Author's Note: Hey ladies and gents, now I wanted to let you know that where this chapter ends is where the episode 2.12 "Luthors" begins. And before you read I would just like to thanks all of you once again for reading or even glancing at my stories, I do really appreciate it. Now enjoy.
Side-Note: J'onn and Kara are still pissed at me for eating the last of the of the jelly-filled donuts and have forbade me from stepping foot on earth 38. So therefore I own nothing. *teardrop*
National City- 8:43 a.m. Present
Location: CatCo
National City is perhaps one of the more beautiful and brighter cities among the so-called "Gem Cities". Even with the partial overcast, the city itself was bright, breathtaking as the city starts to stir to life. Between the skyscrapers, offices and other such buildings; there is a sense of traditional and modern feel merged together to make something completly wonderful, making it truly a sight to behold.
The streets themselves were starting to fill up, with people, some eager to start their day while others are just getting off of work. Seconds pass before beams from the sun start to break through the clouds; one such beam shines through an open window on an apartment building. This particular apartment belongs to Kara Danvers, who sits on the sill of the open window, basking in the warmth of sun's ray as she watched the city stir to life on this Monday morning.
To most she is a reporter at CatCo WorldWide, but to those few that she trusts, she is Kara Zor-El the last daughter of Krypton and to the city that she protects she is known as Supergirl. Despite the events and revelations of the last few days, she was eager to get dressed and start her morning. She headed to work, deciding to walk instead of taking a cab or the usual bus; along the route was a newstand where a certain magazine caught her eye.
She stared at the issue of CatCo, or more specifically at the clear as day picture of National City's newest hero, or in her mind vigilante, the Guardian. As she stared at the picture, she thought back to when she found out the James Olsen, her friend and someone she trusted with her secret, and the fact that he is The Guardian. But the shocking revelations kept coming when she learned that not only did he drag Winn willingly into his crusade, but that Alex knew about it and didn't tell her.
Her eyes sweept up to the title plastered just above the picture: "National City's New Guardian!" Needless to say she was less than thrilled, not about the article itself, though it didn't help her mood any, but at the fact that hated how James and Winn were needlessly putting themselves in harms way. She continued on her way to work, trying her best to forget the whole thing, but it had been days since she had spoken or even hung out with James or Winn. And with Alex spending most of her time with her girlfriend Maggie she spent most nights flying around the city or staying home binge watching Netflix.
There was also the matter of Mon-El confessing his feelings to Kara and how she shot him down dispite how she really felt for him. That too was now complicated, which only made the day feel even more encumbersome even as she strode into the CatCo lobby and over to the elevators. She tries to focus, to push all those feelings and thoughts back so that she could concentrate on her work. She barely stepped off the elevator when she heard...
Snapper Carr: "Danvers, you're late."
Kara: "Umm well yes, but I-"
Snapper: "Don't care. Bullpen, now."
He seems less...grumpy today.
Snapper: *raises voice* "DANVERS!"
Or not...
Kara quickly followed behind Snapper as they entered what he so lovably called "The Bullpen". Once inside she quickly opens her purse and retrieves her note pad and a pen. When she looks up, she is surprised to see James Olsen standing off to the side of Snapper's desk. He spotted her immediately when she walked through the door; they meet each other's gaze for only a brief second before they looked away.
Seconds later, the rest of the CatCo reporters started shuffling in and once the last one entered, Snapper started.
Snapper: *mixture of sarcasim and disdain* "Now that the last of the stranglers are here we can get started. First off, assignments..."
Snapper grabbed a handful of papers and started handing them out to specific people; once they were handed out he gave a brief summary about each assignment. Kara had barely glanced at her paper when Snapper barked out the details of her assignment...
Snapper: *disdained tone* "Danvers, according to a source there was some sort of creature seen roaming around the port. I want you to follow up, think you can handle it?"
Kara: "Yessir chief."
Snapper: *less than enthusatic tone* "Fan-tastic. Alright, listen up because I'm only going to say this once."
The room fell silent, so much that even the very human James could hear a needle drop. Snapper sat on the edge of his desk, reached around and pulled out the latest issue of CatCo, the one with the Guardian's picture plaster on the front cover. Kara tried her best to keep her composure and hold back the contempt that was building in the pit of her stomach. Meanwhile James glanced over at Kara, who refused to meet his gaze and instead looked down at the floor momentarily, before returning her gaze to the magazine.
Then, from behind the magazine, he slides out yet another albeit older magazine; the difference between the two was that the older version, had Supergirl on the cover.
