Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Nia Nal first strides into CatCo Worldwide media so early on a Tuesday morning, the only other person there is Lena Luthor. There isn’t even a person at the front desk. She eventually just follows the signs to the elevator, and when nobody stops her, steps in. It’s surprisingly small, and clean. When she reaches the 40th floor, where the brief but descriptive email had said to go, she gravitates toward the only light that’s on. Inside a glass-walled office sits a woman Nia knows she knows.

She knocks on the door, and the woman jumps.

“Sorry!” Nia says, hovering in the doorway. “I thought you’d seen me come in.” She takes a step back, but the woman shakes her head and holds up a placating hand.

“Oh, no, you’re fine! I’m just not used to anyone else being here for a while yet.” She slides her hair behind her shoulder as she stands up, and Nia is sure she knows that dark, glossy hair…

“Lena Luthor?” Nia blurts out. “Of course it’s you! You did say you’d be a CEO by 25.” Lena looks utterly confused, and Nia remembers that Lena’d been dragged off to boarding school, before Nia had transitioned. She would have no way of recognizing her. “It’s, um, Nia. Nal? From Metropolis High?”

Realization dawns on Lena’s face. “Nal? From the computer lounge? Oh my goodness, you look beautiful!”

Nia can’t help the blush that rises to her cheeks. “And you look like you haven’t changed a bit. In a completely freakish way. I would swear all you’ve done is gotten taller.”

Lena laughs. “Stop, please! I never would have imagined seeing you here though.” She sizes Nia up again, and smiles.

“Not too crazy, I mean, you did hire me to be your new reporter.”

That seems to throw Lena out of her reminiscence. She holds up a finger, and bends over to root around in  her desk. Nia can’t help a shiver of excitement. She’s here, the day is finally here, she’s about to become a part of a high-end journalistic team. Well, a better one than the testosterone-filled Sun , anyway.

Nia might be buzzing a little bit by the time Lena straightens up again, a few sheets of paper in her hand.

“The rest of what you need will be emailed to you,” she reassures as she hands over the papers. “There are just a few forms we haven’t digitized yet. We’re all about keeping things green.”

Nia knows, it’s one of the first things that turned her on to CatCo, and National City in general. The eco-friendliness, and all of L-Corp’s programs for efficiency. Which, of course, is the work of the brilliant woman in front of her.

Nia grins. She and the talented, successful, beautiful Lena Luthor might just get along.

“Yeah, thank you!” She says out loud, trying to give no other sign of her mental journey, and looks down at the papers in front of her. One of them mentions her desk assignment. She looks back up. “I actually could use some help, I have no idea where to go…”

Lena blinks and shakes her head. “A tour. I can’t believe I forgot! Just give me one second.” She pulls some papers into a folder and grabs her coffee off the desk, taking a quick sip. Nia steps to the side. Lena shoots her a smile as she leads the way out of the office, Nia glancing around once more before shutting the glass door.

“I’d usually have my assistant, Eve, or Kara Danvers do it,” Lena is explaining as they re-enter the area of desks. “But they’re obviously not here.” They reach a panel on the wall, and Lena presses the center of it, flicking on row after row of lights. They both squint at the brightness.

“First things first!” Lena announces. “On this floor at least, all you’ll have to worry about for now.” She waves a hand. “Where the minions swelter under the heavy glare of their Luthor mistress, the bullpen.”

“So what, the dull days as CEO are turning you into your mother?” Nia asks. Lena lets out a dramatic sigh, and nods. When she leans back against the wall and turns her head Nia’s way, Nia gives a teasing wink, and Lena’s cheeks color for a moment.

Nia swallows the rush of victory, and then glances quickly around. It’s distinctly unimpressive when empty of any occupants, just a bunch of desks and computer monitors.

Lena pushes herself off the wall and starts off past the elevators again, and Nia follows. She points to different offices and conference rooms, rattles off a list of names she insists Nia will pick up in less than a day. She even points down a random hallway and mentions something about a ‘Kara Danvers, best place to go for anything you need, ever.’ Then she stops inside a room behind yet another glass wall, and spreads her arms.

