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argyle-s · 6 years

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THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME CHAPTER 16/38

Rating: Mature

Read at Ao3

Start at the Beginning

Kara, the DEO and the Superfriends make preparations for the CatCo Gala, and Kara hire's Cat's new assistant.

Thanks to @ifourmindbeso for her great work as a beta. Any remaining mistakes are entirely my own.

Chapter 16 – Preparation

Vegas was fun. She’d caught Zatanna’s act, courtesy of one Bruce Wayne, and then used the backstage pass he’d given her to talk to the woman who was one of the most famous stage magicians and most powerful sorceresses in the world. The conversation had ended with Zatanna inscribing a handful of mystical glyphs onto Kara’s soul, which was a rather weird process, but short of some sort of talisman, it was the only way the magics could be made permanent.

Most of the glyphs were simple yet powerful protection spells. A ward against lightning, a ward against sonic attacks, a specific ward against banshees, which had led to a couple of playful digs about Irish ex-girlfriends, which made Kara gag a little, which only made Zatanna laugh harder. Kara was pretty sure, from the speed with which Zatanna had performed the ritual, she’d done the protective glyph thing more than a few times before.

The glamour had taken a bit longer, and Zatanna has explained that it was entirely related to the need to make the glamour both dynamic, and permanent. Glamours were usually spells cast at need by the user. Zatanna had told her that normally, she would have simply taught the person asking to cast the glamour themselves since most humans were tuned in enough to mystical energies that they could manage simple glamour and charm work, even if they couldn’t sling anything like a real spell.

The problem, she said, was that Kara’s mystical connection was tapped into the Kryptonian magisphere. So, while it was a strong connection, strong enough that Kara could have slung some seriously heavy duty spell work, Zatanna didn’t know anything about how to teach Kryptonian magic. That’s why the full protection package had been necessary. Zatanna had branded the protection glyphs onto Kara’s soul as a way to forge a connection to Earth’s magisphere. That connection was weak, but it gave her enough power to trigger the glamour which Zatanna had imbedded within another glyph.

When Zatanna was done, Kara had marveled at the result. She could pick any color she wanted, just as long as she could picture it in her head and say the name backwards. Saying ‘normal’ backwards would cancel the glamour, returning her to her natural hair color. Then, Zatanna had dragged Kara out for a night on the town.

Kara was profoundly glad, when she arrived back in National City a little after 6:30 AM, that she didn’t *need* sleep. She was also profoundly grateful alcohol didn’t affect her, because if it had she was pretty sure she’d have done unspeakable things to Zatanna. The girl was beautiful and more than willing. Worse, Kara could see the kind of understanding in Zatanna’s eyes that had attracted her to Sara. The kind of understanding that only came from loss. Even sober, she’d been hard to resist, and if Kara hadn’t known her in the future and known the kind of relationship she might destroy before it could even start, she might have given in anyway. Instead, she’d spent the night playing the oblivious dork, a role which fit her rather well, and left Zatanna with a goodbye hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Then she’d flown home, taken a cold shower, and rushed out the door to Noonan’s with a lovely head of auburn hair. Sally, her usual waitress, had barely recognized her at first, which was a good sign. Three sticky buns and two breakfast burritos later, she’d picked up Cat’s latte and headed for the office.

“Wow,” Winn said. “That’s new.”

Kara smiled as she sat down at her desk. “You like it?”

“Yeah, but, isn’t it a bit risky? I mean, Supergirl’s a blonde and you’re a blonde. You become a redhead, and suddenly, so does the Girl of Steel?” he asked in a whisper.

“I can switch back and forth,” she said.

“That’s a wig?” he asked.

“No,” Kara said. “I’ll explain later, but I will tell you, my stylist was hot.”

“Oh?” Winn said. “Like, ‘I spent the whole time drooling,’ hot, or ‘I took her home and I had to change the sheets before I left for work,’ hot?”

Kara sighed dramatically. “Sadly, the former more than that latter, but it was a close thing.”

“Kara, you have got to live a little,” Winn said. “Everyone should have a smoking hot hairdresser story.”

“Do you?” Kara asked.

Winn blushed a little.

“Oh, you do,” Kara said, smiling. She leaned forward a bit to whisper, “Him or her?”

“You��re just going to have to wonder,” Winn said. “I promised Raphael I would never speak of it.”

Kara laughed as she checked her tablet for the day’s schedule. “Are the servers for the website coming in today?” she asked.

