Chapter 7

Secrets and Super Suits

"There is no way I'm coming out dressed like this." Kara's voice echoed from behind a dressing screen, set up in one of the many paneled side-rooms at the DEO.

"Aw c'mon, be a sport!" Winn laughed.

Kara took a few tentative steps around the screen, arms clasped over her midsection, shifting them up and down to cover various parts she felt were in danger of exposure. She was in a skintight blue top with cutaway sections and what she could only think to describe as hot pants.

"There is no way I'd ever be able to get anything done in this, I'd be too busy trying to stay covered up!" Kara shouted over Alex's laughter, reverberating around the otherwise empty room, before skittering back behind the screen.

They had been coming down to the DEO headquarters for a week and a half now, Winn working on the computer monitoring systems and helping to suggest upgrades while Kara was given the rundown on their operations. He seemed to fit in right away, and Professor Henshaw mentioned that the DEO already had their eye on Winn for recruitment, even before the exposé, they were just waiting for the right moment to bring him onboard.

Kara was, at first, shocked when Professor Henshaw greeted her on her first day, looking up from a computer screen, flashing brightly.

"Hello Ms. Danvers, good to have you on board."

"Professor Henshaw!" Kara stuttered, "I-I suppose it's good to be here?"

"I hope Agent Danvers has been giving you the run-down on our operation here."

"A-Agent Danvers?"

"That's me," Alex hissed, coming up beside her.

"You're an agent?" Kara's brows shot up. "Agent... of what?"

"Oh boy." Alex expelled a breath.

Alex had explained that schools like Wilding – where students were taught at an accelerated rate, most studying at the collegiate level and beyond thanks to partnerships with local universities – were often used as proving grounds for prestigious programs, like the DEO.

Kara knew the first part, she still found it strange, but she'd gotten used to seeing the variety of students, some as young as 12, and some as old as 21 living in the dorms. There were advanced placement courses at the high school level, but there were also college and Master's level courses offered through their partnership with UC National City. It didn't surprise her that government agencies and other organizations kept a close eye on students here. Wilding, and other programs like it, where famous for turning out some of the world's foremost scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and forward thinkers.

"I was recruited by the DEO my first year here. Director Henshaw hand picked me and, since then, I've been working really hard."

"How hard?" Kara asked, realizing now that this must be why she had seen so little of her sister the past few years. This must be why Alex hadn't come home during the summer.

"What?"

"How hard Alex? How hard have you been working?" Kara's face was painted with skepticism.

"Okay, so remember how upset when Mom found out that I blew right past my high school graduation and started college courses two years early without telling her?"

"Yeah. She kept going on about ceremony and tradition and the 'important steps in every young person's life.' A lot of talks about caps and gowns. It was very strange."

"Well, you get to help me tell her she missed my college and training academy graduation too."

"WHAT?" Kara stared, slack jawed and Alex shrugged and gave her an awkward smile.

Since then, they'd bickered over the keeping of secrets, but things eventually settled between them and Kara started to enjoy her work with the DEO. She warmed considerably once she discovered that the organization supported the idea of her using her abilities out in the world, under their supervision, of course. She would operate within the constraints of the DEO and they would allow her the freedom to use her gifts to further their cause: dealing with aliens, both foreign and domestic, who posed a threat to society.

This brought her to her current predicament: trying on potential suits that would allow her to fight and still conceal her identity while on missions.

"I had Vasquez order a bunch of this great new material - totally classified, military grade, very secret stuff," Winn prattled on excitedly as Kara changed behind the screen. "It's not only flame retardant and impossible to rip, bit it's also coated in this high-grade, but very lightweight, Kevlar webbing."

"So she can deflect bullets without worrying about getting holes her outfit?" Alex countered.

"Exactly."

Alex shrugged, "Practical."

"Okay guys, I think this is the one." Kara stepped from behind the screen with a satisfied smile plastered across her face.

