Chapter 2 – Caught

Kara awoke the next morning with a start. At first she wasn't sure what had woke her, but then she turned over and saw a very angry looking Alex staring down at her. Before she could ask what was wrong, Alex wordless threw three different newspapers onto her bed and then thrust her phone at Kara.

"It's all over the news," Alex said as she began pacing back and forth. "What were you thinking, Kara?"

Kara picked up the closest newspaper and a frown made its way across her face.

"That's—"

"You," Alex interrupted. "That's you on the cover of half the newspapers across the country. You're all over the internet, Kara!"

It was a fuzzy picture of her carrying Lena across the city. Thankfully, you couldn't really see Kara's face, but the cat was still out of the bag. Above the picture was a headline asking if National City had their very own Superman and boasted having several eye witness accounts, though Kara couldn't really imagine how. It had been nighttime out and she had been flying high across the city.

"Someone recorded you with their cell phone when you neared the Luthors' penthouse," Alex said, answering the question Kara had been thinking. "Someone saw you and decided to record it and put it on YouTube. It's out there now and you can never take it back."

"Maybe it's not so bad," Kara replied, hoping to calm her sister down.

"Not so bad?" Alex repeated. "Kara, people know you're out there now. The one rule was you don't let people see your powers, but now it's out there for the whole world to see! Now that they know you're out there, there are people who will come looking for you and they won't stop until they know who you are and have you. Maybe they don't know who you are, but they will eventually figure it out."

"Alex—"

"My mom trusted me to protect you," Alex interrupted. "She trusted that you would be safe in my care, and now look what's happened." Alex threw her arms up. "Not only did you go flying around the city, but you were filmed!"

"I know you think I need protecting, but I'm eighteen, Alex," Kara said, throwing her covers back, and standing up. "I'm an adult now. I don't need you or Eliza protecting me. It's going to be okay!"

"Why did you even go out there?" Alex asked.

"Because I saw the news and I knew that Lena was in trouble," Kara answered. "I tried getting a hold of Clark, but he wasn't answered. I just kept imagining how I would feel if I was in her shoes. How I would feel if there was someone out there who could save me but wouldn't do it. I kept thinking how I would feel if they had killed her and I hadn't tried to help her. How could I live with myself if that had happened?

"I know you think you're protecting me, but I'm tired of hiding from the world! I want people to see me. I want to be able to help people like Clark does. Ever since I came here, I've had no purpose, but this could be it. This could be what I'm meant to do."

"I'm sorry, Kara, but that's not an option," Alex stated. "I know you want to think the best in people, but there are a lot of people out there who would love to destroy someone like you. Or worse. And I know you want to help people, but you can't. Right now, you need to lie low. This isn't just going to blow over, but at least you won't be exposing yourself even more than you already have." Alex paused for a moment. "You're grounded. In every sense of the word."

Kara opened her mouth to protest, but closed it with a scowl. When Alex turned on her heel to walk away, though, Kara finally said, "It's not like I meant for this to happen."

"I know you didn't," Alex replied. "But it still happened. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do. And a phone call to return to our mom."

Kara sighed as she sat back down on her bed. She hated that Alex was angry with her, but even if she could go back and change things, she still wouldn't sit back and do nothing. Someone had been in trouble and she had reacted. She wasn't sorry about it even if things had blown up in her face a bit. She just wished her sister could see that she was only trying to help and that it wasn't nearly as bad as it seemed. After all, there was no way any one was going to be able to recognize her from such a blurry photograph.

Kara groaned and lifted her head to look at the front door. Someone was knocking way too enthusiastically and she didn't have to use her x-ray vision to know that Winn was on the other side of the door.

"Kara, you in there!" Winn asked, knocking again.

"Yeah, just a minute," Kara said, pulling herself off the couch, and walking over to let her friend in.

"Oh my god!" Winn said the moment the door was open, walking past Kara, and then turning around with one of the papers Alex had thrown on her bed. "Have you seen this? Tell me you've seen this!"

Kara sighed. "I've seen it."

"We have our own Superhero!" Winn said, looking like he'd just won the lottery. "Can you believe it? I've watched the video, like twenty times, and it's definitely someone flying across the city. Some people think it's a hoax, but there's no way. And others think maybe it's Superman, but I agree with the people who are speculating that it's a woman. I mean, look at this picture. There's no way that's a man. She's too small."

