As the New Year rang in for Kara, Lena, and the rest of National City, the unrest at Agent Liberty's declaration became louder and louder. The outcry for Supergirl to reveal herself to the city was making it impossible for Kara to do her duty, as well as being thrown out of scenes by Colonel Haley was making things more difficult, as was Alex telling her to stay out of things. Kara decided it was best if Supergirl disappeared, and she folded the suit and stuffed it in a box on the floor of the closet before walking out and turning on the news to the same reports for the last weeks.
"If you know who I am, why shouldn't Supergirl tell us who she is?! It's only fair! Force the leech tell us her name! Who are you, Supergirl!? You'll have to answer soon, you know!" The camera cut to Supergirl, hovering over the prison and looking upset and worried all at once before she turned and flew off, Lockwood's laughter lingering on the air.
"We're two months since Professor Lockwood was arrested and booked into the men's prison. Crime in the city has spiked since Supergirl has not shown up to several gunfights, fires, or crises that could have used her help, leaving many to wonder if she ever cared about National City or was just in it for the fame and glory. Was Agent Liberty right? Should Supergirl reveal herself to the world? We're going to be exploring that topic tonight at 10," the news reporter said before it cut to a commercial.
Kara sighed, drawing her knees up and shutting off the television. She buried her face in her arms, shaking a bit as tears fell down her cheeks. "What do I do…?" she muttered.
The door to the apartment shut, and Lena sighed as she set her bag on the counter. "Kara?"
Kara looked over and smiled a little, even though it didn't reach her eyes. "Hi, Lee," she whispered, getting up and wiping her eyes softly.
"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Lena asked, putting her hands against Kara's cheeks. "Why are you crying?"
Kara sighed softly, looking down. "News again," she said. "They're saying that Supergirl was only in the hero job for the fame and glory and that's not true. I did it because I loved it. But after all of this mess with Lockwood, I don't even like looking at that suit anymore. It makes me feel wrong when I put it on. Everyone hounding me for who I am, why I do what I do…I can't take it."
Lena nodded, wrapping her arms around Kara. "It's ok, baby," she said. "If you need to take a break, then take one. Nobody's going to fault you for that. It's just burnout. You've been doing Supergirl nonstop for almost four years, and It's not your fault that you're tired of it. Lockwood's just a stain on the carpet anymore, so we don't have to worry about him."
Kara nodded, burying her face against Lena's neck. "Maybe I should just go public," she said.
"No! I will not let you do that," Lena said. "If there is one thing I will not let you do, even though you are a grown ass adult, is give up your identity. If the entire world knew, Alex would be in danger, your mom would be in danger. It's too big of a risk."
"But not being Supergirl is a bigger risk, Lena!" Kara said, pulling away and running her hands in her hair softly. "Not going out there and stopping gunfights and fires and boat accidents and whatever else happens in this city is a bigger risk. I'm letting people die because I'm scared! I'm a horrible person because I'm letting this happen."
"No, you're not," Lena said, biting her lip softly. "Kara, you are the most selfless person I have ever known. You're just in a slump."
Kara started to say something, but her phone rang. "Alex?" she asked as she picked it up. She answered it and put it on speaker "Alex, what's wrong?"
"Turn on the news. Right now."
Lena ran over and turned the television on, seeing a breaking news report on the screen.
"We interrupt Press Your Luck for a special news report. James Olsen, former CEO of CatCo has just come forward with the identity of Supergirl. The man known as Guardian has recently been seen working with the Children of Liberty, and he says he knows Supergirl's identity and can put that to rest with photographic evidence to back it up. We're going live to our reporter on the street at the waterfront with Mr. Olsen right now. Katrina?"
"Thanks, Caity," Katrina said, turning to James. "Mr. Olsen, you say you have proof of Supergirl's identity and can back it up?"
"Yes, Katrina," James said. "I worked with Supergirl for three and a half years at CatCo. Supergirl's real name is Kara Danvers, reporter for CatCo Worldwide Media." He turned his tablet and showed the pictures side-by-side, tapping them and overlaying the pictures where Kara and Supergirl overlapped with nothing out of place but her glasses. "She pretends to be human, but she's just like Superman, complete with the paper-thin disguise."
"Kara Danvers? She always seemed—"
"Innocent and klutzy? Yeah, that's the disguise. Glasses and a ponytail aren't really a disguise and anyone that thinks otherwise is only fooling themselves," James said.
Kara narrowed her eyes, heat vision blasting the television.
"Kara!" Lena yelled, jumping backward.
"Lena? Are you alright?" Alex asked.
"Fine," Lena said. "She's just, uh…blown up the television with her heat vision."
