Washington, DC (Three weeks after That Interview)
The East Front of the United States Capitol overlooks a wide grassy lawn. At 9:30 on Monday mornings, that lawn is usually deserted: most of those who work here are already inside, and the tourists arrive later.
But this morning, two people stood waiting on a path near the lawn's far end. The first a tall black man, listened as the smaller woman beside him spoke decisively.
The outcry following Cat's return to the ranks of TV interviewers had forced the House and Senate Judiciary Committees to mount a joint investigation of the information revealed by Presidents Donaldson and Baker, Alura Zor-El, Eliza Danvers, Max Lord, and Maggie Sawyer. The President, on the urgent advice of the Gang of Eight, had declassified the existence of the Department of Extra-Normal Operations in a statement that was purposefully vague about precisely what the Department did. Also declassified were all matters connected with the acquisition, retention and disappearance of a possibly Kryptonian spaceship, anything related with Fort Rozz or its inmates, the death of Astra In-Ze, an abridged version of the Director's resume, and an announcement that Dr. Elizabeth Danvers was a DEO consultant. And while the media was distracted by these details, all aliens detained in Desert Containment were quietly transferred to a quickly rebuilt wing at Guantanamo Bay.
The actual investigation, however, did not start immediately. Since one of the committees was controlled by Republicans and the other by the Democrats, some political horse-trading had to happen before the hearings could begin. And one of the tradeoffs allowed the President to keep the DEO's functions vague in exchange for not claiming executive privilege when the DEO's Director, Dr. Alexandra Danvers, was subpoenaed to testify in open session on the declassified matters. Everybody knew that the President had a way to communicate with Argo, so nobody was surprised when he advised the committees that Director Danvers would be cutting short her medical leave to appear at today's session.
Which was why Cat Grant and James Olsen stood waiting at the far end of the East Lawn.
Cat had returned from Argo eight days after she left with two articles that kept the Supergirl situation on the nation's front pages and broadcast leads. The first – "One Look Out the Window, and You Know You're Not in Kansas Anymore" – gave a short overview of Argo, Krypton's history, the role the House of El had played in it, and a detailed description of how Argo had survived Krypton's explosion. By three hours after publication, it was the most reprinted and downloaded article in journalism history.
Two days later, Cat released her second article: an extended interview with Supergirl's mother, covering her daughter's childhood, the challenges encountered leading Argo on its interstellar voyage, Alura's hopes for the new planet, and the Kryptonian view of Supergirl's actions in ending Myriad. That article established Alura as a caring mother and an effective leader and Argo as a polity that America could do business with.
And the day before yesterday Cat Grant and CatCo Worldwide Media had once more scooped the world with the announcement from Argo's Office of Diplomacy that Chair Zor-El had personally broken the deadlock in the negotiations to establish diplomatic relations. While an advance team of State Department types was already on Argo making things ready for the arrival of ambassador-designate Lena Luthor, assigning twenty or so Kryptonians to do the same in Washington, DC was a political impossibility – too many people recognized the threat to national security that such a group of Kryptonians would pose. But Chair Zor-El had provided a brilliant solution: she would name an American to select an all-human set-up team for the new embassy and serve as Honorary Consul until the negotiations were completed. Pundits and politicians alike were impressed by her recognition of the problem and the elegance of her solution, even though the new Honorary Consul's name was not immediately released.
And late last night, Cat had finished her fourth article. Depending on what happened in the next few hours, it was scheduled for publication either this evening or tomorrow. James Olsen wanted that article published ASAP and was arguing the point with his boss when the familiar voice spoke from behind them.
"Hello, James, hello, Cat."
The CatCo stalwarts spun around to see a petite Army Colonel in dress uniform. They spoke in unison:
"Well, if it isn't Baby Lane all gussied up," Cat said,
"What are you doing here, Lucy?" asked James.
"Director Danvers asked me to be her lead counsel," Lucy Lane replied.
This time the two from CatCo said the same thing, "Why you?"
"First, because I'm currently on detached duty at the DEO and, as the only lawyer in the Department, it's part of my job to be "of counsel" for any DEO staffers called to testify at hearings like this. Second, at Director Danvers' specific request, I've pulled two of our unclassified files and brought them with me so the Director will have them if needed. And Cat, you should have a USB for me."
"Since you're her counsel . . . ," Cat nodded and handed her a USB drive.
"And here she is," Lucy said, as the expected blue-white circle formed in front of them.
