Good evening everyone! I am so, so sorry for dropping off the map for the last few months. I had every intention on updating more frequently over this last summer and with my entering my last year of graduate school and a family emergency that took over a month of recovery, I was out of commission as a writer. I am happy to say that I am back and I already have part of the next chapter written out (I'll get that out to you all as soon as I can). Until then, thank you to everyone who left a comment on this fic, your comments truly mean everything to me. Any thoughts, feelings, or constructive criticism is much welcomed. Feel free to hit me up on tumbler blacklabyrinth07. Special thanks to my beta, mysteriesofthislife, for without their constant support (and yelling at me to write at normal hours - not 4 am) I would still only be working on the first part of this chapter. I hope you are emotionally prepared for this chapter. Please note that anything in bold has been translated from Kryptonese. Enjoy!


El Mayarah

"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Kara took a long sip of her chocolate milkshake, before returning to the conversation. "And then she said, 'But I like him – or any man rather – as much as I like bubble tea.' To which I replied, 'But Lena, you don't like bubble tea.' And do you know how she replied?" Kara asked with exuberance, ignorant to the shit-eating grin that grew on the detective's face.

"Well, I would assume you were going to tell me." Maggie chided sarcastically as she sipped her diet coke.

Kara took a deep breath. "She said, 'Exactly'." Kara picked up her triple patty burger with both hands and took a huge bite of the sandwich. "Like, what does that even mean?"

Maggie snorted from the carbonation that traveled up her nose and tried not to sneeze up her soda. "Are you kidding me, Kara?" She placed her drink to the side and took a bite – noticeably smaller than her alien companion – and muttered into her vegan burger-like sandwich, "Damn, and I thought I was thirsty."

"Don't you have your drink right there? Do you need a refill?" Kara inquired with a completely serious and oblivious face.

"You're joking right?" Maggie asked, dipping her French fry into a cup of ketchup. The detective took a quick glance around the small diner they were in to avoid the gaze of the innocent Kryptonian that sat across the red booth in front of herself.

"Listen, Little Danvers. I think this is something you're just going to have to work out for yourself."

"You know something, don't you?" Kara asked as she leaned further across the booth. "About Lena."

Maggie placed her sandwich on her plate and whipped her hands on a napkin as she contemplated her response. "Yes, but they don't exactly cover this in the academy, if you know what I mean?"

The detective sighed as she watched the small crinkle appear between the Kryptonian's eyebrows. Maggie understood her confusion towards her statements, but really she was just as emotionally torn having this discussion. In truth, Kara should be having this conversation with her sister, Alex. They don't cover, 'I'm questioning my sexuality because my best friends a genius and looks like a fucking goddess, but I'm too dense to realize we've been flirting for over a year.' at the police academy. This was clearly a conversation held in 'Big Sisters 101', something that she had no prior experience with until now. Maggie really hoped that she wasn't screwing it up as a substitute for the real thing. Maggie tapped her chin as she thought about how would Alex handle such a thing? Alex would probably invite Kara over for a sister's night, eat through six pizzas and two gallons of ice cream, while watching movies. The sisters then would cuddle on the couch while talking about, urgh… feelings. Maggie's preferred approach would be taking Kara to the gun range and firing until their clips ran empty. An activity she had already done with Lena after a particularly hard day at the office for the CEO, and before downing an entire bottle of tequila later that night. 'Now that's sisterly bonding, guns and alcohol. The Luthor and Sawyer way to discuss feelings. They didn't. They let their guns do the talking.' Maggie smiled into her soda at the memory. There was something incredibly satisfying about waking up with a hangover, their clothes still smelling like gun powder.

Before either woman could make a comment, Kara's phone buzzed, prompting the reporter to type in her pass code to view the text. Maggie smirked as she watched the blonde lightly blush as she bit her bottom lip while typing out a quick response.

"Is that your girl?" Maggie asked while stirring her drink with a straw.

Kara looked up from her phone as her already prominent blush deepened. "Lena's not my girl. She is a girl…er, woman. I mean have you seen her…" Kara gestured her fry in a vague hourglass figure before popping the fried potato into her mouth.

"…Assets?" The detective finished with a grin.

"Yeah, them." Kara failed to fight the blush that crept up her cheeks. 'Oh, Little Danvers, you have it so bad.' Maggie decided now that she was filling for the role of a big sister, she might as well have a bit of fun with the situation in torturing the Kryptonian.

"You know, last time I've saw Lena, she had really gotten toned. Full six-pack and all. I'm sure any woman would love to lick their way down those perfect abs like that. But I digress."

Maggie didn't know that Kryptonians were physically able to choke on their food. 'Hmm… You learn something new every day.'

"You alright there, Little Danvers?"

Kara spluttered and coughed until her air passage had cleared out enough to wheeze, "Just dying over here. Don't mind me."

"Fine then, I won't." Maggie quipped back, not taking her eyes off her sandwich.

"Jerk." Kara mumbled through another huge bit of her burger.

Maggie grinned. "You know you love me."

Kara stuck out her tongue between bites. "Well, someone has to around here."

Maggie ignored the jolt of sadness that ripped through her heart as plastered a forced smile and slightly slapped her chest in jest. "I feel so attacked right now."

