Chapter 1
Kara Danvers woke up to the wonderful smell of pancakes in her loft apartment. She got out of the bed and looked over at the kitchen area and smiled warmly as she saw her boyfriend of two years humming a tune to himself whilst fluidly preparing breakfast for the two of them. The two had met on a blind date and immediately hit it off and since then their relationship had developed and progressed well. Kara even sometimes imagined a future where she settled down with Leo. He was the first person that she had tried dating that she didn't manage to hurt. Several times in the past she had to end relationships because she hurt her partners with her strength.
"I see sleeping beauty finally woke up! And without a kiss from prince charming too!" Leo joked as he smiled at Kara.
"When did you get here? I thought you were away on a trip to Washington DC for a conference?" Kara asked as she made her way to the dining area where Leo had set down two plates of pancakes. She gave him a soft kiss and sat opposite to him at the table.
"I was in Washington for the conference but it was so boring that I decided to sneak out and come back home. Anyway, this is all part of our two-year anniversary." Leo remarked as he gestured to the pancakes.
"You know you didn't have to do all this. I still can't believe it's already been two years since we started dating." Kara said before taking a bite out of her pancakes.
"Well I like spoiling you and making you smile. Anyway, this is only part one of our anniversary celebration. I hope Cat Grant doesn't squeeze you dry today. I've made plans for a nice dinner at that Italian restaurant you like so much." Leo responded before finishing the rest of his pancakes. Kara couldn't hide her anticipation as she seemed to float a little bit off the ground. She quickly cleared her own plate, handing if off to Leo and giving him a peck on the cheek before going to get ready for her day of work. Leo couldn't help but stare at the disappearing figure of the woman he loved for a moment before going off to clean up the kitchen and plates.
"I wonder what the top stories are today." Leo said to himself as he waited for Kara to finish getting ready. He turned on the tb to the news channel and watched several headlines pass by, paying them little interest until a picture of a man in white and red armor appeared on the screen.
"A fire that occurred at the Park residences yesterday was quickly put out with the help of National City's local hero, Build. The cause of the fire is still being investigated. Firefighters appeared on the scene as the fire started to spread from the middle of the building, trapping those inside. Our armored hero build arrived and safely ferried those trapped in the upper floors before changing his armor and helping to put out the fire." The announcer on the screen said. Leo noticed Kara coming and turned the TV off, grabbing his leather jacket and slinging it around his shoulders.
"Were they talking about Build again?" Kara asked as she gathered her handbag. She was dressed in a white turtleneck blouse with a grey sweater over top and a pink pencil skirt. Leo nodded and after locking up the apartment, led her to his car and sent her to Noonan's.
"I'll pick you up at 7 tonight." Leo said as he stopped the car and Kara got out, giving him one last wave before he drove off towards the DEO.
Kara walked towards the CatCo building after buying her boss' morning coffee as well as a snack for herself later on. As she was walking, she made a call for ticket reservations as per Ms. Grant's request for her mother and following that made another call for arrangements for an event that Cat Grant was supposed to attend. She stepped swiftly into the elevator, waiting patiently as it took her to the top floor of the building where her desk was. As she was walking through the office, she was interrupted by a young man shoving a tablet into her hands.
"Look at this. There was an armored car robbery last night and there were no witnesses except for this homeless guy who swears that the perpetrator had horns. I'm telling you they are out there. Aliens!" the man said excitedly.
"Winn, there's no such things as aliens." Kara countered.
"You might think differently if you read this article." Winn remarked brining up an article on the tablet.
"You write that website." Kara responded.
"I contribute from time to time. Speaking of which, you seem awfully chipper this morning? Well more so than usual." Winn commented.
"Do I? I guess I'm excited because Leo is taking me out to dinner tonight at that nice Italian place I like so much for our two-year anniversary. He even surprised me this morning with pancakes!" Kara said with a pleased smile as she set her things down before taking a seat at her desk. Winn was just about to continue speaking before Kara heard Cat Grant coming up to the office in her private elevator complaining about it along the way. The door to the elevator opened and a blond woman wearing a blue and black dress stepped out.
"Good morning Ms. Grant." Kara said as the whole office stopped and stood while the woman walked in.
"The only reason I bought this building is because it had a private elevator. That way I don't have to get soaked in cheap cologne every morning getting to my office. Find out who used it, I want them reprimanded or bathed I don't care which." Cat said as Kara took her jacket.
"Here's your latte. Hot." Kara said as she handed Cat her drink and tucked the jacket into her arm before pulling out her notepad.
"I will be having a meeting with the board at lunch so cancel my sushi lunch with my mother. And cancel my therapy too because I won't need it since I'm not meeting with my mother. Go see if the new art director has the layout ready. Also, please head down to the daily tribune and see if they have the latest edition featuring Build ready yet." Cat said as she took a sip of her latte before throwing the rest away and taking a seat at her desk. Kara wrote all the information down and stepped out of the office to get to work.
"Hello? Ms. Grant wants to see you regarding the layouts." Kara said as she entered the office of the new art director.
"In a minute. I'm still getting this place sorted out." A man's voice responded from the back of the room.
"Have you met Ms. Grant?" Kara countered as she noticed a dark-skinned man unpacking his belongings in the office.
"Yeah I have. But what is she going to do? Fire me right after hiring me? I don't think so." The man said as he pulled out a picture that immediately caught Kara's attention.
"I know that picture. It's the same one that one a Pulitzer! You're Jimmy Olsen!" Kara exclaimed as the man handed her the picture.
"It was one of the first pictures of the guy after all and I'd prefer James Olsen. Jimmy's reserved for my mom and the big guy whose kind of stuck in his ways. You can have it if you want. It's just a print after all." James said.