Winn nodded. “Should be here around noon. Honestly, I can’t believe the contractors got everything done in two days. I figured they’d be under foot for weeks.”

“It’s all about connections,” Kara said. And it was. She hadn’t used the normal CatCo contractors to build out the forty-second floor. She’s used ones the DEO used for their ‘we need a new alien containment facility in under twelve hours’ type emergencies.

“Do I even want to ask?”

Kara shook her head. “I’d tell you, but then I’d have to throw you into space.”

“Yeah,” Winn said, grinning. “I’m okay with not knowing.”

“You have your tux for tomorrow night?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Winn said. “I picked it up from Konex last night.”

“Good, I…” Kara stopped at the familiar hum of machinery, grinning just a little bit as she heard Cat mumbling to herself about having to listen to Angie Harmon’s long rant on how hard it was to be a Republican in the entertainment industry. “She’s here,” she said, as she picked up Cat’s latte, adjusted so that only Winn could see her zap it, then stood up and got into position.

The door to Cat’s elevator opened up and she stepped out, eyes still on her phone as she deleted emails.

“Keira,” she said as she watched towards her office, “call the florist and send Ellen a dozen red roses, and make sure to tell her I’m always willing to do her show, any time she asks.”

“Yes, Ms. Grant,” Kara said, as she held out the latte.

Cat took it and started to raise it to her lips, onto to stop half way there. She lifted her head and looked at Kara. “I see you took my advice on the hair,” she said. “Pity you weren’t so attentive on the wardrobe.”

If anyone else had said it, Kara would have been furious, but the slightly teasing hint of a grin on Cat’s face, the one she doubted anyone else would have spotted, took all the sting out of Cat’s words.

“One step at a time, Ms. Grant,” Kara said. “I wouldn’t want anyone to die of shock, after all.”

This time, Cat did smile, though she took a sip of her latte to cover it as she started walking again. Kara picked up her tablet and followed.

“Today is fairly clear. The issue goes to print at 2:00 PM. Everyone except fashion has been edited, approved and finalized.”

“What’s taking fashion so long?”

“Kelly managed to find a costume house who could make replicas of the Kryptonian outfits in the sketches Supergirl sent over. The photo shoot was yesterday, but when I left last night, she was still waiting for the pictures to come back from the photographer. She’s got a backup layout with just the sketches, plus some of the photos of Supergirl and an article about her costume in case the photographer doesn’t get her the prints in time. I’ve looked over it, and the backup is really good, but she’s hoping to go with live shots.”

“Who’s the photographer?”

“Alex DeWitt,” Kara said.

“Hmmm… Is that the girl from LA you convinced me to hire instead of Horton Spence?”

“Yes,” Kara said.

“Well, I hope she delivers,” Cat said as she picked up the remote, and turned on the TVs behind her desk. “I… Is that Maxwell Lord?”

Kara looked up and sure enough, there he was, sitting on the couch, getting interviewed by the host of ‘National City This Morning’. Kara took the remote out of Cat’s hand and selected the specific monitor, turning up the volume.

“Look, it’s not a matter of inexperience. I’ll be the first one to admit that so far, this ‘Supergirl’ as some people are calling her, has done a good job,” Max said.

“Then what *is* your concern?” the host asked.

“Look at what happened last Friday,” Max said. “She blabs to the media that she’s Superman’s cousin, and not even six hours after the news hits, Reactron attacks her in the middle of a crowded highway.”

“An attack that seemed completely ineffective,” the host pointed out.

“This time,” Max said. “But think about it. How much danger were the people on that highway in? Do you know how much Reactron’s fights with Superman have cost Metropolis?”

“No,” the host replied.

“Forty-nine million dollars in total damage,” Max said. “And sure, Supergirl was able to shut him down, although how she managed that is still a mystery when her cousin couldn’t do it for years, but what about next time? How many villains are going to go after Supergirl as a way to get back at her cousin? You seriously think she’s be able to take them all down as easily as she did Reactron? And even if she does turn out to be stronger than her cousin, that’s almost worse because all the aliens and monsters that used to go to Metropolis just to prove they were the biggest, baddest, monster on the block are going to start heading right for National City.”

“And if that’s not bad enough,” Max continued, “she seems to be some kind of glory hound. She’s been flying around what, two weeks and she’s already giving interviews. It’s no secret that CatCo is dedicating an entire issue to her.”

