Midday arrived quickly on the day the city had been waiting for. In one morning hundreds of people of different species and races came out in droves to join the march through the streets. Signs were hoisted over their heads as the chanting began in bold defiance as men, women and children watched in cautious wonder as the crowd grew. Families walked in confident strides beside their friends as they melded into the crowd, following the road where traffic stopped and honked in annoyance.
They weren't defying any laws however, the Mayor public endorsing this protest march and ordering the NCPD to cordon the designated route they petitioned to take and stop traffic. Ahead of them police officers set out barricades and cones to block the traffic and keep people back for their safety. That didn't stop more and more people hopping the fences to join the march, hundreds more falling in line with the chanting aliens declaring their right to live without fear.
It was bigger than anyone could've expected. The support for the march was even bigger than that as every news station broadcast the protest across the networks. Reporters walked alongside interviewing protesters while anchor-men sat in their studios debating the issues with political figures and celebrities.
On one of these channels a familiar face sat poised in her chair looking at the camera while addressing the duo talking to her. "Today isn't about how many people are out there in the streets today, or how many of them are, as you said so delicately Tom, aliens from outer space. It's about the message those people, citizens of National City who just want to raise their families without fear of persecution."
"I think we can all agree that the issues this march is raise are justifiable topics to discuss Miss Grant" the female co-host agreed, flashing a look at her partner next to her before addressing the Queen of Media. "In fact, I would like to get your opinion on this topic. For the folks at home who aren't aware, you served as the Press-Secretary for President Olivia Marsdin who was later revealed to have been alien herself before she resigned from office."
"Please Karen, you don't have to be polite with me" Cat Grant told her plainly. "Olivia was forced to resign after she was exposed publicly by the same group who has now resurfaced in our city."
"Some would say that she didn't deserve to be in office to begin with" Tom interjected.
"Why?" Cat asked him, taking delight when he hesitated. "Because she's a woman or an alien? People had been saying she didn't deserve to be in office ever since she was elected."
"but the fact she lied about what she was and where she came from was the reason she was asked to step down, do you agree?" he asked fairly.
Cat sighed admitted "it is true she lied. But that doesn't change the type of person she was. I've known Olivia since I was in college and though I never knew who she really was my opinion of her didn't change. What does it matter if your friends are from America or china or earth at all? What matters is they are living people who have rights and deserved to be treated like the human, or alien, beings they are."
"The Children of Liberty would say differently" Karen noted, asking her guest "do you have any comments about their recent actions and their political statement."
"I say they are closed minded, violent cowards" she answered bluntly. "When I founded Cacto Worldwide Media, I had one goal for it; to being the truth to the people. The unbiased facts. My media empire was now created to spread political propaganda of any kind."
"Didn't your network broadcast the Sentinel's controversial footage condemning an alien superhero to be put to death live on TV?" Tom asked.
Cat looked at him dispassionately. "Didn't yours broadcast the same thing?" she shot back. The two anchor-men look at their crew allowing Cat to reiterate "Cacto was the victim of a computer hack that broadcast that footage without our consent. I'm sure you would say the same. I don't condone anyone who violates my company like that, for any reason. It doesn't matter what their message is at this point because their mistake was to use violence to tell it. And if there's anything this city won't tolerate is violence against its people. A young alien was brutally assassinated by these people in our city, an act of violence meant to scare us into following them. But this won't work like last time. Nobody is listening to the Children of Liberty anymore. Instead of hiding they have chosen to get out there and show those…cowards that they will not bow to fear again."
"But is that wise?" Tom asked, pressing Cat asking her "if these people carry out their march to the site of the tragedy that the Children of Liberty orchestrated, don't you think that could have dangerous consequences? Aren't you afraid this might inspire another act of violence in response?"
Cat grinned. "Oh Tom, I'm sure you'll be safe in this studio if the Children of Liberty start trouble. But I'm not worried. I didn't become the Queen of Media without understanding that to spread the truth and facts, you might irritate some people. And I hope they get irritated. And if it's their safety you're afraid for, put it this way. If I wasn't here giving this interview, I'd be out there right now marching alongside those brave men and women. And I wish them all the luck in the world."
