how you've been trying to fix this.  Give it more power, you think it will work.”

“Yeah, but it just keeps blowing.”

“But you're not a person who's consumed with power.  Are you? So, if you weren't trying to do what Lex would do, what would you do?” 

“I'd try to find a way to increase the anion input without overloading the energy output.  All while maintaining the element synthesis rate at a constant.”

“Not power.  Balance.”

Lena grinned and quickly returned to her computer.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Alex took Lyra and Marcus to go pick up the twins from school.  They were hoping that a couple of friendly faces would help him open up.  Marcus remained quiet the entire way there, not responding to anything the women tried to ask him, no matter how innocuous.  When the twins saw Lyra in the van, they cheered, opening the door and hugging her. Then Lyra introduced the kids to Marcus.  The boy was as unresponsive as ever as the girls piled into the van, but the girls talked to him anyway, greeting him cheerfully and introducing themselves.

“Marcus, these are Supergirl’s kids,” Alex told him.  “Girls, Marcus is a Phorian. His mother is missing, and we’re trying to find her.”

“Oh, no!” Jessie whimpered.  “I’m so sorry, Marcus. We know how you feel.  Our mom was recently kidnapped, and it was so scary while she was gone.”

“Mama will find her, I know it!” Jamie told him.  “Just hold on, OK?”

“Do you girls remember what happened in the park yesterday?” Alex asked them.

“Yeah,” they answered.

“Well, that was Marcus’ mom.  We think he’s scared that we’re going to hurt her, but we’re trying to convince him that we’re on his side, and we just want to keep his mom safe.”

“It’s OK, Marcus.  Our parents help people.  You can trust them, I promise,” Jessie swore.  “It’s really important to us to try to help people, you know?  Especially aliens who are in trouble.”

“That’s right,” Alex concurred.  “We promise, we’re not going to hurt your or your mom.”

Marcus remained stoic as a rock, but he seemed to be listening to the twins as they talked about their day.

“Mom, are we going home?” Jessie asked, confused.  Usually they went to the DEO after school.

“Yes,” Alex answered.  “Marcus has been at the DEO for hours.  We thought he might want to go somewhere more comfortable.”

Jessie nodded.  “That sounds reasonable.  Our place is very comfy.”

“Agreed,” Lyra said.

Only a few minutes later, and they were home.  The gang lead Marcus to the elevator, up to the penthouse, and down the hall, where they let themselves in.  The boy seemed interested in the place. He wandered around the living room looking at things. When he seemed interested in the Nextol blossom, Alex wandered over and told him the story of how Supergirl was poisoned and Lena Luthor saved the day by obtaining the alien flower that held the antidote.  It wasn’t a long story, but Marcus seemed to be listening attentively.

“Are you hungry, Marcus?” Jessie asked him.  “Jamie and I are going to make some sandwiches.”

The boy followed the twins into the kitchen and looked around some more as the girls dug things out of the fridge.  “Do you like baloney?” Jessie asked him.

“Phorians don’t eat meat,” Marcus finally spoke.

“Oh,” Alex responded.  “That explains why he didn’t want the burgers I gave him.”

“Well, how about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?” Jamie offered.

Marcus nodded, and Jamie dug the peanut butter out of the cabinet.

“You know, when the twins were little, they used to be really adventurous and climb up on the counters and steal the peanut butter out of the cupboard,” Alex shared.  “They’d get it everywhere, and we would have to get up and clean the kitchen in the middle of the night.”

Lyra chuckled.  “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

Marcus ate the sandwich that Jamie gave him, along with a few veggies that they cut up for snacks.

“Feeling a little better?” Lyra asked him.

He nodded.

“Mommy, can we have some ice cream?” Jessie begged.  “You like ice cream, don’t you, Marcus?”

Marcus nodded again.

“Sure, knock yourselves out,” Alex permitted.  

The kids all enjoyed their treat, and then the twins took a minute to clean up.

“Do you like video games?” Jessie asked the Phorian.

“I like Star Wars games,” he answered.

Jessie, Jamie and Lyra lit up and started chattering away, asking him about his favorite characters and favorite scenes from the movies.  Every answer he gave was brief, but at least he was talking now.

They all sat down on the couch to play games, with Marcus sticking close to Lyra.  

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lena typed like a madman, adjusting her coding and algorithms.  When Rhea returned from her break, Lena stood up and grinned at her.  “If my mother had given me pep talks like you, imagine the things I could have done.”

Rhea smiled proudly.  “I'm happy to have mused you.  But trust me, it isn't always easy being the parent we aspire to be.  Shall we test it again?” 