“Well, Superman gave his first interview just three days after he made his first appearance,” the host said.

“And we all know what that did,” Max replied. “How many times has the Daily Planet been attacked? Do we really want the same thing happening to CatCo plaza? Mark my words. National City does not need the kind of problems Supergirl is going to bring here.”

Kara jumped slightly as she felt Cat tug at the remote. She forced herself to loosen her grip and watched as Cat muted the audio.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about Maxwell Lord,” Cat said. “I’m pretty sure our girl is going to prove everything he said is wrong once we get her up and running.”

Kara took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I really hate that man,” she said.

“I’ve noticed,” Cat said. “Someday, you’ll have to tell me why.”

“You mean aside from the fact that he looks at you like a piece of meat?”

Cat laughed. “While I appreciate the sentiment, Keira, I’m a divorced mother who’s closer to fifty than forty. You’re a little late to defend my virtue.”

Kara could feel herself blush a little, but she tried to shake it off. “I don’t trust him,” she said. “He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. He uses people and throws them away, and never worries about how what he does hurts them.”

“The same could be said of me,” Cat pointed out.

Kara turned and looked at her, and she could make out the faint worry in Cat’s face, almost like she was looking for Kara’s approval. The whole idea was ridiculous, of course, but something in Kara responded to it. “Ms. Grant, you give two weeks’ severance to assistants who don’t last out their first day. And yes, I’ve seen you fire half a department in one go, but I also read every single one of those termination packets, so I know every one of them deserved it. You’re hard to work for, but you’re nowhere near as capricious or cruel as you make everyone think you are. You care. You may work hard to make sure people think you don’t, which I don’t understand at all, but I know you well enough to know you care every bit as much as Supergirl does.”

Kara turned back to the screen, where Max Lord was still pontificating. “He doesn’t. The only thing Max Lord cares about is himself. He tells himself he’s some generous, benevolent nobleman taking care of the peasants because it makes him feel good about himself, but he doesn’t know what it means to really give or to sacrifice for someone else. Maxwell Lord is a narcissistic little sociopath who’s going to kill a lot of people someday. I just hope Supergirl is there to stop him.”

She started slightly when felt a hand rest on her shoulder and turned to find Cat giving her a concerned look.

“I’m sure if Supergirl is needed, she’ll be there,” Cat said.

The tension she’d felt from the moment she’d first spotted Maxwell Lord’s face seemed to melt right out of her and Kara wasn’t the least bit surprised. Alex’s faith in her had always been her source of strength, but Cat’s faith in her had always been a guiding light, a way to find the calm in the storm until that faith itself had become the calm. She reached up, covering Cat’s hand with her own, smiling at her, silently hoping Cat realized how much that faith meant to her.

They stayed there for a few moments, Kara knowing she must be smiling like an idiot, but too lost in the warm, caring smile Cat was giving her to care. Much as she regretted it, she was the one who had to pull away when she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket.

“Excuse me,” she said, taking the phone out. She sighed when she saw the call was from the DEO. “I’ve got to take this,” she said.

Cat nodded. “Go ahead.”

Fifteen minutes later, she was walking into J’onn’s office to find him, Alex and Susan waiting.

“You mind telling me what’s so urgent I have to walk out of work in the middle of a meeting with my boss?” Kara asked.

“You mind telling me why the President of the United States is attending your boss’s party tomorrow night?” J’onn replied.

Kara stopped and smiled. “She’s coming?” she asked excitedly.

“Apparently,” J’onn said.

“Kara, what were you thinking?” Alex asked.

“That it would be easier to convince her to go ahead with the Alien Amnesty act if I could actually talk to her,” Kara said.

“Kara,” Susan said, “that’s not at issue. The problem is, you invited her into a war zone.”

Kara turned to look at Susan. “She’ll be safe,” Kara said.

“How can you be sure?” J’onn asked.

“I’ve convinced Ms. Grant to hang a Kryptonian Concord Banner on the side of the venue,” Kara said. “No-one will attack, and if they did, even my Aunt’s forces would hunt them down.”

“Kara, I know you want to think the best of your Aunt,” Alex said, “but-“

“This isn’t about that,” Kara said. “A Concord Banner’s sacred. If it’s violated, every alien on this planet would hunt down the person who did it because they know what would happen if they didn’t.”

“What do you mean?” Susan asked.

