Lazy Saturday [Kara POV]

KARA

I love lazy Saturday mornings. It feels like it’s the only time I can ever relax and not worry about the city catching fire, or the world getting invaded by aliens, or some other cosmic Crisis. I mean those things still happened on Saturday mornings, but they always seemed to happen less often or less intensely than other days of the week.

I don’t even bother putting on my Supergirl costume on Saturday mornings. Nope, just some comfy jammies, a soft set of slippers, and some donut crumbs, that’s all I was willing to wear when the sun came up.

I was slumping comfortably on my sofa, a half-eaten box of donuts on my stomach, when someone knocked on my door. I frowned as I sat up, set the box aside, and peered at the door. I wasn’t expecting any guests this morning, and everyone I knew who could come over was supposed to be busy today.

I stood up and peered through the door with my X-Ray vision. There was a man on the other side. He was overweight, balding, and nervous looking. He also looked… familiar, though I couldn’t really place where I knew him from off the top of my head. I considered just ignoring him and waiting for him to wander off, hoping to keep my morning cozy and private… but that would’ve just been wrong.

I put on my glasses and tied my hair back. It was annoying, but it was better than some random guy figuring out where Supergirl lived. Or figuring out that Supergirl lived in an apartment leased under the name Kara Danvers.

“Um, Hi.” I said, opening the door about a foot. “May I help you?”

“Hi!” He said, breaking out in a smile. “I’m sorry, I really am, but are you Kara Danvers? The reporter from Catco Magazine?”

“Yes, I am. Did you need something?”

“Yes. Well…” He fidgeted nervously. “I read an article that you did recently, about the east side **** dealers? Your work seemed pretty instrumental in bringing them down.”

“Oh. Well, thanks.” I said politely. Where is he going with this?

“It’s just… Supergirl brought them down, right?”

I nodded “Yes, I believe she did.”

“And… well… I’ve noticed… Whenever you write a big piece on crime or on one of those terrible super criminals, Supergirl always seems to be involved.”

Alarm bells started blaring in my head. Oh crap! Did this guy figure it out?! Is he here to confront me about my secret identity?!

“Yeah, well… You know…” I sputtered. “She’s uh- She’s a pretty busy superhero. Especially around here in National City. She’s involved with… you know… Most crimes. S-Solving most crimes I mean! Not… you know… participating.”

He stared at me for a moment before answering. “Um… Yes, that was what I thought you meant.”

“Right.” I said, desperately trying to reign in my rambling. “So uh… What does she have to do with me?”

“I… I think you know, miss.” He said.

“I do?” Ohcrapohcrapohcrap.

“Of course!” He said. “You know Supergirl! You have to! You feed her the information, she takes down the criminals! Then she gives you the details and you write your articles about it right after! It’s the only way you could write such detailed articles!”

“Oh.” I said, immediately feeling my heart slow down by a hundred beats or so a minute.

“...So?” He said, after an extended pause.

“Huh?”

“Am I right?” He said, looking slightly annoyed. “Do you know Supergirl?”

“Oh, uh… yeeeaaahhh…” I said slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. I know Supergirl. We have a- a working relationship.”

“Yes! Yes, I knew it!” He said, pumping his fist.

“Okay, so, if that’s all…” I started to close the door.

“No, wait! I need your help!” He said, pushing his hand against the door. “I need Supergirl’s help!”

I paused. Again, it would’ve been nice to just tell him to go to the police and go on with my day. It would’ve been nice… but it would’ve been wrong.

“Okay.” I said. “Let me get changed and I can take you to Catco, we can talk there.”

“No!” He blurted out, causing me to do a double take.

“What?”

“I don’t… I wouldn’t feel safe there.” He said, regaining his composure. “Let me in. No one knows I know you, they’d never come looking for me here!”

I turn around and look at my apartment. Honestly, the place was a bit of a mess, there were pizza boxes, donut boxes, and takeout containers all over. I was gonna clean up after I was done with the last box of donuts (superspeed, so it wouldn’t have even taken a second) but I hadn’t finished the donuts yet.

“Uh…” Was I really willing to embarrass myself just to make this guy feel safe?

Oh who am I kidding, of course I am.

“Yeah, come on in.” I said, opening the door. (KARA: +4SP)(-1SP)

A little notification ping came from the guy’s pocket. He pulled out his phone and checked it. A wide smile spread across his face.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Hmm? Oh, nothing.” He said. “Just putting my phone on silent. I forgot that I had it.”

Okay, that was… weird. The guy was probably just nervous though. Chances are that his phone just startled him and he was relieved that it was just an e-mail or something.

He walked in then stopped and looked around. “Was uh… was there a party?”

“Yes!” I said, way too quickly. “Yes, definitely. There was a party. Sorry, I haven’t been able to clean up.”

“It’s fine.” He said, taking a seat. “I’m not exactly Mr. Clean myself. Oh, I’m Gerry by the way. Gerry Manheim.”

“Nice to meet you, Gerry.” I said, taking a seat across from him. “So, what exactly did you want to talk about?”

“Right. We should get down to business.” Gerry leaned forward and tried to look conspiratorial. “I think I have information that could help Supergirl take down the Patriarch.”

“The Patriarch?” I asked, remembering the multiple clashes I’d had with that particular costumed villain over the years.

“Yes, he’s one of the few that’s still active, right?” Gerry said. “Most of the others have either been captured, killed, or rehabilitated.”

I nodded. “Right. The Patriarch is pretty notorious for how slippery he is. Every heroine he’s ever fought has complained about how difficult he is to deal with.”

“Really? They all say that?”

“Oh yeah. I mean Supergirl told me that he’s actually pretty pathetic in a fight… or any kind of confrontation really, but that’s not what makes him dangerous.”

“Oh…” Gerry said, his face a little red. “If he’s so pathetic, why is he dangerous?”

“His mind.” I explained. “The Patriarch doesn’t have any abilities, and he doesn’t have a wealth of resources, but he’s clever and he knows how to make the most of what little he has. Then there’s that poisonous ideology of his…”

“Ah, yes.” Gerry nodded. “The man has… radical views.”

“He’s a misogynist.” I said bluntly. “He’s constantly going on and on about how super powered beings have upset the ‘natural balance’ since w- they’re all women. He honestly believes that women would willingly be subservient little slaves to men if people like Supergirl and Captain Marvel weren’t around.”

“Yes… He’s a real wackjob.”

“I wouldn’t say that. That’s too reductive, and too cruel.” I said. “I think… I think he’s just scared and a little misguided. I’d rather get him help than punch him in the face, you know?”

“That’s… Very noble of you.”

I smiled. “Nah, just a few chats I’ve had with Supergirl rubbing off on me.” I adjusted my glasses. “So, what’s this information that you have?”

That same grin from earlier spread across Gerry’s face. “Well, for starters… I know what The Patriarch’s secret identity is.”

*Author’s Note - Wow, this scene ended up way longer than I thought it would be. I definitely had more planned for this scene, but I'm well over 1000 words, and that's about my preferred length for a chapter. I think we can end it here and move on to the next one without missing anything. Expect to see Kara’s Submission Points climb in the next chapter by the way, as our devious protagonist tricks her into obeying commands without realizing.*

*Extra Author's Note - Also, really enjoyed writing from Kara's POV. Expect to see this kind of thing more, since I think the humiliation factor will be enhanced from the victim's POV.*