But they were surprised when the slim chestnut-haired woman in black they were expecting was accompanied by someone they did not expect: her mother.
Clearing Capitol security took only a few minutes. When they reached the committee room, the two journalists took their places in the press seats as the TV lights went on – all the networks were broadcasting live – and Alex, Eliza and Lucy moved to the witness table. As Alex and her mother sat down, the Chair spoke.
"Good morning, Director Danvers. Would you please introduce us to your companions?"
"Good morning," Alex replied, "My lead counsel is Colonel Lucille Lane, US Army JAG, currently serving on detached duty. Her co-counsel is Dr. Elizabeth Danvers, JD. Colonel Lane is presently circulating an information package that includes Dr. Danvers' scholastic and bar examination transcripts, bar association membership certificate and three additional documents that will explain why she was chosen for this role. While most of this package is needed for the record, it will be your decision as to whether or not to include the last three items."
The Chair, a congressman from California, frowned as he read the package, "Apprenticed at Barrington, Robertson, Walton and Fair? I know them; they're one of National City's leading law firms. How did you get on there, Dr. Danvers?"
"My brother-in-law, Peter Danvers is one of their partners," Eliza replied, "Around the time my youngest daughter moved to National City, I finished my Psychology degree and needed a new hobby. Peter has often said that I would make a good lawyer, so I took him up on his offer to train me. With email and Skype, I was able to carry out my apprenticeship from home. After I passed the bar exam, I've been "of counsel" to most of the firm's Midvale business and all of its biochemical work for the last couple of years. It's been fascinating."
"I imagine it would be," said the Chair, "I don't think we need to put your legal documents into the record even though that is an impressive bar exam score. But why did you take a Master's in Psychology?"
"After we adopted Kara, we quickly realized that she would need a great deal of help in dealing with the fallout from the tragedy that brought her to us. To get her that help, I took some courses in Psychology on a part-time basis and continued to work toward the degree after I lost my husband."
"Thank you. I don't believe we'll need to put your other documentation into the record," He looked around at his colleagues, who all nodded, "I believe our questions today will deal entirely with unclassified matters."
"Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I appreciate that observation," Eliza replied, "And I trust that it will turn out to be correct."
"Then we'll begin in a moment. But before we do, I'd like to ask a question to which I'm sure all of us would like to know the answer, even though it is not technically within the scope of our inquiry. Dr. Danvers, did Supergirl arrive safely on Argo?"
"Yes, she did, and she is well," Eliza replied.
"Thank you. Then we'll begin," and the Chair rapped the gavel, "This meeting of the Joint Committees is now in session. The pending business has to do with the various matters that were raised in the interview Cat Grant conducted with the President, Dr. Elizabeth Danvers and Maxwell Lord. Director Danvers, thank you for coming."
Alex nodded.
"In the interests of saving time and avoiding clouding the issues what might be called partisan grandstanding, my colleagues have submitted their initial questions to me, and I will ask the initial questions on each topic as I deem best. If any of my colleagues believes you need to provide further detail in your answers, they will ask you to do so. Is that understood?"
Again, Alex nodded. Her face was relaxed and composed. Meanwhile, at the press table, Cat Grant and James Olsen exchanged glances. This was not the standard procedure for Congressional committees.
"I propose to ask my questions in this order: first those concerning the interview I just mentioned, second, those concerning General Astra In-Ze, next those concerning the arrival of Fort Rozz on earth, fourth those concerning how Fort Rozz was used to generate those universal headaches and Supergirl's actions to end the threat, and finally, questions concerning the possibly Kryptonian spacecraft that Max Lord said that you used to rescue Supergirl that night. Would this order create any issues for you?"
"I don't believe it would create any significant issues. I have seen the declassification notices."
"Then we'll begin with the interview. When did you know that your mother planned to ambush the President?"
"If by ambush, you mean Dr. Danvers informing the President that our family faced being deprived of our constitutional right to privacy by the President's request that my sister reveal her civilian identity, the answer is: the moment she did it. That was not what I had been led to expect would happen."
"And what did you expect would happen?"