"That slimy son of a bitch!" Kara snapped, setting her phone down so she didn't break it. "I trusted him! I told him everything and I trusted him! And he does this?! He better be glad Clark's off world right now. James, you bastard!"
"Kara, sweetie, calm down," Lena said, putting her hand on Kara's arm. "Kara, please. Just breathe and listen to me. We can do damage control. We can fix this."
"No, we can't!" Kara yelled, slamming her hand in the wall and breaking the bricks. "We can't fix this, Lena! That two-faced son of a bitch just ruined everything!" She collapsed onto the ground, wrapping her arms around herself as she started crying, drawing her knees up and burying her face in her hands.
"Alex, I'll call you back," Lena said, hanging up Kara's phone and walking over to her. She sat beside her girlfriend, wrapping her arm around her tightly. "What did you tell me once? This is just a setback. You're going to get up after having a good cry and a teeny pity party, and you're going to come back stronger then you were when you got brought down. You are my hero, Kara Danvers, and a stuck up, selfish, self-righteous prick is going to take that away from you." She kissed Kara's head, rubbing her arm softly. "Dry off those tears, sweetie. We'll set up a conference and we can smooth this over."
"If I don't go to prison," Kara whispered. "For lying, cheating the government, obstruction, whatever else Haley wants to throw at me…"
For the next week, Kara refused to leave the apartment except for work, even though she'd get questions and things thrown at her by the anti-alien civilians, just brushing it all off and not letting it show that it affected her. She'd spent two hours on the phone with Cat Grant on the seventh day after James told the world, the conversation she was oddly grateful for.
"Listen to me, Kara. You lied to protect your family, and I can respect that. Even though you know I had my suspicions for a long time, especially since you'd go to "lunch" and come back and smell like smoke or your hair would be wet, or you'd be in a different cardigan and a skirt instead of those tackily awful pantsuits you'd wear. I cannot say I'm surprised in Mr. Olsen, but considering this wasn't his story to tell, I hope you give this bastard hell," she'd said.
"Ms. Grant, you know I won't do that. I don't hurt people with my powers. Not intentionally. James…he's just a gnat I don't want to spend any more time on. Lena, thank Rao, hasn't fired me from CatCo, but I haven't been given any good stories. I've been running sports and fashion with Nia mostly. Someone else covers the Supergirl stuff, considering it'd be a conflict of interest if I did it. Self-promotion is what Snapper called it. After he called me every trashy name in the world. Lena, bless her, tried to put him in his place, but he still does it. I just don't listen…I can't stand it," Kara said, sniffling softly and wiping her eyes.
Cat sighed. "Maybe I should come and set Mr. Carr straight," she said. "Or unstick his head from his ass." She was silent for a minute, getting up and pacing her office in DC. "Can't you get another job somewhere? Less public? What qualifications do you have?"
Kara thought. "Well...I was in the Science Guild on Krypton. I was training to be a scientist like my father. It's how we were able to stop Reign. I used what I remembered as a girl to work with Lena. Maybe I can work for LCorp's science department. Put my big brain to use."
"Well, there you go! You have a plan. Now you just have to execute the plan," Cat said. "I'm going to be in National City tomorrow. We'll talk more then, Kara. Alright?"
Kara, for the first time in a week, actually smiled. "Alright. How about I meet you at the airport?"
"I think I'd like that," Cat said. "I'll see you soon, dear."
"Ok. And Ms. Grant?"
"Yes, Keira?" Cat asked, hearing Kara laugh at the mispronunciation of her name that used to annoy her so much.
"Thank you," Kara said. "For…everything. The job at CatCo, believing in me, not being angry I lied to you."
Cat smiled, putting her hand over her heart. "You're welcome, sweetheart. Now. Hang up the phone and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yes, ma'am," Kara said, hanging up and sighing.
On the eighth day since being outed, Kara stood in front of CatCo with Lena and Cat behind her, a press conference set up at her request. She bit her lip softly, watching the flashing cameras. She felt Lena's hand on her back, turning and looking at her girlfriend who nodded. Kara nodded, stepping forward and standing at the podium.
"Thank you all for coming today," she said. She took a deep breath and sighed, looking at the crowd. "The reports from James Olsen, however much I wish they weren't, are true. My name is Kara Danvers, but my real name is Kara Zor-El. I'm from the planet Krypton. I was sent to Earth as a child to watch over my cousin Kal-El, Superman, and help him learn about Krypton. My pod, however, was knocked off course by Krypton's destruction. I spent over twenty years in a space called the Phantom Zone where time does not flow. When I landed on Earth, my cousin was grown up and saving the world already, and I was still thirteen."
"Why hide who you were?" a reporter asked.