Luck had nothing to do with what the people of National City were doing. Courage was all they needed as they approached the city square that had been barricaded off by police officers from all districts, all standing attention watching the crowd of people marching down the wide street towards the remains of Dorian's rally. Pictures of him were still scattered calling for their vote around the raised platform that hadn't been dismantled yet. The police had been holding onto this site for weeks to gather evidence. It was as if they were afraid to bring it down, afraid to let the city forget what happened here. Which made it all the more powerful when hundreds of people advanced onto the site to reclaim it, to show they were not afraid. A few members of the crowd picked up the discarded billboards and posters and held them up to show who this was in remembrance of, his quote scrawled across cardboard: We can dream of a better world, along with other statements. Say NO to hate! This is our home too! Fuck you Children of Liberty!
The world needs Dreamers.
But the news reporters weren't the only ones concerned about the dangers surrounding this event. High above the square Supergirl hovered in the air watching the crowd slowly fill the streets with trepidation. On the one hand she was proud to see so many people come out to support the refugees. On the other, she was counting the seconds until trouble made itself known. "I'm in position" she reported, tapping the earpiece as she scanned the area with her blue eyes carefully. "No sign of them yet."
"Copy, all looks quiet down here" Alex called back, her leather jacket hiding her sidearm as she moved cautiously through the crowd examining each person in turn. There was a lot of people and a lot of noise. If Kara didn't have super-hearing she might have to shout to be heard. "J'onn, you getting anything?" she asked pressing her finger to her ear.
J'onn slipped more effortlessly through the crowd, not once needing to change his shape to pass between the protesters despite his large stature. He reached out telepathically with the crowd to analyse their surface thoughts. There were too many to count and too many emotions to navigate. "There's too many people to read" he reported. "If the Children of Liberty are here there's too much interference to detect them."
"I've accessed the security cameras around the square and the footage from the TV networks covering the march" Brainy said from the DEO HQ, monitoring everything on their big screens. He was also coordinating with the local police and agents on the ground waiting around the perimeter, evacuation procedures ready in case they needed them. "I've calculated almost four hundred and thirty five individuals are in attendance today. We're attempting facial recognition to narrow down our likely targets and perpetrators but it may take some time. There's too much movement and to many faces."
"Just do your best Brainy" Alex said, moving through the crowd scanning over their heads. She looked up and found her sister in the air, flashing her a smile she knew she could see. Kara smiled back, taking a deep breath continuing the search.
In an alley away from the crowds a van was parked where Nia and James sat patiently. Olsen was in his Guardian armour while Nia remained in her civilian clothes, her costume in a duffle bag beside her. She hadn't felt comfortable putting it on yet. James knew why. He didn't push her. They both stared out of the windscreen seeing the crowd of humans and aliens marching side by side. "It's unbelievable" Nia muttered. "Dorian really inspired a lot of people" she smiled.
"You have too" James said, catching her eye with a smirk. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, fiddling with her hair twirling a strand around her finger. "You didn't have to come" he said after a moment of silence.
"I had to" she replied. She was the one who told them this was where the Children would make their next attack. The dream she had made it clear. She needed to be here, if only to make sure it came to an end. Her leg twitched with impatience, her foot tapping on the floor. She forgot how much she hated waiting.
James watched Nia out the corner of his eye for a while. She was on edge, and not just nerves. He wasn't sure how she'd handle facing the Children of Liberty again. But in case she wasn't ready, he comfortably told her "if you're not ready, you can wait here in the van. Nobody will judge you." she looked back at him, silent for a long minute before quietly thanking him. He squeezed her arm, returning his gaze to the crowd.
"Guardian, how are you and Dreamer holding up?" Alex's voice interrupted through the radio.
Olsen took it and thumbed the button. "We're fine. No activity so far" he replied, glancing at Nia who echoed the statement.
"Is it possible the Oakridge might not actually show up?" Kara asked optimistically. "This is a lot of people. And there aren't that many of them left."
"The odds do agree assaulting a target this large would be disastrous" Brainy was forced to agree.
"You're assuming the Children of Liberty are playing it smart" Olsen warned. "Lockwood was smart, and careful when he led the group. Miranda Oakridge is more of a fanatic. I remember that much from my undercover sting."