"Earlier that afternoon, I was told by an internal staffer that the Presidential Security Detail had asked about Dr. Danvers' security clearance. I knew, of course, that Dr. Danvers had a security clearance; for some years she has been a valued consultant to the DEO on Supergirl matters and xenobiological issues. When I learned that the Detail had inquired, I called Dr. Danvers on a secure phone and, without breaking security, I told her that we needed to meet in a way that told Dr. Danvers what we would be talking about. Dr. Danvers, quite properly, gave no details over the phone, but she agreed to meet with me at 5:30 that afternoon for dinner. I didn't try to push the meeting earlier because I was working on an urgent briefing paper. When we met, Dr. Danvers told me that my sister had told her of the President's decision and that she, Dr. Danvers, had reached out to Cat Grant to broker a meeting with the President, Max Lord and herself to discuss the Myriad incident. She believed that such a discussion would demonstrate the great value of having Supergirl continue to work with the government. She did not tell me when and where she expected that meeting to occur. Also, during that meeting, Dr. Danvers told me that she had reminded the DEO medical officer that I had been working without a vacation for several years, an action that prompted my current medical leave."
"Why was your mother made a consultant to the DEO?" This question came from a congressman from the other party.
"The previous Director recognized that Supergirl needed specialized personal and emotional support due to the circumstances that brought her to us. He also recognized that neither the DEO, nor the government, nor I was capable of providing that support. When the first phase of the Myriad event occurred, Dr. Danvers played a key role in saving Supergirl's life, which in turn made it possible for Supergirl to save the world. Dr. Danvers' levelheadedness, clear thinking, and courage in those events made an impression on the Director. After an investigation, he brought her on board, not only to provide the necessary support to Supergirl but also as a consultant on xenobiology since her experience with Supergirl makes her one of the few resources we have in that field."
"Did you have anything to do with the former Director's decision?" a Senator asked.
"I did not. It came as a complete surprise."
"Why did the former Director believe that you were not capable of providing the needed support?" another Senator asked.
"Since Supergirl knew I worked for the DEO," Alex replied, "she might see any support I might offer in certain situations as less than unbiased. The former Director recognized that Supergirl needed a supporter whose support for her would be uncompromised and uncompromising."
A third Senator spoke up, "Could you describe your mother's role in the Myriad event in more detail?"
"Mr. Chairman, if I may, I would prefer not to answer that question on the grounds that I was non conscious for most of what happened. I believe that the former Director, who is present and was an eyewitness, should explain what happened."
"So noted, Director," replied the Chairman. "Going back to the meeting your mother set up, would you agree with her stated rationale for doing that?"
"If by rationale you mean demonstrating that there are many benefits to the government and Supergirl working together, then yes, I would agree," Alex replied, "The Myriad incident is only one of many situations we have encountered where the value of having Supergirl as a willing volunteer in support of law enforcement has been more than amply proven."
"There were other incidents where Supergirl has worked with law enforcement? Please tell us about them," asked Senator Crane.
"Certainly: now that Fort Rozz situation has been declassified, I can tell you that Supergirl helped the DEO in several instances of conflict with that group of criminal Kryptonians. Everyone in National City knows the parts she played in helping stop Cadmus and the Daxamite invasion, not to mention the matter of Reign last year. In these matters, she has often worked with the NCPD's Science Division, which explains why they think so highly of her. Not to mention the many routine criminal activities that Supergirl has either stopped herself or has helped the NCPD's Patrol Division put a stop to."
"As you know, Director Danvers, our committees were briefed on Fort Rozz, Cadmus, the Daxamite invasion and the Reign issue as they occurred so we are familiar with the details, but they should also be included in the record today. Would you please recount the declassified or publicly known specifics of how Supergirl helped out in each case?" Senator Crane continued.
After Alex replied, a Congressman asked the next question, "Did the President know the full extent of Supergirl's role in these events when he made his decision to forbid her to work with federal agencies unless she made her identity public?"
"It's possible that he may not have had full information on these matters at the time he made his decision." Alex replied, "As you know, while your committees received the closed-session briefings on these matters as they occurred, the President, as the then Vice-President, did not share in those briefings. And, when I asked the former Director if the President had been present for the White House briefings for the four major incidents just mentioned, I learned that he had unfortunately missed all of them due to being out of town on diplomatic missions. Owing to the unusual circumstances surrounding his elevation, we have had no opportunity to brief him on DEO matters since his accession, which is one of the reasons why we had requested that he visit us on his recent trip to National City."
"Did you brief the President on these points when he visited the DEO?" Senator Crane returned to the questioning.
"No, ma'am. Before I could do that, Supergirl arrived at the DEO. When she did, the President immediately let Supergirl know she had a choice to make. As you know, she chose to maintain her anonymity and left the DEO."
