CHAPTER 2: Dispatch
Arrow, Supergirl, Justice League and Young justice are properties of Warner Bros and CW. I claim credit for nothing.
A/N: This chapter opens at the conclusion of Arrow S04E12. I was thinking about how Palmer Tech's latest product would impact the wider DC Universe.
.
PALMER TECH, STAR CITY
"Remind us why we got sent over here again?" James asked Kara and Winn as the three sat at the back of the conference room.
"Come on, it's my very first article. Cat thought I was wasting my talent being locked in the office all day lifting pencils, so she gave me a field assignment."
"Besides, it's Palmer Tech!" Winn beamed. "Surely you two don't find that exciting?"
"The former CEO blows up his own penthouse?" James shot back. "Very exciting."
"Kara? Jim?" someone called from behind them.
Kara glanced over to see-
"Clark?!"
Clark Kent threw his arms around the younger kryptonian.
"How's my favourite little cousin?" Clark smiled.
"Hey, I'm still older than you are," Kara answered. "I see the Dailey Planet has got you busy?"
"More like a 'research trip'. Mom's the word," he said, turning to James and Winn. "Jim! And you must be Winn, Kara talks a lot about you."
Winn could only stare. "It's… an honor… to finally meet you in person, sir."
"Please, just Clark," Clark answered. "So Kara, your first assignment. You should be proud."
"You know this isn't my field," Kara pouted. "Though I was hoping to get an exclusive with either Ms Smoak or Oliver Queen."
"Speak of the devil," Clark said, as Oliver Queen arrived. Kara couldn't help but note Oliver's appearance – his face was youthful, making him look boyish despite being almost the same age as Clark, though he was unshaven and looked like he could use a few hours sleep.
"Mr Queen!" Clark called.
"Clark, good to see you again," Oliver reached over to shake the reporter's hand.
"Mr Queen, this is my cousin-"
"Kara Danvers, from Cat-Co," Kara interrupted.
"Journalism obviously runs in the family," Oliver smiled.
"I was actually hoping to ask you a few questions about your campaign for Mayor," Kara said as she produced her note-taker.
"Go ahead," Oliver offered.
"I'm specifically wondering how you plan on improving Star City's law enforcement," Kara started. "It seems every year there's a different terrorist attack – Malcolm Merlyn levelling the Glades, Slade Wilson and his army of super-soldiers, Ra's Al-Ghul and the League of Assassins – it seems that this city attracts it's share of attention."
"I can assure you that if elected I will do everything I can to making sure that our police force-
"What about the string of masked vigilantes raiding the streets at night? Civil liberties are being trampled on; people are scared. Is Star City set to become another Gotham where people who think they're above the law are allowed to do whatever they like?"
"Kara-" Clark warned.
"Don't you think those questions are a bit hypocritical, Miss Danvers?"
"Hypocritical?" Kara repeated.
"You're saying that this city should clamp down on vigilantes when your own publication – as well as the Daily Planet – run front-page editorials about aliens who can throw enough kinetic force to level an entire city in the blink of an eye."
Kara could only stare back.
"I'm sorry," Oliver apologised. "I've had a rough few days. I just get nervous about people who appear to have more power compared to the average man."
"Well, well, look who it is," Max Lord called. "Kara Danvers, Clark Kent and Oliver Queen all in the same room!"
"Mr. Lord," Oliver greeted.
"Sorry to hear about what happened to Felicity, Oliver," Max offered. "It couldn't have happened at a worse time."
Curtis Holt gestured for everyone to take their seats. "Thanks for coming. Shall we begin?"
"This is a day I have looked forward to for a long time," Felicity started. "Because I stand – or sit – before you today, on the shoulders of many giants." She gestured towards the Powerpoint presentation behind her. "Tesla and Eddison. The late Ray Palmer. And of course, Curtis Holt. Their work has always been about making the world a better place. And today, we get to take another step towards that goal," she moved her wheelchair towards the podium where a cloth concealed something small underneath.
"You now, battery technology has been at a standstill for decades; they don't recharge any faster than they did in the seventies," a graph behind her plotted the appropriate statistics, "until now." She removed the cloth, revealing a small rectangular prism with the Palmer Tech logo. "I proudly present the Palmer Tech Power Cell – a one hundred per cent recyclable battery. It will charge an electric car for thousands of miles, and not only is it powering this presentation, but this entire building."