“And the final stop on your tour, the reporter’s den!” Lena points at a desk near the window. “And your new place of work.”

Nia gasps, and then feels embarrassed, but Lena seems just as happy as her at her excitement. She refrains from bouncing as she walks over. It’s empty, save a pen and a weirdly tall mug with the CatCo logo on it, and no different from any of the countless desks they’ve glimpsed so far, but now it’s hers. She can’t help but love it.

“Thank you,” she says, and Lena grins. “I know you didn’t hire me but, for the tour.”

“Of course. Anything for an old friend,” Lena says, and then with a quirk of her lips, “Or just our newest hire.”

Nia tries as hard as possible not to read into what used to be Lena’s patented flirting smirk of appreciable effect , and instead plays into her teasing. “Well then, as an old friend,” she pauses for emphasis, and Lena looks gleeful. “I’d like to ask you to a proper catching-up coffee tomorrow. Or as a thank you, whatever you so desire.”

Lena doesn’t even need check to schedule. “I’m free for about two hours at twelve tomorrow.”

Nia nods. “Lunch, then! I hear Noonan’s has some amazing salads?”

“I would love a salad,” Lena reassures, touching Nia’s wrist briefly before stepping back. “Have a good day!” She turns around, shoots one more smile over her shoulder, and then heads off towards her office.

Her departure lines up in an eerily perfect way with the arrival of a gruff-looking, bald man. He raises his eyebrow at Nia upon seeing her.

She steps forward to shake his hand. “Nia Nal, I’m the new reporter here.”

He looks at her hand as if he has a grudge against it, but takes it. “Snapper Carr. I tell you what to report around here.”

That’s Snapper Carr! Nia’s mind screams, but she simply puts on a professional smile. “Excellent. Where do I start?”

Snapper assigns her what seems like a relatively small interview piece with several branches of the city’s fire department regarding some recent damages to many of the most prominent buildings in the city. It seems like a simple test piece. She gets to work quickly all the same, and has a list of data from the chief of one station by the time the last reporter arrives, coffee in hand.

Nia glances at it, and realizes that coffee is one thing she forgot to grab this morning. She casts one more glance at her computer before picking up her bag to head to the Noonans she has seen so much of since the move from DC.

She’s halfway down the hallway to the elevator when the building starts to shake. She stumbles. The shaking increases, and Nia can see part of the wall beginning to crumble. She hears screams from below her, and groaning from the ceiling. She staggers forward, and runs into something solid. It’s a person, who grasps her by the elbows and brings her back to standing. She blinks, and everything returns to normal.

“Are you okay?” The person holding her is speaking gently, like she’s a frightened kitten. They’re still holding her up, but with a looser grip now that she’s steady again in her feet. Nia takes a step back and looks at her savior.

It’s a blonde woman in a ponytail, wearing a concerned look and a pair of dark glasses. Her eyes are a startling shade of blue. The concerned look in her eyes only grows as Nia stays silent, so with a mental shake of her head Nia smiles and nods.

“Yes, I’m terribly sorry. For a minute it seemed like- well, I’m fine now. Thank you.” Nia watches curiously as the woman relaxes and a bright smile takes over her lips. She looks like she’s gone from moon to full-on sun in about a second.

“That’s a relief!” Her savior announces, in a voice shockingly happy for someone who just looked so serious. “I’m Kara Danvers, reporter here at CatCo.”

Nia chases a glimmer of recognition. “Oh! Miss Danvers, Lena mentioned you on the tour. I’m Nia Nal, your newest reporter, it’s good to meet you.”

Kara brightens even more at the mention of Lena’s name. “You know Lena? Wonderful, that makes us practically friends, so please, call me Kara! If you need any help at all, especially around CatCo, you can come to me!”

“A-alright then, but if I’m taking you up on that offer… It’s Nia.”

Kara holds out a hand. “Nia. Good to-” She’s cut off with a shout from the room Nia had just left.

“Ponytail? I can hear you cavorting in the hallway, get in here already.” Ah, Snapper’s dulcet tones.