"Good, that's what you get for making those comments about, Lena." Kara waved her fry accusingly towards the off duty detective. "No more of that, okay? She's my friend."

"Friend…right."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kara's genuine confusion showed on her face as she paused with her burger halfway to her mouth.

Maggie sighed, and resigned herself to her fate. "You know kid, it was supposed to be Alex's job to have this talk with you, but I guess I'll have to do."

"Ew, no! Maggie! I don't need you give me the sex talk." Kara fidgeted with her glasses nervously.

"Calm down, kid. I'm not talking about that." Maggie waved her off before leaning in slightly in the booth, a devilish grin plastered to her face. "Although I do have to wonder, are Kryptonians compatible with humans, physically speaking?"

Kara's blush threatened to rival the red of her cape as she stuttered out a response. "Maggie! I… I, well… Physically, yes. But um, I'm not equipped for certain, er, procreation necessities if I were to mate with, um…"

"Lena?" Maggie offered with a knowing smirk.

Kara purposely avoided the detective's wink. "A woman, yes. And it would be very difficult to conceive with a human male."

"So, no little half-Kryptonians running around in your future?" Maggie inquired.

Kara seemed to visibly deflate as she slouched further into the cushions of their booth. "Not unless you can find a birthing matrix that survived the explosion of Krypton."

Maggie tapped a fry to her lips before answering. "I'm sure with the right materials and with the right person designing the project, something of the sort could be figured out if you ever wanted to have children. This is something you might want to bring up with Little Luthor later."

Once again Kara choked on her meal. Only after she had recovered did the reporter manage to splutter out a response. "And why would I talk to Lena about having kids?"

"I thought it was obvious…"

"Well, I – I thought, you know… I have no idea what you are implying." Kara squirmed under the detective's knowing gaze.

Maggie decided to get her out of her misery. "Because… she's a scientist, Kara. Like, one of the best in the country, if not the world."

"Oh! Right. Of course I knew what you meant. Because clearly Lena and I are just best friends. And as lovers? Or having a baby. Pfft – No!" Kara shook her head.

And yet, as much as Kara tried to ignore her growing feelings for her best friend, she couldn't help but have a sudden mental image of Lena holding a little baby to her chest, maybe a little boy or little girl. A child of their making, growing up with long flowing black hair, Kara's blue eyes, and an all too familiar smile on their face. A wicked intelligence coupled with all the gifts of a yellow sun charged Kyptonian. The crest of El, worn proudly on their chest. '…Well, shit…'

"Hello? Kara? Earth to Little Danvers!" Maggie waved her hand in front of the spaced out alien.

"What?" Kara snapped back to reality as she focused on her concerned companion.

"Don't have a heart attack there, kid. Are you alright?" Maggie leaned closer to Kara, her brow furrowed in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

No, she was not fine. She was at a local diner having dinner with her missing sister's girlfriend, having a profound realization that Kara was deeply, irreversibly, in love with her painfully straight best friend. She should have realized that since the moment Kara had laid eyes on Lena, she was going to fall for the brilliant and beautiful woman. While they were understandably close, they had never treated each other as just friends. And somewhere between the lingering glances at shared lunches, the heart-to-heart conversations at 3 am during movie nights, or finding comfort in each other's arms at the end of a long day, Kara had fallen in love with her best friend. But she couldn't just say that to her sister's old girlfriend without a few drinks of liquid courage in her first. That would be a confession for another night.

"I just thought you were…" Kara gestured vaguely to her phone, Lena's last text message blinking from the screen.

Maggie finished Kara's train of thought with a knowing look. "Being an ass?"

Kara shrugged. "Well, yes."

"Not this time. I'm just looking out for you, Little Danvers."

Kara smiled at her friend. While Maggie and Kara had never been particularly close, while the detective was dating her sister, she was happy to have this time to become closer with her, even after everything they sacrificed to get here in their friendship.

Kara cleared her throat. "So, do you want kids, Maggie?"

Maggie sighed deeply as she gently set down her drink. "Originally, no. I was always content with the idea of living with my partner or wife and knowing that would be enough." Maggie hummed as she considered her words. "But I always thought that if I were to have started a family, it would have been with her."

Kara nodded as a sad smile flashed across her facing in understanding. Her face fell as she considered her next question. "Do you still think she's… she's…?"

"Alive? Yeah, kid. I know she is." Maggie nodded and crossed her arms in confidence.

"How do you know? How can you be so sure?" Kara looked up with pleading eyes at the woman who had become like a sister to her over the last year.

Maggie forced away her doubts and smiled warmly at her suffering companion. "Because I know Alex and I know you. There is nothing in this universe that can ever truly keep you two apart. Don't worry about your sister, kid. She's a gal with a beast of a right hook and a deadly shot with a gun. She'll give 'em all Hell to try to get back to you."

Kara sniffled into her napkin before giving the detective a watery smile. "Thanks Maggie."

"Any time, kid." And Maggie found as she watched the reporter continue devouring her food with increased vigor, that the detective meant every word.

[-][-][-]

"Right! Right! Left!"

The sound of the pounding of gloved fists hitting padding echoed around the room in a steady rhythmic tattoo.