“Krypton wasn’t alone out there. Why do you think so many aliens were housed in a Kryptonian prison? Krypton was part of a larger society. It was a power near the heart of a league of independent worlds that spanned a sphere almost ten thousand lightyears in diameter. If anyone violated that Concord Banner, every alien world within three thousand lightyears would send someone to hunt down the guilty party and see that they are brought to justice.”

J’onn closed his eyes and reached up to rub his temples slowly. “Ms. Danvers,” he said. “Did it even occur to you to consider what might happen if a human violated the banner?”

“It did, actually,” Kara said.

J’onn opened his eyes and looked at her. “Really? Because I don’t think you’ve thought through the possible consequences.”

Kara took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “You mean you don’t think I’ve realized I might have to be the one to enforce judgement if someone violates the banner?” she asked. “That I might have to kill someone in order to protect this planet from the consequences of some ignorant, bigoted human’s actions.” She walked over and placed her hands down on J’onn’s desk. “Been there. Done that. Or did you forget already?”

“Kara!” Alex said.

J’onn held up his hand. “No, Alex, she’s right.” He looked at her. “I’m sorry.”

Kara stood up, taking a step back from his desk. “It’s okay,” she said. “It’s a risk and I probably should have told you about the invitation and the banner first. I’m starting to feel like I’ve spent too much time around Oliver Queen.”

“Um, Oliver Queen is dead, Kara,” Alex said.

“Unfortunately, only in this universe,” she said.

“Right,” Alex said. “Not gonna get used to that anytime soon.”

“Tequila helps,” Susan said. “Or it makes you forget about it. I don’t really remember which.”

Kara laughed and Susan smiled at her.

“Okay,” J’onn said. “There’s still a problem though.”

“What’s that?” Kara asked.

“We’ve been tasked to provide security,” J’onn said.

“Well, that’s not a problem,” Kara said. “I’m in charge of organizing the party, so, I can slot you into the security arrangements.”

“That will certainly make things easier,” J’onn said, “though I wish we had more time to prepare.”

Kara grinned. “Trust me,” she said. “In about ten minutes, you’re going to have the most accurate intel on a location you’ve ever seen. AND I know the perfect person in local law enforcement to serve as a liaison.”

“Who?” Alex said.

“Detective Maggie Sawyer,” Kara said.

“Your girlfriend?” J’onn asked.

“Really?” Kara said. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m not dating Maggie before it sinks in?”

“I don’t know,” Susan said. “Sounds like you might be protesting a bit much.”

Kara rolled her eyes. “Look, we all knew Maggie in the other timeline,” Kara said. “I ran into her at a bar after my date stood me up. She’d just got dumped by her ex-girlfriend, who happens to be a Roltikkon by the way, but I’m really *not* Maggie’s type.”

“Okay,” Susan said, holding up her hands. “Sorry.”

Kara nodded. “Look, Maggie’s amazing. I’ve seen her go toe-to-toe with an Infernian armed with nothing but a steel pipe and come out on top.”

“Sounds like we should be recruiting her,” J’onn said.

“That could be counterproductive,” Kara said. “One of the things that made her so valuable to the team in the other timeline was her position at the NCPD. She pulled us in on cases we would never have picked up on otherwise.

Kara watched as J’onn turned that over in his head, then nodded.

“I see your point, but we should at least get her consultant credentials and go ahead and start fostering that relationship now instead of waiting for whatever kicked it off in the original timeline,” he said.

“I agree,” Kara replied. She looked over at Alex. “You should be her handler.”

“Why me?” Alex asked. “I mean, I’m already your handler.”

“The two of you were partners in the other timeline,” Kara said. “Once you started working together, both of you started closing a lot more cases.”

“There’s something else,” J’onn said.

“What?”

“General Lane wants an invitation,” J’onn said.

Kara’s first instinct was to say no, but then something occurred to her and a smile spread across her face.

“Kara,” Alex said. “What are you thinking?”

“Nothing,” Kara said.

“Kara, I know that smile,” Alex said. “That’s your ‘I found the cookie dough mom hid under the carrots’ smile.”

“Oh, relax,” Kara said. “It’s not like I’m going to debauch the man’s eldest daughter in front of him.”

“Okay,” Susan said, “am I the only one who noticed that she felt the need to specify which daughter she wouldn’t be debauching?”

“No,” J’onn and Alex said in unison.

“Just tell me where to send the invitation,” Kara said. “I have to interview Cat’s new assistant in an hour.”

