A/N: This is a story dedicated to the character Alex Danvers. As of now, my plans are to have endgame Sanvers but I am leaving it open to change. The most important relationship I've always loved is the sister bond between Alex and Kara. We'll see where Alex's life is taken in the series and I'll adjust as I see fit to dive deeper into Alex's character than they do in the show. I have taken actual conversations from the show. I do not own the show or any of this dialogue, I only wished to remain as true to the show as I could while putting it all in Alex's POV.
A/N: So, I realized I left out a huge chunk near the end so I filled that in and did a general re-read through the chapter and did a little updating. I really just wanted to post something before and didn't read through it as thoroughly as I should've. Apologies. Enjoy.
Chapter I
I look out the window. Down from my second story bedroom, I see my parents standing out in the yard. They told me a few minutes ago that someone would be coming and that I should stay up in my bedroom. Yesterday they went out and bought a second bed that they then assembled last night in my room. They told me that someone would be coming to live with us. A girl, a couple years younger than me, who had found herself without any parents. I thought to myself that it was pretty unfortunate for her but I also wondered why that should be of any concern to us. Of course, I had no say in the matter.
I've been an only child for the fourteen years of my life. I don't know how to have a sibling, to be a sister.
In the distance I see something flying toward us at a fast speed. A blur of red, blue and white descend into my backyard. After landing, I realize it was a man. I think he's called Superman. I've heard about the amazing things he's done over in Metropolis and I think he's been by once or twice before to talk with my parents.
He looked fairly young, much younger than my parents, with dark black hair which was slicked back in an older style. He wore the blue suit and red cape with the huge "S" shield on his chest, that he's always wearing on the news. He did look quite formidable and I know I wouldn't want to fight him, but he did have a kindness on his face unlike on the news where his face always looked so stern.
Next to him stood a girl. Like my parents said, younger than me but not too young. She was about a foot shorter than Superman, maybe a bit more, with long dirty blond hair. She seemed fairly normal, wearing a white long sleeve shirt with a white symbol like Superman's, and white slacks. She looked confused and timid.
Superman and the girl, their hands interlocked, walked over to my parents. My parents walk to meet them in the middle. Superman and the girl hug tightly for a short minute and then separate. He stands and takes a step back, he guides her to walk the rest of the way to my parents. The girl walks slowly up to my mother. My mom leans down slightly and gently touches her shoulders, before bringing one hand up to hold her face then looks back at my dad. I can only imagine she was offering words of comfort to the girl.
The girl looks up to my window, seeing me for the first time. We exchange glances for a couple seconds before she turns around to look at Superman again. He smiles, back at his original position, before flying off back in the direction he came from.
My life is never going to be the same again.
Present day
I'm working with one of the wooden dummies with multiple arms. No one is available right now and I just need to work through some thoughts. So, as I beat the crap out of this dummy, I think.
2 years ago
Unlocking my apartment door, I am looking through my mail, placing each piece behind the other as I look at the sender, when my eyes land on a piece from the medical school I was going to. The paper reads as I expected. Ms. Danvers, you are being placed on academic probation… blah, blah, blah.
I toss the piece of mail, along with the rest, on the counter of my kitchen island. Heading over to the sink, I grab the counter with both hands and look down into the sink before sighing deeply. I open a cabinet and pull down a glass. The almost empty bottle of scotch sits there, mocking me. I grab it and fill the glass halfway. After recapping the scotch bottle, I grab the glass angrily before walking over to the balcony doors and throwing them open. I look out into the city that I've called my home for the last six years of my life. I got my bachelor's in three years and went on to medical school, accelerated as well, and was going to be going into my residency in the fall. Unless I flunk out. Lately, I've lost sight of the point to the current route of my life. Sure, saving lives. But would I really be saving lives? And how could I keep an eye on my sister if I was at a job 12, 14, 16 hours a day, multiple shifts, etc.? That's what I should do. I have to make sure that she stays safe.
I take a swig, downing half the glass. My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and see Kara has texted a picture. I open the message and see an article that reads "Superman puts Lex Luthor in Jail Once Again". I sigh. I'm going to have to talk her out of being a superhero again. Another buzz.
Look what he did now?! I could do that! – Kara
Kara, you have to keep yourself safe. The world doesn't need another hero. Clark is enough. – I text back. I take another sip of my scotch. Another buzz.
But, I just want to help people… – Kara
I know. But if you work your way up in Catco then you can make a difference that way. You can help people that way. – I text, in return, finishing the drink. I walk back over to the kitchen to get more scotch. My phone buzzes again.
Ok, I know you're right. I should stay safe. Sister night with pizza and pot stickers, tonight? :D – Kara
I pour another drink, half full again, and groan to myself. That letter from school has kind of ruined my mood but I know that sister night will most likely be done by 10 and I can go out after that to try and forget. I need to savor this drink because it'll be beer for the next four hours until Kara leaves.
Of course. I'll order it now and hopefully it'll be here just after you get here. 3 – I text back trying to play it off that I'm fine. Buzz.
Sweet! See you soon! – Kara
I think for a second, staring down at my drink. I throw back my drink in one long swig, before walking over to the balcony again and opening my phone to call the pot sticker place first, they always take longer.
Present Day
"Agent Danvers!" Hank brings me back to the present.