"Right! Right! Left! Good Lena, but keep your left arm up. You're leaving yourself open for a swift hit to your jaw." Brianna kept up the critiques as she danced around the ring of the boxing arena. Lena ducked the counter strike to the jaw by raising her left arm, only to be hit – none too gently – on her right side with Brianna's padded left palm.

"Ow!" Lena stepped away from her opponent and clutched her right side, her broken ribs still not fully healed from her nose dive off the rooftop – Brianna's words, not her own. "Careful there, Bri!"

"Stop your whining there Lena, you're not made of glass. You won't break from a gentle hit like that." Brianna chided while lowering her practice pads.

"That hit was not gentle." Lena replied after wiping sweat from her brow with a small towel thrown over the ropes of the ring. Bending down for her water bottle, Lena quickly quenched her thirst before popping the top back in place and turned to face her boxing trainer.

Brianna lowered her practice pads and looked over her friend's bruised form with a medically trained eye. "Are you sure you should be back in the suit so quickly? Can't you give it another week? It's been almost a month, and in case you haven't noticed, National City is still standing."

Lena shook her head while stretching her sore shoulders. "You know as well as I do that I need to be back on the streets. You said it yourself that your neighborhood is being run down by crime again."

Brianna chuckled darkly. "That's because I live right next to the Flats. That's Sureños 13 territory."

"Aren't they the rivals of the Triads?" Lena shook her head in confusion. "I tend to get their names all mixed-up."

Brianna's eyebrow lifted. "Isn't it your job to know about the gangs you take down?"

"Well do you know how to fix every injury that comes through your ward?" Lena shot back in reply.

"Umm…Yes? That's kind of my job?!" Brianna answered as she crossed her arms over her chest to stare at the sweating CEO.

There was a brief pause as Lena was reminded of her friend's current place of employment and her education.

"I'm sorry, I kind of…" Lena trailed off awkwardly as she tried not to offend her friend.

"Forgot?" Brianna supplied for the tongue-tied vigilante.

"No! It's just, if you're doctor, then why do you live in that neighborhood? Like you said it's dangerous." Lena asked carefully.

Brianna snort. "Of course it's dangerous, but do I look like I'm made of money? I'm a medical Resident, which means I'm still in debt from med school. I can't afford a nicer apartment right now."

Lena shifted her weight to her other foot awkwardly as she listened to her friend's financial troubles. "You know if you need anything…"

"No Luthor, let me stop you right there." Lena cringed from the use of her surname as Brianna cut her off. "I am not some charity case. I'm doing just fine on my own."

"I never said you weren't." Lena backtracked quickly.

"No, but it's what you implied." Brianna sighed. "Listen, I like you Lena. But I am your friend because we saved each other's asses, we cried together once watching The Green Mile, and you make a mean lasagna." The boxer counted each factor by raising fingers. "I'm not here for your money. I don't want it and I don't need it."

"Thanks Bri, and I'm sorry." Lena shot her friend a tentative smile.

Brianna smiled sincerely at her apology. "Don't worry about it. Now lift your gloves up and let's try a left-left-right combo this time, alright?"

"Sounds good to me. Just be careful of my right side. My shoulder is still acting up from the fall." Lena rolled her tender shoulder in response.

Brianna scoffed at the movement. "Your whole body is acting up from this."

"Tomato – Tomahto. Just try not to break my ribs again." Lena shrugged as she swung another fist at Brianna's pads.

After Brianna had cleared Lena for more physical activity, the two women decided to train together at a boxing studio that Brianna attended to frequently with her cousin Evon whenever he was State side. Since Evon was currently deployed for a third tour in Afghanistan, Brianna had lost her boxing partner and Lena was need of light training before she hit the streets again, as her alter ego. As a form of physical therapy, Lena had joined Brianna in the ring. The vigilante had soon learned that not only was she still very restricted in her movements from her injuries, but that facing Brianna as an opponent meant almost certain defeat. The medical Resident had been boxing with her cousin since she was in high school, and as a result, could easily take down the CEO, even when the woman was at full health. While the CEO is rather skilled in mixed martial arts and other forms of fighting from her nightly activities, Lena had only taken a few boxing classes before moving on to karate. She regretted her lack of foresight in skipping boxing as she got her ass handed to her twice a week by her friend for the last month.

"Well I wouldn't have landed the hit if you would keep your hands up. Every time you block with one arm, your other drops too low, leaving your head open. But if I point it out, then you over-correct and your other arm rises too much leaving your ribcage open to a counter attack." Brianna moved around as she spoke, demonstrating with her body what she was describing.

"You know back in boarding school, in fencing we called that a repost." Lena used her water bottle to demonstrate a perfect lunge-repost-lunge, sequence found in the elegant sport. "You know, since I'm joining you in the ring, my offer still stands…"

Brianna immediately shook her head. "I told you once, and I am not telling you it again Lena, you will never get me to wear that condom onsie."

"It's called a uniform, or a lamé, depending on the style if you are fencing Foil or Sabre. One day I'll get you to try it out with me. It's a fun, rewarding, and refined sport."

Brianna let out a short laugh as she retreated to her corner of the ring to retrieve her much needed water bottle. "Sounds like some boarding school snobby thing a rich person would say."