"Really? Thank you so much. I'm Kara by the way. Kara Danvers." Kara replied, taking the picture and studying it carefully.
"Did anyone tell you that you look similar to him? Right around here?" James asked while gesturing to the lower part of Kara's face.
"No, I believe you're the first to make such a connection. Thanks for the compliment. I'll leave you to unpack but do keep in mind that Ms. Grant is looking for you. It was nice to meet you James." Kara said before stepping out of the office.
Leo was seated in his lab at the DEO looking over his screens that displayed the various forms he could access. His lab was a simple room with white walls. His main work area was a large desk that had multiple screens on it as well as several tools laying around. Behind him was a large installation resembling a large oven that had the Build symbol on it and mounted to one of the walls were several panels that contained all his Fullbottles. The build driver was currently on the table and had several wires connecting it to his workstation.
"Hazard level of 3.6. It's climbing at a decent rate considering I've only been at this for about a year now. Now let's see if I can come up with more scenarios to pair my forms to." Leo said as he started typing comments into the windows that appeared next to the images of his various forms. He was interrupted when Alex Danvers barged into his lab.
"You know when I authorized you to come in here it wasn't just so you could barge in whenever you like. Besides, aren't you supposed to be getting ready to head to Geneva?" Leo asked with a raised brow but not bothering to look at her as he continued typing away.
"I came in here wondering if you're going to broach the subject with my sister today. I saw the ring box." Alex said seriously. Leo took a deep breath contemplating how to answer before he turned to face Alex.
"If you're asking if I'll propose to her tonight then I'm telling you now that it won't happen. While I do hope to settle down and marry Kara, I won't in good faith make her commit to someone who can't tell her everything about their lives. A fact I plan to resolve tonight. Hopefully." Leo responded.
"You're planning to tell her everything? About the DEO? About you being Build? About Fort Ross? You know if she learns all of that she will want to help. It's just the kind of person she is. Especially since she will find out you're out risking your life when she can do something about that. How could you be willing to put her in danger like that?" Alex countered.
"Whilst the secret of the DEO isn't mine to share, the matter of me being Build is. How I choose to broach that subject with her is my decision. And as to the others, she deserves to know Alex. Sooner or later there will be a situation where she will choose to act and I'd rather she be prepared to face such a situation and know the truth then to go in there blind. If she should choose to get involved in this then it will be her choice. Neither you or I can make it for her. The only thing we can do is support her through her decision." Leo replied resolutely. Alex could only stare angrily before briskly leaving the lab.
"You look absolutely stunning." Leo said giving her a soft kiss. He had come to pick her up for their dinner. She was currently wearing a blue dress that flattered her figure nicely. Leo was dressed in a simple white shirt with his sleeves rolled back and black pants.
"Thank you. You look handsome yourself." Kara replied before looping her arm with his and letting him lead her to the car.
"How was work today?" Leo asked as he helped her into the car before getting himself situated in the driver's seat.
"Oh, the usual. Ms. Grant was touchy as per normal. Although I did get to meet the new art director and get this, he's James Olson from the daily planet! Winn was also talking about some article about aliens too." Kara said as she gave a brief summary of her workday.
"James Olsen? You mean the one superman always calls Jimmy? The same one who also was one of the first people to get a picture of the guy?" Leo asked as he navigated through traffic.
"Yup the same one. He even gave me a print of the picture." Kara said. The rest of the car ride was filled with small talk, Leo bringing up a few stories of how he punished some of the students for dozing off at his lecture that made her laugh. They finally made it to the restaurant and Leo helped Kara out before handing the keys to the valet.
"Hi, we have a reservation for two under the name Leo Titus." Leo said when they approached the entrance.
The waiter checked the list and after confirming the reservation led them to a table in a secluded corner of the restaurant. They placed their orders after looking through the menu and held light conversation before the food came. The meal was had largely in silence with the couple taking turns to feed each other. Once they were about three quarters through the meal, Leo reached out and took one of Kara's hands in both of his. Surprised by the gesture, Kara stared intently into his eyes, knowing that he had something important to say, recalling that it was similar to how he had first confessed to wanting to have a steady relationship with her.
"Kara, I have something important to tell you." Leo started only to be interrupted by a phone call. He checked the number and muttered a curse as he saw that it was from the DEO and he had to take it. He gave an apologetic look to Kara who simply shook her head and gestured for him to take the call. This wasn't the first time that work had called Leo away. Leo answered the call and after a short conversation, hung up and gave a sad look to Kara.
"I'm sorry to have to cut this short Kara. But I've got something I need to handle at work. I promise I'll find you as soon as I'm done to tell you what I wanted to earlier." Leo said before giving Kara a kiss and rushing out of the restaurant, passing a large stack of bills to the counter as settlement along the way.
"Well there goes my evening." Kara said a little peeved but understanding that sometimes she faced work related interruptions to her love life as well. She was just about to leave the restaurant when the music that had been playing changed to a sudden news broadcast of a plane bound for Geneva suffering engine failure. Recalling that her sister was bound for Geneva, Kara immediately became extremely worried and rushed out of the restaurant. Once outside, she saw a plane flying low around National City.
"No! Alex!" Kara exclaimed silently after using her x-ray vision and seeing that her sister was indeed aboard the aircraft. She quickly darted down an alley and tried to fly after the damage craft, taking a few tries before finally managing to soar through the air toward the aircraft. She quickly reached the craft and pushed against one of the wings, trying to steer the craft to a place where it could be brought down.
"While I should be questioning why you should be here, we have bigger priorities now. I'll take the other wing. We need to guide this craft past the bridge so that we can set her down." Build said appeared in his grey and orange flying form. Kara nodded in acknowledgement of the plan before he disappeared beneath the belly of the plane to push the plane from the other side. With their combined efforts, they were able to guide the plane and bringing it down into the waters. The two heroes met once more on top of the craft.
