So sorry for not updating this fic as regularly as before. I'm kinda busy with life and also I hit a writing block so it's been taking me a while.
Just want you to know I'm not abandoning this story and I will get you to the end of it no matter how long it takes. I have fully planned this. So no worries.

Chapter 9: DEO

Clutching at the invisible ladder steps, Kara descended into the blackness carefully. The stranger followed her suit shortly, closing the trap door above him. Just as the door clicked locked, a lamp turned on, piercing her eye balls. Kara had to blink repeatedly until her irises were narrow enough to adjust with torrent of light, allowing her to finally see her surroundings.

Kara reached the bottom of the fixed metallic ladder and moved away so her follower could step down as well. They were standing in a narrow dusty corridor. Kara turned and inspected the tall man better in the light. He was wearing a cream, torn cloak with dark boots reaching just below his knees. Despite being indoors, he still kept his mouth cloth and goggles on, which seemed weird. Kara was about to ask who he was, when he started walking forward without a care for her. This was getting annoying now.

"Excuse me, where are we going?"

No answer.

Kara sighed and followed him in the narrow grey hallway, hoping to get more answers when they reached their destination. She hadn't even bothered asking him for his name, knowing questioning a masked man for his identity would be ridiculous, defeating the whole purpose of the mask.

The pair reached a door and he promptly entered. In the room two people were sitting behind a metallic table, facing the door. Kara noticed some computers and equipment that had seen better days. Some of the monitors were on, but she didn't spot anything special at the first glance.

The man with darker skin raised his head and watched them with an unimpressed look, while the other occupant in the room – who had lighter skin and short black hair – watched them with his wide blue eyes.

With a nod to the masked man, the dark skinned man stood up and greeted Kara.

"You must be Marley, Lexie's sister."

"How…" Kara asked, knowing the answer already.

"Lexie mentioned you will be joining us soon, but unfortunately she's missing. I'm sure you're aware of this?"

Kara swallowed hard, her throat too dry after everything that had happened in the past hour. "Yeah, she… she said she would call me and take me here… but she didn't show up and I'm worried."

"She gave you this location?"

"Yes, she gave me the location the last time I saw her, and warned to not come here until she said so. But I got worried and decided to come."

"Please sit down, we need to talk."

Kara moved to sit on an old looking chair, facing the others. Her mysterious savior was now sitting next to the third person in the room – both looking at her silently.

"Would you like a drink?" The dark skinned man offered.

"Yes, thank you."

Giving Kara a cup of unfamiliar flavored drink – which Kara had no idea what it was, but it washed her insides like nothing she had ever drank before on Daxam – he also sat down on his chair.

"I'm called the Martian. The last of my kind. I'm the director of the DEO."

"DEO?"

"Daxam's Eight Opposition"

Kara frowned. Why hadn't anyone mentioned this name in the briefings? She pushed the questions to the back of her mind and focused her attention on what the Martian was saying.

"This opposition has only recently formed. The seventh opposition was annihilated four years ago with the brutal death of its former leader, Damo. He tried to unite all the rebels on Daxam with the help of King Lar Gand, but his plans failed with the death of the king, many members were hunted down by royal guards and the remaining members ran away."

The Martian paused for a moment and Kara saw the masked man shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Then he continued.

"Damo stayed, but was arrested and in a public execution, was decapitated. Since then there has been no real activity among the Rebels. There are only a few of us left. Nevertheless, some of us are ready to form another opposition and recruit members. We started about a year ago and we are keep growing in number."

Kara raised a brow. "How many? Because you seem very few right now."

The Martian smiled. "Not everyone comes to the base. We are plenty. Tonight though, it's me, Toyman," he pointed at the dark haired man , sitting in the middle – who smiled nervously at Kara – " and Valor" he pointed at the masked man who gave a slight nod.

Kara memorized the unusual names quickly, deciding to ask about them later. "So what happened to my sister?"

The Martian didn't answer right away. Putting his elbows on the table, he laced his fingers together.

"Your sister has been a very important member in the DEO. She has helped gathering many intel besides saving many lives with her skill as a physician. A few months ago, we became aware of the suspicious activities of a high class criminal syndicate called The Beasts. They seem to be closely working with the regime and lately they have been shipping unusual deliveries to an unknown location, or locations, we're not sure. These are not their usual pattern. They never do shipping, these are for lower class criminals. Therefore this has raised our suspicion as to what they might be doing for the queen. It must be something very secret and vital to the queen's plan. Possibly a secret weapon. I wouldn't put it past her, considering her history."