"Yes, sir." I reply, stopping my motions with the wooden dummy.
"I need you to report to the debriefing room. We have found evidence of another possible escapee from Fort Rozz." Hank says.
"Yes, sir. I'll be right there." I say, exhaling. I turn away from the dummy and head out of the training room, towards the debrief room.
I hate keeping stuff from Kara. I'm good at it when I want to be, but it slowly eats away at me. And this has been a long two years. Thankfully, I do feel better about my path. I know I'm helping the world better as a DEO Agent than I ever would have as a doctor. And this way I can help protect Kara, even if she doesn't know I'm protecting her. I wonder how many more times I'm going to have to talk her out of being a superhero. Oh well, such is my struggle I guess.
"Director Henshaw." I say, as I approach the main table.
"Agent Danvers. There are some locals reporting extranormal activities in Geneva. I need you to go, covertly, and access the situation to see what further action needs to be taken. Vasquez has booked you a flight, it leaves in three hours. Dismissed." Hank says.
"Yes, sir." I say, turning around and walking away, off to home.
As I'm leaving the DEO, my phone buzzes.
Come over to my place. Now! – Kara
I smile and roll my eyes. I wonder what it is now.
Standing in front of the familiar door of my old place, I knock on the door and wait. The door is thrown open.
"I have a conference in Geneva and I need to be on a plane in 2 hours." I say, looking at my distressed sister.
"And I have a blind date in half an hour and I need you to help me pick out what to wear. I win." Kara replies
"Why do you do this to me?" I ask, sighing.
"Because I'm your sister and you love me." Kara replies, smiling defiantly.
I walk in directly over to Kara's convenience store like racks that holds all her clothes.
"I don't know I feel like I'm not living up to my potential. I went to work for Cat Grant because I thought that working in a media company run by a powerful woman who actually shapes the way people think would be the way that I could make a difference, but instead I just fetch layouts and coffee." Kara explains, while I thumb through possibilities.
"You always wanted to be normal, right? So, having a crappy boss and absolutely nothing to wear? This is what normal looks like." I reply, walking over to my sister, holding two possibilities.
"I'm not normal. I have the same powers he does. I can lift a bus, stop a bullet. Alex, I can fly. At least I think I can, I haven't done it in years." Kara says as I place the two options on the rack once more and prepare a sister speech.
"Kara. You've got a good job. You're cute. And thanks to your alien DNA you can't get pimples." I say, pausing as Kara laughs gently. "Life is not so bad, but if you really want to help someone, pick between one of these two so I can get on my plane." I continue, realizing I don't have time to talk her out of this again, I pull the two options I chose off the rack again and lift them up to her.
"Yep." Kara says, pointing to the blue shirt.
"Good choice. When in doubt go with blue, it is your color. Alright text me every detail from your date and I will call you when I'm back from Geneva. I love you." I say.
"I love you." Kara replies, I turn and leave my sister's apartment.
Time to go find out what's going on with this alien sighting in Geneva.
A couple hours later…
I sit down in my seat, the window seat, about halfway back in the plane. This should be a pretty uneventful flight. The real action begins when I land. I wonder what kind of eye witness accounts there are. Sometimes it ends up being a couple of crazies, but we always have to investigate regardless of the sanity and IQ of the witness. It's nice to have a new case, I was beginning to feel a little antsy. Granted, my job is never boring, but lately I've been feeling especially uncomfortable with keeping my job a secret from Kara. She's been more headstrong about the whole superhero thing lately and it makes me worried that while I'm away she might do something.
I look up to see a man, late twenties to early thirties, with dark hair and green eyes, puts a bag in the overhead compartment above my seat. He gives a small smile, and then moves out of the aisle toward me to sit down next to me.
"Hey, I'm Ethan." He says, sitting down and sticking out a hand to shake.
"Alex." I reply, grabbing his hand and shaking it.
"What are you going to Geneva for?" He asks, settling in and buckling his belt.
"I have a conference." I reply, smiling gently.
"Oh yeah? What for?" He continues. I know this game. He's cute enough, I guess. But I don't have time for anyone in my life, except Kara. She's a handful.
"Medical. I'm a biomedical engineer and my company wants me to stay up to date on the latest medical advances. What are you going for?" I lie convincingly and then continue the polite conversation.
"Oh wow. That's impressive. I'm going to meet some friends there and we're just going to do some exploring and adventuring. Maybe a little sightseeing, the Pierre Cathedral and whatnot." He says, smiling.
I smile in return, not really knowing how to respond.
"Well I'm actually pretty terrified of flying so I'm going to close my eyes and try to pretend I'm not on a plane." He says.
"I'm sure everything will be fine." I say, smiling before turning my gaze out the window.
I place an earbud, filled with the music of Barenaked Ladies, in my ear before closing my eyes and leaning back. I try to relax into my seat. The current song was their newest single, "Say What You Want". As much as they've changed over the years, I still enjoy whatever they manage to put out. I feel the plane shift for takeoff.