Kara just seems amused. “I suppose I’ll see you later then. Good luck!” She heads off around Nia, briefcase swinging on her hip, and disappears into Snapper’s office.

*****************

After Nia returns from Noonan’s, whose lightning-fast service had certainly lived up to reputation, she sets back to work. Hard. So hard, in fact, it takes Kara grabbing her shoulder and bodily shaking her to pull her away.

“Nia?” Kara looks almost amused as she glances at her watch. “The workday ended fifteen minutes ago.”

Nia blinks in surprise, and then laughs. She usually can’t get pulled into a project this quickly, especially such a relatively unimportant piece. “Well, they do say a reporter’s job is never done.”

“Dangerous words in CatCo walls,” Kara jokes, and then sighs. “But I’m certain Lena’s still working too, so you can help me drag her out of her office.”

Nia glances at her laptop for the last time, and then jolts in surprise as Kara pulls her along. She’s never met anyone who acts as friendly upon first meeting as this Miss Danvers, that’s for sure.

“She was like that in high school too,” Nia muses aloud.

Kara looks around, shocked, and finally slows. “You knew Lena in high school?”

“Only for a year,” Nia amends. “We had a class together in the computer lounge, and we’d both go there after school most days. Studying, or doing whatever.” They emerged into the bullpen, which was still inhabited by a few tired workers, and from which they could clearly see Lena. Still working, true to Kara’s word.

“Just let me grab her out of there and then I’ll set you free,” Kara promises.

“It’s not a problem,” Nia responds automatically. “It’s good to have a… friend.” Kara grins, and Nia wishes briefly for a pair of sunglasses before shaking her head at herself.

Kara knocks on the door of the glass office. Then she walks right in without waiting for an invitation. It seems like a near-daily routine for the two, so Nia holds back in the doorway. She watches as Kara reasons with Lena. The minute she pulled out some scarily convincing puppy-dog eyes, Lena softens, and when she glances over and sees Nia it seemed like the battle has been won.

Nia waves over, and then beckons. Lena makes a great show of sighing and pouting over at her before finally gathering her things and turning off the desk light. Kara and Nia share a fist pump of victory.

“Yeah, yeah,” Lena sighs as she passes them, leading the way to a much shinier and cleaner elevator than Nia had used in the morning.

They ride down and say their goodbyes. Kara offers to drive Nia home, or at least walk her to a bus stop, but Nia declines, seeing as her apartment is only down the street. They wave again, and then Nia’s finally headed home after an exhilarating first day.

Chapter Text

Nia wakes to a new assignment from Snapper. Apparently, she’s to meet Kara in front of some government building for a coverage on alien containment and policing. He really isn’t hesitating to throw her into the heavy stuff, then. Amazing.

A coffee and a bus ride later, Nia is striding towards Kara on the sidewalk, camera slung around her neck.

Kara waves, and then points excitedly at what she’s holding in her hand. “Reporter notebook!”

“Yeah,” Nia says, gesturing with it in the air before realizing she’s waving at nothing. She puts her hand down. “I figured I might as well, it’s always good to have one on hand.”

Kara nods proudly. “A good methodology. Do you have anything in it yet?”

Nia raises her eyebrows. “Okay. Reporter to reporter, I have started jotting down a couple… things I’ve noticed around National City. About National City, really-”

As she moves to pull it out, a woman in a leather jacket walks up to them. Nia cuts herself off abruptly. The woman glances at their notebooks and cameras, and Kara steps forward with a badge she must have pulled out of nowhere.

“Ah, the reporters from CatCo. Good to see you two, if you could just step on in here.” With a glance down the street, she takes a step back, directly into a portion of wall. Well, an entryway disguised as a portion of wall.

Nia laughs in surprise, and looks at Kara. Her fellow reporter is also smiling, and shaking her head at the dramatics of the agent. They follow the woman directly into a hallway of glass-walled offices. They’re brought into one, where the woman grabs a couple laminated cards.

As she hands them their passes, she fidgets with her neck. She sighs, and looks over Nia like she’s sizing her up, trying to guess something about her. Kara she just spares a quick glance to. Finally, she speaks up.

