WHEN KARA MET ALEX

Chapter 1 – A Non-Story

"Ponytail!"

Kara started, only one person at Catco ever called her that.

"Ponytail!"

And she hated it.

2 months in this office, and she still felt out of place, like an intern…. Not like Cat's office, where, despite Cat's 'distinctiveness' (her bluntness, aloofness and awkwardness, but with a softer side underneath), she had eventually earned her place as Cat's trusted, and longest-serving PA. She had owned that role….

But not this one – yet….

Leaving her cup of coffee – experience had now taught her not to bring one into 'his' office, Kara Danvers lifted her pad and pen, and headed for her bosses' office. What he wanted from her probably wasn't a story, as, even after 2 months as a trainee reporter, he only grudgingly acknowledged her existence. Being Cat Grant's former – and most successful – PA, had not been of any use in gaining his respect so far….

With a hint of nervousness, which she suspected he sensed, she entered the office. "Yes boss?"

He glanced up at her for a second, then looked back at his screen – Snapper Carr was not a man for friendly chat…. "Danvers," he began, "I have a story I want you to check-out." Kara's eyes widened. "Nothing of any real interest. The owner of a chemical plant – the former owner I should say, for she had only just come out after 18 years of doing time – was killed in a car accident in a town called Paradise Valley, a hundred miles from here. I find the circumstances of her death smell a bit, especially given the reason why she was jailed."

"Which was?" Kara asked

"She'd tried to carry-out one of the biggest frauds in US history – namely trying to sell a chemical product to consumers on the pretext that it would make them lose weight, then destroy her own chemical plant and run-off with the money, regardless of the product's real effects, which, let's say, were not what she said they were…."

"And you think one of those consumers has taken revenge, now that she's out?" Kara asked.

"Yes Danvers," he said, with that patronising tone that she knew meant he still thought of her as an idiot, "that would seem the most likely reason. Go check it out."

"And the deceased owner's name?" Kara asked, managing to stay calm.

"Danielle – something," Snapper said, looking at his screen again, "Danielle Atron…." And that was it, he dismissed her.

A bit demoralised, which was not that unusual, Kara left his office. It sounded very run-of-the-mill…. Just the kind of story Snapper would dump on a rookie reporter like her. Her confidence was waning again. Like she didn't have what it took to be a reporter….

'Clark must have gone through this,' she thought. Despite her cousin's confidence, and present reputation as a star reporter for the Daily Planet – she suspected it had been a rough journey for him…. Maybe he could help boost her spirits.

Landing outside her big windows with a soft whoosh, Kara re-entered her apartment. Closing the big window behind her, she entered her bedroom area and, to get changed, zoomed around at high speed. Anyone who could have seen this would have witnessed a whirl of colour speeding around the room, one set of clothes flying out while another shot into it. In 4 seconds, she was done…

Drink on one side, pizza on the other, Kara settled herself on the couch, and opened her laptop. She needed to talk to Clark…. Instant Messenger open, she opened her account to see if he was online.

He wasn't….

Dejectedly munching her pizza, Kara lay back against the couch… Google searches on Danielle Atron had not turned-up much. Her trial had got her a life-sentence - released on parole after 18 years. Charged with kidnapping, conspiracy to defraud and criminal negligence, she'd developed an unknown, dangerous chemical, abducted a local family, rigged her own chemical plant with enough explosive to level it to the ground, and then planned to quickly fly-off with the millions she'd fleeced from unsuspecting customers. And what a cynical way to prey on them! Promoting a dangerous chemical, with unknown side-effects, as a weight-loss drug (!), knowing that many people, desperate for a way to lose weight without changing their lifestyles, would see it as a miracle cure and blindly accept her word that it would do what it said in the promos…! Kara was incredulous that anyone could be so cynical, and callous, in such a purely self-centred plan to get rich. Never mind the fact that Atron's destruction of her own chemical plant had cost hundreds of people their jobs on one night! The effect on the town of Paradise Valley must have been catastrophic!

So when Atron was released (Kara couldn't help wondering what kind of "good behaviour" in jail could have made a parole board release Atron, given the scale and heartlessness of her crimes), and word of it reached Paradise Valley, it was easy for her to imagine that would be a lot of people there with a score to settle, to make Danielle Atron pay for the damage she had done, to so many lives…..

But the question she'd been tasked with answering was – was Atron murdered….? And if yes, by whom, and why (out of a large pool of potential suspects, with one or more good motives)…..

That is, if she'd been murdered in the first place.

She was still new to this – investigative reporting, and so the only place she could think to start looking was in Paradise Valley itself. As it had been 18 years since Atron had committed her crimes, she knew she would have to include background information on them, and their effect on the town, or there would be no context to the story. And fresh information would be better than the stuff she was reading online, so she'd have to go there – right now.

Still no sign of Clark…. "I'll have to do this on my own," she decided, a bit resignedly….. Even if it was a non-story.