Supergirl ~ Not Kansas ~ Part Two

***

Alex snickered into her hand as she listened to the music playing in the J'onzz apartment. "Kara always hated the opera." J'onn smirked as he listened. "But I'm sure that if she had heard Puccini, she would absolutely it."

"Yeah, I miss her, too," J'onn said fondly. "Hey, you know, you should come with us to the opera next week. The complex rhythms and orchestrations of the music, I think really benefited my father's memory." He turned to where M'yrnn was walking in from the dining room. "Isn't that right, Father?"

"I cannot go," M'yrnn shook his head.

J'onn blinked. "No, I was just telling Alex about your love of opera," he elaborated, Alex tilting her head from where she sat. "She may come with us next week."

"You should not make plans for me, J'onn," M'yrnn told him. "That is what I was speaking about when you asked about my mind."

J'onn frowned in confusion. "Why not, Father?" he asked. "You've been so lucid lately. He's been better than he has been for weeks," he added to Alex.

"The surge of clarity that comes right before the end," M'yrnn nodded. "I've been wanting to tell you, my son. The time has come for us to perform The Reach."

J'onn did a double take in shock. "The Reach?" Alex repeated, standing from her chair.

"An ancient rite on Mars," M'yrnn explained. "The elder generation passes down their memories, their knowledge, all the experiences of their life, before they pass."

"You are not passing anytime soon, Father," J'onn shook his head in denial. "You are better."

"I am not," M'yrnn denied right back. "And if we don't begin The Reach before the beginning of my end, all of my Mars memories will be lost forever."

J'onn swallowed hard. "Alex, will you please tell my father he's nowhere near his end?" Alex bit her lip, fidgeting in place. "Alex, please tell him!"

"J'onn, that's not my place to say," she whispered sadly. "I mean, only your father knows."

"And I know," M'yrnn nodded. "The time we've spent together these past months have been the most joyous of my life. But all the memories we've preserved by doing the are at risk if we don't begin the process."

"We . . . " J'onn took a deep breath. "We preserve them, Father. Just . . . just not yet."

Alex's phone pinged from where it rested on the table, and she hurriedly picked it up. "Oh, there's a situation at work," she winced. "I'm sorry, um . . . I have to go."

"I'll come with you," J'onn hurriedly said, looking at M'yrnn. "We'll talk about this later."

M'yrnn nodded, putting his hand on his son's shoulder. "We'll talk about this later."

J'onn smiled tightly, then followed Alex out of the room.

***

"It hurts me to see a masterpiece in ruins, man," Winn mourned, looking down at James's shield while the other man gripped his shoulder. "It's like the Picassos that went down with the you know?"

The door to the armory opened, and J'onn stepped inside. "I heard you went into a bank robbery with some kind of concerning weaponry," he said, walking over. "Alien guns again?"

"I would say D.E.O. weaponry," James shook his head, pointing to the gun on the table. "This one, to be exact."

J'onn's eyebrows shot up. "A D.E.O. assault rifle?" he asked incredulously. "What? No, that's impossible. After Agent Schott's mother raided this place, I had every weapon in here microchipped."

"Look, J'onn, I saw it, I felt it," James said. "It was yours."

"Yeah, we even did a ballistics test out on the firing range with Slade's help," Winn nodded, grunting as he lifted James's shield up.

"Yeah, he shot this weapon at that shield from the same distance," James pointed.

J'onn looked at the bullets with a frown. "Which one was which?"

"Can't tell, can you?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Because the impact is identical," Winn nodded.

"That's just impossible," J'onn frowned. "We use proprietary technology, guns solely designed for our use!"

"Somebody shot this weapon at me and a cop, and he got away," James countered. "I just want to catch the guy, because if he has this one, he might have ten more. We are down one bulletproof superhero, and while we have another one, I suggest that we follow the only lead that we have at this point."

J'onn sighed, then nodded. "All right. Agent Schott, keep pushing with the ballistics. Check with Slade, see if it was this gun that was used."

"Yup," Winn nodded, putting the shield away.

"There's only one other place this gun might have come from," J'onn told James. "Let's go talk to the manufacturer."

***

Oliver would never get tired of the relaxed smiles Kara had on Argo. "Why are you smiling?" he asked, switching his gaze from William looking through the market stalls to Kara, who looked like she was floating on clouds.

"It just feels amazing to be normal," she answered, wrapping both arms around Oliver's. He put his free hand on hers, adjusting the umbrella they had so it covered both of them. "I'm actually relieved I can't fly. No one to save . . . do you hear that undetectable sound in the distance?"

"I've never been able to hear undetectable sounds in the distance," Oliver deadpanned.

Kara pouted at him. "You are no fun."

Oliver chuckled, kissing her temple. "I'm just saying, I can't hear anything."

"Neither can I!" Kara grinned giddily.

"Kara! Dad!" William called from nearby, waving quickly.

Kara tilted her head, recognizing the stall he was at. "That's where Mon-El and I got our cloaks when we first arrived," she said, guiding Oliver over.

"Kara Zor-El," the blonde woman curtsied quickly. "It's an honor."

"Oh, please, there's no need to do that," Kara blushed, making Oliver chuckle. "Who's your new friend, William?"

"This is Val," William answered with a smile at the curly-haired boy. "He said Mon-El saved him."

"Did he?" Kara's eyebrows shot up.

"With a device from his belt," Val's mother nodded.

"Must've been the same device he used for Armand's son," Kara realized.

Oliver shook his head fondly. "Guy can't help but save people no matter where he is. Are you feeling better?" he asked Val.

"Yes, sir," he nodded.