Say what you want
'Cause I can't hear you anyway
Go where you will
I won't steer you or lead you either way
Did you just fail to mention
Maybe I can make you smile again
Make you smile and after a while, say
Did I just get your attention
Did you notice that I changed my style and then
Made me smile, but it's not my style
Still say what you want
'Cause I can't hear you anyway
Go where you will
I won't steer you or lead you either way
Did you lose your medication
Or did you just want to be with me again
I'll set you free, now let me be
This has been an education
Every bit of its reminding me of them
Reminding me there is no we
Now say what you want
'Cause I can't hear you anyway
Go where you will
I won't steer you or lead you either way
I've been…
I feel the plane jerk, and a loud explosion off to my right. My eyes fly open, I yank my earbud out and look out the window. Flames have engulfed the engine on my side of the plane.
"Oh shit!" Ethan says beside me, gripping the armrests tightly.
I turn to see a look of pure terror on his face and many others around the plane.
Attention passengers, please make sure your seatbelts are fastened and your seats are in a full upright position. The pilot says over the intercom.
The oxygen masks deploy from over our heads.
"Oh god." Ethan says.
"Hey, it's alright. The pilot knows what to do in these situations, just try to remain calm." I say, trying to keep him calm. He only nods in reply, keeping his grip tight on the arm rests.
I hate not being in control, but I checked the pilot's credentials while I was waiting in line to board. He seems to be well equipped for something like this, or at least, that's what I'm going to tell myself.
The plane starts to head toward the river. That's smart and the best way to make sure there are the least number of casualties. I sit back and close my eyes. We'll be fine. We'll be fine. We'll be fine.
I look out the window and see the flaming engine continue to burn, but next to it I see… Kara! Oh my god. What is she doing? She flies down below the plane.
Holy fuck. What am I going to do? How am I going to explain this to Mom…?
The plane veers, Ethan starts falling towards me but then grabs his armrest to hold on as the plane turns completely sideways. I try my best to support myself off the side of the plane. The wing can be heard scrapping the bridge until the wing clears it. Then everyone lurches as the plane crashes into the water. I grab both armrests, bracing myself. The plane settles and everyone starts clapping. I look out the window and see Kara pop out of the water, grabbing onto the plane's wing and pulling herself onto it. She stands on the wing, dripping wet, as helicopter lights shine down on her. I can't help but smile a little. She is truly a sight to behold.
But what am I going to do?
I can't think about that just yet. I stand up and move past Ethan and our other row guest into the aisle.
"Everyone it's okay. I'm FBI. It's going to be okay." I say to the passengers of the plane and make my way up to the cockpit.
I go through first class, up to the flight attendants' area. A young Asian woman, early thirties, stops in front of me.
"I'm sorry miss, you need to get back to your seat." She says.
"Alex Danvers. FBI. I need to speak with the pilot." I reply, flashing my badge.
"Oh, yes. Of course." She says.
I open the door. Both pilots look at me.
"Alex Danvers. FBI. What happened here guys?" I ask.
"It was the strangest thing. The engines just blew without warning. I've never seen anything like it. There were no warnings or signs that anything was wrong with them. The first one just blew. I did my best to maneuver the plane safely and then another one went. Thank God for whoever it was that saved us." The pilot replies.
"Yes." I say, more to myself, thinking of the possibilities that could've caused the plane's engines to explode. I wonder if the Fort Rozz alien is behind this.
The local harbor patrol continued with the evacuation of the passengers of the plane sitting in the water, setting up one of the ferries to grab everyone, myself included. One thought just played over and over as all I could do was wait for everything to play out: What am I going to do with Kara?
About an hour and a half later, I'm walking into my sister's apartment for the second time today.
"Oh my god." I say, as Kara is yelling at the reporter on the news.
"I know. It's incredible." Kara runs up to me and hugs me tightly.
"Ow." I say aloud, as the weight of her hug literally starts crushing something.
"Sorry. That was too hard. I'm just. I'm so excited. I still can't believe I did it." Kara says.
"Yeah. Neither can I. Are you ok?" I reply, voicing my concerns.
"Me? Am I ok? Are you ok?" Kara asks.
"Yes." I say, putting my face in my hand for a second after realizing she isn't hurt.
"Were you scared? I mean I was scared too, but you, you had to be terrified because you had no idea I was coming to save you." Kara says.
"I need a drink." This is all I can manage to say right now.
"Right. Yeah, we need to celebrate. It has been so long. I almost forgot how to fly. Well, not so much how. More. More, how it feels. Like scared, but good scared. Like, like that moment right before you kiss someone for the first time. And now. Now it's like, I'm not sure what comes next or maybe I am sure and I'm just afraid of what it means and what everyone's going to think of me." Kara babbles, as I down the drink she prepared for me, trying to keep calm.
"What were you thinking? You exposed yourself. To the world. You're out there now, Kara. Everyone will know about you and you can't take that back." I say finally, motioning to the tv, paused on the story about her, for emphasis.
"I don't want to." Kara replies.
I feel so defeated. I know this is what she's always wanted. She's always been a hero. But it's not safe for her. She could get hurt. This is what my mom always wanted me to do. To protect Kara. If I can't do that then…
"This is what I was talking about Alex. I have always felt the need to help people. And tonight, I finally got that chance. I didn't travel 2000 light years just to be an assistant." Kara says.
"What if people figure out, who you are? What you are? It's just… it's not safe, for you to do anything like that ever again." I continue to try and reason with her.
