The Shape of Things to Come

11

Kara was smiling as she walked into Cat's office carrying the bag from Big Belly Burger, which was just about the only chain food Cat would eat. The Mondays after Carter spent the weekend with his father were always better for everyone if Cat had a Caramel Macchiato instead of her regular Latte, and if her lunch involved a cheese burger. She knew for a fact that there were people who were still employed at CatCo only by the healing grace of the Big Belly Double Cheese Burger.

"Hello, Keira," Cat said in a voice that put Kara's nerves on the end. She knew that voice. It was Cat's 'I know I'm on to something, and I just need to find the right question to crack the story' voice.

"Ms. Grant," Kara said. "I brought your lunch."

"Yes. I can see that," Cat said. "Care to tell me where you've been for the last two hours?"

"Um... working?"

"Are you asking me, or telling me?"

Kara narrowed her eyes as she sat Cat's food on her desk. "That depends on what you know, and what you don't and are trying to get me to reveal by asking open-ended questions."

Cat sighed. "You paid far too much attention to my interview techniques," she said.

"What can I say? I like to watch." Kara didn't realize quite how suggestive that sounded until she saw the slightly startled look on Cat's face, and could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as she watched a Cheshire grin spread across Cat's face.

"If it's okay with you, Ms. Grant, I'm going to go back to my desk and pretend this conversation never happened."

"Well, if you must," Cat said. "But we are going to discuss how you got those pictures of Supergirl at some point, Keira."

"Oh, believe me, Ms. Grant, I never had any doubt about that." She turned and started heading out of the office, only to stop dead when Cat spoke again.

"We might even have a discussion as to where you were when Supergirl was spotted at the National City Power Plant this morning."

Kara turned around slowly, to find Cat ignoring her and unpacking her lunch. She decided discretion was the better part of valor, and fled to her desk.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kara leaned back on her couch and stared up at the ceiling of her apartment. "No, seriously," she said into the phone, "there I am like, my third day on the hero job, and there's footage of me, taken by the Cat Copter no less, clearing a truck load of lingerie off the interstate."

Maggie just laughed at her, right through the phone.

"Okay, I know you can't see me right now, but I'm wearing my angry face," Kara said. "If you were here, I swear I'd melt your face."

"Yeah, yeah. You talk a big game, but all I'd have to do is play a kitten video on my phone and you'd forget all about me," Maggie said. "You can't hold a grudge to save your life."

"Yeah, well, that's just because you've never seen me in the same room with Maxwell Lord."

"Okay, while I'm inclined to agree with you, that man is a douche bag just for the hair alone, what did he ever do to you?"

"I think the way he ogles Ms. Grant's ass is grounds enough for justifiable homicide."

"Well, that's because you've got a power crush on your boss the size of Kansas."