The woman approaching the dock was pale. The kind of pale usually associated with someone who never went outside. Her hair was jet black, and her lips covered in a dark red lipstick that stood out. She was well dressed, in an expensive single breasted gray wool pant suit, covered with an even more expensive black peacoat. The boots were well-made flats, which would have seemed slightly out of character if it weren’t for the distinct limp the woman walked with and the heavy derby cane she leaned on. She moved quickly, but with every other step she shifted, leaning to the right as she swung an unbending left leg forward and planted it with obvious care, the cane coming down at the same time, providing support as she swung. Her eyes were hidden behind large wraparound sunglasses. If anyone had looked carefully, they would have noticed a slightly paler band around the ring finger on her left hand, indicating the absence of a ring that had once been worn.

Anyone on the docks who saw the woman would remember her, not just because she stood out, but because she so clearly didn’t belong there. Yet, she moved with purpose, confidence and determination as she approached a small fishing boat.

If anyone had been able to see her eyes, they would have noticed that she was scanning the area with the skill of a veteran, watching for threats and for anything out of the ordinary, but the only one on the docks who did notice, though not from her eyes, was the target. A tall, wiry young black man with blonde hair and tattoos running down his arms. He was wearing heavy navy canvas cargo pants and a red t-shirt, and she could feel him watching her even as he shifted empty plastic tubs off a pallet, getting them ready to be loaded onto the boat tied up at the dock.

An older man was standing nearby, looking at her more openly, and seeing less about her than the man she’d come to see. She dismissed him as a threat, but it was obvious he was her target’s boss.

She walked up to the target, stopping far enough away that they were out of arm’s reach, but close enough that he couldn’t ignore her without it being clearly deliberate. He sat down the stack of tubs he was moving, and looked at her.

“Yes?” he said.

“I need to talk to you,” she said.

“Lady, I don’t know you,” he said.

“If you’re looking to hire the boat, it’s mine,” the other man said.

She turned towards him. “Are you his boss?”

“Yeah,” the man said.

She slipped her hand into her pocket, and pulled out a wad of bills. She peeled off five one-hundred dollar bills, and held them out to the man. “I need two hours of his time,” she said.

He looked to the target for a moment and the target sighed and nodded. “It’s okay,” he said.

The man reached out and took the five hundred, then watched as she counted out another five.

“This never happened,” she said, holding out the second stack of bills, which disappeared without any hesitation this time. She turned back to the target. “Is there someplace around here we can get lunch?” she asked.

The target nodded. “Follow me,” he said.

She watched as he stepped by her, and even watching, she nearly missed him unbuttoning the pockets on his pants. She smiled, impressed. He was good. She’d known that ahead of time, but he was better than she’d expected him to be at this point. Of course, anyone who didn’t know him, didn’t understand, might have thought him letting her get behind him was a rookie mistake, but it wasn’t. Not with so much water around them. They were in his playground.

She followed along for nearly a block. He didn’t speak until they were out of earshot of everyone else. “Who sent you?” he asked. “Arthur, or David?”

“Neither,” she said. “And I apologize for the theatrics, but your friend in Metropolis had no idea what name you’d be using.”

“How’d my friend find me if he didn’t know what name to look for?”

“Long story,” she said. “But he didn’t. I found you. I just checked with your friend to see if I could find an easier way to make contact.”

“You could have gone with something lower profile,” he said.

“Trust me, this is a lot lower profile than I usually am,” she said. “Now, food. Please.”

He turned and lead her around a corner to a little shack with a faded sign that declared ‘Best Sushi in Kodiak!’.

She felt herself smile as he waved to the old Japanese man behind the counter and headed for a booth in the back corner. One that would leave him perfectly positioned to see anyone approaching. She slid in opposite him.

“So,” she said. “What do I call you?”

“Jack,” he said. “Jack Gray. And what do I call you?”

“Linda Lee,” she said.

“Sounds about as real as the limp,” he replied.

She frowned. “What gave it away?”

“The cane,” he said. “You did a good job adding wear to it, but you’re still thinking about how to use it. The movement isn’t habitual yet.”

She grinned. “Good catch,” she said.

Before either of them could say anything else, a waitress appeared. The woman took a moment to scan her features. Eurasian. Based on phenotype, the granddaughter of the man ‘Jack’ had waved to as they entered. Based on the smile on her face and the scent of pheromones she was giving off, she had a bit of a crush. She was in for a bit of a disappointment and not just because ‘Jack’ would be leaving after today.