“Do you two mind if I take off my image inducer? It’s been itching and tingling all day. It hasn’t acted up before, I must have spilled something on it.”

Nia waves her off. “No, no of course we don’t mind!” She smiles at the woman, trying to reassure her. “I actually know someone who can get you another one without any trouble, or I’m sure Kara could…” She trails off, watching the two woman’s reactions.

Kara laughs a little too loudly. “Of course, because I have your contact information! Totally, would love to get that for you.”

“Thank you, Miss Danvers,” the agent says, looking almost amused. “And now, we’ll be on our way. I’m Agent Garrett, by the way, Simone Garrett.

Simone leads them to an elevator, and down through the building. The tour and interviews seem to pass in no time at all, and soon Nia and Kara are emerging out onto the street. Kara hails a cab, and they laugh and chat on their way back to CatCo until Kara mentions takeout for lunch.

Nia shoots up in her seat. “Oh no. Lunch! I have lunch with Lena at twelve.” She scrambles for her phone. “And it’s 11:50 already! No, no, no.”

Kara looks around, and seems to spot something out the window. “Hold on, I have an idea.” She taps the taxi driver on the shoulder and stops them, and then gets out of the taxi. “I’m gonna call Supergirl, she’s my friend and she’ll help.” She walks over to the corner, where a phone box sits.

Nia sighs, and pulls out her wallet to pay the driver. While they take her card and swipe it, she turns to check on Kara. As she watches, Kara steps into the box and twirls around at inhuman speed, stepping out of the box in full suit.

Nia snorts. “Oh my god.”

“What?” the driver asks, handing her card back. “Oh, she actually got Supergirl.”

Nia just gets out of the taxi and waves it off. Kara walks up to her, smile wide and shoulders back, and opens her mouth for some hero-like greeting, but Nia speaks first.

“Kara, I know it’s you.”

Kara gapes at her in shock. “What? How? I thought the gl-”

“You literally just changed in a glass phone booth,” Nia says, cutting her off. “In obvious view of the entire street. Do you even know how many people know your identity?”

Kara closes her mouth and reaches for glasses that aren’t there. “Well I guess- I mean my cousin used to, back in… the 80’s-” She sighs, and Nia sighs too.

“Just try and exercise some caution. Oh god, I sound like my father. And my mother. And Lena.” Nia’s eyes widen again. “Lena, you need to get me to Noonan’s asap!”

Kara pulls her into a hug, and the ground shoots away from them. Wind whistles at Nia’s ears and buffets her hair until they slow to a stop. Nia spits out the strands of hair that had ended up in her mouth, and turns to look at Kara, who still looks as composed as before they blasted off, hair perfectly coiffed. Damn superpowers.

“Anyway, thank you!” Nia says, waving her off. Kara nods firmly, and then shoots off to who knows where. “Just in time.” She pulls open the door to Noonan’s. For a minute, as she scans the restaurant, and then scans it again, she considers the possibility that she might have been stood up. She takes a step back, and looks around outside. Lena isn’t anywhere.

She’s just about to take the blow to her pride and head over to CatCo when she’s approached by a man in an apron. “Excuse me, are you Nia Nal?” He asks, drying his hands on a serving towel.

“Yes,” she responds hesitantly. “Why?”

“Miss Luthor is waiting for you in a private room, just this way.” He gestures for her to follow, and then leads her to a door on the back wall.

“I didn’t know Noonan’s even had private rooms.”

He laughs. “They’re typically reserved for events or gatherings, but because of a generous donation on Miss Luthor’s part, and, well, the danger of her dining in a public cafe…” He trails off as they reach the door, and opens it to reveal Lena.

“Nia! I’m sorry, I forgot to warn you.” She steps back and lets Nia into the small room. Nia only has time to catch a glimpse out the window, noticing with a start that the CatCo building takes up a good portion of the view, before Lena is pulling her into a tight hug. Over her shoulder, Nia sees a dark-haired man in the restaurant look up, spot her, and gasp. She sees him mouth something, and then the door closes, blocking him from sight. Nia furrows her brow, but she has no time to puzzle over his reaction before Lena is pulling back and sitting them down. “So, how has your second day as a CatCo reporter been?”

