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Alex first got her compass when she turned thirteen, her wrist had burned for a few seconds, then it was gone. On the inside of her right wrist was a compass, a compass that would follow her soulmate, wherever they were.
She had run downstairs in confusion, her parents smiling as they knew today was the day that marked a cause for celebration.
“Dad,” Alex knew her father would better understand the problem. “Why is it pointing up?”
Jeremiah frowned and took her wrist, turning it different directions. No matter what, it diligently pointed up, a little to the left.
“I don’t know sweetheart.” Although his eyes did seem troubled.
“Does that mean my soulmate is like Superman?” Alex looked down at her wrist and ran her fingers over the slightly raised skin.
“Maybe,” Jeremiah had become distracted and he signaled to Eliza.
They made Alex wear a leather band over her wrist after that day.
When Kara arrived, she had peaked underneath the band to see if it pointed to her. The needle now pointed steadily pointed slightly south and east of her.
Later that night, she took off the band and showed her wrist to Kara, the first person besides her parents to have seen it. Excited that it had changed and curious if Krypton had marks like there's.
Kara nodded, “We get them as soon as we reach adulthood.”
“What age is that?”
“Sixteen. That’s usually when people will travel to find their perfect match, some even searching all across the galaxy.” Kara’s eyes looked out towards the window, up into the sky. “Maybe, they were finally able to make it here.”
Alex glanced down at her wrist as it slightly moved but still pointed in the same direction. She wondered how long her soulmate had been searching for her.
Astra’s compass came in 30 seconds after Alura’s, a burning that quickly left. They both compared theirs: Alura’s had been pointing to the west, while Astra’s was spinning wildly.
Her parents had been disappointed, but still hopeful as that could mean her soulmate wasn’t born yet. They followed Alura’s, hoping that her soulmate was worthy enough to be part of the House of El.
He turned out to be one of the prestigious households on Krypton. Their parents were overjoyed, quickly over looking that Astra’s was still spinning rapidly, not pointing steadily in one specific direction. They made her cover up the compass after two years had passed with no difference, not wanting her to shame their family by not having a soulmate.
Astra joined the army, knowing that not having a soulmate would be an advantage, and she quickly rose to the rank of general. She would watch her spinning compass sometimes, wondering if she was ever meant to have a soulmate.
Learning of Krypton’s weakening had been a hard blow to her and her niece being alive during that is what made her join Non. They both had broke compasses, although his looked as if it had cracked down the middle, signaling that his soulmate was dead.
Their marriage was built on the same purpose, one of mutual respect and thought, not of love. Astra had prayed to Rao that Alura was able to get Kara off the planet in some way, but she knew that was hopeless as she sat in Fort Rozz, never knowing what had become of her niece.
Her compass stopped spinning when she was in full control of the prison. She had absentmindedly glanced down while looking out upon the Phantom Zone. Her body had frozen as the needle steadily pointed north, a sign that she did have a soulmate and that they were alive.
Quickly schooling her features, she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. If, when, she got out of this prison, she would search the ends of the universe for them. But right now, she had to continue on, looking for a way out.
Alex hadn’t gone looking for her soulmate, as most people do when they can afford to go on the trip. She hadn’t been as invested in it, focusing more on her studies and knowing that she can watch as her soulmate moves around, only speculating as to what they could be doing.
When Kara’s had come in, Alex was about to head to college. The compass turned out to not have been broken as they both had believed it would. Someone who had been lost on Krypton and that she would never get the chance to meet. Instead, it pointed east, a sign that her soulmate was somewhere on Earth,
Kara had been ecstatic, wanting to fly straight to them. Alex had talked her down, telling her that she should first get through school and become more human, as her soulmate was probably human. She had reluctantly agreed, although she smiled brightly when looking at her wrist and Alex couldn’t help but smile with her
Alex did join the DEO partly because she wanted to be able to protect her sister in some ways, and to help the Earth from aliens, but it was mostly because she thought it was her best shot at meeting her soulmate.
By this point neither of them had gone looking for the other. Alex had hoped that her other half would seek her out first, but when no communication came for the first six months, she went back to wearing the band around her arm. It became painful to think that maybe her soulmate had seen her and decided that she wasn’t worth it.
Although, she knew that they still remained on Earth. So Alex hoped for the off chance that the next alien they brought in could be her soulmate.
She became distracted as Kara revealed herself as Supergirl and all kinds of aliens decided to show themselves from whatever hole they had been hiding under. She pushed the idea of meeting her soulmate out of her head and focused solely on Kara.
Until they captured Kara’s aunt.
Astra had been shocked when they landed on Earth and found her needle not pointing up or down, but to the north and west. However, she did not have the luxury of trying to find that person as all the prisoners ran as soon as they touched solid ground.
She and Non were able to gather many to stay with them as they decided to learn more about the planet. They learned that they had landed on Earth and soon became aware that the situation was very similar to how Krypton’s had been.
Both decided that they would save this planet, not letting it die as Krypton had. Astra’s life soon became revolved around finding a way to stop the humans destructive tendencies towards the planet. Her soulmate pushed further and further back into her head, although she knew that a small part of her was doing this so her soulmate could live as well.
When she is brought a human by the hellgrammite, Astra decides that she can turn this into her advantage. She taunts the other women, decidedly ignoring how warm the others cheek is when she runs her finger down it.
She has begun to notice how the human wasn’t scared of her when her niece flew through the wall and knocked her aside.
Alex met Astra again, this time, a cage separating them with glowing green coming from the walls and Astra looking at her while laying out across the metal cot.
“So,” Astra sat up at her entrance. “You’re the one who defeated the hellgrammite.” A look of intrigue and surprise upon her face.
Alex wasn’t sure what she was doing there, something about the woman made her want to learn more about her. She decided not to answer and stared, Astra staring right back. They continued like this until Alex could feel her body catching up on all the sleepless nights she had been having.
As she turned and was about to leave the room, Alex heard a small gasp behind her. Quickly turning, she was Astra looking down at her wrist. Curious, Alex looked closer and saw the needle of the compass pointing right at her. Dismissing the thought that it was at her, she moved suddenly to her left and was stunned as the needle followed her.
Ripping off her leather band, she saw the needle on her own wrist pointing towards Astra. Staring dumbly down, she moved back to her original position and watch the needle stay pointed at Astra.
Alex looked back up and was greeted with Astra standing closer to the glass and staring at her.
“It seems I’ve finally found you, Brave One.” A small smile crossed Astra’s face as relief flooded her eyes.
“So it seems,” and Alex thought that maybe they could all get through this in one piece after all.