Lena shrugged. "I mean, you're not wrong. But it is fun and I have a uniform you can borrow."

"Either way, you are never getting me to join you in the ring with that."

"Actually, it would be on a strip, but my point still stands, Bri."

Brianna laughed again and adjusted her hands in the training pads. "In your dreams, Lena. Now put them back up, no more fooling around. I won't be pulling any punches this time."

Together the two women trained back and forth for the next twenty minutes or so, until the trainer held up her hands in submission. "That's getting a lot better, Lena. But you need to be a bit quicker on your feet on that last combo." Brianna removed the practice pads on her hands and switched them out for boxing gloves. "Let's go a round or two in the ring and see how you do."

"You know what they say about doing something over again and again and expecting different results?" Lena asked while arching a sweaty brow at her boxing partner.

"Oh come on, Lena. I'm sure you'll beat me this time." Brianna could barely hold back the note of skepticism in her voice as Lena rolled her eyes at her friend. Together they secured their mouth guards and raised their gloves waiting for Brianna's verbal confirmation to begin the match.

They traded blows in rapid succession before the fight quickly favored the experienced boxer. Much to the CEO's chagrin, the boxing match was short lived as the African-American woman hit her in the jaw so hard that only Lena's mouth guard stopped her from needing orthopedic surgery.

Brianna mumbled around her mouth guard as she held out a gloved hand. "Best two out of three?"

Lena removed her gloves and gently rubbed her sore jaw. That was going to be hard to explain in the morning. "With a right hook like that, you would make a good vigilante, Bri."

Brianna smirked as a dangerous glint reached her dark eyes. "Now if you want me to borrow a uniform, forget the white one, I wouldn't mind a certain green suit of yours."

Lena spoke with a deadpanned expression. "There is no way I'm letting you jump around town in my suit."

"Oh come on, Lena. Just one night when I don't have a shift at the hospital? You got a spare one lying around somewhere? We could hit the town and make a night of it." Brianna walked over and nudged her friend gently on the arm with her elbow, purposely avoiding Lena's bruised ribs. A gesture that confounded the CEO as the medical Resident had been punching her in her side only minutes before.

"When most girls 'hit the town' it's for getting drinks or getting laid." Lena supplied the quotes with her fingers.

"Well, we could get a drink after taking down a few bad guys." Brianna shrugged."

Lena arched an eyebrow while popping a hip and crossing her arms in a signature CEO pose. "Don't doctors take the Hippocratic Oath? You know the whole, 'Thou shall not cause harm…", to do?" She vaguely waved her taped right hand in the air.

"Well, not if they come after you with a crowbar. So what do you say?" Brianna pleaded while leaning closer to her opponent.

Lena shook her head violently. "No Bri. Just no."

"So is that still a no on an extra suit?" There was a sing-song like quality to her question.

"What? So that you could be the Robin to my Batman?" Lena joked.

"Actually, I feel like I would be more a Batgirl type of vigilante." Brianna held up her gloves in a fighting pose before faking a few jabs into the open space between them.

Lena nodded, her movements slow in her pensive state. "I can see that. Nice girl, too bad she's straight. Now Batwoman on the other hand…"

"Wait you know Batgirl?!" Brianna exclaimed.

"Umm… Yes? I'm in the Bat Family group chat."

Brianna balked at this nonchalant statement. "You guys have a group chat?! How am I just now hearing about this?"

"Because this is how I knew you would react to such a reveal. And yes we have a group chat, although Barbra tends to use too many emojs and Tim often supplies more Gifs then words in our conversations." Lena stated as easily as if she were commenting on the weather. The medical Resident looked confused at the names thrown out in abandon.

"Wait who?"

"No one, Brianna. Just drop it." Lena placed her boxing gloves back on and tested her fists.

"I'll drop it if you remember to stop dropping your hands in the ring."

"Touché."

Brianna lifted one gloved fist and pointed it towards her smirking opponent. "No more fencing talking and get your butt back in the ring, Lena. You still owe me two more rounds!"

"Hit me with your best shot." Lena raised her gloves.

Brianna laughed at her pun. "Oh, I intend to."

The match ended in less than sixty seconds with a knockout.

[-][-][-]

It had started like any other work day for Kara in CatCo. Snapper had taken a red pen and marked up most of her writing before yelling at her to revise two of her article's drafts before sending him the final works. His yells of her inadequacies seemed to echo around the bullpen. "Ponytail! Take the time to use spellcheck before sending me this mess. The word 'Arsonist' does not have an 'E' in it. Learn to spell!"

Kara gritted her teeth and fought the urge to tell him where he could stick his red pen. It wasn't her fault that English wasn't her first language; not even her seventh if she were being honest. Luckily, before she could do or say something that would jeopardize her position on CatCo's staff as a reporter, James called for Kara from his office.

"Thank Rao." Kara muttered as she passed a slightly disgruntled Snapper, before making a beeline for James' office. The acting CEO gestured for her to take a seat, while the reporter gave her friend a genuine smile before setting down her messenger bag next to the couch.

"Good morning, James. What can I do for you?" Kara asked while adjusting her grey blazer over her light blue button up shirt.