"She tried to chop my head off" Nia commented, trying to make it sound casual.
"So we must assume they are brash enough to target such an event" J'onn agreed. "A public denouncement of their actions, humans and aliens marching together in contradiction to their philosophy. They'll be hard pressed to ignore it."
"Killing aliens is bad enough, but there are innocent people everywhere" Kara observed. "They wouldn't mean to hurt everyone here, would they?"
"They've voiced their views on humans who associate with aliens as equally guilty" J'onn pointed out. "So if they do attack…"
"It'll be a massacre" Olsen gulped.
Kara got nervous scanning the crowd, her eyes drifting up around the perimeter looking for anything out of the ordinary, listening for tell-tale sounds that made her concerned. After a minute she tapped her ear again quietly asking Nia "how are you doing? Holding up okay?"
Nia took the radio from Olsen and replied "I'm okay. I just want this to be over."
"I know the feeling."
Nia wanted to change the subject, talk about something else but her and the imminent danger. "How's Lena. She'd left a few messages for me…for Nia. I didn't realise I hadn't spoken to her outside of costume for a while."
"Lena's fine. She had a work thing at L-Corp so she couldn't be here to help" Kara told her. "Which might be for the best considering. I know she's worried about you…Dreamer that is."
"She doesn't have to be" Nia groaned.
"Well, we all are" Alex interjected. "Sorry, but that's what happens when you have people who care about you. If you want, I can have you talk to our counsellor at the DEO."
"No, I'm fine" Nia quickly assured her, looking at Olsen. "I already talked to someone."
"Good" Kara smiled. "Just know I'm here, we're here, if you need us."
"I know. I appreciate it" she replied.
"Hey, you know what, when this is all over we should get together at my place" Kara suggested, happy to think about something more light and less threatening. "Get some drinks and play some games."
"We're currently staking out a protest for domestic political terrorists and you want to discuss game night?" Brainy asked in confusion.
"Why not? We've missed the last few sessions because of…"
"Your evil ex-boyfriend" Alex muttered.
Kara heard it and audibly groaned. "Yes, because of my evil ex-boyfriend. I wish you'd stop calling him that."
"You have to admit, it's pretty accurate" Alex teased.
"At least you don't have an evil stepmother" Nia joked.
"Or an evil twin" Olsen twined, adding "anymore."
"Okay, I get it. I'm a magnet for supervillains. You mark my words you two, you stay at this for long enough you've have your own rogues gallery" she warned Guardian and Dreamer.
Alex was glad to have a laugh as she listened to her friend go back and forth, feeling more relaxed as the people chanted around him, news helicopters circling around the square. The fun was interrupted when she glimpsed someone through the crowd who she thought she recognised. She walked forward and tried to get closer, the figure passing between two families looking around her. Her eyes glimpsed the pony tail on a middle aged woman wearing a large coat, her narrow expression cast coldly on the aliens around her before disappearing into the crowd.
Alex rapped her earpiece instantly. "Heads up, I think I just saw her" she reported, advancing in that direction.
"Saw who?" J'onn asked.
"Oakridge. I swear she looked just like her."
"Are you sure it was her?" Kara asked, finding Alex and tracking her through the crowd with her eyes.
"No, but I'm working on confirming it" she admitted, pushing through the crowd in a hurry.
Brainy pulled up the map tracking all their people and used it to find Alex with the cameras beginning a focused sweep for the suspect. "If she's in the crowd then logically her followers could be here too" he said.
Nia turned to Olsen full of worry. "It'll be just like Dorian's rally" she squeaked.
Olsen sat up in his seat looking out of the windscreen intently. They couldn't see anything from here. He knew he should've picked a better parking space.
J'onn doubled his efforts to scan the thoughts of the crowd, looking for anything to indicate where the Children of Liberty might be hiding. "Have you regained visual contact" he asked the director.
Alex pushed through the crowd, losing track of the woman she was following. "Not yet, pushing towards the left quadrant…"
"Alex?" a young woman called in surprise just as the redhead was about to dart past her. Alex froze turning to see the dark skinned young woman in smart attire with dark hair staring back at her. Alex's breath caught in her throat as she found herself staring at James sister. "Kelly?" she stammered in surprise.