Valor made a huffing sound and the Martian smirked a bit before completing his narrative.

"Well, if you have seen half what we are aware of going on, on Daxam, you would be worried for another war to come and this time Daxam will not survive. The queen may have convinced herself otherwise, but we want to stop her now, if not forever. So that's why we needed someone to infiltrate the Beasts to find out more about what they're doing. Lexie volunteered and she was supposed to contact us every week but we haven't heard from her for the past three weeks."

"THREE WEEKS?" Kara screamed as she jumped from her chair.

"Calm down Marley, I know you're worried for her. We all are. We'll find her."

Kara glared at the Martian who had raised to his feet as well, trying to calm her. "You should have contacted me sooner! I stayed away only because she asked me to and all this time she had been missing!"

She knew half her words were lies. Deep down, she blamed herself and the SKIS base for notifying her this late.

The Martian shook his head. "We didn't know how much she had told you about us and to be honest, she shouldn't have given you this location. And it's not that late. It's possible she's following a lead or something and can't find a safe place to contact us yet. We don't want to rush and blow her cover for just being worried."

"But it's been THREE weeks! We can't just do nothing! What if they have intercepted her transmission?"

The dark haired man – Toyman – stood up, stammering. "That's a… that's not possible. My communicating devices are untraceable."

Kara gave him an unconvinced look.

"Toyman is our tech expert. There has been no mistake in his record." The Martian added.

"There's a first for everything." Kara muttered under her breath. Toyman seemed upset. She blamed their crude devices for Alex's disappearance. Their cutting edge Kryptonian gadgets were unhackable and reliable.

"We need to find the Beasts so we can find Lexie." Kara declared.

The Martian nodded. "That seems to be the only way to find her, but it's easier said than done. It's too dangerous to approach them without alerting the others. We should wait –"

"We can't wait anymore! She could be DEAD! We should do this tomorrow!"

Despite all her training to be rational and calm, Kara was freaking out. She was starting to see her friendship with Alex was making her this way, but couldn't help herself.

The three men observed Kara in silence for a moment, as if thinking whether they should listen to her or not. The Martian then turned to watch the others, touching his chin repeatedly, apparently deep in thought.

He finally returned his eyes to Kara. "Very well, we can track one of the lower rank Beasts tomorrow. "

Kara nodded with relief. "Who?"

"A drug smuggler named Cor-Gan."

Kara gasped. "Are you kidding me?"`

"You know him?"

"Not Exactly, but we had a sort of disagreement a few weeks ago." Kara nervously adjusted her glasses. The masked man – Valor – scoffed and crossed his hands. Something about his pose was familiar, but Kara ignored him.

The Martian frowned. "Would he recognize you?"

"No, he won't. He was too drugged or drunk."

"Good. I assume you are up for this task, tracking down Cor-Gan?"

"Of course, I can handle this. I know where he usually is in late hours." Kara firmly nodded.

The Martian nodded as well and turned to look at Valor. "You go with Marley."

Kara protested. "I can do this ON MY OWN!"

Valor shook his head which made Kara even more irritated, more than his insistence to stay silent or covering his face.

The Martian raised an eyebrow at Kara. "You are very new among us Marley. I have never seen you in action and I won't let unexperienced assets go alone on a mission. They are liabilities."

Although Kara wanted to object about being inexperienced, she remembered in their eyes she was only Marley Danvers, Lexie's younger sister who has just decided to help this opposition.

"Fine. I'll go with Valor." Kara conceded.

"Excellent. We plan in the morning. You can sleep in one of the cots in the back rooms." The Martian moved to the door to show the way. She was a bit hesitant to stay here, but what else could she do? Sleeping under the stars with snakes?

"How big is this place?" Kara shuffled to catch up to him as they walked down the dusty hallway. She could hear the other's foot steps behind her.

"It is quite spacious. One of the few bunkers that has survived the army raids over the past years. With Toyman's help we have managed to keep it hidden from all sorts of radars. Nothing electronic works in a two mile radios from here."

So that was why Kara's device had glitched. But that shouldn't have happened. Her Kryptonian tech should have surpassed that. Kara started to see why they put so much trust in him. She then noticed the others weren't following them anymore and turned to see they had gone into another room.

The Martian stopped in front of a rusty door. "Here. Also, the bathroom is at the end of the hallway. Only the lighting has a problem there. The wires are worn and short circuit sometimes. One of us will wake you in the morning."

He nodded and left Kara.