Snapper: "Bonus assignment. Anyone who can get these two, in a room, on the record..." *combines the magazines together. sarcastic tone* "Will earn a very special place in my heart and...will have their article on the front page. I don't want no 'Puff piece', understood. I want the good stuff; what does Supergirl think about National City's newest hero, is he just a trend or will he be sticking around?...Does she trust him? Does he trust her? Are they partners?"
Kara couldn't help but scoff at that last bit and of course it earned her curious stares from everyone in the room, including Snapper Carr and James.
Snapper: *drops his head a bit, eyes peeking over the rim of his glasses. annoyed tone* "Is there something that you would like to add Ms. Danvers?"
Kara: *shakes her head* "Its just that, Supergirl has been handling things pretty well on her own and...I think that this Guardian is just out there looking for trouble.
James: *clears his throat* "Some people would say that he's out there trying to make a difference, just like Supergirl."
Kara: *fires back* "Yeah well, I'm pretty sure that-"
Snapper slams the magazines down beside him on the desk, which in turn stops both James and Kara dead in their tracks. Their gaze met his stare, one that all but shouted his annoyance at the two of them. He slowly stood up, his glare slowing changing from Kara to James and back again.
Snapper: "This is not group therapy, so hash out whatever crap that is going on between you two on your own time."
Kara and James caved, deciding that it was best to discuss the problems between them in private.
Snapper: "Alright then," *glances back at the other reporters in room who are looking at them dumbfounded. Raised voice* "Well, what're still standing around here for? Get out there and get me my stories!"
And just like that the meeting was over and everyone was dismissed to go about completing their assignments. Kara shuffled out of 'The Bullpen' quickly, more so than the others. She knew that if she stayed then things would have escalated quickly; the usual disagreement aside, she still had an assignment to do, a story that needed written. She stopped by her desk briefly to grab her credentials and press pass, when James walked over.
James: *soft, yet stern tone* "Kara, we need to talk."
Kara: *disregarding tone* "I don't think that there is anything left for us to talk about."
James: *simply stern tone* "Then just listen."
She stopped shuffling through some loose papers and flung the strap of her purse over her shoulder, before turning to look James in the eyes.
James: "Look I know that you're still upset about the whole Guardian thing, but..." *glances back over at the Bullpen then back at Kara* "You let your emotions get the better of you in there."
Kara: *scoffs, shaking her head slightly "My emotions...I..."
Kara tried to find someway, some words to string together to try and express what she needed, wanted to say, but they escaped her. Instead she took a breath and a moment to collect hersef before continueing.
Kara: "I'll admit that...Maybe, my comments were driven by...personal reasons. But that doesn't matter, not when you're charging off at night like some...nut-job vigilante from Gotham CIty."
James: *insulted tone* "Are you honestly comparing me to-"
Kara: *interupts* "Its dangerous out there James, especially with Cadmus still lurking under whatever rock that they've crawled under. I can't protect you all the time."
James: *scoffs* "I'm not asking you too. I can handle myself Kara."
Kara: "Against jewel thieves and drug trafficers yes, but against Cadmus, or Meta-Humans like LiveWire?" *whispers* "Your human James and these threats that are way beyond what you can handle."
James: *scoffs once more and states adamantly* "You don't need powers to be a hero Kara; all you need is the right motivation and the desire to get things done. Besides there are plenty of other heroes out there who have no powers and they go up against threats like Cadmus and Livewire everyday. Hell, you even told me of a few when you visited Earth 1 to help Barry stop the Dominators."
Kara: *fires back* "But they have years of training and you-"
James: *interrupts her* "Kara, I might not have the training that Barry, or even Alex has, but this...what I'm doing. It makes me happy and whether its dangerous or not I'm not gonna stop."
Kara could see that her concerns were falling on deaf ears and so she looked away, out of fear that if she continued to push the subject, that she might say something that she would regret. Instead, she grabbed her press pass and credentials, placing them in her purse with her notepad and pen before looking at him once more.
Kara: *sincere tone* "I know you won't James, but I cannot support you, not when you could get hurt or worse...I can't. I'm sorry." *she closes her purse, adjust the strap* "I have to go."
The tension between them had been building for weeks and had reached its penultimate conclusion. Kara passed by James and headed toward the elevator and as she stood there, waiting she knew that neither of them would budge on the subject. She felt that James was being stubborn, but then again James felt the same way about her. James stood there for a minute, watching as she got onto the elevator and the elevator doors close behind her.