"Oh…I'm kind of tired. I just carried a plane on my back. I'm going to go to bed." Kara says.
God, the look on her face. I just took the wind out of her sails. But I can't let her get hurt.
"You should go." Kara says.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." I reply, turning to leave the apartment.
I know that conversation isn't over, but that's not the only thing I have to worry about. I still need to figure out what happened to the plane. Was it a freak accident? Or was there a target? Was there a reason?
At the DEO, I walk up to Director Henshaw.
"Agent Danvers. Glad to see you made it off that flight safely." Hank says.
"Me, too, sir. The pilots of the plane had no idea what happened with the engines. It seems too convenient. I have a feeling there is a connection that it was my plane. I think that further investigation will be needed in Geneva and I believe the threat of alien involvement is viable." I reply.
"I agree. Let's take the personal jet to avoid any other mishaps. And let's do an in-depth search of the aircraft before we take off to avoid a similar fate of flight 237. Get everyone ready to leave in one hour." Hank says.
"Yes, sir." I reply.
I turn to head to the locker room to suit up. Over the comms, I command six agents to be ready for the mission in one hour: Reynolds, Warren, Rodriguez, Delgato, O'Reilly, & Shen.
I head to the locker room once and suit up for the mission to Geneva.
I can't help but let my thoughts wander back to Kara. I can't believe she exposed herself. I hope she just listens to me and lets the hero thing go.
"Agent Danvers. Are you ready?" Hank says, over the comms.
"Yes, sir. I'll be in the hangar in 5." I reply, coming out of my haze and heading to the hangar.
We all board the aircraft, after it is thoroughly checked by the flight team. And off to Geneva we go. I start to feel my lack of sleep. Thankfully, over the past two years, I've acquired this amazing ability to sleep while in the upright position. I lean back in the seat and close my eyes. I feel a gentle elbow nudge my elbow. I open my eyes and turn to look at Shen.
"Don't worry, I'll take first watch, then I'll tag you in." Shen says next to me, giving a small smile.
"I knew there was a reason I brought you along." I reply, smiling in return.
She gives a small laugh, before I lean back and close my eyes again.
About four hours later, Shen nudges me awake.
"My turn." Shen says, before leaning back in her own seat and catching some sleep.
I get out of my seat and walk around the bay area, before going up to the cockpit.
"Everything looking good guys?" I ask.
"Yes, ma'am." The pilot replies.
A few hours later, we land. The team exits the plane, then I activate the cloaking technology for the aircraft. The reports say that the alien activity happened in a rural area, so we didn't have to worry about anyone seeing us. The team splits up and clears the area. After receiving all clears, I move my gun to my back and look around. In the report, the witness said that it looked like Thor raising his hammer into the sky and that it burned like fire.
It can only be assumed that the hammer fell off Fort Rozz whenever it fell to Earth and that it must be important to this escapee, for him to travel all this way to get it back. It also makes me wonder how he's able to know where it is. Too bad that there were far too many weapons in the Fort Rozz database to pinpoint who we'd be after. But at least it does seem that this witness is not just a loon.
I found the site where the weapon seems to have fallen and the only thing I notice is that is seems to have had a sharpened edge, ruling out a hammer. An axe, perhaps? Or a sword?
After hours of searching the area further and not getting much else, I decide to call it quits for the night.
"Alright everyone, let's head back to the ship and set up camp. We'll talk with the eyewitnesses in the morning. And see if there is anymore knowledge to be gained about our escapee then. You guys set up camp and I'll contact Director Henshaw. I'll take the first watch so get some rest team." I tell the team.
"Yes, ma'am." They all reply in unison and I uncloak the ship to let them grab supplies to set up camp.
I pull out my phone and call Director Henshaw, my other hand holding my gun, pointing it out into the night. The phone picks up.
"Henshaw." Hank says.
"Director Henshaw. The mission has provided little intel into the identity of our escapee. Examining the area, we have found the location that was described but it seems that whatever weapon was here was most likely something small enough to carry on their person and leaving very little to go on. In the report, it said a hammer but by judging the markings in the ground I would guess an ax or a sword is more likely. Other than that, no other information was useful in the area. We're going to set up camp tonight and then question the witness further to see if any more information can be gained." I reply.
"Good work, Agent Danvers. Report back when you're on your way back or if you find anything substantial." Hanks says.
"Yes, sir." I reply, then hang up.
Putting my phone back in my pocket, I look over to see the camp set up and everyone settling into the tents. I look up at the sky, to see a nice bright full moon. I can't help but think of Kara, always such a bright outlook and always wanting to help.
"Agent Danvers." Shen says, snapping me back to attention.
"Agent Shen. What can I do for you?" I reply.
"I figured I would keep you company. Make it easier to stay awake, ma'am." Shen says.
"Of course." I say.
"Besides, that lovely little cat nap from earlier has made my mind a little restless now." Shen says, smiling.
"Agreed." I reply, smiling in return.
Shen and I keep watch for about four hours before waking up Reynolds and Warren to take over. My thoughts keep wandering back to Kara during that time but then I do my best to calm my thoughts and let sleep take me.
The sun is barely risen when my eyelids flicker open. I stretch and get up. I pour a little water out of a bottle into my hand and splash it on my face. I walk out of my tent.
"Good morning, ma'am." O'Reilly says.