Just don't send Valor, 'cause I wouldn't be able to hear him! Kara smirked at her own joke while putting down her bag beside the wooden bed, looking around the small room. Obviously no one has been here for a long time and no one has bothered to clean it. She examined the bed and coughed when a cloud of dust dispersed in the air.

"Damn I miss the couch in Moon River!" Kara complained as she turned the sheets over to the cleaner side, took off her boots and forced herself under the cold cover. The bed cricked horribly loud with even her slightest movements. Though she was tired, it was really hard to sleep in this unfamiliar place. Not to mention her socks were filled with sand, but she didn't want to take them off. Kara tried to distract herself and checked her beacon device one more time. It still seemed frozen. What if it was damaged for good? She returned it back under her clothes. Stirring to her left side, Kara tried to find a more comfortable position.

Just as her eyelids were becoming heavier – after what seemed an hour – Kara felt she needed to go to the bathroom.

"Are you kidding me?"

She huffed to herself in disbelief.

After a cold breakfast, Kara was back in the same room they had talked in last night. They sat around the table, a cube was projecting 3D blue prints of Cor-Gon's house in the air among them. Kara was slightly amazed that they had acquired such a high tech device.

The man called Toyman, was explaining to them how to break in his house – or rather his mansion.

"The building is covered with electric fences, but there's a hidden spot on the north-east side, that connects the fence to the main power source and can be temporarily shut down for you to get inside."

He pointed at a specific spot on the blue hologram and it turned red, then he continued.

"When you get in, you can use the servant's door on the west side. The camera's there are an old design and can be easily blocked with my emf mini bombs."

"The servant's door is unlocked?" Kara asked while memorizing the passage from that door to the main rooms.

"It's locked in the late hours, but it practically has no security. Completely easy to pick the lock. Valor is very crafty with the locks. He can get you inside easy peasy."

Kara gave Valor – who had been as quiet as always – a side glance. His mask and goggles were still in place. The Martian nodded at Toyman's explanation and added.

"That is the best way in. You only need to keep an eye out for other camera's and guards."

He then placed a small syringe on the table before Kara and Valor.

"This should loosen him up enough to talk and he wouldn't remember anything in the morning."

"Are you sure this won't kill him?" Kara asked, suspiciously eyeing the syringe.

"Positive. It has worked a few time. Works on weak people very well."

"He's always half drunk or drugged. Wouldn't that affect this drug? "

"No. We don't think so."

"You don't think so? Who even made this drug?" Kara couldn't believe this drug could so easily work on people. They had no labs and equipment here. How could they have managed to make such an effective drug? It sounded too good to be true.

"Your sister actually helped us develop it." The Toyman exclaimed.

"What?! A- Lexie made this?" Kara was so amazed that she was about to slip Alex's real name.

The Martian confirmed. "Yes, she has used it on some occasions. So we are going to get the information using this shot and there will be no traces left behind. It would get really difficult if the Beasts knew we are snooping around. To the Queen we are apparently so few that she doesn't feel a threat from us. But if they become aware of what we are doing, the guards would hunt us down again and we can't afford that right now."

He handed the Syringe to Kara, who put it securely in her pocket, and continued.

"Cor-Gan may be on some business tonight, so you need to follow him from the Garata Head to see where he goes and confront him ONLY if his alone in the house. Otherwise the chances are slim to succeed in this mission. You should head to the city in an hour and stand watch at the bar."

He ended his briefing and walked away. Valor followed him, seemingly wanting to talk to him. Though Kara felt really worried and wanted to rush in and find out about Alex's whereabouts, she had to follow this plan. It seemed like a good plan.

"Here, these are the emf micro bombs I told you about."

Toyman handed Kara three metallic small orbs the size a marble.

"Thanks, Toyman."

"Please don't call me that! Call me Winn." The man gave Kara a genuine smile, offering her his hand.

Kara gave his hand a friendly shake, smiling. "Nice to meet you Winn. You can call me Marley."

"Lexie said some things about you the last time I saw her here."

"Like what?" Kara's curiosity was piqued.

"Like we can trust you. So there's no need for those code names for you. I always trust Lexie. She saved my life when I had a dangerous infection from an injury. So if she says you're a good person, I trust you too."

Kara was touched by Winn's quick trust in herself. Some part of her though was worried how he would judge her I he knew her real identity. "Thank you. I… I try to do my best."

They both stayed silent uncomfortably for a few seconds. Kara saw Winn blushed and decided to start a conversation.

"So… what about Valor? What's his name?"

"Oh, I want to know that too! He never takes off his mask."