"I—"

"There's already a lot of talk about whether or not this person is related to Superman," Winn continued. "He's too young to have a grown kid, but maybe they're brother and sister. Wouldn't that be cool?" Winn stopped for a moment and his face fell a little as he looked at Kara. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kara said, trying to plaster a smile on her face, though she knew it was strained. "I've just had a long morning."

"What happened?" Winn asked.

Kara sighed. "Alex is angry with me. And I imagine Eliza is too. I haven't had the chance to get a lecture from her yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time."

"I can't imagine you did anything too bad," Winn said.

"I broke one of their rules," Kara replied. "Really, their only rule."

"How bad can it be?" Winn asked. "You'd never intentionally do anything bad."

"Actually, I did something good, but Alex can't seem to see that right now," Kara replied. "She just wants me to hide who I am, and now that people have seen me, she's worried."

Winn frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say—"

Kara sighed to herself and grabbed the newspaper from Winn's hand. She stared at the picture for a few moments before holding it up. "They're not siblings."

"What?" Winn asked, furrowing his brows.

"Superman and the girl in the picture," Kara said. "They're not brother and sister. They're cousins."

"Cousins?" Winn asked, looking down at the paper, and then looking back up at Kara. "How would you know that?"

"Because the girl in that picture—it's me," Kara said. "I'm the one flying above National City. I'm the one who saved Lena Luthor last night, and now Alex will barely talk to be because of it."

Winn tilted his head for a moment and then a smile slowly spread across his face. "This is a joke, right? You're joking with me right now. It's very funny, by the way."

"This isn't a joke," Kara replied, but she could still tell Winn thought it was.

"Okay," Winn said, shaking his head, the smile still firmly on his face. "If you say so."

Kara began to push her glasses up but paused. After a moment, she took them off completely and then pulled her hair out of its ponytail.

"Look any more like the picture?" Kara asked.

"Kara," Winn said in that tone that told her he thought she was crazy before he turned around and began walking toward the couch, not paying attention to what Kara was doing behind him. "Look, I get it, okay? You know Superman has been my role model for years. I mean, how awesome would it be to be able to fly or lift a car or be able to see through buildings? Can you think of anything more cool?" Winn turned around and his jaw dropped. "Oh my god! Kara's, you're—you're floating. You're—" Winn looked up into her eyes. "You were telling the truth."

"Did you really think I was lying?" Kara asked. "It would be an easy thing to disprove, after all. Besides, you're my best friend. Why would I ever lie to you like that? I guess I've technically lied to you all these years, but I hated doing it and it was more of a lie of omission than something crazy like telling you I'm Superman's cousin when I'm really not."

Winn did a great impression of a fish, opening and closing his mouth. "I-I" Winn shook his head. "Wow. Okay. So you're, like, Supergirl."

"I think I prefer Superwoman, actually," Kara said, putting her hands on her hips, and slowly smiling. "Alex is so going to kill me now."

"Kara! Hey, wait up!" Winn said bumping into several people as he hurriedly made his way over to her.

Kara stopped and turned toward her friend. They hadn't seen each other since Saturday, but he still looked no less excited than he did then. She wondered how long it would be before the novelty was going to wear off, but knowing Winn, it probably never would. He still got excited every time a new picture of Superman came out, which she'd always found amusing. Now that it was her, though, she hoped he wouldn't be like that. She really just wanted him to be her best friend, not someone who looked up to her as a hero.

"You didn't text me last night," Winn said when he finally caught up to her. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just didn't really feel like talking to anyone," Kara replied.

"Is Alex still angry with you?" Winn asked.

Kara nodded. "She's barely speaking to me. Every time she looks at me, all I can see is the disappointment in her eyes. I know she feels like she failed with me somehow, and I wish I could make her see that she didn't. This was always going to happen sooner or later. They couldn't protect me from the world forever."

"Does she know I know?" Winn asked.

"No," Kara said, shaking her head. "It would only make her angrier, so I thought I would wait a while before I told her."

"She's gotta know I'd never tell anyone, though," Winn replied. "Right? I mean, you know that, don't you?"

Kara glanced around, and while no one appeared to be paying any attention to them, she nodded toward one of the empty classrooms. "Let's go in here. And yes, I know you'd never tell. I wouldn't have told you if I thought you would. You've been my best friend since we started high school. I trust you."

"So, I have a question," Winn said. "Your sister told you you're grounded and you're not allowed to use your," he lowered his voice, "powers again. What would it really matter if you did? She's already not really talking to you, right? What's the worst that could happen if you go out there again? I think you should just do what you want."

Kara shook her head. "I can't."