A small part of him knew that she was right, that he wasn't actually trained or prepared to fight aliens and other likewise threats; not like Kara, or Alex, or J'onn, even Mon-El had him at a disadvantage. Once he was back in his office, well the office that he's keeping occupied until Cat Grant decides to return; he sat down in his chair and took a moment for himself, to think about whether Kara was right, or he was.
That's when he remembered...remembered back before he came to National City, even before he left Metropolis. The words were simple and yet, it was what inspired him to become the Guardian in the first place. Those same words only strengthened his resolve even more, as a slow smile crept on his face.
"You don't need superpowers to be a hero or make a difference. All that is needed, is the desire to see justice done, no matter the cost. That and the right motivation. you can become a symbol, one that people can believe in, can pour all their hopes and faith in, and be rewarded for it. Uncorruptible. Everlasting."
A few hours later
Kara was beyond exhausted, at least mentally in regards to her assignment. She spent most of the morning interviewing dock worker's down at the shipping yard only to end up with little more than unfounded rumors and speculations. But after some futher investigating, she found out that a few shipping containers were broken into the same night of the supposed creature sighting.
There wasn't much information on the containers themselves, or the contents held inside, mainly due to the fact there seemed to be no record of these containers even being in the port. The logs for that night had gone missing during the attack and the security cameras were offline at the time as well. When she spoke to the shift manager about this, he stated that the reports for said containers were apparently never turned in.
Her investigation got even more curious when she found out about the 3 security guards working that night were at National City Memorial still recuperating from injuries sustained the night before. That would be her next stop.
National City Memorial
Normally, Kara would keep up the act that she was human, even if it meant taking an Uber to where ever she needed to go. But given the situation, Kara decided to fly to the hospital, making sure to land in an empty alley. When she got to the nurses station she met with two of the security guards, both of which had minor injuries and were about to be released. Unfortunately they had little information about what happened, stating that they were attacked from behind and therefore made it impossible to I.D. the so called creature.
When she asked about the third security guard, the other two shared a look that she could only described as shocked or horrified. They simply directed her towards the I.C.U. stating that he was still recovering from the night's attack. Before she left the room, the two warned her that she wouldn't like what she was about to see.
Intensive Care Unit
Kara
The reporter had no idea what to expect when she started down the hall towards the ICU; all she could do hope for the best and prepare herself for the worst as she approached the nurses' station.
Kara: *kind tone* "Hi, I'm here to a see mister...um..." [fumbles through her purse looking for her notepad. After finding it, she flips through a few pages until she find the name.] "Jerome Thompkins."
Nurse: *curious tone* "You're a reporter?"
Kara: *nods* "Um yes...yes I am, for Catco Worl-"
Nurse: *stern tone* "No reporters allowed, sorry."
Kara: *flustered* "Yes well I know but I-"
Nurse: *irritated tone as she spoke slowly* "No. Reporters. Allowed."
Deep breaths, just take deep breaths. [inhales deeply]
Suddenly a familiar voice from behind her called out.
Unknown voice: *curious tone* "Kara?"
When Kara turned and looked behind her, she seemed both pleasantly surprised and shocked to seeing the young female detective walking towards her.
Kara: *surprised tone* "Maggie? Hey, hi."
Maggie: *flashes a brief smile* "Always nice to see a Danvers."
Kara: *flashes a smile* "Yes well thank you. So what are you doing here-that is if you don't mind me asking?"
Maggie: "I'm here to get some eyewitness statements, you?"
Kara: "Well, Snapper put me on this assignment about some creature seen at the shipping yard and I was hoping to get a statement from one of the guards who was working that night, a-"
Maggie: "Jerome Thompkins, right?"
Kara: *flustered* "Yes, yeah...how did you know?"
It took Kara's currently flustered mind to catch up and figure out the answer which was basically standing there staring her in the face.
Oh, crap...All these powers and I'm still completely oblivious sometimes. She must be investigating what happened down at the shipping yard. Duh Kara.
Maggie: *looks over at the nurse. Authoritarian tone* "She's with me." *turns back to Kara and jerks her slightly to the left* "Follow me Kara."
They walked for only a few seconds, but the eerie silence which filled the space between them made it seem like they were walking for days. Finally, the detective stops and turns to Kara, who does the same.
Maggie: *concerning tone* "I've gotta warn you, its not a pretty sight."
She is the third person to say that; what is it that people are concerned for me to see?
Kara watched as Maggie nodded towards the window behind her. She turned around, slowly walking over to it and when she got to the observation window; her hand raised to her mouth, trying to muffle the words which followed.