"Did you try to brief him after she left?"
"Unfortunately, I had no opportunity to do that; the President had to cut his short his visit and left soon after Supergirl did. I did tell him that I would be sending him an important file on the secure email system that had relevant information on Supergirl's relationship with the Department, and he said he would watch for it. In fact, I was doing a final review of that file, when I learned of Dr. Danvers' proposed meeting. When Dr. Danvers told me of her intended goal for that meeting, it seemed helpful to have others reinforce the point that Supergirl is too valuable a resource to throw away simply because Ben Lockwood had tried to muddy the waters around his actions after his arrest."
"That raises an important question, Director Danvers," Senator Crane continued, "Just how valuable an asset is Supergirl? Are Supergirl and Superman essential to the national defense?"
"We don't know, Senator, whether they are essential or not." Alex replied, "We can cope with all known threats unaided if we have to. That includes Kryptonians and the Daxamites (and the Daxamites can only return if they figure out how to make themselves immune to particulate lead). Even though we have every reason to think that Reign was a one-off, we can now deal with a recurrence of that problem without Supergirl's help. So, while Kryptonian assistance is not essential with regard to coping with any known threat, Kryptonian availability does give us some additional tactical flexibility and the potential for quicker response times while possibly minimizing casualties both for known and new threats."
Another voice spoke up, "You said you learned of your mother's ambush "when she did it." Did you just happen to watch This Evening that night?" asked an anti-alien Congressman sarcastically.
Once again, the two CatCo journalists exchanged worried glances. They had suspected that there would be a hidden agenda in this meeting: now they knew it. But Alex was unperturbed.
"No. When we met for dinner, Dr. Danvers gave me a sealed envelope and told me to open it at eight o'clock that evening, which I did. I have her note here, and Colonel Lane will enter it into the record and give copies to each of you."
There was silence as the notes were distributed, and the committee members read them.
"And after reading this, you still did nothing?" the now purple-faced Congressman asked.
"By the time I read that note, Congressman, the interview had started, which meant that I had no way to alert the President, short of calling the White House Signals Office and having them require the Secret Service to break into the interview. As you know, it is on public record that operational agencies such as the DEO may do that only for CRITIC class events, of which this was not one. And even though a public presentation of the positive case for the government working with Supergirl was more flamboyant than Dr. Danvers' normal style, you will see that her note does nothing to suggest that the discussion would deal with anything other than the Myriad events. And when the first few minutes of the interview reinforced that impression, I concluded that the public nature of the interview was Cat Grant's price for brokering the meeting."
At the press table, Cat Grant had a broad grin on her face as another Congressman spoke up. "Did you send that file your mother mentioned to the President that evening, Director Danvers?"
"Yes, I did, with copies to the Gang of Eight and the rest of the Senate Intelligence Committee."
The Chairman looked around at his colleagues, who nodded. He then moved the discussion to the next topic. "And what can you tell us about General Astra In-Ze, Director Danvers?"
"The first item I can tell you is that Chair Zor-El was correct in stating that the General was killed in a firefight with US agents. I was on the team that night. In the interest of saving time, Colonel Lane can show a video from one of the agents' chest cameras, and after that, I can answer questions if the committee would like more details."
"Is that why you asked for projection equipment to be available?" the Chair asked.
Alex nodded, "It's one of the reasons."
The Chair nodded, the room lights darkened, and the recording began. There were gasps as people recognized Astra as the twin of Alura and then other gasps as she immobilized an agent and was about to kill him. Finally, the room went silent as Astra tensed, gasped, let go of her captive and fell, revealing a bleak faced Alex Danvers standing behind her before the camera turned to reveal the sword hilt against the fallen Kryptonian's back.
As the lights went up, the Chair asked his next question, "Was there an after-action assessment?"
"Yes," Alex replied, "there was. Colonel Lane has copies." And once again, Lucy handed out a pile of documents.
"They concluded that your use of lethal force in this instance was justified," observed Senator Crane, who had skipped to the Findings page at the end.
"Yes," Alex replied.
"Does Supergirl know that you killed her aunt?" the Senator asked.
"She does. While she deeply grieves her loss of her aunt on a personal level, she agrees with the after-action assessment that lethal force was necessary in this instance."
"And how did the killing of her aunt affect your personal relationship?" Senator Crane continued.