The suit was a deep blue, and consisted of a fitted jacket in a motorcycle style, the front zipper cutting an angled path toward her left shoulder. The sleeves were long with pieces that slipped over her thumbs so they would stay in place while flying. The pants were snug and fitted and, starting at the knee, disappeared beneath tall, leather boots in a deep, oxblood red.

Alex circled her, assessing the look. "Functional and flattering. Mom's right, you do always look good in blue."

"It just needs the crest." Kara assessed herself in the mirror they'd set up as part of their makeshift dressing room.

"Crest?" Winn asked.

"Like Superman wears on his chest." Alex placed a hand over her sternum in demonstration.

"Oh, the 'S'. Okay, I can do that."

"It's not an 'S,'" Kara offered gentle contradiction. "It's my family crest."

"The house of El." Alex finished her thought with a light smile and continued appraising the fit of her jacket, tugging here and there.

"Add... crest of El. Got it." Winn scribbled a quick note to himself, "And we're going to add a hood, of course, and probably a mask or something to cover most of the face." Winn added, making furious swipes on a sketchpad.

"What? Why a mask!" Kara whined, and Alex shot her a dubious look. "Clark doesn't have to wear a mask! They'll think I have something to hide!"

"Kara, you do have something to hide." Alex explained, carefully, "Clark is one man in a city of millions and right now, you're one girl in a school of hundreds, in a small town not much larger than that. We have to make sure that you stay safe and stay smart. Right now, that means being overly cautious with protecting your identity. Don't worry. It won't always have to be this way."

Kara worried her lower lip and Alex placed a gentle hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Look, I know how hard it is to hide a part of yourself – trust me I do – but in this particular case, I care more about the safety of my sister than I do about," Alex paused. To Winn, "what are they calling her now?"

"Supergirl," he supplied, not looking up from his sketchpad.

"Right. I care more about you than I do about Supergirl", okay?"

Kara huffed and nodded ascent. "Okay."

"Speaking of caring about my sister, I hear you're having a hard time in chemistry."

"That is not my fault! I didn't want to take it in the first place, you know I think science is boring!" Kara slipped behind the changing screen and started to switch out her new super suit with pieces of her school uniform.

"As much as it wounds me – to the soul – to hear my own sister decry the subject to which I have dedicated my life –"

"Oh, for the love of Rao, can we tone down the guilt?" Kara wailed, though Alex could hear the smile in her voice.

"Fine." Alex laughed as Kara emerged, dressed, pack slung over her shoulder. "But you need to find a tutor. Working with the DEO is important, but your schoolwork should come first."

"Seriously? We're saving the world from rogue aliens and you're more worried about my grade in chemistry?"

"Seriously." Alex placed her free hand on her hip, adopting what Kara recognized as her power stance. "If you want, we can find you someone here in the DEO, I know we have –"

"No." Kara cut her off.

"I have someone I can ask."

"Okay," Alex's tone was annoyingly parental, but Kara didn't mind much. It reminded her of Eliza, and always made her feel loved.

She gave Alex a quick squeeze before leaving. "Love you."

"Love you too." Alex paused as Kara turned to go, then called out, "Go study."


"Lena Luthor! Just the person I was looking for!" Kara shucked her pack and set it on the floor next to an overstuffed leather chair. Nestled in the chair opposite her, Lena sat folded in an impossible origami tangle of limbs. Kara took a split second to take in the white-rimmed glasses, the bright emerald eyes, the raven's wing hair, swept into a complicated knot of twists and curls and felt a smile tug, insistently, at the corner of her mouth.

Lena looked up from a frighteningly large book and her face split into an unabashed grin, "Kara Danvers! Always a pleasure." She closed the book and shifted to face Kara, "how did you know I'd be here?"

"You're always reading a different giant book. I figured you must go through them pretty quickly, so the library was as good a bet as any. Plus I needed a few giant books, myself."

"That's fair," She laughed, light and easy, and Kara felt something pull tightly in her chest as she sank into the cozy armchair. "What can I do for you, Miss Danvers?"

"So," Kara pursed her lips, "you know chemistry?"