"Listen Kara, I know that Snapper normally assigns the cases for you, but I was hoping you could take on an assignment for me. And I need someone who would look for the truth rather than just take a more biased approach." James laced his fingers together and leaned towards the reporter.

"Of course, James. What is it?" Kara felt apprehensive by his statement, and yet oddly touched.

"You've heard about the corporate takeover that occurred with Blackstone Industries?"

Kara pursed her lips as her thoughts flashed to the mention of the dismantled tech company. "I seem to recall hearing of this, it happened the other week, correct? The stocks dropped dramatically with the unannounced change to an acting CEO and CFO. The change of power created the financial fallout and the company's stocks were bought up by several businesses in the technology field. I believe L-Corp and Wayne Industries were among the controlling companies."

James was hesitant to speak, but his voice was level and sure. "You heard correctly. However, I am afraid there have been some rumors flying around that L-Corp might have orchestrated the fall of the company and reaped the benefits."

"James…" Kara hesitated. "You're talking about corporate espionage."

"Yes, I am." James sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand as he glanced away from his distraught friend. "Listen, Kara. I know you and Lena are close, but there is a good chance that this claim is val-."

"What proof do you have of this? Who is your source?" Kara had stood up and crossed her arms, a bit of her Supergirl persona leaked through the timid façade of Kara Danvers as the reporter defended her friend.

James sighed again and finally met the blonde's angry gaze. "Actually, the chatter was picked up by Winn online while at the DEO."

"Chatter?! You are accusing L-Corp, and by extension Lena, of corporate espionage because of some chatter over the internet?!" Kara's voice had risen to the point that Eve had stopped in her secretary duties to observe the awkward exchange through the glass doors of the office.

"Kara, lower you voice and please listen to me." James seemed to relax as Kara took a few measured breaths and stopped her rapid pacing to stand before the acting CEO of CatCo. "I am assigning you to this case so that you can verify these claims. It is only a matter of time before the police get wind of these allegations, and when they do I want CatCo to have the first word on this. You know as well as I do how important it is for us to shape the public's perception, before word of the investigation hits the other media channels. If CatCo can find out all the details behind this first, then we can guarantee that Miss Luthor and her company are treated with the respect and sense of innocence, until proved otherwise."

Kara looked shocked as she took in her friend's rational words. "Since when do you care about Lena's image? Haven't you always said that she's a Luthor first, and Lena second."

It was a testament to their friendship that James had the self-awareness to look ashamed. "Look Kara, I'm sorry. I might not know Lena that well, but she's always been a good friend to you. And after the whole thing with Alex disappearing…" James looked sheepish as he noticed the flash of pain that crossed Kara's face at Alex's name. "And even not knowing about the whole Supergirl thing, Lena has been nothing but supportive and been a comfort to you. She's truly been a good friend to you, and I am sorry to say that's more than I have been treating you these past few months. I know if Winn was here he would say the same thing.

"We've been drifting apart from you since you gave up the cape and we had no right asking you to do something – be someone – who you were not comfortable with being. You needed time to heal from your loss and neither of us really understood that. But after working with the DEO, J'onn, and even Lucy again over the last year, I do now." James looked pleadingly up from the wrist watch that he had been fidgeting with – the one that had a hidden signal to summon a Super – before finishing his heartfelt apology. "I am truly sorry, Kara. Can you ever forgive me?"

There was a brief moment that Kara stood still, simply taking in his words before she dragged James to his feet and engulfed him in a large hug. It was only as they were in an embrace that Kara realized how long it had been since she had last spent time with James, or Winn for that matter, outside of her work duties. She had truly missed her friends.

"There is nothing to forgive." Kara pulled away to break into a hug smile. "Still, thank you for the apology."

"It was well over due, Kara." James straightened his tie with one hand as he cleared his throat. "So, about the article… Will you cover the story for me?"

"Kara?" When the acting CEO received no response, he looked up to see the Kryptonian was staring intently at the news monitors behind him. "Kara? What's wrong?" But the words died in James' throat as he noticed what had captured the alien's attention. The a local news crew was replaying a video obviously being streamed from some bystander's cell phone as the vigilante known to CatCo as Archais and what looked to be Livewire, were facing off in a battle in the middle of downtown.

"I have to go." James stated immediately as he turned toward the exit, no doubt to put on his Guardian armor and join the battle. But his exit was blocked suddenly by the girl of steel.

"No! You can't go out there! Livewire will kill you!" Kara looked distraught as she turned her head to face the screen just in time to see the vigilante being shocked by one of Livewire's electric streams. The vigilante's uniform seemed to be smoking and the cloak was glitching on screen from a brick wall pattern to tree bark. The situation would have seemed more humorous if the vigilante's swaying wasn't so noticeable to even the bystanders on the street.

"Where's J'onn? Why is he not there?" Kara looked at the screen in panic, unable to tear her eyes from the screen.

"Clark called him in for a briefing with the Justice League. He had some questions for him regarding someone's assignment. I really don't know all the details." James rushed over to join the concerned reporter.

"So no one is coming?" Kara looked frantic as she gestured wildly at the screen. "What is that vigilante doing?! He's going to die!"