Kara: *shocked tone* "By Rao..."
She had never, ever seen anything like this before; it was a sight that made her shudder unexpectedly and made her throat felt dry, making it even more difficult for her to find something, anything to say. But, as Kara searched her mind for a word that could even begin to describe what she was witnessing. She found none, because no words seemed to suffice, or could even begin to express the gravity of the horrific sight that was Mr. Thompkins lying in the hospital bed.
Maggie: [sympathetic tone] "Its pretty gruesome, I know." [walks up to the window and stands next to her.] "The doctors put him on a ventilator because both of his lungs have collasped; without it..."
The detective couldn't find the strength to finish her sentence, not while staring at the poor broken soul in that room, fighting for his life. A chill went down Kara's spine and continued to course through her entire body. As a Kryptonian, she barely felt hot or cold, but the chill which rushed through her caused her to shiver.
Kara: [staring intently at Maggie. A shiver in her voice.] "What happened...who attacked him and the other guards?"
Maggie: "I honestly don't know. The other two guards who were working that night were hit from behind, which means that they saw nothing; plus the camera's at the shipyard were either disabled or destroyed entirely. There's not much to go on."
Kara: [turns, looking at Mr. Thompkins] "What about..." [her voice breaks before she could even say his name.] "Has he said anything, about what happened or what did this to him?" [looks over at the detective]
Maggie: [looks down at her feet before subtly shaking her head and shooting her a harden gaze through the window.] "He wasn't even concious when the medics brought him in. And he's been in a coma ever since; even if he was awake he wouldn't be able to talk."
When the detective looks over at Kara she sees the faintest hint of confusion among the horrifying expression plastered on her face.
Maggie: "His jaw is broken. His entire body is broken."
Kara: *clears throat* "By Rao-what else did the doctor's say?"
Maggies: *sighs heavily* "His right arm is broken in 3 different places, his left shoulder has been dislocated, he has a cracked cranium, contusions on his knuckles from hitting something really hard. Besides the bruises and swelling that are covering his face...his spine was nearly broken in half...the doctor's are amazed that he's stayed alive this long."
[Looks back into the hospital room] What kind of monster could do this to someone?
Kara quickly snapped from her thoughts as a medical staff of 5 walked into the room. They slowly lower his left leg down on the bed and moved some equipment out of the way as 3 of the 4 nurses slowly wheel the broken man out of the hospital room. As the medical team made their way out, Kara managed to catch the last nurse out.
Kara: *questioning tone* "Excuse me, but what's going on; where are you taking him?"
Nurse: "We're taking him to surgery ma'am; the third one today to keep the cranial swelling down. Doctors are also trying to drain some of the spinal fluid that has built up around the spine itself." [looks behind her then returns her gaze to the reporter] "If you'll excuse me..."
There were no words that she could find that would some how express her sympathies or sorrows. She wanted to know more, but she also knew that the nurse had a job to do. After giving a simple nod, she watched as the nurse rushed down the hall to catch up to the group, whom had just turned the corner. Once again, almost out of some sort of inert reflex, the tips of her fingers gently touch her lips.
Kara: *mumbles* "Rao help him..."
She could feel someone's hand on her shoulder and wasn't surprised at all when she saw that it was Maggie. After a few seconds the detective removed her hand.
Maggie: "Kara," [glances around cautiously, making sure no nurses were within earshot then whispers] "Maybe Supergirl could look into this, yeah?"
Kara: *determined tone* "You can count on it."
It was a few seconds of silence before Kara or Maggie realized that the TV in the hospital room was still on, and turned to the local news station. It was showing media coverage of the trial of Lillian Luthor. Both Kara and Maggie walked into the room, with the latter taking a few extra steps towards the TV to turn it up.
"This is Channel 2 News, where we are bringing you up-to-date news on the what is perhaps the story that everyone is talking about. The trial of Lillian Luthor, the mother of the infamous Lex Luthor and L-Corp CEO, Lena Luthor. Lillian Luthor stands trial today for a laundry lists of heinous acts including unleashing a bio-weapon, one that reports claim was meant to eradicate aliens living here in National City.
Now just a few minutes ago, we got confirmation that Lena Luthor herself will take the stand as a witness for the prosecution against Lillian Luthor. Many are speculating as to what this could mean for the defense..."
Maggie turns off the TV and when she turns around she sees Kara standing there, hand on her forehead letting out a knowing sigh.
I completely forgot about the...with everything that's been going on I just...Poor Lena
Maggie: "Go."