The room broke out into applause immediately.
"We understand that there are some members of the press here?" Felicity asked. "Yes?"
Clark raised his hand. "Clark Kent, Daily Planet. What kind of applications do you have in mind for this technology?"
"We can put it practically anywhere," Felicity answered. "Engineers working in remote areas will no longer have to carry their own generators. Pacemakers without radioactive isotopes. NASA will no longer have to schedule space flights to replace the batteries of the Hubble telescope. Yes?"
"Winslow Schott, Catco Media," Winn started. "The most obvious question: how much?"
Kara could've sworn she heard Lord snigger.
"We are still to begin full scale production, all of these are just test models," Felicity replied.
"I'll take the one you have there, plus the prototypes," Lord said smugly.
"I-" Felicity stammered.
"I'll take those now for two billion dollars," the voice came from a tall, square-jawed man of forty with black hair and a tailored Armani suit.
"I don't believe it, it's him!" James gasped.
"Who the hell is that?" Kara whispered.
"I thought you had Instagram. That is Bruce Wayne," Clark answered.
Bruce walked right up to Felicity and produced a pen and cheque-book.
"Plus another billion to go towards further R&D," he said.
"Uh, sold," Felicity yelped.
"Damn it," Lord cursed as he turned on his heel and stormed off, but not without shooting a venomous glare at Bruce, Felicity and Oliver.
Curtis cleared his throat. "Ahem, if there are no further questions, thankyou all for your time."
Kara watched as Winn immediately flocked towards Curtis and Felicity and let fly with a volley of tech questions that she couldn't keep up with. Meanwhile, Clark excused himself and joined Oliver and Bruce in conversation out of earshot – and one didn't need super powers to know that Clark wasn't in reporter-mode.
How does Clark know those two? He never mentioned anything.
She tried using her super-hearing:
"So Bruce, is that for downstairs or the new car?" Clark asked.
"I was actually thinking of putting it on the Watchtower,
" Bruce replied. "Either way, Lord has his eyes on it. We need to know why."
"I'll have my team keep their eye on things here,"
Oliver offered.
"You still have the situation with Thea to worry about,"
Clark said.
"And neither Nyssa or Malcolm Merlyn won't got down without a fight. You know that the hard way as much as I do-" Bruce suddenly paused. "Clark, your cousin is eavesdropping."
Kara felt her face go red. How the hell did he-?
She gazed at Clark and flashed her most adorkable "work" smile that she would usually save for the office.
Ping-Ping-Ping!
Her smartphone pinged a single tone she exclusively kept for Alex or Hank. She was about to check when the same tone repeated not once, but three times-
From Clark, Oliver and Bruce's own phones.
"Duty calls, gentlemen," Oliver said as the three men filed out.
"Hey, wait-!" she called out. She took one look at her phone:
TO: KARA DANVERS, (HIDDEN RECIPIENTS)
FROM: (BLOCKED)
We have a situation. Call in immediately. - HH
.
DEO HEADQUARTERS
"You're certain that they know your secret?" Alex asked.
"Either that or Bruce Wayne is some weird meta-human," Kara answered shaking her head. "I knew Clark has done some work in Star City and Gotham – both jobs, I mean – but he's never said anything about working with either Oliver Queen or Wayne."
Alex allowed a smile. "But you still got to admit that Wayne kicking Max's ass like that is pretty funny."
Kara sniggered as he two came into the control room to see Hank waiting.
"Why did you bring those two into this?" Kara demanded.
"Excuse me?" Hank frowned.
"I got your text – the same one you sent to my cousin as well as Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen. What have they got to do with this?"
"That's 'need to know', Kara," Hank answered. "There are some things that even as director I can't tell you."
"Oh come on," Alex replied.
"I'll tell you both what I can say," Hank started. "There's a reason why Superman doesn't always swoop in whenever your own asses are getting kicked by Astra's pawns. He wants you to have the liberty to down your own thing, your own way, in your own city."
"But why-" Kara objected.
