Supergirl ~ Dark Side of the Moon ~ Part Two

***

Mother and daughter were still crying when Alura took a deep, rather shaky breath to try and calm and stepped back, still holding onto Kara's hands. "How," the blonde stammered, swallowing hard. "How are you alive?"

"Your father created a shield to protect Argo when Krypton exploded," Alura explained, smiling through her tears. "We wouldhave sent you away if we had known it'd work! I thought you wereKara sniffed, blinking back tears; she could see out of the corner of her eye that Mon-El had shuffled back a few more steps, gaze averted to give them what privacy he could. "I don't understand," Alura went on, shaking her head. "I saw your pod get knocked into the Phantom Zone!"

Kara nodded in confirmation. "I was stuck there for years, but somehow, my pod got loose, and I fell to Earth with Kal-El."

"Kal made it?" Alura's eyes lit up at the thought of another family member surviving. "He's – he's alive?"

"He got there first," Kara confirmed, smiling widely. "If I had known – " Her throat got clogged, and she swallowed so she could keep speaking. "If I knew Argo was here, if I knew you were alive, I never would have stopped searching for you!"

Alura smiled at her words, then she finally noticed someone else was with Kara. She blinked, then tilted her head. "I recognize you," she said. "The Prince of Daxam."

Mon-El cleared his throat, stepping forward when he was addressed. "There is no more Daxam," he said. "I'm just Mon-El now, ma'am."

"There's no more Krypton, either," Alura said. "Only Argo, and you are welcome here."

Mon-El smiled, bowing in acknowledgment. "Thank you."

Alura looked back at Kara, still shaking her head in disbelief. "If you didn't know I was alive, and you weren't searching for me, what brought you here?"

Kara took a deep breath. "Earth," she answered. "Earth is in trouble. When Krypton exploded, the followers of Yuda Kal sent three pods after me, each with a Worldkiller."

"A Alura's eyes widened in horror.

"I stopped two of them, but one remains," Kara nodded. "Reign, and she's terrorizing Earth. She's hurting people I love, murdering indiscriminately. And we think we found something that could stop her, and we followed its radiation signature here."

Alura looked at the building, and she nodded in recognition. "Harun-El. The Black Rock of Yuda Kal."

Kara brightened. "You know what it is?"

***

"After the fallout, ashes and destruction poisoned the air," Alura explained as she led Kara and Mon-El down into the building. "We had nothing to protect us as we hurtled through space. The young and the old were the first to become sick. They struggled in our new atmosphere, their lungs more vulnerable, more weak, but after the fallout passed, the shield kept our atmosphere more hospitable." She stopped in front of a twisting mass of black rock. "It is what your father gave his life for," she said quietly. "There was no more time. Argo was in constant darkness. We were running out of air. We were dying. Your father repurposed his unfinished research to create a livable environment. He believed that the Harun-El could act as a shield for the city, and he was right. His legacy keeps our air breathable and shields us from invaders. It keeps us hidden."

"That's why we didn't detect you in our scans," Mon-El realized. "Why there were no signs of life."

"And why we can't get in touch with Earth," Kara deflated. She would have loved to contact Oliver and tell him what she found. "No signal can get out."

"Exactly," Alura nodded. "We mined all the Harun-El left. All of it is here, and every ounce of it means one more moment of life. Because of that, we have none to spare."

Kara swallowed, shaking her head desperately. "There's gotta be a way," she said hopefully. "We only need a little bit!"

"It is not mine to give," Alura said sadly, taking a deep breath. "But I will call a meeting with the High Council."

Kara sighed in relief. "Thank you."

"It'll take a few hours to gather the members," Alura nodded, offering a small smile. "In the meantime, I was hoping to get to know my daughter."

Kara grinned widely.

***

Winn almost fell out of his chair when a bag of take-out was plopped in front of him. "I hope that's the correct order," Lucy peered into the bag. "You look like you're running on fumes."

"You'd be right," Winn sighed as he sat up, and he perked up when he got a whiff from the bag. "Oh, Lucy Lane, you are a lifesaver."

"Well," Lucy drawled, delivering take-out bags to Curtis and Felicity as well.

"I mean, I have been staring at a stupid computer monitor for about thirty-six hours," Winn continued. "I haven't slept, haven't eaten anything, haven't even had time to go get my damn pizza bagel out of the microwave – "

"So eat," Lucy pointed sternly.

Winn wilted. "Yes, ma'am," he turned away.

"So you haven't heard anything?" a quiet voice asked.

Winn almost dropped his burger, spinning in his chair to see Ruby standing nearby. "No," he finally shook his head. "Not yet."

Ruby nodded, deflating. "I haven't slept, either. I'm exhausted, too."

Winn could only smile sadly in reply.

***

Country music blasted in the bar Alex and Slade walked into, Slade making a face at the music. "Not a country fan?" Alex smirked.

"To be fair, I've heard worse from Mon-El on karaoke night," the Aussie grimaced.

Alex barked in laughter. "I'm telling him you said that."

"Go ahead," Slade snorted. "I don't think he'll be offended."

Alex surveyed the bar, then tapped his arm and pointed at a man drinking right at the bar. He nodded in response, and Alex walked over first, leaning against one of the chairs. The man paused in his drinking, looking at her, then downed his glass, put it down, and stood up. "Where are you going, Sheriff?" Alex slid in his way.

"Far away from you," Collins said roughly.

"That's right," Alex smiled sweetly. "That's because you prefer to shoot from a distance. Or behind the back, like a coward."

Collins winced, and Slade raised an eyebrow, making a mental note to ask Alex what that was supposed to mean. "Kenny Li was a long time ago."

"I'm not talking about Kenny Li," Alex shook her head, then looked at the bartender and said, "Three of whatever he's having."

Collins sighed when he saw Alex pull out her D.E.O. badge, disguised as an FBI badge. "I'm not surprised," he grumbled. "You sent me to jail when you were – "