"The incident has had no significant consequences for our relationship. But I should note something that is far more important to the country: the events of the last three years have conclusively demonstrated that the loss of her aunt did not cause Supergirl to waver by one iota from the responsibility she felt to put her powers at the service of those who need them, both in this country and in the wider world."
"'Felt' is past tense, Director Danvers. Has your sister's attitude changed recently?"
"Not exactly," Alex replied, "She has always reached out to help those who needed her assistance. While she is still concerned for people in trouble, her dismissal from serving with the government, combined with the potential availability of others equally gifted and able to help, has opened the door for her to consider other opportunities. In addition to the opportunities that Dr. Danvers alluded to in her interview with Cat Grant that night, she has been offered two additional jobs since she arrived on Argo. But as of last night, Supergirl has made no decisions about what she will do next: she's too busy enjoying a well-earned vacation and catching up with her childhood friends."
"What are those new offers?"
"She's been asked to write a column for one of Argo's media companies, and she's also been offered the post of CatCo's Argo correspondent."
Cat Grant's smile did not change as several congressmen, and a few Senators looked daggers at her. The others gazed at her with speculation in their eyes.
In the silence, the Chair looked around, and again the Congressmen and Senators nodded.
"What can you tell us about Fort Rozz?"
"It is best to describe the DEO's dealing with that situation in chronological sequence." Alex began, "When Fort Rozz initially landed, long before I was recruited, the after-action report tells us that its inmates temporarily abandoned it before our contact team arrived due to a severe case of "cabin fever." With the help of Superman, who had been asked to join the contact team, they were able to access the ship's computers and copy its data files, including the prisoner list. According to those files, Fort Rozz was Krypton's maximum-security prison. It held over 200 prisoners from various planets at the time of its arrival here, including General Astra and the members of her team who had been convicted of terrorism and sentenced to Fort Rozz by Chief Judicator Alura Zor-El."
"And how many of those prisoners are presently at large on earth?"
"We don't know. We do know that some have been captured and are presently serving out the duration of their sentences. We know that US agents have killed several others, including General Astra and her husband. What we do not know is how many remain in hiding today. We also know that the Kryptonian leader, Non, implied that some of this latter group had returned to Fort Rozz before the Myriad events. Some or all of these may have been carried into space by Supergirl, who had no time to fully investigate the Fort's then-current occupancy before saving us all."
"Ah, yes, by allegedly throwing Fort Rozz into space." It was the anti-alien Congressman again. "Do you have any evidence for this preposterous story other than the statements of Max Lord and your mother?"
"Since she knew that no human being could survive within fifty miles of the site due to the growing intensity of the Myriad wave, Supergirl took an alien friend with her to help her in that fight. He was equipped with a chest camera, and we have that recording. It has been split-screened with the camera from the DEO operations center taken at the same time. May Colonel Lane play the video for you?"
The committee members nodded, and the Chair said, "Go ahead." The video played showing Supergirl fighting Non while at the DEO the "Time to Termination" monitor moved ominously close to zero and then increased as Supergirl lifted Fort Rozz up, up, and away and the fort vanished from sight.
The Chairman looked around as silence fell. Then he spoke again. "The next questions concern the spacecraft that Max Lord said that you used to rescue Supergirl that day. Was he telling the truth about your actions in connection with that spacecraft?"
"Yes."
"You flew it into space and retrieved Supergirl?"
"Yes."
"Can you offer any additional proof besides your statement and that of Mr. Lord?"
"Since all matters related to this spaceship have been declassified, Colonel Lane has a video from DEO files showing the takeoff and return if the committee would like to see it. May the Colonel proceed?"
"Yes."
The video was shown. Once again, the Chair asked his next question as the lights came up.
"Director Danvers, how did you come to be acquainted with that spacecraft and why you were able to fly it?"
"That spacecraft was stored in a facility to which I was assigned shortly after being recruited to the DEO. When I asked about it, I was told something that made me think it might be the ship my sister had used to come to earth. So, on a couple of night shift breaks, I investigated the ship and established that it was of Kryptonian origin. Because my sister had taught me the Kryptonese language and some historico-cultural and family matters, I was able to gain access to the ship's cockpit, something that our people had not been able to do. Once I had access to the cockpit, I could access to the ship's training program, but I could neither extend my access to the piloting controls nor admit anyone else to simulator access. It was at that point that I reported my progress to the former Director, who ordered me to continue to investigate the ship.