"Kara, Kara! Look at me." James grabbed his friend by the shoulders to force the girl's focus back on her boss. "I need to go. I don't know the cause of this battle, but if I don't get there, then a lot of innocent people could get hurt. I need to go."

Kara looked back at the screen lined up on the wall behind them as the vigilante struggled to remain standing while obviously shouting at a random civilian to stay away from the fight. Unfortunately, the lapse in attention allowed for Livewire to jump through the overhanging telephone wire in her electricity form, before materializing above the vigilante's head, and lifting them into the air by the throat.

Kara tore her eyes away from the screen, ignoring the images of her sister staring at her from the inside of a cargo ship. She took a shuddering breath and straightened her shoulders, before looking the taller man dead in the eye.

"Fine, go and have Winn on the comms to back you up. Evacuate the citizens and let me handle Livewire." Kara nodded to herself as she rushed towards the open balcony door.

"What?! Wait, Kara, where are you going?" James exclaimed as her chased after the stern-looking Kryptonian.

"I am going down there. I am not going to let him die trying to take down a meta. He'll die if I don't stop Livewire." Kara gestured back at the monitors at the horrific scene that was unfolding, for the whole city to see.

James managed to lightly grasp the reporter's arms, turning her attention back onto him as the alien neared the edge of balcony. "Kara, are you back? For good this time?"

"I'm not sure about that, James. But I know where I am needed now." Kara turned back to her shocked friend, before flashing him a reassuring smile. "I'll see you down there, Guardian. Until then, my people need me."

And without a backwards glance, the Kryptonian leaped off the edge of the balcony, and took off into the sky becoming a blur amongst the clouds. James watched the figure speed off until nothing was left to see of the reclusive superhero.

"Go get 'em, Supergirl."

[-][-][-]

'So this is how I die?' It was not the strangest thought to cross Lena's mind, but considering the restriction to her air passage due to the crushing grip of Livewire's electricity charged hold, the vigilante was surprised they were still conscious. Although according to the rapidly darkening vision that obscured her view, she wouldn't be for long.

How did everything come to this? One minute she was in her office on a conference call from an investor in France, when the news channel playing on in the background had alerted her to a dangerous meta-human. Known to the media as Livewire, the electricity-powered meta was causing widespread panic through their destructive rampage downtown.

Noticing that the Martian Manhunter nor Guardian were nowhere to be found, she had quickly apologized to her investor before hanging up abruptly, and called in Jess to push back her meetings, claiming to feel unwell. Before her secretary could question her irrational actions, Lena called her driver to meet her around the front of the building. It took far longer than she would have liked to be driven home and rapidly put her gear on back at her penthouse.

It was only when she was swinging into the plaza, in front of the shopping center that Livewire was currently destroying, that the CEO realized she should have planned her actions more thoughtfully before trying to face off a dangerous meta-human by herself. Or you know, had a plan at all would have helped, but as the saying goes, hindsight was 20/20 after all.

"Stop right there, Livewire!" Lena's voice modulator allowed her mechanized shout to intrude the meta-human's rampage, effectively halting the meta from blasting away another car parked on the road side. Lena tried to keep her attention on the meta, while subconsciously tracking the fleeing civilians on their paths to safety.

When Livewire turned to face the masked vigilante, the white haired meta seemed to grin. "Well, well, well… If it isn't Icarus."

"The name is Archais." Lena reached for the retractable bow staff that was hooked onto her back, opposite of the cloak. With a sharp spin, the centrifugal force locked the extending steel rods in place.

Livewire rolled her eyes at the reminder. "Whatever. All the same Greek bullshit to me."

Lena couldn't help but raise a hand in indignation. "It's Latin actually."

"No one gives a shit." The meta-human spat out as she waltz down the plaza's parkway, towards the green hooded vigilante, ignoring the screaming people around them. Lena had the meta's full attention now, although she wasn't sure if that would work in her favor. After receiving the case file from Maggie many months ago, Lena had upgraded her suit and gear to withstand a major electronic blast. She only hoped that her last upgrades would be enough to handle such a high voltage. Seeing Lesile Willis in person was much different then reading some charts and numbers on a page.

Lena held her ground and resumed her fighting stance. "Why are you doing all of this?" She gestured with a gloved hand at the destruction all around them. There were cars overturned and on fire, piles of debris littered the ground from structural damage to the surrounding buildings, and a fire hydrant was spewing forth pressurized water, in an unobstructed stream, into the plaza's green space.

Livewire shrugged. "Truth is, I'm bored."

"You did all of this because…You're… bored?"

"You got it, Robin Hood." Lesile pretended to shoot down the vigilante with a fingergun, electricity firing from the meta's fingertips. The hooded vigilante jumped into a barrel-roll to avoid the lethal bursts of voltage. Livewire paused in her shooting to gesture around the open air with a frown. "Since I got out of that wretched place, I only wanted a bit of alone time with a certain caped hero. Maybe you know her? She's about yea big, with lots of muscles, cute skirt, easy on the eyes. No? See that's the thing, no one has seen Supergirl in over a year and quite frankly, it's been boring." The two women were pacing around each other in a large circle as the meta continued her rant. "But you see, Green Bean. How can I be an arch nemesis if the superhero in question no longer exists? We complete each other, Supergirl and I. Without her I have nothing to live for. Nothing to make these day pass a little bit quicker, a little more fulfilling."