"But why not?" Winn asked.

Kara opened her mouth, hesitating for a moment. "I just can't."

"Tell me you're going to be able to not go out there the next time someone needs your help," Winn said. "Tell me you're going to be able to sit back and watch when you could be doing something about it. I know you, Kara; you have the biggest heart out of anyone I've ever met. You won't be able to just sit back and watch. Maybe you could before, but not now. Not when everyone already knows you exist and think they'll be able to count on you to save them. Besides, how awesome would it be if you were National City's very own superhero?"

"Alex thinks people will come after me if I put myself out there," Kara replied. "And she's probably right. I'll become a target for people. And if anyone ever figures out who I am, then the people I care about most will become targets as well. The last thing I want is for those I love to be in danger."

"I know that, but tell me you're going to be able to sit back and do nothing," Winn said. "Tell me that and I'll never bring this up again."

Kara sighed and looked away. It had always bothered her that she couldn't go out there and help people before, but Winn was right. Now that people knew about her, it was that much harder. She couldn't stand the thought of people knowing she was out there but was unwilling to help those who needed it. But she also hated the thought of disappointing her family.

And she knew Alex was right; she could see the point she was making. Kara would be a target just like Superman was. There were plenty of bad people who would love to see someone like her or Clark fail. For years, there had been people out there who did everything they could to hurt Clark, regardless of the innocent people who would be killed in the process. But did all that really mean it was better to do nothing?

"I'm going to need some time to think about all this," Kara said. "But right now I need to go look over my notes for a quiz I'm about to have."

Winn nodded. "You know where to find me if you want to talk about it."

"Who are you looking for?" James asked.

Kara stopped looking around the cafeteria and glanced over at James. "Winn. It's weird that he's not here. He said he'd see me at lunch."

"Maybe he had to stay behind for class," James suggested.

"Maybe," Kara replied.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked. "You've seemed really distracted today. It was like you didn't even hear her when Mrs. Jacobson called on you in class."

"Who me?" Kara asked. "Yeah. I'm totally fine."

James's eyebrow rose. "You sure?"

"Yeah, of course," Kara answered.

"Alright," James said, but she could tell by his face that he didn't believe her. "But if there is anything wrong, you know you can talk to either of us, right?"

Kara smiled and nodded. "Thanks, but it's really unnecessary right now."

"Winn's coming," Lucy said, looking over Kara's shoulder, and nodding.

"There you are," Kara said when he sat down beside her. "I was wondering where you were."

"Sorry, I had something to do," Winn replied, sounding slightly out of breath. "Did you guys hear? Someone's taken an entire bank hostage just a few blocks down the road. I overheard them talking about it in the office. They've talking about locking down the school in case the criminals get away and come this way."

"What is with this city lately?" Lucy asked. "These things seem to keep happening."

"Yeah, I still can't believe Lena was kidnapped," James commented. "That's, like, major. You know Luthor Corp has got to be one of the most secure places in the city, but somehow someone still managed to get in there."

"It's scary when you think about it," Lucy replied.

"I wonder if Supergirl will go save the day," Winn said.

"Supergirl?" Kara asked.

"That's what the papers have started calling her," Winn replied. "The superhero that saved Lena. CatCo put out an article about it last night, and now everyone's starting to call her Supergirl. Twitter's blowing up with people wondering if she'll show up. A lot of people are hoping to see her again."

Kara knew he was talking to her and her alone. He couldn't exactly ask her outright with James and Lucy right there, but she still heard what he was asking her.

"I'm sure the police have it all under control," Kara said. "They don't need this Supergirl."

"I don't know," Winn replied. "They're threatening to kill the hostages if the police don't give them what they want. And what if the police can't give it to them?" Winn lowered his voice until it was less than a whisper. If Kara didn't have enhanced hearing then she knew she wouldn't have been able to hear him at all. "There's something in my locker if you want to use it."

As Winn, James, and Lucy carried on their conversation, Kara sat there thinking about what Winn had whispered. She knew he was hoping she would go to the bank to help, but she didn't know what could possibly be in his locker for her to use.

While she thought it over, her eyes slowly drifted over to Lena. Kara had been surprised to find the other girl at school on Monday. Given everything that had happened, she'd really expected her to take a few days off from school. Yet Lena had been there as if nothing had happened. Like she hadn't been kidnapped and held at gunpoint before finally being saved by an alien.