"Since I'm a licensed pilot, I used the simulator program to train on the ship while I continued my investigation. Later, with Supergirl's help, I was able to gain access to the ship's flight controls. And while all matters connected with this spacecraft have been declassified, I have reason to believe that access details to the piloting program should not be discussed publicly at this time. My reports on the ship in the DEO files include those details and they can be made available later for the committees for study in closed session if the committees believe that to be necessary."
"And the reason for your view is?" a Senator asked.
"We know that there are presently at least one and possibly two or even more Kryptonian spacecraft of the same type on earth, and those who used them to get here have no current interest in them. We do not, however, know where all of those ships are. If any of them are discovered by unauthorized persons, attempting to use the access details could put themselves and their neighbors at serious risk."
Another Senator spoke, "Why do you say that? And why couldn't you extend your access to teach anyone else how to fly the ship?"
"It is best to answer by taking your second question first," Alex replied, "Owing to the design of the ship's computer's authorization system, I was not able to program the ship to offer simulator and flight control access to anyone beyond myself. Nor, as it turned out, could my sister do so. It was only by identifying me as her sister that Supergirl was able to get me access to the flight controls. And every indication we had was that if we had tried to hack the system to improve our access to full control rather than piloting control, we would have triggered a self-defense system that was designed to blow the ship up. When we reached this point, I reported my findings to the then-Director, and he instructed me to stop trying to gain full access to the ship's systems and to document my findings in the files I previously mentioned."
"I think your reasons that further discussion of these matters should be in closed session are convincing, Director Danvers," said the Chair.
"Thank you."
"But how could the ship take off in unpiloted flight on the day of the interview?" Senator Crane asked.
"The ship can be flown remotely, and it has sensors that can pick up and lock on to Supergirl, even if she's on the other side of a planet," Alex replied, "When Supergirl began to work with the DEO, she asked a staffer to help her set up a remote access to the site roof controls so that she could summon the ship in an emergency without damaging the facility."
What kind of emergency would require that spaceship to have remote flight capability?" another Senator asked
"That spaceship is an interstellar courier model normally used by Kryptonian diplomats, diplomatic messengers, and intelligence agents. As you may surmise, there are situations where remote flight and pilot tracking capabilities would be highly useful in the latter context, so the capability was built in to address those needs. The ship is linked to a personal communications implant that Kryptonians received on their eleventh birthday."
"And you didn't shut this remote-control ship capability down when Supergirl resigned?"
Alex was unruffled, "I never knew that the capability existed before Supergirl utilized it to get the ship to meet her the day she left for Argo. My sister had never mentioned her implant before or after she began to volunteer with the DEO. The ship's remote-control functionality was not described in the simulator program, nor was it mentioned in the piloting documentation that was available to me once I had received piloting access."
"Do you have any idea why she did not tell you about it?"
"I asked her about this when we met on Argo. Her answer was this: having learned how the United States Government had forced my father to go to work for them in exchange for her continued freedom, my sister did not fully trust the government. She recognized that a government that came after her once could easily come after her again at any moment. And she wanted to be able to leave earth if the government's actions were as unjust in any later attempt to take her as they were in the former."
"But why didn't you deactivate the roof opening circuit when the President forbade Supergirl from working with the DEO," the sarcastic Congressman asked.
"I didn't know about it: It was set up before I became Director and even the former Director did not know that this had been done. Supergirl and the staffer who helped her set it up were the only ones who knew about it."
"And who is that staffer?" The Congressman asked.
"He is someone presently on a long-term assignment outside the country."
"We'll need his name to summon him to confirm this part of your story, Director," Now the man's voice was almost gleeful. He thought he had Alex on the run.
"I'm afraid that contacting him won't be possible, Congressman. The nature of his assignment is such that we are not able to communicate with him, and we will not be able to do so for the foreseeable future."
"Please explain that statement, Director Danvers."
"I can't do that here and now. Doing so would involve addressing matters that are not on the public record and the President has only waived executive privilege on declassified matters."
The Congressman's face went white, and his voice hardened. "This is a Congressional inquiry, Director. The American people have the right to know. If you do not answer, you will be charged with contempt of Congress."
"You will have to litigate the question of whether executive privilege covers this specific question before you can charge the Director," the quiet voice of Eliza Danvers interjected, "And before you go any further, Congressman Parsons, I noticed earlier that you did not read the last three pages in the information package that Colonel Lane gave you concerning my background. I am speaking the truth when I tell you that it would be very much in your best interest to read those pages right now."