"Thank you for your help." Build said as he shook hands with Kara while news copters flew overhead. Fearing that she would be identified, Kara quickly flew into the darkness of the night.
"I guess I know what answer she'll give me. I just hope this won't change things too much between us." Leo commented from behind the helmet before flying off back to DEO headquarters.
Kara was watching the newscast of the rescue of the plane on her tv in her home her body shaking with excitement as she was referred to as a guardian angel. She heard her sister coming towards her and immediately turned towards her with a megawatt smile on her face, not expecting the angry glare her sister was giving her.
"What have you done Kara?!" Alex questioned angrily.
"I panicked. I saw you aboard the plane and I wanted to do something. I had to save you!" Kara countered.
"You just outed yourself to the world Kara! I thought you wanted to be normal!" Alex retorted.
"All this time I've felt like I haven't been living up to my potential. I was sent here to help Alex. I realize that now." Kara responded evenly.
"I say if Kara wants to be a hero then it's her decision Alex." Leo said as he entered the apartment.
"Leo. I guess I have quite a lot to tell you." Kara said nervously. Leo shook his head and chuckled.
"I have my own secrets to share Kara. It's about time we told each other the truth. In fact, I think it's better if I showed you." Leo said, placing the metal case he held in his hands on the table and opening it. He took out the build driver and placed it on his waist, the belt materializing and holding the device securely. Kara's eyes widened in shock as she recognized what was currently on her boyfriend's waist. Leo then proceeded to remove two Fullbottles from the case, one blue and one red.
"Rabbit! Tank! Best match! Are you Ready? Steel Moonsault, RabbitTank, yeah." the driver announced as he first inserted the red bottle then the blue one into it before turning the crank. Blue, red and black armor materialized around him forming one of the many forms that build took whilst protecting National City.
"You're Build?!" Kara exclaimed, rubbing her eyes in disbelief that her boyfriend was actually National City's hero.
"That's right. It's also the reason why you've never really been able to hurt me." Leo explained before pulling out the two bottles from the driver, the armor dissipating from his body into particles.
"Well I guess I need to tell you that I'm not exactly from here. I'm an alien. From another planet. My world, Krypton was dying and so my parents sent me here. Originally, I was supposed to help my cousin whom you all know as Superman but my pod didn't make it here until much later and so I decided that it would be better to just fit in. Until tonight that is. I understand if this means that you think that we should call it quits." Kara said, her tone becoming sad at the end as she thought Leo wouldn't want to date a freak. Leo quickly walked over to Kara and pulled her close, pressing a soft kiss to her head.
"I wouldn't want anyone else Kara. Even if you came from a planet from the stars, I feel like we were meant to be together." Leo said while Kara buried her head in the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent.
"Is that why I've never managed to hurt you?" Kara asked as she brightened up from Leo's desire to continue their relationship.
"Well, being Build does bolster my physiology a degree above normal humans." Leo admitted. He held Kara at arm's length and his expression grew serious.
"Kara, there is more I have to tell you. But not here. I need to bring you to someplace. I need you to trust me." Leo said seriously. Kara nodded her head and let Leo lead her towards his car. He grabbed the case along the way out and motioned for Alex to follow. Leo drove to the DEO headquarters, surprising Kara as they drove into the sand dunes outside of National City.
"What is this place? What's the DEO?" Kara asked as they got out of the car.
"The DEO stands for Department of Extra-Normal Operations. It was founded to protect earth from extraterrestrial threats. You see Kara, not everything to do with your cousin is as good as the media will lead you to believe. You see he made us realize that we aren't alone. That not everything out there is benign to us as he is. This problem was compounded when your ship crash landed on earth." Leo said, leading the way as they navigated the caves to reach the main area where a dark-skinned man wore a serious expression at their arrival.
"I didn't know it was bring your sister or girlfriend to work day." The man said.
"Director Henshaw there is the leader of the DEO. Kara when you came to earth, you weren't alone. Something else came with you. It's called Fort Ross." Leo said, pushing some buttons and bringing up a diagram of the prison.
"You mean Fort Ross as in the kryptonian maximum security prison? I remember it. My mom was partially responsible for it." Kara said.
"When it landed on earth, the systems failed and some of the convicts were able to escape. While they've largely stayed hidden with the exception of a small group, they've become quite active in recent months." Leo explained calmly.
"You knew all this while? Why didn't you say anything? Why did you keep all this secret from me? I could have helped you!" Kara asked, feeling hurt at the revelation.
"It wasn't my secret to tell Kara. When I first got to know you, not as Kara Zor-El but the life you've made here as Kara Danvers, I knew that it was a topic that you had to broach. I couldn't force you to feel responsible for all that happened. Not if you decided to live a life of normalcy. I couldn't do that. Not to the woman I loved." Leo responded, taking Kara's hands in his and looking into her eyes.
"I want to help. Saving that plane, it made me realize that I was wasting my potential when I could be out there helping people." Kara said resolutely.
"No. I will not have a rookie out there. Some of those aliens have powers from your worst nightmares." Hank countered.
"Well I guess we'll have to train her then director." Leo retorted.
"This will be on you Agent Titus. You too Agent Danvers. I will not be responsible for this." Hank said.
"Sure, throw me under the bus. Not like you need me to fight all your serious battles for you against aliens who can spit acid to melt metal or tear a hole in a concrete wall. Come on Kara. Let me show you where I work." Leo said to Hank with a casual shrug before pulling Kara along to his lab, leaving Alex to deal with Hank.
"What is this place? Is this your lab? And what's that thing over there?" Kara asked as she noticed the Fullbottles mounted to the wall as well as the machine.