"The concept of shared personal connection?" Lena raised a curious eyebrow, "or the subject?"

"Um." Kara's face grew inexplicably warm. "The subject," she answered.

"Yes, I'm familiar." Lena beamed, steadily, and Kara wondered how anyone could ever harbor animosity toward anyone whose smile was so genuine and so unfailingly present.

"I'm not. Which is a problem, since I'm taking it this semester." Kara gave an awkward grin and half shrug, which she hoped would come off as endearing.

"I see." Lena straightened slightly and draped an arm lazily across the back of the creaking leather chair. "Well, I suppose I do owe you after your act of chivalry last Tuesday."

"Oh that? No, you don't owe me anything for that." Kara sputtered in halting modesty. "I was," she shrugged, "I was happy to do it."

"Alright, then I'm happy to assist with getting you and chemistry better acquainted." Lena's lips quirked up into a smug grin and she placed a light hand over Kara's own. "And in the meantime, I'm sure I'll think of some way you can repay me.

Kara gulped, unable to shake Lena's gaze. Though her face was genial, open, Lena's ice green eyes seemed to glint with something Kara couldn't quite interpret.

"Did you want to get started now?"

"Oh, I don't want to impose. You're busy reading."

"Kara, as you yourself observed, I'm always busy reading. I'm happy to take a break, though, it's no trouble." Lena pushed up from the chair and Kara watched as she carefully unfolded her limbs, the pleats of her skirt falling delicately into place as she rose. Kara was sure she, herself, had never embodied anything resembling grace and yet it seemed to be Lena's natural state of being. "Why don't we get a table so we can spread out and see what we're working with."

Kara swallowed hard once more and stood, inelegantly, to follow behind the green-eyed girl.


"Danvers!"

Alex's head snapped up in time to see a dark haired girl approach. She swung her leg over the sleek black Ducati and stood beside it before pulling off her motorcycle helmet.

"Nice ride." Maggie nodded toward the bike. She was wearing the leather jacket again; Alex could tell it was well loved and well cared for. It looked soft to the touch, broken in, and Alex found herself consciously resisting the urge to reach out and place a hand on Maggie's arm, "I've been saving up for the Triumph Bonneville T100 myself."

"I haven't seen you much the last few days." Alex pulled her bag from the cabled storage webbing at the back of the motorcycle, turning to walk toward campus. "You weren't in class yesterday."

"Yeah, that's sort of what I wanted to talk to you about." Maggie shoved her hands in her back pockets and fell into step next to the taller redhead. "I need you to come somewhere with me, but before you do, I need to know you can keep a secret."

"Maggie, I –" Alex's brow fell and she stopped to meet Maggie's eyes.

"Look, I've been at this place long enough to know that things aren't always as they seem and so have you." Maggie's tone was serious, but her face was casual and kind. "Now, I don't know what sort of game you and Professor Henshaw are really running, but I know that whatever it is, it runs deeper than your little on-campus, feminist fight club."

Alex opened her mouth to speak but closed it again, taken aback by this sudden outpouring.

"I also know that between classes and cards the last few weeks, I've gotten a pretty decent read on you, Danvers. You're a good person. Smart. Fair." Maggie's dimples deepened as her mouth drew into a grin. "Tell me I'm right. Tell me I can trust you."

"You," Alex stammered. Her right arm was still confined to it's sling and she rested her left hand on her hip, trying to convey the confidence she needed, "You can trust me."

"Okay, let's go."

Alex almost gasped as Maggie took her hand to lead her toward the campus. The light was fading and a mid-fall chill was just beginning to creep into the air. To be fair, it would never feel truly cold, as they were in Southern California and the Santa Ana winds always brought the warm breezes through December. But even so, Alex couldn't help but shiver as she trailed behind the shorter girl. They made their way through the maze of familiar corridors and stopped in front of a rather unremarkable classroom door.

Maggie knocked in succinct, staccato pattern, which Alex subconsciously memorized, and the door cracked open.

"Hey Sawyer, who's your friend?" A gruff voice pushed through the gap.