"Morning. Who is the most awake?" I ask, looking between O'Reilly and Rodriguez.
O'Reilly points to Rodriguez and he shrugs in acceptance.
"Alright. In about an hour, you and I are going to go into town and question the witness. It'll take about an hour to get there because we'll have to walk. Dress in casuals. And put this on your wedding finger." I toss him a wedding band from in my pocket.
"We getting married?" Rodriguez asks, grinning.
"Nope, we're already married. Keeping it covert. Don't embarrass me or you never get to be my husband again." I reply, smirking.
I go back to my tent and grab some rations to eat before we head out.
About an hour later…
"Rodriguez, catch." I say throwing him a traveler's backpack, already wearing a matching one of my own.
"Everyone else, break down the camp. Then two of you can continue to search the area and make sure there isn't anything we missed but make sure two of you stay back and keep an eye on the ship. Shen, take this. And camouflage the ship when you guys are done packing up camp. We'll be back in about 3 hours." I say, tossing her the camouflage clicker.
"Yes, ma'am." Shen replies.
"Alright, Rodriguez, let's go." I say.
"Don't you mean, honey?" Rodriguez asks.
I turn around and give him an icy stare.
"Apologies, ma'am." Rodriguez quickly replies, bowing.
I smirk and then turn towards town to start walking. I hear him walking behind me.
3 hours later…
"Well that didn't seem to give any more information." Rodriguez says, as we are walking back from interrogating the witness.
"Yes, it seems that they told everything they saw in the report. That's alright. The alien is long gone from here. It was to be expected." I reply.
"Here's the ring, back." Rodriguez says, giving the ring back.
"You made a pretty good husband. Thank you." I reply, taking the ring and putting it back in my pocket.
"Will I get another chance?" Rodriguez asks.
"Maybe, if you're lucky." I say simply.
We reach the team. It seems Shen and O'Reilly stayed back to guard the ship.
"Delgato. Warren. Reynolds. Come back to the ship. I think we've found all we can." I say over the comms.
"Yes, ma'am." I hear in response from the three.
After they arrive back at the ship, we all board and take off back to the DEO. I walk into the locker room and discard my gear into the appropriate locations. I exit to find the Director in the control room.
"Director Henshaw." I say.
"Agent Danvers. Did your team find anything else on our escapee?" Hanks asks.
"No, sir. It seems the witness reported everything they saw in the initial report and there was nothing that came from questioning them further, and the other agents found nothing else of value at the scene after searching again." I reply.
"Alright. Well that is the least of our problems at the moment. It seems that while you were away, your sister has been honing her craft of superheroing." Hank says.
"I'm sorry, sir. I tried to tell her to stop, but she doesn't always listen to me." I reply, groaning to myself.
"Agent Danvers. I have no choice. I need you to stop her and bring her in." Hanks says.
I look at him for a second and concede.
"Yes, sir. I'll ready a strike team." I reply, before walking away.
"Tatum, Jordan, Gustin, Amell, Harewood & Hart. We leave in 15 minutes. Suit up." I order over comms.
Fifteen minutes later we're headed out of the DEO to take out my sister. This night just can't get any better.
About a half hour later, there were reports of a building on fire. Perfect thing to draw my sister out to help. I've got a sniper staked out on a roof near the fire, waiting for my sister to fly nearby. Meanwhile, my team and I are on the ground in the vicinity of the area where she'll most likely fall.
I see Kara flying overhead and then she pauses in the sky. She turns her gaze to a fire nearby and starts to fly toward it when the snipers shoots two tranquilizer darts, able to pierce even Kara's skin. When the shots connect, the team quickly moves toward the direction she is falling. Kara falls out of the sky and lands on an SUV parked in a back alley, before rolling off onto the asphalt.
Why couldn't she have just listened to me? My strike team and I approach her, passed out on the ground.
"Reynolds. Pick her up and get her in the van." I say to one of the agents.
Reynolds holsters his weapon and picks my sister up bridal style before getting into the van nearby. I get in with them and instruct the rest of the team to meet us back at the DEO.
The driver starts heading out of the city to rural base. I wonder how she's going to react. Why did she have to continue this vigilante nonsense? Why couldn't she listen to me, just this once? I guess she probably has no idea that there is a government agency specifically for keeping the alien populace secret and under control, just like the rest of the world. Well this just blew everything…
We arrive at the base, Reynolds picks up Kara and carries her inside. I get out of the van as well. Following Reynolds, I see Director Henshaw. Why did he make me do this to my sister? Surely, he knows this will blow my cover. Unless he doesn't want me in there when they interrogate her.
"Agent Danvers. I see your mission was a success." Hank says.
"Yes, sir." I reply.
"Where would you like to put her?" Reynolds asks.
"Let's put her in the alien interrogation room, on a gurney. Alex, go put your gear away and meet me in there. I'd like your help when she comes to." Hanks says, Reynolds walk away holding Kara.
"You want me in there? You want to expose what I do to her?" I ask, confused.
"Yes. I believe it's time she knows what's been going on in the last year and ever since she landed." Hank says, before walking away.
So, I am going to have to tell Kara that I've been working here and not in a lab, well I do work in a lab here but that's not the point. What's she going to say? Or do?