"Yes, this is my lab. That there is the machine that helps me work with the Fullbottles. I want you to take a look at this." Leo said while bringing up a picture on the screen displaying a feminine version of Superman's costume.
"Is that a costume for me? When did you design it?" Kara asked as she examined the design of the costume on the screen.
"I designed it after our first anniversary. In the event that you ever decided to embrace your powers fully to help others. It's supposed to be made out of a special material that is not only durable but very lightweight. It will also allow you to fight without getting in the way. If you wouldn't mind placing your hand on the machine just so that I can confirm something." Leo answered, placing a machine in front of Kara. Kara recoiled a little when she felt a jolt from the machine.
'Interesting. Even a Kryptonian doesn't have the hazard level required to use a Fullbottle.' Leo thought to himself after taking note of Kara's Hazard rating of 2.0.
"What was that for? I actually felt a jolt there." Kara commented.
"Oh, that was just to see what composites I should use for the suit. Now if you'll just stand against that wall over there, we can get the measurements and then get the suit fabricated." Leo said. Kara complied and walked up to the far wall, laser's tracing her figure. Once that was done, Kara watched in awe as a table rose from the ground and material started being filling in and forming into her suit.
"That's amazing. Where did you get all this tech?" Kara asked amazed as her boots were being fabricated.
"Part of it was tech gathered from your ship but most of the knowledge came from my experience with project Build." Leo explained, continuing to type away at his terminal.
"You know I'm curious how exactly did you come up with project Build? And why are you the only one able to use it? Couldn't you just make more of those belt thingies?" Kara questioned.
"In theory yes. Though project Build does have technological aspects, part of it is also shrouded in mystery. See the main power source that drive the system is something called Nebula energy. I discovered a cube that contained a great amount of Nebula Energy some years back when exploring the old abandoned DEO headquarters." Leo started, showing Kara the gaseous form of Nebula Energy.
"This cube, released 60 fragments of Nebula Energy that we call Fullbottles. These Fullbottles each carry an individual aspect such as an animal or an object. Upon running some tests, only my body could harness the nebula energy stored within the Fullbottles." Leo explained, bringing up a video of the early experimentation that he had been forced to conduct.
"I came up with a rating system called Hazard Level. It measures a person's resistance to Nebula Energy. The greater the level, the more effectively they are able to utilize Nebula Energy to perform incredible feats. A rating of 1.0, would cause them to turn into monsters upon exposure to the Nebula Energy. Once they are subdued, they would then die. A rating of 2.0 would cause them to also turn into monsters but rather than die they would simply suffer from amnesia from the point of exposure till they are subdued. A rating of at least 3.0 is required to utilize the Build driver and an interesting fact is that the more I use the driver the more my hazard level climbs." Leo continued with a shrug whilst Kara looked aghast at what Leo had been forced to do to people.
"All those people? How do you even live with the guilt? Even if you had no choice but to do it…" Kara stuttered. Leo got up and placed his hand on Kara's chin, bringing her face to look directly at his.
"It isn't easy but the world isn't a nice as we believe it to be. A part of me doesn't want you out there. It's going to be dangerous. Those aliens will no doubt make it personal against you. I don't want to see you hurt. But I know that stopping you from doing this will be holding you back and I can't do that to you. I won't always be there to protect you either. Kara, if you really want to go through with this, I need you to promise me that you will go through the training I'm going to put you through. For me?" Leo pleaded.
"I will Leo. Knowing that you're out there risking your life doesn't exactly leave my heart in a calm state either. But I know that as long as we stand together, we can get through any obstacle and face any challenge." Kara responded resolutely.
"Then I won't hold you back. Come on there's one last place I need to show you." Leo said, wrapping an arm around Kara's waist and pulling her close, Kara leaning her head on his shoulder as they walked out of the lab. They walked through the DEO and came to a stop in front of a room.
"This room contains something we salvaged from your ship. It will only open for you and whoever you choose to authorize." Leo explained, gesturing to the panel where Kara placed her hand on to unlock the room. She parted from Leo and tears spilled from her eyes as she took in the image of her mother.
"Kara my daughter. It is good to finally see you. I have no doubt that you've grown into the wonderful woman you were meant to be. Though you were sent to protect your cousin, your destiny is not tied to his and I have no doubt that you will be able to find your own purpose in life. All the knowledge I have is at your disposal." The holographic image of Alura said before disappearing. Kara was moved to tears, turning to Leo and burying her head into his chest. Leo for his part kept silent and simply ran his hand through her hair in a comforting gesture.
"I'll bring you home Kara. You should get some rest. For what it's worth, I agree with your mother. You've become a wonderful woman. You just need to find your calling and I'll respect any decision you make. If you decide you want to be a hero full time, or if you feel after some time you want to just be just Kara Danvers then I'll support you every step of the way." Leo said, leading Kara out of the room and back to the car to take her home. He drove her back to the house and helped her get ready for bed.
"Do you mind staying with me tonight? I would feel a lot better with you around." Kara admitted shyly. Leo smiled and took off his shirt, leaving him only in his pants, climbing into the bed with her. Kara immediately latched onto him, laying her head on his chest.
"Sweet dreams my golden angel from the stars." Leo spoke quietly, placing a soft kiss on the now sleeping Kara's head before letting sleep claim him.
Kara felt a warmth surrounding her body, a sense of safety and security that encompassed her being as she slept. That sensation quickly gave way to annoyance as the sunlight hit her eyes. She tried to ignore it but the light invading her senses eventually caused her to wake up. As she awoke, she took note of the familiar scent and figure that was in the bed with her, smiling fondly as she felt his hands threading her hair.
"Sleep well Kara?" Leo asked when she opened her eyes and smiled warmly at him.