The Congressman glared at her as she stood relaxed, yet implacable, in the well of the room. Then he looked at the Chairman, who nodded, firmly. Then he opened his folder and read the last three pages. It didn't take long. Finally, he looked at Eliza Danvers for a long moment with blazing eyes before he said, "I withdraw my question."
The Chair spoke quickly, to dispel the rising buzz of comment, "We have one last area of concern. You are the Director of the agency charged with managing criminal situations that are beyond the scope of our normal police agencies. One of those situations is Supergirl. If your sister goes rogue again, wouldn't this place you in a conflict of interest?"
"Hypothetically yes, practically no. Supergirl has repeatedly told me that if such a situation were to recur, she would expect me to do what I did when she went rogue after she was exposed to Mr. Lord's drug."
"And what did you do, Director?"
"I prioritized restraining her and maintaining public safety. Once again, Colonel Lane has a video to show you. You may have seen a similar video when CatCo TV broadcast what happened that night, but what you are about to see is another cameraman's unedited footage.
The lights dimmed, and the video played, and the viewers in the room saw Supergirl fighting with a special forces team. She had just broken the arm of an agent whose face could not be seen when a green alien engaged her for a few moments until a shot rang out, and she fell. But this time, unlike the broadcast, the focus did not stay on Supergirl throughout: something had caused this cameraman to turn his camera away a second before the shot, and in doing so he caught the shooter in the act of firing, despite one arm hanging limply at her side. The shooter was Alex Danvers.
As the lights came up, Alex continued her answer, "As you might surmise, that was a dart filled with liquid Kryptonite that I fired and, as you saw, it was effective. These darts are more effective than Kryptonite tipped bullets because every hit will instantly incapacitate a Kryptonian. In contrast, a Kryponite covered bullet must hit a vital area to be effective. I believe this video demonstrates that I can be trusted to carry out my responsibilities appropriately where Supergirl is concerned."
"So noted, Director Danvers. Thank you very much. Are there any further questions?" The stunned committee members shook their heads.
"Then you may step down for a few moments, Director Danvers. Thank you for your testimony, and please remain present as I believe we will need we need to recall you for a short time after our next witness is done." He paused, "We shall adjourn for a fifteen-minute break, and after we reconvene, I believe our next witness should be Mr. Hank Henshaw, the former Director of the DEO who is also present." He rapped his gavel, "Meeting is adjourned."
The committee members nodded, and Alex, Eliza and Lucy moved to sit next to Cat Grant at the press table as several people moved out in search of restrooms.
"What was all that Kabuki about?" James asked, "They never even laid a glove on you, Alex."
Cat grinned, "The President has a huge political problem. As you know, both parties are split on the question of any tolerance for interstellar aliens, and he's one of the intolerant minority of his party. But after he fired Supergirl, he can't afford to be seen as attacking Alex or Eliza. That's why he negotiated the hearing set up in a way that let the majority-anti-alien other side Chair of the House committee lead the hearing and ask the hard questions. He'd originally planned to do this in closed session, and twist and leak Alex's testimony to make her look bad, but Senator Crane outfoxed him. If the President hadn't agreed to open session hearings and declassification of those topics, the Senator told him that she would publicly announce how the President didn't listen to Alex when she tried to stop him from firing Supergirl. And that's why he had to declassify and go open session. And when Congressman Parsons tried to get Alex to reveal classified information, Eliza here threatened to tell all she knows about something that he didn't like." She turned to Eliza, "Were those three pages, possibly, your pardon from President Donaldson and a list of the secrets you could reveal? And did Congressman Parsons, perchance, play a major part in setting up the DEO? If so, making that fact public now would kill his career, since his district is so highly anti-alien these days."
Eliza smiled, but her smile did not reach her eyes.
"So, where does that leave us?" James asked.
"It means that all the anti-alien crowd can do will be to establish that Alex Danvers is a brilliant and committed DEO Director who follows policy perfectly," Cat continued, "The rest of the hearing won't change that."
As usual, what followed in the rest of the hearing proved Cat Grant to be correct. As the hearing broke up, Alex hugged her mother, put her hand in a pocket, stepped into a blue-white circle and vanished.
"Off to get your luggage?" Cat asked as she and Eliza moved quickly to the corridor while James remained for a word with Lucy.
"Yes, that's right." Eliza replied.