"God, I need a drink." I say to myself, walking into the suit up room.
I remove all of my gear and place each piece of equipment in the appropriate location. I go to my locker and open it. I pull down a bottle I keep in here for such occasions. I take a long swig and put it back. I know I probably shouldn't drink at work. But I need something to calm me down and honestly, I haven't had a drink at work except for one other time. And that day is the only reason this bottle is in here. Not that I need to think about that day right now. I lean back against my locker and close my eyes, putting my face in my hands for a few seconds. Dropping my hands, I exhale sharply and open my eyes before heading to the interrogation room.
I open the door and see Kara lying on the table. She is just starting to come around.
"Made of low grade kryptonite. Radioactive mineral from your home planet. It weakens you." Hank says.
"Where am I? Who are you?" Kara asks.
"Name's Hank Henshaw. And uh, I believe you already know Agent Danvers." Hank replies, Kara's gaze turns to me as I walk over to her side.
"She doesn't need those." I say, removing the kryptonite cuffs they placed on Kara's wrists.
I attempt to hold her hand in mine but she jerks it away. I can't help but feel a little hurt. I can't remember the last time that she did something like that. She looks a me with a hurt look on her face. I can only offer an apologetic one in response.
"Welcome to the DEO, the department of extranormal operations. The DEO monitors and protects Earth from extraterrestrial presence and/or invasion. That means you." Hank says.
Kara leans up on the table and we all walk out to the main room of the DEO. In the main room is Kara's Kryptonian ship on display. Kara walks toward it and Hank and I follow her.
"Your ship. We keep it here as a reminder of the day you crashed on Earth. You're the reason for all of this." Hank says.
"Me. But. My … But my cousin was here two dozen years before me." Kara replies.
"And it was his arrival that triggered the need for this organization. We realized we weren't alone in the universe and we might soon be getting more … immigrants. Sure enough, you came along. And with you, Fort Rozz." Hank says.
"Fort Rozz?" Kara asks.
"Krypton's maximum-security prison. Banished to the Phantom Zone, same place your ship got stuck. But just like yours, it didn't stay there. We're not sure how your pod got loose. What we do know is this… you pulled Fort Rozz with you. When it crashed, the alien convicts, the worst criminals in the galaxy, they all escaped. And you brought them here. These beings, some of them have powers from your darkest nightmares. For over a decade they've stayed hidden. But in the last year many have been emerging, making themselves known." Hank explains.
"They're planning something. We're just not sure what it is yet." I say.
"Your plane. That wasn't an accident. They were trying to kill you. I can help you stop them." Kara says.
"How? You couldn't even stop us from capturing you." Hank says.
"I'm still learning." Kara replies.
"Our job is keeping people in the dark about alien life on Earth, and nothing says 'covert operation' like a flying woman in a red skirt." Hank says.
"They know about my cousin, they don't fear him." Kara says.
"Plenty of people do, just not popular to admit it. You wanna help? Go back to getting someone's coffee." Hank says, walking away.
Kara turns and walks away. I run to catch up with her.
"I know you're mad and you're hurt. I wanted to tell you every single day." I explain.
"No, instead, you told me every single day not to be who I really am." Kara says, obviously hurt.
"You have to listen to me." I say.
"I can't. This just kind of feels like one big coincidence, doesn't it? You working here, hunting down aliens, me being one? I, I can't help but think the real reason that you were recruited was because of me." Kara says.
"They recruited me because my background in bio-engineering makes me an expert on alien physiology. And, yeah, it helps that I shared a bathroom with one." I say, realizing that maybe she was right.
"I'm leaving now. Unless you want to try and stop me. Which I wouldn't." Kara says, before walking away.
I watch her walk away and I am feeling so frustrated. Director Henshaw walks back over to me.
"I know you don't wanna hear this, Agent Danvers, but she's dangerous. You above all people should know that." Hank says.
I roll my eyes internally at his statement. I know the DEO is supposed to be suspicious of all aliens but this is Kara. He can't honestly think that Kara would ever do anything to intentionally hurt anyone. And if he can't believe that, he sure as shit should know that I'm not going to believe it. I just walk away.
Kara isn't dangerous. She just isn't trained. That isn't her fault. As much as I want to protect her, maybe the best way to have her be protected is to teach her to protect herself. But then again, the more you know, the more likely dangerous people will come after you. It's like that age-old argument about how Superman being Superman actually draws supervillains to him. A lot would argue that if he wasn't around that the danger wouldn't present itself in the first place. Man, I don't know.
I can't think about this right now. We have to track down "Thor" or whatever this alien is.
How are we going to find this guy?
"Agent Danvers, Director Henshaw," Vasquez calls, as I walk from my lab back into the main control room. I didn't realize that Hank was in the vicinity as well.
"Yes. What is it, Vasquez?" Hank asks in reply.
"We just picked up on a transmission, sent out at 50,000 hertz." Vasquez says.
"No one transmits at that frequency. No one would be able to understand it." Hank says.
"No one from this planet." I say.
We all exchange a look.
"Is there anyway to convert the message into a form that we can understand what was said?" Hank asks.
"Not that I know of, but if the message was targeted towards Supergirl I am able to track her." Vasquez says.
"That'll work. Agent Danvers, assemble a strike team." Hank says.