Kara sighed. "I hid because if I didn't, the people I loved would have been in danger. It's why the people I consider friends who also do the hero thing wear masks. My mask…just happened to be a scrunchie and glasses, letting me use my normal look as Supergirl." She wrapped her arms around herself softly, looking down. "I know I lied to everyone for so long. My family knew, my girlfriend knew, and my closest friends knew, but…I couldn't let anyone in because I didn't want people getting hurt because of me."
"And that's why you're going to be arrested for treason," Colonel Haley said, walking up. "Stay where you are, Ms. Danvers. If you try and run or fly away, I've got snipers set with Kryptonite rounds to subdue you." She walked forward and took out a pair of handcuffs. "Turn around."
"No," Kara said. "You can't arrest me for protecting a secret to keep my family safe. This is wrong."
"And so is lying to the government," Haley said.
"Oh, like the fact that the DEO is not public record, yet has a fully staffed army that's been deployed in the city numerous times?" Lena asked. "Yeah, figure that out. She worked for an organization that isn't even on the government record, and you're going to arrest her? That's bullshit and you know it."
"Stay out of this, Luthor," Haley threatened. "Or you're going away alongside her for aiding and abetting. Don't push your luck with me, rich girl."
Lena narrowed her eyes. "Don't try me, bitch. You're fucking with the wrong women."
"Besides, Colonel, I can call President Baker, and have you removed," Cat said with a step forward, narrowing her eyes and looking at the other woman.
"Actually, Secretary Grant, you can't," Haley said. "Since this order came directly from the President."
Kara sighed, looking at Lena and Cat. "It's fine," she said, shaking her head softly. "It's alright, Lena, Cat. I'll…I'll go." She turned and grabbed Lena, kissing her softly and closing her eyes. "I'll be home soon. I promise. I've got a friend that can help me."
Lena nodded softly, wrapping her arms around Kara's neck and kissing her back, whimpering softly. "I love you," she whispered. "Come back to me, Kara. You have to come back to me."
"I will, baby," Kara whispered, resting her forehead against Lena's. She walked over and hugged Cat, sighing softly. "Thank you for trying to help, Ms. Grant."
Cat shook her head. "You don't thank me, Kara. Not after all you've done for me and this city."
Kara walked over and held her hands out for Haley, the Colonel slapping the cuffs on. Kara just stood blank faced, the slam not even hurting her wrists. "You can tell your snipers to stand down. Since I'm going peacefully, you can't shoot me. Plus, and this is the most important part, Colonel, I'm not even using my powers, so you have no reason to have armed men on the rooftops," she said, cocking an eyebrow.
"All teams, stand down," Haley said. She grabbed Kara's arm and led her away, slamming the door of an SUV after shoving Kara in and getting in the drivers' side. "All units, report back to the DEO."
Ten minutes later, Kara was being thrown into a cell, the cell being flooded with red sun energy to take her powers away, leaving her weak as she sank onto the bed. She drew her knees up, shaking as she looked down.
Alex walked out of the conference room, heading into the main ops and seeing Haley looking smug. "What in the hell did you do?" she asked, her eyes livid. "Why is she in a cell? Snipes with Kryptonite rounds?! Are you out of your goddamn mind!?"
"Watch your tone, Director Danvers. Or your sister is going to be the least of your worries," Haley said. "You're lucky I don't throw you into that cell with her for lying and falsifying information to government agencies. She came quietly, my use of force was unneeded."
Alex rolled her eyes, her hands shaking as she turned away, looking at the monitors. She smirked as she turned up the volume on the main television.
"National City continues to get interesting. With last weeks reveal of Supergirl's real identity, it's been revealed by LCorp and CatCo WorldWide CEO Lena Luthor that there is a sanctioned and secret government operation in the city called the DEO. Our reporters captured everything this afternoon at Ms. Danvers press conference outside of CatCo," the reporter said.
As the footage played, including Kara's goodbye to Lena and arrest, it cut to the streets in a live feed, showing people protesting Kara's arrest and ordering her release.
"It seems National City citizens are eager to see Supergirl fly once again. That shot's coming from downtown National City near the Mayor's office, protesters coming from all corners of the city. We're going to keep coverage on this as it happens."
Alex smirked. "Looks like you're fucked, Haley," she said. "And not in a fun way. You're going to get on the horn, get the President to let my sister out of that cell, and you will leave my organization, or I will find a way to get you fired or relocated to the Arctic digging for Santa's Workshop. Understand me?"
"You have no authority, Director Danvers," Haley growled. "Not over me, considering I'm directly under the president."
"Yeah, you're got his dick so far down your throat you're hanging off his balls when he stands up," Alex growled, getting in Haley's face. "You're in my organization, so do what I'm telling you. Now."
"Go to hell," Haley spat, turning and storming out.
"You first, bitch."