“Let me just plug in the algorithm and fire it up,” Lena said excitedly.  She hurried over and plugged the control tablet in to recode the main computer.

While she was doing that, Rhea pressed a big red button that opened a huge window to reveal the gigantic round frame for the portal.  

“Here goes nothing!” Lena said nervously as she powered up the controls.  The machine powered on, and a big glowing purple gate opened inside the transport ring.  “Power is running smoothly to the core. Anions are reacting at a steady rate.”

“It’s working,” Rhea observed.

“We did it!” Lena cheered, powering the machine down.

“You did it,” Rhea corrected.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jessie rounded up all their Star Wars games and brought them over to Marcus to pick one.  She turned on the TV, and before she could switch inputs, they saw a news story about Marcus’ mother and the attack at the park.  She changed the channel immediately, but it was too late. 

Marcus looked really sad.  “My mother would never hurt anybody on purpose,” he told them.

Lyra took his hand delicately and looked him in the eye, “Do you know where she is, sweetheart?”

The boy took a deep breath and looked around to each person.  “I- I-” Suddenly, the boy’s eyes started glowing purple, and he stood up ramrod straight.

“Marcus?” Lyra checked.

No response.

“Marcus!” Alex repeated.

No sooner than the words were out of her mouth, the whole building started shaking, the TV started crackling, and the furniture started flying around.

“Marcus!” Lyra cried out, trying to grab  him, but the force of his powers flung her across the room and into the wall, creating a huge hole, in addition to all the cracks that were starting to form.  

Above them, the chandelier shook dangerously, and Jamie pulled Alex and Jessie out of the way just in time.  The preteen was quick to discard her red sun band and flew toward Marcus, fighting against the force of his telekinesis.  When she managed to get ahold of him, she flew him out the shattered balcony window and flew up, up, up, until they were far enough away from all the buildings that he wasn’t destroying anything anymore.  She used her X-ray vision to check on her family and friend. They were OK. After another few seconds of floating there, not knowing what to do, Marcus seemed to come back to himself and started flailing in terror.

“It’s OK, Marcus, I’ve got you.  You’re OK. Let’s go back down, now, OK?”

Marcus stiffened, but stopped flailing, so she could keep hold of him as they floated back down.  As she did so, she noticed people in the streets pointing at her and wondering who she was, if she was Supergirl in plain clothes, or someone new.  Luckily, they were high enough that no one could see her face, even with the best phone cameras. No one in sight seemed to have anything more high tech than that, thankfully, so she made her descent a little faster, and headed inside.

The penthouse was completely destroyed.  There were cracks in the walls and the TV, the furniture was all upside-down, the kitchen cabinet doors were hanging off and tons of dishes were shattered across the floor.

Alex ran to them, “Oh my god, are you OK?”  She fussed over them for a minute before Jamie stopped her.

“Um…  Mom?” Jamie muttered.

“What?” Alex worried at her tone.

“Well, there’s kind of a crowd out there right now, and some of them saw me.  Not very well, but enough.”

“Shit!” Alex hissed.  “Good thing we can sneak out through the garage.  Let’s get the hell out of here before the building comes down on us!”

The five of them had to run down fifteen flights of stairs because they were too afraid of using the elevator after everything that just happened.  They snuck out through the garage, piled back in the van and were gone before the first responders noticed anything.

Alex’s phone rang as she drove.  “Maggie!” she answered. 

“Danvers, what the hell happened?  Are you alright? Where are you?”

“I can’t explain right now, Maggie.  We’re on our way back to the DEO. We’re OK!  Meet us there!”

Maggie groaned and hung up the phone.

“Jessie, call Supergirl and tell her to get her ass to the DEO pronto!” Alex directed.

Jessie obeyed immediately, “Mama, Mom says to get your ass to the DEO pronto!”

Jamie and Lyra giggled while Marcus still looked terrified.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“He wasn't in control of himself,” Lyra explained to the group.  “It was like something was in control of him.”

“Do you think the same thing happened to his mother, too?” Alex wondered. 

“Maybe she's not the perpetrator we thought, but the victim,” J’onn mused.  “Just like Marcus. Either way, we'll need to keep him in that cell for now.  It's equipped with a telekinetic dampener, which should prevent him from having another episode.”

“Well, he's safe, but his mother's still out there,” Alex complained.  “We need to get him to tell us where she is.”

“Well, our best chance at that now is Ms. Strayd and the kids.”

Lyra shook her head.  I spent the entire day with that kid and all I got was a couple of sentences.  I should not have involved myself.”