"Aren't you worried that his a mole?"

"Well it does seem suspicious, but the Martian trusts him and he's kind of a really important member in the DEO. Rumor has it, he was the first person to stand up to gather the rebels for the eighth opposition."

"Is that so?" Kara looked with wonder at where Valor was talking with the Martian. "Is he always this quiet?"

Winn scratched his head. "Not all the time. But he's been unusually quiet since he brought you in last night. But then again, he's always been keeping to himself."

Kara was starting to think Valor had a problem with her. Winn could read that on her face.

"Don't worry, he'll come around. I guess it's because you're new around here. You can trust him though. He always does the job clean."

"Ok, thanks for telling me. And what about the Martian? Do you know his name?"

Winn gave her a forced laugh. "I do, but I'm not sure he'd be pleased if I tell you. I guess you should ask him yourself. I don't like to see what he looks like when he's angry with me."

"Oh, okay."

Kara and Valor were crouching behind a dumpster, watching the bar. The twilight has made it dark enough for them to completely stay hidden from the by passers. Cor-Gan had come in earlier than usual and they had to wait for him to come out on his own time – which was completely unpredictable with his record in drinking and erratic behavior.

Kara had taken a page out of Valor's book and had covered her face. The two hadn't spoken a word since leaving the base. Kara had checked the spy beacon device in her room one more time before leaving, but it still wasn't working. She didn't had any time to check on it afterwards either. Kara had decided to report to the base after accomplishing this task, hopefully with news from Alex's status.

It was well past midnight when Cor-Gan stumbled out of the bar. Kara clenched her fists at the sight of him, only the memory of breaking his nose gave her satisfaction. Valor shifted soundlessly next to her, flexing his muscles from numbness after staying motionless for hours. They watched as Cor-Gan was escorted by two body guards to a luxurious vehicle, hovering mesmerizingly a feet above the ground. The body guards got inside as well.

"Watch them, I bring the speeder around."

Valor murmured to Kara with a hoarse voice, disappearing into the darkness where he had parked the bike without waiting for her answer. Kara was only glad that he was speaking.

Kara came out of the hiding and cautiously watched. Just when the vehicle carrying their person of interest turned left into another street, Kara saw Valor on the bike slowing down towards her – not stopping completely – and hopped behind him.

They followed Cor-Gan skillfully. Valor was clearly experienced in such tasks and since Kara knew the basic tricks of following a subject (she had been on a similar mission with Alex) she saw how he always kept the distance, never getting too close, hiding behind other vehicles, stopping occasionally to mislead anyone who would suspect them.

Valor halted the speeder in a safe distance from the mansion, on a higher ground, giving them a vantage point. Cor-Gan's hovercraft vehicle had smoothly pulled inside the yard and doors securely closed behind them. Kara desperately wished she could use her device to put it into the camera mode, zoom into the yard to watch Cor-Gan. They still weren't sure if he was alone – besides the guards.

"How do we know if he's alone?!" Kara asked Valor, projecting her concern.

He simply drew out a small binocular out of his clothes and watched the movements in the front yard with it.

"He's alone." He stated shortly.

"May I?" Kara stretched her hand over his shoulder, demanding him to give her the binocular. Valor handed it to her and Kara wasted no time to inspect the scene.

Cor-Gan was climbing the few steps to his front door with difficulty, while a servant was helping him. It was obvious he had no other guests or business to attend to in this state.

Satisfied with her founding, Kara took the binoculars off her eyes. They could do this tonight. It was their chance. "Good. We should go now to find that spot Winn showed us."

Kara vaguely noticed Valor nodded in the darkness and they went around the building to get closer to the north-east side, where they could defuse the fences. Valor parked his bike behind a rock and they sneaked closer to the fences. Kara was ahead about to take a step when she sensed Valor gripping her shoulder and making her stop. She wanted to shake his hand away, not realizing why he would do that, but he pointed at a camera scanning just where she was about to put her feet. Cursing her recklessness, Kara nodded at him and waited for the camera to turn the other side. She couldn't help but notice how Valor had not let go of her shoulder immediately.

After some minutes, the pair made it to their destination. The thick cable was easily revealed from under a feet of dirt and sand. Valor drew out a small rectangular object from his chest pocket and put it on the cable, causing all the projectors, cameras and the fence to shut down. Kara moved to the now safe fence and cut through it with her laser cutter neatly. They had about 40 minutes to find Cor-Gan and get information from him and get out before the power was back on.

Kara and Valor entered the yard without anyone seeing them.