"It's the best sleep I've had in years. Despite everything I've just learnt. I might just have to convince you to stay here permanently and be my snuggle bear." Kara joked.
"Anything you want. We should go get ready. I'll whip us up a simple breakfast and you can go and get ready first." Leo said, peeling himself away from Kara and making his way over to the kitchen. Once both were ready for the day, Leo drove Kara over to the Noonan's for her usual order before dropping her off at CatCo.
"Thanks for sending me to work. I could've walked here from Noonan's you know." Kara said, gathering her belongings.
"I know. But this gives me more time with you. I'll pick you up at 5pm so we can get started. Have a great day." Leo said, Kara giving him a kiss before she stepped out to the building. Leo watched her walk into the entrance for a few moments before driving off towards the university for a lecture he was due to give in 20 minutes.
"I thought you were supposed to get rid of the DEO agents." The commander's voice said from the screen as Vartox simply granted in acknowledgment.
"There was a snag in the plan. A kryptonian intervened not to mention this city's resident hero who has managed to put away much of our number might I add." Vartox muttered.
"Then deal with her too. She is Alura's daughter. And get rid of this Build character while you're at it." The commander ordered.
"Dealing with her will be messy." Vartox commented.
"Human casualties don't matter." The commander said coldly.
"Very well then. Alura Zor-El's daughter will pay for her mother locking us away in that prison." Vartox said, grabbing his axe before exiting the room.
"I assume Cat Grant was her usual delightful self?" Leo asked as Kara slumped into the passenger seat before he started driving away from the CatCo building towards the DEO headquarters.
"Aside from a meeting to discuss our heroics last night, it was pretty much business as usual. How was your day?" Kara responded.
"I had a pretty fun lecture that quickly devolved into a discussion of yesterday's events and following a discussion on aeromechanics before somehow ending up on the topic of the physics in the optimal aerodynamics of a paper aeroplane. Makes me wonder if I was ever like that when I was in college." Leo said with a chuckle.
After Leo parked the car, the two made their way towards Leo's lab, greeting the other DEO agents along the way. They entered the lab and Kara's new suit was waiting for her, the table having moved so that it was now perpendicular to the ground. Kara admired the suit, touching the crest of her house with reverence.
"I hope you like it Kara. I took the liberty of adding a few features to the suit as well. It's made from a special synthetic material. Go ahead, try it on, then we can go through the other things I added." Leo explained, pushing a button on his phone that caused a makeshift changing room. Kara stepped out of her suit just as Leo was about to take a sip of water, promptly dropping his glass when he took in her form.
"You can save me any day babe." Leo muttered in awe.
"Leo, focus. There were other features you wanted to show me? And this feels really good too." Kara said.
"Oh right. So first off there's a stealth mode. Turns you invisible to all methods of vision. Doesn't disguise your displacement of the air though. So, you can still be detected that way." Leo started, pressing a button on his phone, Kara turning invisible to the cameras that Leo had continuously recording the room.
"That's cool. What's next?" Kara asked excitedly as she became visible again.
"Next is a deployable gas mask. In case you end up in some sort of unknown environment." Leo explained, a silver mask with blue eye holes appearing over Kara's face.
"Wait, you're controlling all this from your phone. How am I supposed to control all the systems in the suit?" Kara asked.
"I'll get to that in a little bit. The suit also has an energy storage function. The fibers can absorb yellow sun radiation and store them to be released to temporarily boost your powers. Based on my estimates, it should give you at least 10 minutes of power if you end up in an area with no yellow sun or something like that." Leo explained, bringing up a schematic and showing it to Kara.
"Now for the last bit, how to control the suit. This was something I worked on for quite a while and since your suit doesn't feature any sort of mask or helmet device, I had to improvise using a two-stage controller. This is for you to insert into your ear." Leo said, handing Kara a small device that fit perfectly in her ear, at the end of the device, were two buttons and it was also designed to allow sound to pass through.
"The device I just gave you is an all-purpose CC unit. Also known as Communication and Control unit. You can use it to communicate with me or anyone at the DEO and can also use it to listen in on police radio channels. It also serves as a control unit for your suit. There are two buttons, the first is the communication button. You press and hold to talk, press for three seconds to cycle between channels. Currently there are three channels. One for you to speak to me in private, one for speaking to the DEO and another to listen in to the police communication network." Leo explained.
"The second button is for you to control your suit. You just press it and call out whichever function you need to use. One more thing, the suit's fibers have been programmed to realign themselves to withstand attacks. Good for dealing with lasers and such. It takes about half a second for the fibers to realign so it can't take several hits at different places too quickly." Leo said.
"Leo, this suit is amazing! I love it!" Kara said, rushing into his arms to give him a hug.
"Glad you like it. Let's get started on training. Powers are one thing but knowing how to use them is also important. That's one advantage the escapees of Fort Ross will have over you. We need to close that gap. Also, you need to know how much of your power to use when involved in rescue operations and stopping criminals." Leo said, leading Kara towards the training area. They entered the room and Leo locked it down from the inside.
"That seems like a lot of work. Did you have to go through all of that when you started? And is it really necessary?" Kara asked a little intimidated by all the things Leo wanted her to learn.
"I did. I catalogued every single form that the Build system has, the powers of each Fullbottle and also their usage scenarios. You can't just rush into things Kara. You could just as easily hurt someone while trying to save them. It's an important line that we need to keep in mind." Leo answered, standing apart from Kara and pulling out the build driver. He put it on his waist and transformed into his RabbitTank form taking up a combat stance.
"We'll start with hand to hand combat. Come at me with everything you've got." Leo said. Kara seemed a little hesitant at first, walking up to Leo and delivering a punch that Leo easily dodged before moving around to her unprotected back and giving her a shove.