“Look, we could really use your help here,” J’onn begged.  “It has to be you.”

“Why?  Because I'm an alien?  You’re an alien too. Why don't you talk to him?”

“It's more than that.  He sees something in you.”

“I brought him to the Danvers’, and I risked everybody's safety.  Supergirl’s daughter had to save everybody. Me, him, she kept everybody safe and I had no idea what to do.”

J’onn chuckled softly, “You know, I remember that feeling.  On Mars, we were encouraged to decide our line of work when we were very young.  Everyone had no problem pinpointing their futures. I didn't know what I wanted to do.  I was just waiting for a sign.”

“Did you find one?” Lyra wondered.

J’onn nodded.  “My first daughter.  When she came along, I finally realized I had a mission in life.  I had someone who relied on me. Having her gave me direction. Protecting her made me realize I had a gift for keeping people safe.  So I, um, I joined the law enforcement on Mars.

I became the Martian Manhunter.”

“And you think me talking to Marcus would give me that kind of purpose?” Lyra was skeptical.

“I saw a reflection of myself in my daughter.  I think you already see a reflection of yourself in him.  You want to find out what kind of hero you can be? Right here is a great place to start.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

About a half an hour later, Winn was calling everyone to the briefing room.

“We've been searching the city for signs of another attack, nothing yet,” Supergirl said, as she and Mon-El entered.

J’onn addressed Alex and Winn, “Have you two found anything?” 

“We looked into the Phorian's physiology,” Alex informed him.  “Turns out that a major shift in atmospheric energy can cause a change in their mental state.”

“But what causes a shift like that?” Mon-El wanted to know.

“Okay,” Winn started bringing things from his tablet onto the big screens.  “So, this measures electromagnetic activity around the city.”  

“There was a large spike around the time of the first fight on the street yesterday,” Alex informed them.

Kara crossed her arms over her chest, “And let me guess, another spike during the attack on our home today?”

“Hey, good guess,” Winn quipped.  “But that spike was about five times the size.”

“Have we determined what caused the spike?” J’onn quizzed.

“Yes,” Winn replied.  “High levels of polyatomic anions released in the atmosphere.”

“Wait,” Kara held her hand up.  “When I was talking to Lena this morning, she mentioned those anions.  That can't be a coincidence, can it?” 

“Definitely not,” J’onn agreed.

Kara snapped into action, “I'm gonna call Lena.”  She pulled out her phone and dialed Lena.

“Hello, Supergirl.”

“Rhea?” 

“You sound surprised.”

“Trace the call!” Alex whispered to Winn.

“If you've done anything to Lena-” Kara threatened.

Rhea scoffed.  “You'll what, lecture me?”

“We will find you.”

“You have no idea where I am or what I'm doing,” the queen prodded.  “How does it feel to be powerless?”

“If this is about Mon-El, you have to come to terms with the fact that he chose to stay here.”

“No, he made a choice to come home, to be king to his people.  And we would have been happy to go, but you were too selfish to allow that.”

“What's she saying?” Mon-El demanded.

Kara pressed the speakerphone button, and the voice on the other end echoed through the hall.

“Everything I do, I do for my people.  Everything you do for yours is to bolster your broken ego.  You need this planet to worship you, the last daughter of a failed world, because otherwise, your survival means nothing.”

“You're delusional.”

“No.  On the contrary, I see everything clearly.  I came here in peace, which you refused. And all of the ugliness that's transpired is because of your righteousness, Kara Zor-El.  Everything that happens from now on is your doing. Every city that burns, every nation that falls, for every child of Earth that cries out, ‘Why is this happening?’ The answer is Supergirl.”

“Kara has done nothing.  Okay? This is all you!” Mon-El interjected.

“Oh, of course you're there with her,” Rhea groused.  “The Kryptonian girl who bewitched you.”

“Mother, you're mad at me here, okay?  Don't take it out on this planet. You are better than this.”

“Anger has nothing to do with what I'm doing.”

“Then why? Why are you still here?”

“I'm here to wake you up, Mon-El.”  Here, Rhea ended the conversation.

“Did you manage to trace the call?” J’onn asked Winn.

“No,” Winn sighed.  “There was too much electromagnetic interference.”

Lena turned around to see where Rhea went.  “Was that my phone?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Rhea replied, surreptitiously deleting the notification for Kara’s call.  “Telemarketer.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lyra sat inside the cell with her new young alien friend.  “Hey, Marcus. Look, I know that you didn't mean to attack everybody the way that you did before.  Okay? And neither did your mom. Look, all I'm trying to do is make sure that everybody who saw her picture on the news knows that's not the real her, right?” 