"Yes, sir." I say, to Hank and walk away.
"Rodriguez, Shen. Moving out in 10. Meet in the hangar. We're taking the combat copter." I say into my comms, while walking into the locker room.
"Yes, ma'am." I hear them both reply separately, as I suit up in combat gear.
I don't really like the idea of tracking my little sister, when I know she's already pissed at me but it doesn't seem like there is any other way. I leave the locker room and head towards the hangar.
Shen and Rodriguez are sitting up in the cockpit. As I walk in, Rodriguez turns on the copter and I climb in, buckling in. We take off towards the blip on the radar, otherwise known as Supergirl.
After being in the air for about 15 minutes, I start here loud crashing noises. We're near the power plant and I look out the side of the copter to see Kara and the "Thor" alien fighting. He looks pretty humanoid except for the fact that his head has these grooves in it that remind me of Star Trek characters.
"Shen, come back on the machine gun. I'm going to repel down." I say.
"Yes, ma'am." Shen says, unbuckling and coming back to take position on the machine gun.
I prepare a rope to vault down but then I see the alien leaning over Kara, choking her. The pilot fires a missile, scaring Vartox into letting Kara go. I repel down from the helicopter and land, before running over to Kara.
"Trap One, pursue the hostile." I say, into my comms.
"Copy that." Rodriguez says.
"Hey, hey I'm here. I got you, I got you." I say, holding Kara who looked pretty worn out and scared.
The helicopter fires more missiles at the alien until he eventually escapes.
"Circle back and get us out of here." I say, after he escapes.
The helicopter circles back and lands nearby. I help Kara up, and wrap her uninjured arm around my shoulders before walking her over to the helicopter. I step in first and pull her up into the helicopter before sitting her down in one of the seats and buckling her in. I sit down next to her, staying silent because I know she's probably still angry with me. I lean forward and look down at the floor.
"Alright we're strapped in. Take us back." I say, into my comms.
"Copy that." Rodriguez says and the helicopter lifts off the ground, heading back to the DEO.
Kara places her good hand on my forearm. I look at her hand and then look back at her. She gives me a gentle smile. I smile in return.
"Did the alien happen to say his name?" I ask.
"Vartox." Kara says.
"Ok. Thanks. Hank, tell Vasquez to do a search through the Fort Rozz files on an alien called Vartox." I say, into my comms.
"Alright. Well done, Agent Danvers." Hank says.
"You can thank Supergirl." I say, but I get no response.
Back at the base, I help her out of the helicopter and, seeing that she still looked pretty weak, put her arm around my shoulders once again, helping her into the base. I guided her to the medical area of the DEO.
"Wait here, I'm going to take my gear off. I'll be right back." I say.
"Ok." Kara replies.
I walk to the locker room and change, meeting her after a couple minutes. Kara is holding her arm, still wincing in pain. I grab some curved forceps and a small vial. I look closely at her arm before using the forceps to remove the shard of Vartox's ax from Kara's arm. Kara's cut heals instantly after the shard is removed. I place the shard into the vial.
"You're gonna be ok." I say.
"I never felt pain like that before. Uh, I've never felt pain." Kara replies, I screw on the lid to the vial.
"You're not indestructible, Kara." I say, walking over to the computer and placing the vial on the scanner.
"Nice move nearly letting that alien cut you in half. If we can ID his weapon, it might give us a way to defeat him. Look at that. You did help." Hank says, while looking between Kara and the computer screen, chuckling shortly and then walking away.
"Did you know about my mom? That she was the one who locked up all those aliens?" Kara asks.
"It's why I didn't want you going out there. Showing yourself, showing this." I say, pointing to her suit. "The Fort Rozz escapees would give anything to get revenge on your mother and the only way that they can do that now is to hurt you. I'm trying to protect you." I explain, pointing to her suit.
"You were right. The world doesn't need me." Kara says, sounding defeated.
She gets off the table and leaves. I look after her as she walks away.
I'm worried about Kara but I decide to go back to my work on analyzing the ax sample. After a half hour of analyzing, something stands out to me. It seems that there is a unique radiation being emitted from the ax. Maybe Vasquez can use this to track Vartox. I grab a USB drive with the data and walk out to the main control room.
"Hey Vasquez, the shard emits a unique radiation. Do you think you might be able to find a way to track Vartox using that?" I ask.
"Yeah, I should be able to. It might take a couple hours but I'll let you know when I've got something." Vasquez replies.
"Alright thanks." I say then I walk off to the locker room.
I can't help that my thoughts migrate back to Kara.
I shouldn't feel bad. She could get hurt, or killed, trying to go against these aliens. I am just trying to protect her. But let's be honest, even the DEO isn't equipped to face some of these aliens. What if it gets to the point where we can't handle a foe? Then Kara won't be ready, or trained, in any real capacity. She won't have the confidence to know she can handle something, even when she can.
But then again, maybe she can't handle it.
Oh, who are you kidding? Kara can handle anything. The DEO could use her help. She is strong enough to do this. We can handle anything together.
But, look what you did now. Your sister no longer believes in herself. In your attempt to protect her, she's now not even really herself at all. Would it really be so bad if she was a hero? I mean, who cares if Mom lectures me about it. I can't let Kara lose who she's always been. She's an adult, now. My mom can't hold Kara back anymore. And neither can I. It's clear that she's meant to be hero. I don't know why I've been trying to stop it this whole time. Just because she gets to shine doesn't mean that I don't, right?