"I said seriously. Don't hesitate. There won't be a second chance when you're out there." Leo spoke, his voice galvanizing Kara into action. She used her super speed to appear in front of Leo, trying to land a flurry of hits on him which he easily blocked or parried. She tried landing kicks on him but he simply raised his legs to block or ducked out of the way. He spun out of the way of another kick and delivered a blow to her mid-section that sent Kara staggering to the ground.
"How did you manage to hurt me?" Kara asked in shock as she got back onto her feet.
"My attacks are infused with Nebula Energy. Like I said before it's painful to be exposed to such energy for anyone else aside from me. I think I've got enough to work with for your ground combat. Let's move on to aerial combat now. A whole different ball game." Leo replied, pulling out the Rabbit and Tank Fullbottles and putting in the Hawk and Gatling ones instead, his armor changing from blue and red to grey and orange.
"Before I get creamed again, how did I do?" Kara asked.
"For a rookie? Not bad. You instinctively aimed for center mass to maximize your hit rate rather than go for any vitals. Although aside from your powers, your skills are honestly quite poor. I'll cover your weaknesses once I finish evaluating your aerial combat skills." Leo said as he took to the air, Kara following suit. It was only a few moments later that Kara found herself crashing into the ground of the training room, shaking her head to clear the cobwebs.
"Well that went exactly the same." Kara muttered in annoyance.
"I've got what I need. Let's get back to the lab and then we can start working on some simulations to help you. I'll also walk you through a few scenarios and get you familiar with the saving people thing. If all goes well, I might even let you out into the real world as early as tomorrow." Leo said, removing the build driver and walking out of the room back to the lab with Kara in tow. Kara waited patiently as Leo tinkered with a device on his table as well as his computer. He worked furiously before the screen glowed brightly and displayed a room that resembled the training area earlier.
"Let's start with a review first." Leo said, the center of the room replaying the first spar between him and Kara.
"As you can see, your stance is off, you not only leave yourself open to attack but the poor stability in your stance means that you aren't able to properly take a hit. Whilst I would always prefer to dodge an attack, sometimes that isn't completely possible and being able to take hits as well as you can give them. Take note of how I fight. Whilst our styles will no doubt differ as mine does when I assume different forms, this is a good place to start as any for now. All you need to decide a battle is one hit after all." Leo said, pausing the playback and pointing things out to Kara.
"Okay, so let's get started with this simulation thing." Kara responded, rubbing her hands together.
"Not so fast, before you go in, let's review the aerial spar." Leo countered, the video changing to their second spar.
"Aerial combat is quite a bit different than ground combat. Firstly, stance isn't as important as making sure to cover all sides. Being in the air means attacks can come from all sides. You need to be aware of this because it will factor in to how you should dodge or how you should take an attack. The concept is still the same though. Minimize vulnerability and wait for the chance to attack." Leo explained.
"Got it." Kara said, settling down on the bed.
"I'll be putting some devices on your body to provide some feedback to make the simulation more realistic. You can put this on first." Leo said, handing the goggles and headphones to put on while he attached several pads to her body.
"Beginning simulation in 3, 2, 1." Leo counted before pressing the enter key on his computer. A virtual version of Kara appeared on the screen.
"We'll start with some ground combat training. Your task is to take hits without getting knocked down for at least one minute. Once you pass this we can move on." Leo said to her as a simulation version of him in his RabbitTank form appeared on the screen. The timer started and Kara took a total of five tries before she finally managed to complete the task.
"Is this what exercising feels like? Why would anyone want to do this?" Kara muttered tiredly as she slumped to the floor.
"It's called training Kara. Let's call it quits for today. I'll walk you through some rescue situations so maybe tomorrow you can help out with a robbery or something. First situation, fire." Leo said as Kara's surroundings changed to show a building on fire together with people trapped inside.
"You won't have to do anything for these next few exercises. So, tell me, how would you approach the situation?" Leo asked.
"I would dive in and save the people first of course." Kara responded.
"In doing so, you've let the fire spread to a nearby exposed pipeline, creating a catastrophe several times worse than it originally was." Leo said as the simulation changed to reflect this.
"How was I supposed to know that? That is so unfair!" Kara cursed.
"Says the one who has as many powers as I have forms. This is the challenge we face. We need to fully assess the situation before we do anything. We have great abilities Kara however actions still carry consequences. We always need to be aware of what they are. Sometimes the most obvious choice is not the right one. In this situation, had you used your super breath to put out the fire, you'd have been able to save everyone since the structure was still intact and prevented it from spreading." Leo explained.
"Let's move on to the next situation. This one will require you to participate. An ambulance is stuck in traffic and the patient won't make it to the hospital in time. I want you to carry out whatever actions you would if faced with the situation." Leo said. Kara acted quickly, picking up the ambulance and rushing it to the hospital.
"So how did I do?" Kara asked, pleased that she seemed to have completed the scenario successfully.
"Well you did technically get the patient to the hospital in time. But the patient already died when you used too much force in lifting the ambulance." Leo said. Kara let out a string of curses in her native language.
"What do you mean by I used too much force?" Kara asked angrily. Leo then proceeded to run her through the situation again complete with all the readings and calculations to explain why she had failed.
"Last one and we'll call it a day. Armed bank robbers. Go." Leo said, the scenario changing to suit the description. Kara smiled and strolled towards the robbers, the bullets bouncing off her body. She apprehended the robbers with ease and gave a smirk to where she assumed Leo was watching only to deflate when Leo started speaking.
"You managed to stop the robbers and deflected a total of 60 rounds using your body. Unfortunately, those 60 rounds just ended up ricocheting into innocent bystanders." Leo said, the simulation ending. Kara got up from the table and pulled off the goggles and headphones and leaving them on the bed. Leo rushed over and pulled the other monitoring devices as well and helped her off the bed, stabilizing her so that she didn't fall over.