“Every planet we go to, they make us go away,” Marcus told her.

“What do you mean?” 

“They always try to hurt us.  They think we're bad. I thought it would be different here.  I liked it here.” Marcus lowered his head dejectedly.”

“When I was a kid, I used to help my mom take care of children.  Little ones. Babies, mostly. It was fun. For a while. But then there was a plague that decimated the planet and its population, and the ones who were left started a ten year war over resources.  I watched my parents die of starvation, and that’s when I knew we had to leave. I took my brother on a ship where we hid below deck, and when we got here, well, people weren’t very nice to us. We looked different from humans, so the humans feared us.  I started putting up a wall, so it wouldn’t hurt when people rejected us, and that wall turned me into someone I didn’t like very much.

“But then, one day, I met my boyfriend Winn, and he wasn’t afraid of aliens, and he was already friends with other aliens, and I met his friends, and their friends, and now, I have lots of friends.  Do you know what happened? That wall came down. You see, Marcus, sometimes you can meet somebody and they can become your friend. And by trusting them, everything in your life can change.”

“I can see her,” he said.  “My mom.”

“Can you?” 

“But I don't know where she is.  It's somewhere I've never seen before.”

“Can you take me to her?” 

“You'll protect her?” 

Lyra took both of Marcus’ hands in hers.  “I will protect you both. I promise.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Okay, we're now monitoring all electromagnetic activity within the region.  If anyone powers up this device, we're gonna know exactly where they are,” Alex announced.

“Good,” J’onn crossed his arms over his chest.  “Then we can strike.”

Lyra hurried into the control room.  “Marcus knows where his mom is, but he's gotta take us to her.”

“I'm afraid I can't let him out of here,” J’onn spoke.  “Mon-El's mother created some sort of device with Lena. She could set it off at any moment.  It's just not safe for Marcus outside of containment.”

“But his mom is still out there,” she reminded him.

Winn raised his hand.  “I could- I could go with them.  I have a mobile version of that telekinetic dampener.  It should have plenty of juice to keep Marcus and his mom from going all Carrie.”

“I'm sorry, guys.  It's too risky.”

“J'onn,” Lyra pleaded.  “You said that you found your mission with your daughter.  Well, this is my mission.”

The director finally nodded.  “Be safe, Lyra.”

“Thank you.”

“Let's go.” she told Winn.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Marcus, be careful,” Lyra warned.  The building they were searching wasn’t in the best neighborhood in town.

“Mom?” the boy called, turning a corner.

“Marcus?” Winn warned. 

“Mom!” he called again. 

The woman from TV stepped out of the shadows.  “Marcus!” 

“Mom!” he ran to her and hugged her tightly.  Before his mother could move to attack his followers, he stopped her.  “No, no, Mom. These are my friends. They helped me find you.”

“Thank you,” she breathed.

“Look, we know that you did not attack the square on purpose,” Winn told her.

“It's okay.  You're safe now,” Lyra said gently.

“How?” asked the Phorian woman. 

Winn tapped his gadget.  “This bad boy is gonna protect you.”

“All of us?” the woman looked at him with wide eyes.

“All of-?” Lyra trailed off as nearly a dozen more Phorians came out of the shadows.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lena was exuberant by the success of their tests.  “Tomorrow we could begin the material trials.” Then she ducked her head sadly when she remembered, “I keep forgetting that success means that you're leaving.  Working with you has meant so much to me.”

“Me too,” the Daxamite queen agreed.  “Whatever happens next, I want you to remember never to doubt yourself again.  You are a marvel, Lena. Any mother should be proud to call you daughter.”

Lena smiled adoringly at her mentor, until the woman started to power up their machines again.

“Wait.  Wait. What are you-  What are you doing?” Lena demanded.  

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“We got something!” Alex hollered across the room.  “A huge release of anions.”

“Where?” Kara demanded.

“San Isidro Valley,” Alex informed them.

“You got a satellite image for that?” J’onn inquired.

“Yes,” Alex pulled up the satellite feed.

“What is that?” Mon-El wondered aloud. 

Kara took the lead, “Let's go!”

“Right on it,” J’onn was with her.

Mon-El hesitated.  “My mother.”

“I know this is going to be hard,” Kara said sympathetically.  “You don't have to do this.”

“No, I have to.  I just I need to grab something first.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Metal clanked and electricity buzzed as Winn fiddled with the telekinetic dampener.

“Marcus?” Lyra tried, but the energy shift was taking over every single Phorian.  “I don't think it's working, Winn.”

Sparks flew from Winn’s machine, “Argh! There's too many of them.  This isn't working.”