The woman watched as Jack ordered a Sashimi Platter, then turned to the waitress and ordered herself two ‘Kodiak’ rolls, two ‘Volcano’ rolls, and two ‘Godzilla’ rolls, along with a bowl of miso soup, an order of pickled garlic, a bowl of edamame and some fried oysters.

The waitress double checked the order, and looked like she watched to explain just how much food the woman was ordering, but she glanced at Jack and he gave her a slight nod, and she scrambled off to get them their drinks.

“I suppose that answers that question,” he said.

“I figured it would,” she said. “I’m actually here to ask for your help. The cloak and dagger stuff is less about you and more about me. If I were seen here, it would attract the wrong kind of attention.”

“The disguise must be really good,” he said.

“Better than the one I normally wear,” she replied.

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but helping people is how I wound up in the mess I’m already in,” he said. “I’m not in the business anymore.”

She didn’t respond immediately, because the waitress arrived with a platter loaded with their drinks, and the woman’s soup and edamame.

“Your oysters will be just another moment,” the waitress said.

“That’s fine,” the woman replied. She waited until the waitress stepped away before turning to her soup. “You mind?” she asked.

He shook his head, and she tucked in, devouring the soup in just a few moments, before turning to the bowl of steamed soy beans.

“Let me make my offer,” she said. “If you don’t want to take it, I’ll give you two thousand dollars. That should at least make up for me blowing your cover here.”

“Well, that’s more thoughtful than I expected you to be,” he said. “Go ahead.”

“I need someone to guard a Queen,” she said.

“Not interested,” he replied. “I’ve learned to keep away from royalty.”

She laughed. “I can understand why,” she said. “Arthur’s a bit full of himself.” She watched the slight tightening of his jaws. He’d taken offense. That was a good sign. It meant he still cared. Not that she’d ever really doubted. “But this Queen is unique,” she said. “Like any good ruler, information is her primary weapon, but her goal isn’t power. She wants to change the world, make it a better place.”

“Don’t they all?” he asked.

“The difference is, she’s actually doing it,” the woman said. “Not with armies and bombs, but with words, newspapers, magazines, Twitter and tumblr, YouTube and Facebook, tv shows and radio. She pushes and pulls. Shapes conversations and narratives. She inspires, leads, and gives people hope.”

“You make her sound like a Saint,” he said.

The woman snorted, and then laughed, slapping the table so hard the bowl of edamame bounced a few inches. “Oh, Rao’s light, no,” she said, managing to keep her voice low enough that only he could hear her. “She’s vain, conceited, self-absorbed, a little narcissistic, mean, fickle, self-aggrandizing, more than a little petty and absolutely the most pig-headed, stubborn pain in the ass I’ve ever met.”

“You’re really selling this,” he said.

She reached up and took her sunglasses off, showing him the brightest blue eyes he’d ever seen. “I’m not interested in selling you anything, Jack. She’s not a perfect person. She’s hard to please, hard to get along with and some days, she’s hard to love.”

He stared at her for a moment, and nodded slightly. “You’re not looking for someone to protect a Queen, you’re looking for someone to protect a friend.”

The woman shook her head. “No,” she said. “Family. I’m looking for someone to protect family. I can’t do what I need to do if my attention is divided. I asked your friend for advice, to help me find someone I could trust. Someone who, if they took the job, would die before they failed. Someone who would protect their charge, even if it was from him. Or me.”

She saw the wheels turning behind his eyes, and saw the exact moment it clicked, and he leaned back, slightly shocked.

“You know who I am,” she said.

He nodded. “I do. You’re my friend’s cousin. And I have a pretty good idea who you’re asking me to protect. What I don’t understand is why. She can afford to hire protection if she needs it.”

“There’s no one she could hire that can protect her from people like me. You though, you could.”

Their conversation stopped for a few moments as the waitress arrived with their food. The woman smiled and thanked her, and began mixing Wasabi into her soy sauce.

“Your skill set can bypass our gifts,” she said.

“I know,” he said.

“They would underestimate you. It would give you an edge, a chance to strike from surprise.”

“Even so, those like you would be a difficult challenge.”

“And if it comes to it, I would be more difficult than most, because *I* am warded against your skills,” she said.

“Why go through such effort to protect someone if you believe you might one day be in conflict with them?” he asked.