"Well this bites. I failed all three scenarios." Kara muttered angrily while crossing her arms.
"It wasn't about passing or failing Kara. It's about knowing that our actions have consequences, especially as heroes." Leo said seriously.
"This hero thing is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Is this your way of discouraging me from being a hero?" Kara joked. Leo's face grew somber as he took a seat at his table.
"It isn't about that Kara. Sometimes all we have is a split second to make a decision. And that decision has consequences. All we can do after is to live with them. I don't want you to live with that kind of guilt Kara." Leo said sadly.
"Don't tell me…did something happen? Please, tell me." Kara prodded, taking a seat next to Leo and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"It was a bank robbery back when I was still new to being a hero. I did the same thing you did. One of the bullets bounced off me and happen to hit a little girl watching outside. She died on the spot. Of course, no one blamed me seeing as it could have been an errant shot from the robbers. But I knew that it was my fault when I reviewed the events after they happened." Leo said, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Kara pulled him to her, running a hand down his back.
"You never told me. But now that I know, we can work together so it doesn't happen again. We are stronger together. We can support each other and protect National City." Kara said. Leo couldn't help but smile at her optimism and separated from the hug.
"We should go out and grab some dinner and then head back to the loft." Leo suggested. Kara went to change and using her super speed was in front of Leo once more in her regular clothes complete with her glasses. She handed Leo the suit and was surprised when he placed it back on the table and it started folding into a silver bracelet with her house crest in the center.
"That was so cool." Kara muttered in awe before taking the bracelet on.
"All you need to do is press the button and the suit will unfold. Press the crest and it will fold back into a bracelet." Leo explained before leaking Lara out of the DEO towards the car.
Kara was walking through the office when she felt a shrill sensation in her ears. She nearly fell to the ground in pain but was quick to gather herself to prevent from making a scene. She had been working as usual and was speaking to James with regards to the latest issue. She had even managed to help out with several local emergencies including a bank robbery and a fire. Leo's scenarios had come in handy and armed with the knowledge from yesterday, she was able to handle the situations well. Even in those few rescues, she had already drawn media attention and had been christened Supergirl, something that left her a little torn between being peeved and happy.
"This transmission is being done at 50hz. If you can hear this then you are not of this world. Come to the National City Power Plant outside the city or people will die." Vartox said directly into Kara's ear while James simple gave her a worried look.
"You alright there?" James asked.
"I'm fine just having a little headache. Excuse me, I need to use the ladies room." Kara said, quickly rushing to the elevator and heading down an alleyway. The suit materializing as she peeled off her normal clothes. She took to the air and headed for the location Vartox had indicated while informing Leo of the message. Leo was at the university on the other side of town and would take some time to reach the location, telling Kara to be careful, knowing that she wouldn't risk people's lives waiting for him. Kara landed and was annoyed when she found that the whole area was lined with lead.
"Smart, choosing a location lined with lead so I can't see you. But I can still hear your heartbeat." Kara said, taking slow measured steps through the facility.
Kara rolled to the side to avoid Vartox's hit as he came leaping through the air. She quickly took a combat stance, remembering Leo's lesson the previous night, moving to dodge Vartox's attacks or parry them with her arms. Vartox was surprised expecting a novice kryptonian. His surprise created the opening Kara needed, landing a devastating right hook into his face that sent him tumbling into some concrete pipes. Vartox growled angrily and drew his axe. Supergirl stood ready as he ran towards her brandishing his axe, expecting him to try for a direct hit with his weapon. She was wrong however as halfway through his charge Vartox flung the axe instead. The weapon moved in a dangerous arc towards the heroine who was forced to quickly move out of the way. She didn't react quickly enough and was nicked on her shoulder by the axe, drawing a gasp of surprise from her as she saw that it had left a wound.
Kara didn't have time to contemplate getting wounded for the first time as Vartox was still charging at her. Leveraging the injured hand, Vartox was able to force Kara on the defensive as the wound prevented her right arm from reacting as quickly or taking as much force as before. The issue was compounded when Vartox was able to force her back to where the axe was and the deadly weapon was brought back into the fight.
"You are a decent fighter kryptonian. But tonight, I will bathe in blood of Alura's daughter!" Vartox exclaimed, pressing the axe towards Kara who was pinned to the ground and holding back the axe with both hands. Kara saw a blue and red armored figure running towards them and bit back the smile to keep Vartox focused on her.
"Not today you won't!" Leo shouted before punched Vartox in the face, sending him flying into the side of the facility. Vartox pulled himself out of the wall.
"Well if it isn't my other target. How convenient. I get to kill two birds with one stone." Vartox said rushing towards Leo who spawned his drill crusher, engaging Vartox in a close combat duel, matching him strike for strike.
"Kara, when you see an opening I want you to rush him." Leo said to her over their comms. Kara acknowledge and stood ready as Leo and Vartox continued crossing weapons. Leo proving more than a match for the alien and causing him more and more frustration as Leo kept feinting. This had the effect of making Vartox more prone to errors and openings. Kara saw her chance and dived at Vartox at him speed, both hands stretched in front of her to deliver a devastating hit that sent Vartox flying. The alien was limping as he got out glaring angrily at both heroes.
"Who sent you?" Leo questioned.
"I'll never say. But this isn't the end. You will all fall!" Vartox shouted before raising his axe in the air and stabbing himself with it, his body falling limply to the ground after.
"Why the hell would he do that?" Kara asked in shock.
"He didn't want us getting information out of him. He seems more afraid of whoever he's working for then being detained. This is vexing." Leo commented. A DEO helicopter flew overhead and Alex dropped out of it.
"What have we got?" Alex asked.