As far as Kara knew, Lena had kept her word. Even though Kara had been caught on camera and was now out there for the world to see, Lena hadn't given any interviews about her rescue. And Kara knew Lena hadn't talked to her friends about it since she'd overheard them begging for details. Lena had declined to comment, though, telling her friends that she really didn't feel like talking about it. It hadn't stopped them from continuing to ask, but Lena still remained silent on the subject.

"Kara?" Lucy said.

Kara looked over at her. "Sorry, but I just remembered that I needed to meet someone about some homework. Silly me. I can be so forgetful sometimes. I'll see you all later."

She noticed a smirk on Winn's face as she grabbed her tray and walked away. She knew he was going to want to talk about everything later, but right now, she was trying to focus on what she needed to do. So, after depositing her tray, she headed straight for Winn's locker and used her x-ray vision to figure out the combination.

When Kara opened the locker, she didn't have to guess what Winn had left for her. With a glance over her shoulder to make sure she was alone, she picked up the note and unfolded it as she ran her hand along the red and blue fabric.

I thought you may want to match your cousin.

- W

Kara silently landed on the roof of the bank and looked around. There was a helicopter flying above, but she could see that they were filming the front of the building. Before they could point the camera in her direction, she flew down and through the front door, nothing more than a blur.

When she landed, it took a few moments for anyone to notice her. The first one to finally see her was one of the hostages, who slowly looked up at her. The surprise was evident on their face, mingled with a bit of relief. A few seconds later, though, the fear returned when one of the gunmen noticed Kara and began shouting.

"Hey! Who are you?!" the man asked in a loud voice, raising his gun at her.

"Just someone who would like to help," Kara said, raising her hands slightly.

By now, she had everyone's attention and she suddenly felt a little self-conscious. She had never dealt with a hostage situation before, and she really didn't know what she should say. The last thing she wanted was to anger the men. Not because they could hurt her, but because she was afraid they would hurt someone else.

"You don't have to do this," Kara continued. "You haven't hurt anyone. You can walk out of here and do your time, and be out in no time. But if you hurt anyone, it's going to be a lot worse. Just let all these people go and everything will be okay."

"Shoot her," one of the other men ordered. "She's just a little girl playing dress up in a bad costume."

Kara frowned and put her hands on her hips. Maybe it wasn't as cool as the one Superman had, but she thought Winn had done a good job on it.

"I can assure you shooting will do nothing to me," Kara stated.

"We'll see about that," the man who was clearly in charge said as he raised his gun.

Several people screamed as the bullets began to fly. Kara even flinched, having never actually experienced being shot before, but she barely felt it when the bullets hit her chest and stomach. Her outfit, however, didn't fare quite as well. When she looked down, there were about a half a dozen holes littering her costume.

"Not to self," Kara mumbled. "Find a different material."

When Kara looked back up, the man who had shot her was coming at her with the butt of the gun. He tried hitting her in the side of the head with it, but Kara easily dodged it.

"If shooting me didn't work, do you really think hitting me will?" Kara asked.

He tried several more times, but Kara just maneuvered around him so the gun never even came in contact with her. The guy seemed to be getting increasingly more frustrated, so Kara grabbed the gun out of his hands in case he did something even more reckless. Once it was in hand, she flew between the five remaining men, grabbing each of their guns before any of them had even realized what was happening. With all the men unarmed and looking around confused, Kara flew out, dropping the guns near the police, and flying back in before most had time to blink.

"These people are walking out of here," Kara stated when she landed back in the bank.

Most of the men backed down, but the leader still looked defiant. She could hear his heart beating irregularly and she glanced down when she saw his arm begin to reach behind his back. It was as if she watching it in slow motion as he pulled the gun out from his waistband and started to point it at one of the hostages. Before he could grab the woman, though, Kara had used her super speed to put herself between him and the woman, and she threw him back, where he hit the ground several yards away with a loud thud.

"Is anyone else going to try to hurt these people?" Kara asked, and the other men all shook their heads. "Good."

Kara could hear that the police were beginning to rush into the building, so she flew out the door before the first one could step foot inside the bank. She knew the hostages were now safe and she wanted to get out before even more people saw her up close.

As she flew away from the building, she smiled to herself. Helping Lena had felt good, but helping an entire room full of people felt even more amazing. This was all she had ever wanted and she was finally getting it. She was finally helping people.

"Ouch," Kara said, coming to an abrupt stop midair when she felt a sudden sting in her arm.

Kara looked down at her arm, where a small syringe looking thing was sticking out of her arm. She pulled it out, but it was too late. She felt herself falling from the sky as everything began to go black.