“If you ever have to stop me from hurting her, it would be because I’m not myself. Because something had altered my brain. I don’t expect it to happen, but I’d be a fool not to plan for the contingency, since it *has* happened before. And if it does happen, don’t hesitate. Just put me down. For everyone’s sake.”

He picked up a piece of his sushi and dipped it in soy sauce before popping it in his mouth, chewing slowly. Once he’d swallowed, he asked, “If I did this, what would be my cover?”

“You’re be her assistant. You’d run errands, fetch coffee, manage her schedule.”

“I can’t guard her full time if I’m off running errands,” he said.

“Neither could I, but she would never accept a dedicated bodyguard. This is the best I can do,” she said

He shook his head. “I’m sorry. If you found me, I’ve already lingered too long in one place. What you’re asking... I would be too visible, too rooted to the same spot. Arthur and David would both know where I am.”

She picked up her chopsticks and selected a piece of her Godzilla roll, dipping it in the mixture of soy sauce and Wasabi as she spoke. “You can’t keep running, Jack. I understand why you’re upset with Arthur. You trusted him, and he spent your whole life lying to you. I understand why you hate David. He’s a monster. But you are giving them all the control right now.” She placed the piece of sushi in her mouth and chewed slowly, letting her words sink in.

“I hid who I am for eleven years, not because I wanted to, but because other people were afraid. I let other people chart the course of my life and I nearly watched everything I love burn, again. In the end, I couldn’t do it. If I’m going to be damned either way, I’d rather be damned for being who I am and I’m going down fighting, with my head held high. This is your chance to make that same decision. The decision to be who you are. A better man than your father, and a braver man than your king.”

He stared at her for a long moment, then shook his head. “You and Metropolis, you’re both dangerous, you know that? You make people want to be better than they are.”

She smiled. “You’ll do it?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll do it. You think you could give me a lift to National City?”

“After I finish my Sushi,” she said.

Kara sat in the conference room, rubbing her temples as she waited. Kaldur’ahm, Cat’s new assistant slash bodyguard was at her apartment getting fitted for the wardrobe Konex was making for him. The suits were all going to be designer. It had taken a little creative hacking to create Jackson Hyde, but Kaldur’ahm’s new cover identity would stand up to a standard DEO level security clearance.

The money issue had been a little bit trickier. Kara was trying to do as much as possible above board, which was why she’d gone through the DEO for so many things, even before coming out as Supergirl. But she wanted to keep Kaldur’ahm off the DEO’s radar, so there was a good bit of white collar crime involved as she transferred money pretty much no-one knew she had around, building a paper trail that didn’t lead back to her. Konex was helpful in that regard, since most human cybersecurity was more of a suggestion to him, than anything else.

By the time CatCo’s HR department was finished digging, they were going to find that Jackson Hyde was a trust fund baby whose parents had died in a boating accident. There would be some stuff about him working his way up and down the coast after college, before settling down in National City and applying for a job at several places around town. It was all nice and pat, and Kara had no doubt Cat would see right through it if she ever bothered to look. Kara really hoped she didn’t.

Kara looked up as the door to the conference room opened, and her face split into a smile as she saw the pizza boxes and the brown paper bag James was carrying. She loved Sushi, but flying home had burned through those calories already, and she was starving.

“Pizza and pot stickers,” James said.

“That’s my favorite meal!” she said.

“I know that about you,” James replied, setting the food down on the table. “Winn should be here any minute with Maggie and your sister.”

Kara took one of the pizzas off the stack and flipped it open. “I love Hawaiian,” she said happily as she picked up a slice covered with ham, pineapple and bacon.

“Yeah, I noticed that the day you ate six of them,” James said.

Kara gave a slight pout. “Alex never lets me order Hawaiian,” she said.

“That’s because pineapple does not belong on pizza,” Alex shouted from the hallway. “It’s sick, and wrong and what the hell happened to your hair?” she asked as she walked through the door.

Kara smiled. “You like it?”

“I… how…” she turned and looked at the door, waiting impatiently as Winn closed it behind her and Maggie.

“Damn it, Kara,” Maggie said as she looked past Alex, “stealing all the attention with the ‘hot librarian’ thing wasn’t enough? You’ve gotta go and be a red head too?”

Kara gave Maggie a wicked grin, and said, “Elprup.”

Everyone else’s jaw dropped as her hair turned a deep, rich shade of purple.