"Valeronian. Committed dishonorable suicide. Didn't get anything out of him except for the fact that he's just a hired gun for something bigger. Clearly his employer isn't some simple mook if he would go so far as to kill himself to keep from being interrogated." Leo replied. Giving her a brief. Alex nodded before noticing that Kara was injured.
"Kara! Your hurt. We should get that treated." Alex said, taking at Kara's injured arm.
"Let's get the body loaded up onto the chopper then we can take a look at the wound." Leo said, dragging Vartox's body towards the chopper and dumping it in before taking a seat on one side, Alex and Kara seated on the other.
"You did well Kara. I knew you could do it." Alex praised.
"Thanks. But if it wasn't for Leo I probably wouldn't have made it out of there with my head intact. I was stumped when he started using that axe of his." Kara replied.
"We'll work on that after we get that wound checked out. Facing an armed opponent is quite different. Not to mention we still need to work on your aerial combat skills." Leo said, pulling out the bottles and letting his armor dissipate.
"Don't remind me. I'm not exactly looking forward to that." Kara responded with a groan. Alex smiled and took her sister's hand in hers.
"Hey, if it helps, I was put through the ringer too. And there's no one else I trust to help you realize your potential then Leo." Alex said. The chopper landed at the DEO and a team was ready to take the body. Leo asked Alex to help tend to Kara in his lab while he went to give a full report to Hank. By the time he was done and headed to his lab, the two sisters were laughing about something and Kara's wound had already healed.
"Would you ladies care to share the joke?" Leo asked with a raised brow.
"Oh, Alex was just telling about some of the stories that happened when you were testing out your different forms. Like how you initially flew backwards into a wall when you first tried RocketPanda." Kara replied. Leo just shook his head and went over to his table to get the simulation gear ready. Once everything was set up, Kara put it on and lay on the bed with Alex joining Leo at the desk.
"How's the upgraded simulation trainer going?" Alex asked as she watched Kara completed several flight exercises Leo had set up.
"It's a work in progress. Getting a live simulator going that can transmit sensation without adding bulk takes some tinkering." Leo replied, changing the scenario to where Kara had to face armed opponents and walking her through the best ways to counter common weapons such as swords, spears and axes.
"I'm sure you'll get there. How's the side job going?" Alex asked, trying to continue their conversation while Kara completed the last of the simulations. She knew something was bothering Leo given how long they had been working together but knew that he wouldn't say anything except to Kara first unless it was strictly DEO business but given Kara's knowledge of that part of their lives now, he would still choose to confide in Kara first.
"Which? Being a hero or the one at the University? If you're asking about my job at the university then it's fine. Some of the students these days though… they're so…" Leo trailed off not being able to find the right words to correctly classify some of his more 'colourful' students. Kara had taken off the simulation equipment and walked up to Leo wrapping her arms around him and placing her head on his shoulder, lightly nuzzling her cheek against his.
"What were you talking about?" Kara asked tiredly, feeling the strained mentally from her day.
"Oh, just catching up while watching you train. Good job by the way Kara." Leo praised getting a beaming smile from her.
"Does that mean I'm done with training?" Kara asked.
"The basics at least. We'll keep training to keep our skills sharp and improve along the way. Now come on, I want to cook you a nice dinner to celebrate you becoming Supergirl today!" Leo said, tossing Kara's dress at her so she could quickly change before he dragged her out of the lab towards the car. Kara waved goodbye to Alex who just smiled at the pair before exiting Leo's lab, the lights and machinery turning themselves off automatically after detecting the lack of anyone inside.
Leo had taken them grocery shopping and asked Kara what she felt like eating. They bought enough food for a large three course meal consisting of soup, steak and chocolate cake for dessert. Leo had started on the dinner as soon as they reached the loft and they enjoyed the meal complete with candles at a sedate pace. They were enjoying their dessert when Leo took hold of Kara's free hand, prompting her to look into his eyes.
"When Vartox injured you, I was so worried. When he had you pinned, my heart nearly stopped. It made me realize how dangerous things are and cemented the fact that one lucky shot could mean the end for either of us." Leo said seriously.
"I'm fine Leo. You saved me. As long as we work together no one can beat us. We put down Vartox easily together. We can do it again for anyone else." Kara replied.
"I know. But I still don't want to go with any regrets so I have something important to tell you. Kara, we've been together for two years. And in that time, I've been so fortunate to get to know such an amazing woman like you. Strong, smart, brave, beautiful both outside and inside. Being together with you has always been the happiest moments in my life. Seeing you happy makes me happy. You are the last thing I think of before I sleep and the first thing I think of when I wake up." Leo said, getting up and fishing out a lead lined box from his pocket before going down on one knee next to Kara.
"What I'm trying to say Kara is that there's no one else I want by my side than you. So, will you make me the happiest man in all the known galaxies and agree to become my wife?" Leo asked opening the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring inside it. Kara felt tears fell from her eyes in happiness. She never dreamed that she would ever be able to find happiness but with Leo, everything felt right. Not trusting her voice right now, Kara nodded her head in reply. Leo gently slid the ring onto her finger before giving her a deep kiss one she happily returned.
Okay so that's the first chapter let me know what you readers think of this one. As you can see a very different Kara to start with that has clearly been influenced by Leo. And their engaged too! They won't get married anytime soon though. Probably around the time before the Flash comes to National City.
As all who have read the prologue will know, I have a poll going on the forms I want to feature so continue voting as I'm still considering them.
1) Cross Z Magma 50%
2) Evol Black Hole 80%
3) Genius 65%
Also, another vote I want to have is if Kara and Leo should have a kid within the story. I planned for this story to end by the end of season 3 with an epilogue. But I want reader inputs if Leo and Kara should have a kid when they visit Argo :)