A befuddled Kara looks over at the detective, only to see her giving a reassuring look and a sincere smile.
Maggie: "She'll need someone there for support; you should be there."
Kara: *fumbles* "I can't-I-can't just leave,"
Maggie: "Its fine. If I find anything I'll let you know tonight at the bar. You are still coming to that right? It would mean a lot to Alex if you were there."
Kara: *nods, shyly smiles* "Yes of course and...Thank you."
Later that Night
At the courthouse Kara was there to support her friend Lena, who was put through a grueling 2 hours of testimony and cross-examination. Once it was all said and done, Lena's testimony against her mother was pretty damning, but it left most to wonder what exactly her intentions were. Everyone had an opinion on the Luthor's, most of which mounted up to being cold, heartless and self-serving; Kara knew better, she knew the kind of woman that Lena was and she was nothing like her brother or her mother.
When the two arrived at L-Corp moments after the trial, Kara offered to stay, just in case Lena needed someone to talk out her problems. Lena reassured the intrepid reporter, the closest person to a friend that she has, that she was fine and insisted that Kara had other obligations to attend to, but she did appreciate the gesture. Kara didn't feel right leaving Lena by herself, but she did have other obligations; on the way to the bar she made herself promise to stop by on the way home to see how Lena was doing.
Kara arrived at the bar a little before 8, just as it was starting to stir alive with customers. She knew that J'onn would be there around 8:30; it would be the first time that he had stepped foot in there since M'gann left for Mars. He tried not to show it, but Kara knew that he was saddened by her departure. James and Winn would be here soon, barring any vigilante activities. Alex and Maggie would show up sometime later and announce to everyone that they were dating.
It was going to be nerve-racking for Alex, who had kept that side of herself hidden from the others. On top of all of that there was the complication with Mon-El. Kara had tried to tell herself that it wasn't possible to be Supergirl and have a relationship, that she had to choose one or the other. It was a decision that she already made once with James, but now part of her started to wonder if she could have both.
It didn't matter anyways, not when Mon-El was still dating Tessmacher much to Kara's surprise. She walked over to a table with 2 chairs on both sides and placed her jacket and purse in one of the seats. Afterwards she walked over to the bartender who currently had his back to her.
Kara
"Excuse me, can I get a-"
Before she could say another word the bartender turns around and places a filled glass in front of her.
Bartender: *gives a small smile* "Club soda, on the rocks."
Kara seemed taken back by how the bartender seemed to know exactly what she was about to order. Cautiously she picked up the glass, taking only a sip of the contents. Her eyes widened in surprise.
*curious tone* "How did you know? Did you...did you read my mind?"
The bartender couldn't help but chuckle at her question, and shot her a sly grin.
Bartender: "No ma'am. I'm just really good at reading people that's all."
*suspicious tone* "Is that so.?"
The bartender simply nodded as he started cleaning the counter in front of them. After some back and forth, they started to strike up a conversation.
*curious tone* "So where are you from...orginally?"
Bartender: *leans on the counter, sporting a grin* "Gotham City."
*surprised tone* "Really? Wow...I never would have guessed."
Bartender: *jokingly* "Yeah well, not everyone in Gotham runs around dressed in spandex."
Kara: *chuckles a bit, nearly spilling her club soda* "Yeah well, I'm sure that you wouldn't look bad in spandex."
Oh Rao, did I really just say that?
The bartender flashed her a smile, followed by a slight chuckle as he replied.
Bartender: "Thanks, I think. I'm sorry I never did catch your name?"
Kara: "Oh yeah, duh...its Kara...Kara Danvers." *holds her hand out*
Bartender: *gently takes her hand and the two shake.* "Well, Kara Danvers, its been a pleasure but...I have somewhere that I have to be."
The man releases her hand and grabs his coat from underneath the counter. He starts to put it on and head towards the door when Kara called out.
"I never got your name?"
The man stopped just shy of opening the door and turned around.
Bartender: "Its Bruce."
Last thoughts: Now I forgot to put in that Bruce leaves the bar and on the way out he greets Mon-El and from there is where "Luthors" picks up immediately after. Now I know that these last two chapters are kind of lagging behind action-wise, but I'm trying to build a sturdy foundation for the story rather than just pushing out half-assed chapters. But, I promise that it will start to pick up hopefully in the next chapter. Again thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy because I really like writing these types of stories, especially for fans of either the show or the comics. Let me know what you think. Leave a comment, message, any and all critic's are welcome and I'll catch you all in the next chapter. L8r.