"Kelly?" Kara echoed in her ear as the superhero looked down and found her amongst the crowd. "Holy shit! Kelly Olsen?"
"What?" James gasped, ripping the radio from Nia's hand asking "what's she doing here?"
Alex was wondering the same thing. Unfortunately her mouth forgot how to talk for a moment as she found herself mesmerised in disbelief. "What…Kelly, what are you doing here?" she finally managed to ask. "I didn't know you were back."
"I came to see James" she replied, looking at her oddly. "He didn't tell you?"
"No" she said shaking her head.
Even from here Olsen could feel the burning glare from the redhead. "Not the time! Ask her why she's here in this protest" he begged. Alex held her outrage back. Now wasn't the time to get mad at Jimmy. She was more disappointed Kelly didn't call her herself.
"So, you here for the march too?" Kelly asked her, taking her by surprise.
Under normal circumstances she would happily attend such a march. "No, I'm…I'm working" she explained.
"For the FBI?" she checked. Alex nodded. "You're worried the Children of Liberty might show up?"
"Yeah. Which is why you shouldn't be here" she said, stepping towards her one time girlfriend already on the verge of begging. "You should…where are you staying? A hotel or…"
"With my brother" she replied. "Which is half the reason I'm here. He ran off this morning mentioning something about covering the story here and I wanted to check in with him."
"I didn't say that" Jimmy said. Nia looked at him with a dubious look. He thought about it and groaned. "Okay, I might've mentioned Cacto was covering the march, which is true, but I didn't suggest she come visit."
"Kelly's capable of making up her own mind" Kara reminded him.
"Doesn't change the fact that my baby sister is in danger" he sighed. He climbed out of his seat and began removing his suit. "I have to find her."
"Without your costume? What if the Children of Liberty show up?" Nia asked him as he put on a shirt and tie before whipping on his jacket.
"I'll be fine" he said. "If it kicks off I'll bring Kelly back here."
"But she doesn't know you're Guardian!"
"Well then I'll have to mention it" he muttered, sliding the door shut and sprinting to find her.
Meanwhile Alex was arguing the same thing with Kelly in the middle of the crowd, with the dark-skinned woman stubbornly telling her "look, I appreciate the concern but I can take care of myself."
"I'm sure you can but this is serious" Alex argued, only to glimpse the woman she was looking for over Kelly's shoulder. She looked around her and saw her disappearing back into the crowd just as Brainy confirmed their cameras had identified Miranda Oakridge as the woman. "Shit" she breathed, looking at Kelly wanting desperately to stay with her. There's still so much to talk about… "I have to go" she said, reluctantly slipping around her to run into the crowd. "Please just go home!" she called over her shoulder.
Kelly watched Alex disappear into the crowd and thought to herself sod that before following her.
With Brainiac V's directions she was able to catch up with the woman, who was walking casually through the crowd in a large coat with a large duffle bag in her hand. Alex drew her side arm and thumbed the safety off, keeping it at her side not wanting to scare the civilians. She looked up to make sure Kara was following her before sprinting forward and grabbing the woman by the shoulder. "Turn around, slowly" she ordered, her voice low so only she would hear her.
Miranda Oakridge turned around to face the red haired woman. At first she didn't looked worried. Then she saw the handgun in her grip and her expression grew cold. "You'd be wise to remove your hand" she snarled.
Alex didn't miss a beat, bringing the gun up to address her more directly. "Miranda Oakridge. You're under arrest for conspiracy or commit terrorist acts and suspicion of murder, along with inciting violent crimes against the city.
"Would you call killing a rodent a crime?" she asked her. "Or would you simply consider it as removing a pest?"
"You will answer for the innocents you've killed" Alex told her. "Along with the abduction of Dreamer. We won't let you hurt anyone here."
Miranda laughed. "And how do you plan to do that? You can't stop us all."
There was a tremor in the thoughts J'onn picked up, as if the anticipation had come to an end. On the edge of his periphery he sensed a dozen thoughts think the same thing; it's time. "Alex!" he shouted, the only word needed to convey the urgency.
Alex kept her gun trained on Miranda, but she could tell things were about to go wrong when the explosions began.