“Oh, so interesting! I was put on this article about alien policing with Kara, so she got us into this scarily accessible government agency for alien containment.” Nia reaches into her bag for her list of notes, and almost misses Lena choking on a sip of water. “Lena, are you alright?” She places her notebook on the table and reaches across to her friend.

Lena waves her off. “Yes, yes, I just-” She clears her throat and smiles. “So Snapper’s moved you on to the big stuff already? That must be the fastest I’ve ever seen anyone promoted like that.”

Nia flashes her eyebrows. “Well, let’s hope he gave the assignment to me for my skills and not just because he’s short on hands.” Lena laughs at that.

“As someone who read your article and knows firsthand how hard you will work on things you’re passionate about-” Lena cuts off as Nia leans forward onto the table.

“Lena! You didn’t tell me you read my article. Oh gosh, it was so rushed!”

“-I’m sure it’s the former.” She reassures. Nia keeps staring at her, dismayed, and Lena laughs again, harder this time. Nia can’t help but smile a little at the sight. Lena is obviously more relaxed here, out of the public eye, and her joyful ease is infectious. “It was very good, especially for being written in practically a day.”

Nia attempts to maintain a disgruntled expression, but even as she huffs she sees Lena smiling at her, and the game is up. They finally turn to their meals. Nia has a grilled sandwich, while Lena has some leafy monstrosity piled in front of her. Nia enjoys some good spinach as much as anyone, but that much green on a plate is horrendous, and she informs Lena of that. Lena just shakes her head at her.

“Leave me to my salads and I’ll leave you to your greasy cheese,” she retorts.

Nia bites back a protest, instead settling for shaking her head back. They share a smile and turn back to their food, and lunch passes in the quickest and easiest hour Nia’s had since she arrived in the city. When they finally stand up, she pulls Lena into another hug.

“Thank you.” She pulls back, just far enough to look Lena in the eyes. “This was the best lunch I’ve had in awhile.”

Lena squeezes Nia’s shoulders. “Anything for an old friend.” Then she sighs, and glances back out the window. “But, now that this is over, it’s back to business again.”

Nia laughs. “Ever the businesswoman. Will you be heading back to CatCo? I could walk with you.”

“No, unfortunately, there’s a problem at L-Corp. You know what they say about doing things right.”

“Alright then.” Nia turns and grabs her bag, before looking back at Lena. “I’ll see you around, Miss Luthor.”

“Miss Nal,” Lena responds, waving goodbye.

Nia waves back, and then heads off. As she hurries across the street, she spots the man from earlier staring at her from inside the restaurant. Nia turns around quickly. That’s not weird at all. She must just look like someone he knows. She shakes her head, resolving to put it out of her mind. She has an article to help write.

*****************

Kara is an excellent mentor, and they work together well. Despite how hard it is to find any other quotes or sources on the organization they talked to, they manage to line up the information they gathered with public statements by other governmental sites. Before the day is done, they have a very rough draft completed. Snapper is sated by their outline, and a promise to talk to the chief of the NCPD in the morning.

Nia sits back in her chair, and Kara follows suit.

“Alright then. It seems we’ve finished early,” Nia comments. “What should we do with our extra time?”

Kara stretches, and then groans. “I have another assignment to finish. Like you said, a reporter’s job is never done around here. You should go home, though. Enjoy the little free time you get as a CatCo employee.”

Nia looks around, watching the others at their desks for a minute. Snapper catches her looking up, and fixes her with a glare. She ducks her head back down again, and Kara chuckles.

“See you tomorrow Nia,” she says, and gathers up her notes. “Have a good afternoon.”

“You too.” Nia looks around one more time, and then picks up her things to go. She takes the smelly afternoon bus back to her apartment, fixes herself a sandwich, and settles down on the couch to binge her favorite, cheesy superhero show. She falls asleep there, on the couch, in the middle of the season finale.

In her dreams, she’s back in the shaking CatCo building. She hears a scream. It’s practically in her ear, and she stumbles forward. The building underneath her feet rumbles, and gives way, and then she’s falling into the dark.