Lena couldn't help but laugh at the obscurity of it all. Livewire was doing this all for the attention of a girl. 'Wow, what kind of crappy high school drama is this?'

"What's so funny?" Livewire shouted as she stopped her pacing abruptly.

"Only that I've heard a lot about you, Leslie Willis – yes, I know who you are – and I must say doing all this for Supergirl? Somehow I expected more from you."

"This isn't just for Supergirl, I have my own reasons for this as well. Although, I do admit that it is better to Tango with two people, you know, be the Joker to the Batman… or Luthor to a Super."

Lena tried to not let the last pairing affect her as she analyzed her opponent. "Then besides boredom, why are you here?"

Livewire picked at her nails before replying in nonchalant tone. "Simple: revenge."

"Revenge? On who? This city?!" Lena shouted.

"I want revenge on the people who locked me up and threw away the key. I want revenge on the women who put me there. I want revenge on Cat Grant and her stupid assistant for ruining my life. If the city gets in my way, then so be it. More fun for me."

'But Cat Grant is gone. Surely she must have heard this by now? But if she was truly locked up for as long as she claims, then it is possible that she hasn't heard about her departure. And as for her assistant, that would mean…Kara!'

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to stand down and surrender, Livewire. You won't find your revenge here." As Lena spoke, she took note of the police that had created a barrier around the fight and the news vans that were setting up within view. 'It's about time, but there are still civilians to evacuate. I need to keep her distracted.'

"If you try to hurt the people of my city, then you will have to go through me." Lena stated bravely as she watched her opponent.

Livewire titled her head as she to observe the vigilante in front of her for the very first time. "Very well then, you'll do."

Without warning the meta-human raised her arms and shocked Lena with a burst of electricity. Her suit and gear tried to absorb most of the electricity, but the extra convertors built in to the suit shorted out causing massive technology and safety failures in her gear. The pain was like nothing she had experienced before. The smell of fried wiring and smoke filled her hooded mask as she stumbled to the ground. Lena swayed in place as she forced herself to stand. The electrocuted vigilante was only knocked back for a few moments, but it was long enough for naïve bystander to try to sneak back through the barricade to the fight, for a picture.

"No! Get back!" Lena shouted, but with her attention drawn away from her opponent, she missed the electricity racing overhead through the telephone wires. Before the vigilante had time to strike the meta-human, Livewire had grasped Lena by the throat and, with the help of the extra charge from the telephone wires, the meta lifted her almost a foot in the air.

'So this is what it is like to fight a God.' Lena could tell that Leslie was speaking to her, but as the pressure to her windpipe cut off her air supply, her vision and hearing were giving out on her. 'So this is how I die?' The fleeting thought appeared before her, just as her vision receded into darkness.

However, right as she felt her body go limp in the meta-human's hands, she was blasted away from her attacker with such force that she almost lost consciousness from hitting the ground. When Lena gasped for breath and blinked away the dark spots in her vision, the scene that played out before her made her believe she was hallucinating from a lack of oxygen. Shining in the sunlight like something out of a myth, Supergirl floated above her in all her glory, still wearing the black outfit from the last time Lena had seen the woman from her balcony.

Lena caught sight of Guardian running around securing any stranded bystander as Supergirl took on Livewire head on. She tried to keep track of the supercharged battle, but between Supergirl's super speed and Livewire's electric movements, the fight became too fast for her human eyes to see.

The fight seemed to end as quickly as it had started. One minute Supergirl was blocking an electric blast, when suddenly she had backed them up into the water runoff from the burst fire hydrant. Floating above the water to avoid getting electrocuted, Supergirl used her freeze breath to encase the meta-human in ice. Lena had tried to stop Livewire in her rampage for almost a half-an-hour, but Supergirl had defeated her in ninety seconds flat. 'But really? Could how could she even compare? After all, she was only human.' Never before had Lena felt so powerless, or so very weak.

Supergirl watched Leslie be swarmed by government agents dressed in all black. No doubt the infamous DEO that she had hacked into only months previously.

Supergirl floated down until she hovered only a few feet away from the vigilante. "Are you okay, Archais?"

"Am I okay?" Lena was stunned by the question. It was only after several seconds that she could echo Supergirl's words as the vigilante stood there in her smoking suit. She moved gingerly, her body battered and her muscles sore from the electrocution.

"You come out of hiding after over a year, and you ask… If I'M OKAY?!" Lena roared. She was angry, she was injured, and she had skipped lunch to fight so she was starving. She was in no mood to deal with this Kryptonian's act of concern.

"Well, you see. I-." Supergirl seemed to be taken aback by Lena's shouting, but the tired vigilante was not done.

"How dare you ask me if I am okay when I have been out on the streets every night protecting our city – doing your job!" Lena was so angry at the sight of the Superhero that she lost herself to her anger and thus could not control the foreign words that escaped her mouth with such venom she was sure she had spat out fire.

"Rrip nahn dhiviao edhyv!"

[-][-][-]

"YOU ARE A COWARD!"

The Kyptonese phrase caught Kara so off guard that she actually fell the last few feet from the air.