Looking up at the clock, half past six, I take off my lab coat and head toward the exit.
A short time later, I'm standing in front of my sister's apartment, again, worried about her. Again. As much as I know she wants this, I know what it could mean and what it could lead to. I sigh before raising a fist to the door and I knock a few times.
"Kara, it's me. Can we talk? I know you can see me. I know what you're thinking. That this is all your fault. But it's not. Before you came to live with us, I was the star. And then, I mean, how could I compete with you? With someone… who could touch the stars? You know, I was happy when you decided not to use your powers. You know, you feeling like less, somehow… made me feel like more. Now… the world needs you to fly, Kara." I say, still standing outside her door.
Kara opens the door.
"I can't, Alex. I can't do it." Kara says.
"Yeah, you can. Your family believes in you." I reply.
"I know you do." Kara says.
"No, I don't mean me." I reply, pulling out the Kryptonian hologram box.
"That's Kryptonese writing." Kara says, taking the box from my hands.
"Yeah. Hank and his old team recovered it from the pod that brought you to Earth." I explain.
We walk into her apartment and she places the box on her kitchen island. The box comes to life with a life-size hologram of Kara's mother.
"Mom." Kara says.
"Kara, my brave daughter. By now you have become the woman I knew you would grow up to be. And though you were sent to Earth to protect young Kal-El, your destiny is not tied to his. There is no correct path in life. You will lose your way many times. What's important is that you find your way back to the brave girl you always were. Be wise, be strong and always be true to yourself." While the hologram explains, I grab Kara's hand for support.
I watch Kara as she focuses on the hologram. Kara walks forward to touch the projection and it disappears. Kara put her hand over her face and lets out a soft sob. Then she turns around to face me.
"So, what do we do now?" Kara asks, still sniffling a little.
"First things first. You need to change." I reply.
We exchange smiles.
Kara and I walk into the DEO about half an hour later.
"It's Agent Danvers and her sister from another planet." Hank says.
"She's here to help us fight Vartox." I reply.
"I told you, I don't trust aliens." Hank says, walking over to us.
"There's no one I trust more. Like her cousin she was sent here, too, to help us. And if you want any more of my help, we're gonna let her." I reply, staring him down.
"I found Vartox. Sir. Ma'ams." Vasquez says, Hank turns back to her.
"Where?" Hank asks, walking back up to the computers.
"The sliver of metal you extracted from Supergirl's arm. Vartox's ax has a unique nuclear thumbprint. Satellites picked him up heading towards the city." Vasquez explains.
"Vartox said he was ready to start killing humans." Kara says.
"Order a strike team to intercept." Hank says.
"Your men will not be able to stop him." Kara replies.
"Thank you for your opinion, Miss Danvers." Hank says.
"Director Henshaw. People of this city will die because of something I did. I started this. You have to let me stop it." Kara replies, walking over to be in front of Hank.
"Make sure you win." Hank says.
Kara turns around to leave.
"Wait, hold on Kara. Take this. So, we can stay in contact." I say, holding out the comms we use at the DEO.
She nods, putting the two-part device in her ear and mouth before walking out of the DEO. I keep my eyes on the computer screen and watch the orange dot as it moves along the roads mapped on the screen.
"Do you have eyes on the target?" Hank asks a few minutes later.
"I got him." Kara replies, over the comms.
The orange dot comes to a stop on the screen.
"You never should've come back for more." Vartox can be heard over the comms.
"She's not strong enough." Hank says, staring at the bird's eye view of the fight and then looking back at me.
"Why? Because she's just a girl? It's exactly what we were counting on." I reply.
Kara kicks him through some rubble.
"I analyzed the metal on the ax. It's powered by a self-generating atomic charge reaching temperatures up to 2500 degrees." I explain.
"How does that help?" Hank asks.
"If it gets any hotter than that it's gonna explode. She just has to get close enough to do her thing." I say.
Kara continues fighting Vartox, not that I can see too much. Vartox is over Kara and punches her into the ground.
"Stop. I give up. I don't wanna die." Kara says.
"Give your mother my regards." Vartox says.
Vartox swings his ax down, but Kara catches it.
"Kara, do it now." I instruct.
Kara begins to use her heat vision on his ax. It doesn't appear to have much effect.
"It's not working. I can't do it." Kara says, sounding worried.
"It's why you were sent here. I believe that now, you have to believe it too." I reply.
Kara increases her heat vision and eventually the ax explodes. Vartox is blown back, weakened and on the ground. Kara gets up and walks up to Vartox.
"It's over." Kara says.
"You think I'm the threat. You have no idea what's coming." Vartox replies.
Vartox leans forward grabs a piece of his shattered ax and stabs himself. The agents in the control room clap softly for the victory.
"She followed your orders. She won." I say to Hank.
"Yeah. This time." Hank says and then starts to walk away.
"Director Henshaw. I wasn't only recruited because of my sister, was I?" I ask, unable to help my curiosity and self-consciousness.
"Yeah. She's why you got in. You… are why you get to stay." Hanks says, before turning to walk away.
I can't help but smile to myself.