"-And he expects you to show that same courtesy to those already 'working' in other cities like Gotham and Starling," Hank finished. "There. I've said more than enough. But word to wise: if you're out at night and you cross paths with anyone in a mask fighting crime, back away. Now as for the mission: normally for a situation like this, our agents have to read a two-inch thick file that requires top security clearances, so I'll give you the abridged version because you're new." He lead the two sisters to the armoury and gestured to a Hazmat suit.
"When dealing with a 'fallen angel' – a downed UFO – you don't know what kind of hazards there may be. The engine may be giving off high levels of radiation, the occupant may carry infectious microbes. The inmates of Fort Rozz have adapted their immune systems for life on Earth, the occupant of this vessel probably has not."
"Remember your first month on Earth?" Alex asked Kara.
"Don't remind me," Kara replied. "Coughing and sneezing non-stop for a month."
.
30 MILES WEST OF NATIONAL CITY, 7:45PM
"I've visited fourteen different worlds," Kara said, "and that is the strangest ship I've ever seen."
The Martian Bio-ship was surrounded by technicians scanning the area for debris as well as soldiers on the look out for "anything out of the ordinary." The hull looked like the carapace of a giant insect, ready to unfold it's wings and take flight.
"Remember, do not engage until we have positive ID", Hank said.
"And who or what are we looking for?" Alex asked.
"If it's a white Martian, shoot to kill. If it's a green…" his voice trailed off.
"You think this could be survivors?" Kara asked.
Hank gave a slow nod. "Either way, I realize I'm as much a liabity to this mission as you are an asset."
"But you know more about that ship than anyone else. So what's the plan?" Alex asked.
"We will enter through the main hatch. You'll follow a corridor to the cockpit, which can have as many as six men stationed."
"And you want me to take point," Kara said as she put on the Hazmat suit over costume.
"Naturally," Hank answered.
"Director," a technician called, "we've got quarantine set up at the hatch."
"Time to move," Hank said.
Kara sealed the helmet and turned on the microphone. "Alex, you read?"
"Loud and clear," Alex replied.
Kara entered the quarantine tube and followed it through the hatch. What she saw inside was even more amazing than the ship's hull on the outside. The bulkheads looked like a web of bones, muscles and sinew.
"I can't see anything on X-ray vision," Kara said.
"Just remember that Martians can hide," Alex added. "No offence."
"None taken," Hank said from behind them.
The three of them entered the cockpit. It looked like a cross between an ant-hive and a set from Star Trek. At the centre was what was obviously the captain's chair. Surrounding it were five crew stations facing the forward cabin window.
"No joysticks, no keyboards or controls," Alex commented. "How exactly do you pilot this thing?"
"'Pilot' probably isn't the right word," Hank replied. "'Wear' is probably more appropriate." He approached the captain's chair and placed his left hand on the arm rest. Immediately images were projected onto the window to form a HUD.
"I can see why Ferris-1 was detecting TV signals," Kara said.
"Whoever was flying this was doing a lot of channel surfing. Very educational," Alex commented as she recognised scenes from the TV shows she and Kara would watch.
"Please don't hurt me," a voice said. It was gentle, and feminine.
"Did you hear that?" Kara asked.
"No," Alex replied, before she remembered-
Telepathy.
Kara could hear an additional heartbeat, followed by footsteps making their way for the hatch.
"It's on the run!" She dashed for the hatch and came face to face with a small, green humanoid being. It stood a few inches shorter than her, with a ridged, hairless skull and large orange eyes. It's body was slender, yet lithe.
The being let out a gasp. Kara presented her hands forward, palm open.
"I mean you no harm," she said. "My name is Kara Zor-El."
"You're… kryptonian? Like Kal El?" the martian asked.
"He's my cousin," Kara answered. "Are you the only one on this ship?"
"Yes," the martian replied. "I came here looking for my uncle."
Hank and Alex came around the corridor.
"I, I don't believe it," Hank said as he morphed into J'onn J'onzz. "M'gann?"
.
A/N: Yep, it's Miss Martian herself.
NEXT CHAPTER:
- M'Gann tries to settle into life on Earth
- Kara learns the hard way why she should keep her nose out of the other heroes' business when she takes on one of Arrow's strongest villains
Until then, please review, follow and read my other fics!