"What?" Kara's voice stuttered as she tried to catch her breath. "What did you say?"

The vigilante seemed to take a deep breath before they spoke in slow measured words. "I said, you are a coward, Supergirl."

"No, I asked you what you said… And you will answer me in my language." Kara watched the hooded figure as she switched from English to Kryptonese. The silver eyes beneath the green hood flash with defiance.

"As you wish."

The Kyptonese sounded halting and stilted through mechanized voice which spoke, but the Kyptonian stared in awe and disbelief. Archais was speaking fluent Kryptonese.

"We need to talk, but not here." Without warning Kara rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the vigilante and jumped into the air, effectively trapping the hooded figure in the sky. Archais let out what can only be described as an undignified scream as they clutched the superhero's Red-Kyptonite uniform with gloved hands, their Kevlar clad legs scrambling against the alien as if they were afraid to fall. After a few seconds of flurried movement, Archais was forced to wrap their arms and legs around the superhero like a koala. Kara couldn't contain the deep chuckle that escaped her at the look of fear that flashed across the vigilante's eyes as their gaze met in midair.

"What, are you afraid of heights?" Kara asked in English as she flew them to the top of CatCo tower and gracefully landed on the rooftop.

The vigilante forcefully pried their hands and legs off the steel hard body of the Kryptonian, before taking a few shaky steps away from the superhero. "Something like that."

All traces of mirth faded from the Kara's face as she stared down the disgruntled vigilante. "How do you know how to speak Kryptonese?"

Archais seemed to relax from the flight as they shifted their weight to one foot and crossed their arms. "I am self taught, well mostly. I was originally taught by someone else, but I continued my studies of the language."

Kara crossed her arms, mirroring the green figure. "Why did you originally learn my language and why did you continue to learn it?"

"I am afraid I cannot tell you all that you wish to know. I learned because someone I loved asked me to. And I continued to do so out of spite, out of curiosity, and out of…" The vigilante hesitated.

Kara used the lingering pause to ponder over the language that was used by Archais. The dialect was the one spoken in Argo City, her home. While there was a distinct accent that only appears when humans attempt to speak the language, Kara had to admit that it was the most fluently spoken Kryptonese that she had heard since hearing the recorded monologues seen in the days of Superman's fights with Lex Luthor. Both men would shout at each other in the Kyptonian language, but the media was unable to translate the words for their viewers. But Kara had seen and heard it all. She thought she knew of the only three people in the world that could speak her language, but apparently there was another one as well. The question was who was this vigilante?

"I never thought I would hear another person speak my language besides, Kal-El. Who are you?" Kara's eye watered as she blinked back tears.

"You created me." The vigilante cocked their hooded head to the side as their silver eyes traveled up and down the Kyptonain's form. "I believe the question is, who are you?"

Kara frowned. "I do not understand."

"Who are you, Supergirl? You wear that symbol on your chest proudly. El mayarah. Stronger together… Last living daughter of the House of El, the House of the Stars. And yet you have left your people behind for over a year." Archais paused in their speech, but slowly advanced until they were less than a foot away from the superhero. Kara had to admit she was impressed by the vigilante's ability to flawlessly switch between English and Kryptonese.

Archais stared down the Kryptonain, their eyes flashing like steel in the sunlight. "You created me, Supergirl, because you left us. The people of Earth are your people now. And you abandoned them. So I had to become someone else. Someone who could protect this city while you were gone."

"I had no choice." Kara replied, her calm voice masking her troubled emotions.

"You had every choice!" The vigilante was yelling now. "Come out of the shadows! Fly among your people once again, Kryptonian!" Archais took a steadying breath. "Wear the colors and symbol of your house when you are worthy of them again."

"How dare you-." Kara shouted, but was quickly cut off.

"Someone has to knock this into your thick Kryptonian skull." Archais had reverted back into English. "You can't hide who you are. Anymore then I can out of this suit."

When Kara next spoke, she was calm with a hint of genuine curiosity. "Who are you, Archais?"

There was a brief pause where the vigilante seemed to only stare at the superhero, their gaze was calculating, but not unkind. "When you are ready, when you have earned the right to fly under those colors again, only when you can tell me who you are, can you ask me who I am. Until then, I have a message for you. Remember who you are, daughter of Krypton."

Without another word the vigilante turned on their boots and used their grappling-gun to repel away from the dumbfounded Kryptonain. Kara watched Archais swing out of sight, but chose to reach for her phone instead of flying after the vigilante. Kara pressed the third number that was programmed in her phone under the speed dial option.

The recipient picked up after the second ring. "Detective Sawyer."

"Maggie, it's Kara. I have some information about the vigilante. Archais speaks Kyptonese."

There was brief pause. "Wait, what?!"

"There's more. Kryptonese uses gendered pronouns and other types of gendered grammar. When the vigilante first spoke to me, they used gender neutral pronouns."

"But…" Maggie let the last syllable draw out.

"But, they switched to gendered pronouns at the end of their speech. I'm not sure if it was deliberate to make a point or an accident in the heat of the moment. Maggie, they spoke the language well enough to have purposely avoided doing so at the beginning. Either way, there is one thing I am sure of which is that the vigilante, Archais, is a woman."