“That… is SOOOOO cool!” Winn said. “Is that a Kryptonian thing? Can you change anything else? Are you a shape shifter?”

“No, no, and no,” Kara said. “Lamron,” she said, and her hair changed back to its normal blonde. “Nrubua,” she said, and her hair shifted again, returning to the same shade of Auburn it had been when everyone walked into the room. “I went and saw a friend of a friend last night. She worked a little magic, and voilà. Voice-activated color-changing hair.”

“Okay, wait a minute,” Winn said. “Magic? Like, literal magic? As in the hot, I spent the whole time drooling, hairdresser did actual magic on your hair?”

Kara sighed. “And yet, I’m the one who gets ragged on for not being able to keep a secret.” She took a bite of her pizza and started chewing furiously.

“It’s okay,” Maggie said. “I can wait until your sister is not around to get details.”

Kara glared.

“Not to be a spoil sport,” James said, “but I still need to get back and review final proofs for the digital edition of the new issue, so…”

Kara swallowed her pizza, and looked at Alex. “Did you bring them?”

“Yeah,” Alex said. “Though the director would have preferred to do this at HQ.”

Kara shrugged. “I would have preferred to leave Sam Lane off the guest list for tomorrow night. Sometimes you just have to roll with it.”

“Wait, Lucy’s dad is going to be at the party tomorrow?” James asked.

“Yeah,” Kara said. “Lucy too, probably. But Lois will be there too, so maybe that will keep him occupied.” Kara did not miss the slightly raised eyebrow on Alex at the mention of Lucy, and decided distraction was the best way to keep Alex from figuring anything out. “But right now, Alex has some papers for you guys to sign.”

“What kind of papers?” Maggie asked.

“Security clearances and NDA’s,” Alex said as she sat her briefcase on the table and pulled out three large envelopes.

“For what?” Maggie asked.

“You have to sign the NDA before I can tell you,” Alex replied.

Kara could see the argument building, and much as she’d like to watch Maggie and Alex go ten rounds, right now wasn’t a good time. “Mags,” she said.

Maggie turned to her. “Yeah?”

“Go with me on this, okay?”

She could see the hesitation, and she understood it, but Maggie finally nodded and sat down, taking the form from Alex and reaching for a pen. Winn and James both sat down too, as Alex handed them their non-disclosure agreements. Once all three were signed, Alex lay packets down in front of each of them, and they all up ended them almost immediately. Each one dropped a leather ID folio on the table, along with a stack of paperwork with tabs indicating where signatures went.

“Welcome to the DEO,” Kara said. “Since you all know about Supergirl, I convinced Director Henshaw to run security clearances for all of you, and issue you credentials as consultants.”

“Really,” Winn said, picking up his ID folio and flipping it open. “This is so cool!”

“Winn,” Kara said, “You can’t show it off.”

“I know,” Winn said, curling his hands around it protectively. “It’s still cool though.”

Kara grinned. “Wait until Alex shows you the special features.”

“Special features?” Maggie asked.

Alex pulled out hers and held it up, showing them the DEO badge. “These wouldn’t be much good in public, since the DEO doesn’t officially exist. But,” she touched a spot on the side of the wallet, and the ID turned into an FBI ID, “we still get by.”

Maggie looked over at Winn, and both of them smiled at each other. “Psychic paper,” they said together.

“Oh, no,” Kara said, looking at Maggie. “He did not get you started on Doctor Who.”

“Seriously?” Maggie said. “I started watching Doctor who when I was five.”

Kara sighed as she felt Alex’s and come to rest on her shoulder, and turned to look up at Alex. “I take back everything nice I ever said about her.”

“What?” Maggie asked.

Alex smiled as she shook her head. “Please, don’t,” she said. “No one wants to hear her rant about how insulting Doctor Who is to aliens.”

“Wait,” Winn said, “what?”

James just looked up at Alex in desperation. “Where do I need to sign?”

“Heard the lecture?”

“From Clark,” he said, “And three of the Green Lanterns.”

“I’m not that bad,” Kara said, stomping her foot slightly, and making the whole table jump.

“Yes, you are,” Alex said.

#supergirl #supercat #supercanary #sanvers #fanfiction #the shape of things to come #kara danvers #alex danvers #cat grant #maggie sawyer #sara lance #j'onn j'onzz #susan vasquez #lois lane #clark kent #james olsen #winn schott jr.#future shock

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