As they reached the corridor, they were stopped by a man carrying a briefcase, "Dr. Elizabeth Danvers?" he asked.
"Yes," Eliza replied.
"I'm Tom Price from the Secretary's office. You have something for me?"
"I do. May I see your credentials, please?"
The man nodded and handed her an identification billfold.
Eliza looked at it, handed it back, and then handed him a small folder. "Please convey my apologies to the Secretary for not getting here on the original schedule. As you may have heard, we couldn't leave Argo until this morning. Argo's medics wanted to make sure I hadn't come down with anything and it was only this morning that they were able to give me a clean bill of health."
"I'll tell the Secretary," Price said. He opened the folder, signed it and handed it back, "Dr. Danvers, you are now the duly accredited Honorary Consul of Argo to the government of the United States."
"Thank you," Eliza replied.
"Will it suit your convenience to meet with the Secretary and the President at the White House at 5 pm today for a meeting with a dinner to follow?"
"That will be fine." Eliza replied, "Should I come to the West Wing entrance?"
"No, the Secretary wants to send a car to pick you up. I notice you turned down the invitation to stay at Blair House. Where are you staying."
"Sending a car won't be necessary, Mr. Price." Cat Grant interjected, "Dr. Danvers and her daughter are my guests in the CatCo suite of the Hay-Adams hotel. It's an easy walk across Lafayette Square to the White House."
"Indeed, it is, Miss Grant. In that case just come to the North Gate," said the man from the State Department as he turned to Eliza, "I'll let the Secretary and the President know." With that, he excused himself and left. As the two women moved on, a reporter intercepted them.
"Dr. Danvers, I'm Chester Holt, ABC News. How can you act for Argo in this matter? Are you going to give up your American citizenship?
"There are three reasons I can act for Argo without giving up my American citizenship – something I'll never do. First, I am not Argo's Ambassador: I am serving as an Honorary Consul. Having a citizen of a host country serving as honorary consul for another country is a well- established diplomatic convention. This country presently has seventy-two American citizens acting as honorary consuls for other countries, and nobody raises an eyebrow at the practice. Second, and more important, as things stand now, it is a political impossibility for Argo's citizens to be present in even the smallest numbers in Washington before diplomatic relations are established. Yet Argo must have diplomatic representation here to establish those relations. That means an American must take on the role of contact, at least for now, and since Argo's decision-makers don't know many people here, they chose me as their best available option. Third, my instructions and negotiating targets do not threaten any of America's vital interests. In fact, what I am empowered to offer was designed to help certain of those interests. Unfortunately, I can't be more specific at the moment."
"But what about your declaring war on the President on national TV? Don't you think he might bear a grudge that might affect the negotiations?"
"I think it's fair to say that I distinguished between the President in his personal political capacity and the country as a whole when I pointed out that he had started a war with my family and me. But by accepting my nomination, President Baker has made it clear that he recognizes the difference between one individual calling him out on a bad decision in one area, and engaging in what should be an easy win-win negotiation with that individual in areas where the national interests of the United States and Argo aren't significantly different."
"And how will you holding a grudge against the President affect the negotiations?"
"I was invited to suggest what Argo's proposals should be and Chair Zor-El and the council have authorized me to say that they are grateful for my advice and have largely followed it. So, I'll just say this: ask me that question after Argo's position is made public if you still think you need an answer. Once you know what's on the table, I'll be very surprised if you don't agree that those proposals will be of real and significant benefit to this country. And now, if you'll excuse us, we need to have lunch, and I have a meeting to prepare for."
"Very smooth, Eliza, very smooth," Cat commented as they left the building. "And an equally smooth move by Chair Zor-El. Not only does it solve her problem, it also eliminates some potentially nasty jams for you. For one thing, if Baker tries to arrest Alex now, he'll create earth's first interstellar diplomatic incident. Did Alura come up with the idea on her own, or did somebody whisper it into her ear?"
Eliza smiled again. This time, the smile did reach her eyes.
"A perfectly diplomatic response, just like your answers to Holt," sniffed Cat, "Keep that up, Eliza, and you'll be getting job offers from the State Department."
"Do you really think so?" Eliza asked.
The hopeful and saccharine tone of Eliza 's voice prompted one of the Queen of all Media's best glares. But when she saw Eliza's gleaming eyes and preternaturally innocent expression, Cat was glad that her son was away at university. Having Carter learn yet another way to pull her leg was something she definitely didn't need.