“What's wrong with it?” Lyra demanded. 

“It's made for two, not 12!  We gotta get out of here. This much telekinetic energy between these Phorians-  The entire city is in danger.”

“I am not leaving him!”

“Well, what do you wanna do?” 

“Well, they're linked telepathically, right?” 

“Yeah.”

“So, if I break through to him, maybe he can break through to them.”

“Okay, go.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Why won't it shut down?  What did you do?” Lena panicked.

“What I had to do.  For my people. I want you to know the affection I have for you is real.”

Suddenly Supergirl, Mon-El and the Martian Manhunter broke through the ceiling and landed in front of them.

“Turn it off!” Supergirl ordered.

“I can't!” Lena replied helplessly.  They watched as the machine whirred to life and the portal outside grew brighter.  Supergirl punched a few things, but the metal resisted her efforts.

“Why won't it turn off?” J’onn asked Lena. 

“I don't know, she must've made it self-sustaining somehow.”

“What did you do, Mother?” Mon-El shouted at her.

Rhea’s answering smile was unnerving.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Marcus!” Lyra yelled over the noise of everything moving dangerously around them.  “I need you to look at me. I told you I would keep you and your mother safe and I am not breaking that promise.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“You're bringing something here,” Mon-El accused his mother.

“What?” Kara’s heart was in her throat.

“You'll see,” was all the queen replied.

Kara was having none of it.  She used her superspeed to slam Rhea into the wall, but the queen was strong, and she parried Kara’s strikes, kicked Mon-El across the room, and threw Supergirl into a giant shelf of lab equipment that just so happened to fall on top of Lena in the process, knocking the poor CEO out cold.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Marcus, I need you to hear me,” Lyra continued to shout over the noise.  “I need you to let me in like you would let a real friend in.”

“Lyra, it's not working!” Winn hollered.  “We have to get out of here.”

“I'm not leaving them!” she argued.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Supergirl flew out to try to disable the portal itself.  She used her heat vision to try to blow out the machine, but it ricocheted off the portal and shot her straight into the ground, knocked out for a few seconds.

J’onn watched helplessly as Supergirl was thrown to the ground.  He growled, “You don't mess with my family.”

Before he could even take a step towards her, Rhea pulled a gadget out of her pocket, and it froze the man in his tracks.  

“What is that?” asked Mon-El. 

“A White Martian gave me this.”

“What are you doing?” 

“The White Martians developed this technology in order to keep the Greens under their control.  It traps a Martian in his own mind. A never-ending nightmare. Pretty savvy if you ask me.”

Mon-El watched as the director of the DEO fell to his knees and then passed out on the floor.

“J'onn! J'onn!”  He tried to wake the Martian, but it was no use.  He stood back up and faced the queen. “You've learned a lot of things about this world, Mother.”

“I've had to,” she replied matter of factly.

“And did you learn that we're not bulletproof here?”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“ Whoa!” Winn dodged a giant chunk of concrete that nearly fell on his head.  “Lyra!” 

Lyra ignored him and continued to talk to Marcus, “You just have to look inside of yourself and see the strength and the courage that I see in you.  You're not alone. You are not alone!”

Finally, Marcus came out of his trance, and one by one, the rest of the Phorians came back to normal again.  Marcus leaned over and hugged Lyra tightly.

“That is a hero without a suit,” Winn said proudly.  “I’m- I’m gonna make you a suit. It’s gonna be awesome.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Put the gun down, Mon-El.  You don't want to hurt me.” 

“Shut up!” he shouted at his mother.

“The Kryptonian girl was right,” Rhea continued as though he weren’t pointing a gun at her.  “You are a hero of Earth. But would a hero kill his own mother? When you were a boy and I would put you to sleep at night, you used to say to me that you would always love me.  And even though you've turned your back on me, I know you love me. Mon-El, you are not going to kill me. Whatever you think of me, I'm still your mother.”

Mon-El tried and tried to make himself pull the trigger, but she was right.  She was still his mother, and a true hero would never do such a thing. He lowered the gun and hung his head in frustration.

Rhea tried to comfort him.  “We were not the only people to escape the destruction of our planet.  Thousands of Daxamites survived. Hundreds of ships spread across the galaxy.  They just needed a way to get here. She indicated the ships that were now pouring through the portal.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Agent Danvers?

“Yeah.”

“We have multiple bogies heading into National City.”

“How many?”

“Twenty-five.  No, fifty! A hundred!  Maybe more! What's happening?”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Queen Rhea smiled maniacally at her son, “ Welcome to New Daxam.”