"This is Alex. She's cool."

The door swung open and Alex made her way into a classroom that looked more like a 70's smoking lounge than anything remotely to do with education. There were couches with low tables, a scattered collection of bar-height tables and chairs, few large mid-century steel desks with sleek computers whirring away, and even a foosball table. The lighting was low and instead of flooding the room with fluorescents, seemed to be coming form a few scattered floor lamps.

It was only after she had finished taking in the scenery that Alex managed to notice the people. Students, she assumed, but there was something slightly off about each person her eyes grazed. It wasn't until she watched a young boy shift his knight to E5 with a blue fingered hand that the realization dawned on her. She glanced around the room, infused with a sense of mild panic, taking in a girl whose forked tongued darted out as she spoke to a boy with sharp quills where his sideburns ought to be.

"What is this, Maggie?"

"Welcome to the HAA."

"The HAA?"

"The Human/Alien Alliance." Alex must have been a portrait of confusion, because Maggie continued, "some schools, if you're lucky, have a GSA or QSA, you know, a Gay/Straight Alliance. A place where people who are made to feel 'other' can come and be themselves. Wilding, never to be outdone, has taken it one step further with the Human/Alien Alliance."

"But," Alex practically gaped. She was agitated, to be sure, trained by the DEO to be on high alert around any potential alien threat. "I didn't even know this existed! Where did they all come from?"

"They've been here."

"They've..." Alex trailed off, "But how? We would've known."

"We? Oh man, I knew it! You are mixed up in some sort of top secret organization!" Maggie punched her on the arm, "With Henshaw, right? Tell me I'm right."

Alex kicked herself for the slip, but realized that if Maggie was willing to trust her a little, she could do the same.

She treated Maggie to a knowing smile, "That's classified."

"Excellent." The shorter woman smiled back and took Alex by the arm, leading her to the far corner of the room. "To answer your question, most of the people here are able to mask their differences or they stay close to those who can project a psychic shield. That way they can live their lives and not have to worry about persecution. They have to hide who they are to fit in, which is something I understand and can relate to." She paused, "And I'm pretty sure you can, too."

Alex quirked her head to one side.

"You know," Maggie backpedaled hastily, "Having to cover up that black ops thing you're involved in."

"Right." Alex agreed a bit too hastily.

"Anyway, I brought you here because I know you're handy with post-fight First-Aid and a friend of mine can use your help," She ducked her head a bit and added, "and your discretion."

Alex continued after Maggie and they stopped in front of a low couch shunted off to the side. Reclining, breathing heavily, and surrounded by a few scattered people was a boy Alex thought couldn't be much younger than she was, maybe 17 or 18 at the most. Except, he wasn't a boy exactly, his skin had a dark green tinge around the edges and came together in a way that seemed almost human, but not quite. It would have been unsettling had Alex not been more preoccupied with the presence of blood and gaping wounds slashed across his cheeks and upper body. She bent down to examine the damage more closely.

"Who did this? What did this?"

"We don't know." Maggie sighed. "Trevor said this group of boys jumped him, slammed him down, and he woke up hours later, dumped about five miles from campus, looking like this."

"Why didn't you take him to the hospital?"

"Would you go to a hospital if you were an alien right now? In this political climate? Do you think they'd even know how to treat him?"

"We can."

"Alex, you can't take him, they'll black bag him."

"They–"

"Can you promise me that if he goes wherever you're suggesting, that they would let him just walk out as soon as he was healed?" Maggie's face was kind again; she had a gift for projecting calm, even when her words were full of fear and warning.

"I –," Alex faltered. "I'll treat him. I'll treat him here." She pushed up from her low crouch. "I just need to get a few things."

"Thank you."

Suddenly, the boy's arm shot out and grabbed at Alex's wrist, startling her. He rasped something in a voice too low to hear and the redhead lowered herself, once more, leaning close to his moving lips.

"Cadmus," Trevor rasped, "When they took me. One grabbed me and shouted 'we are Cadmus' then everything went dark."