Kara and Cate were walking along the sidewalk deep in conversation about the movie they had just watched.
She had joined Kara at school in order to experience the curriculum system for a day to know what she will be up against when her time to enroll in one university comes.
She'll have to convince her mother.
"Everyone was so dressed up at your school. You could have given me a warning." Cate was still unhappy about that part of her day.
"What's wrong with what you're wearing?" She chuckled at her friend, her eyes scanning the outfit.
Since all Cate had were clothes from Diana prince's closet, she wore a simple t-shirt and jeans with sneaker and a pair of glasses. Diana Prince's closet was similar to Clarks in that it contained clothes that dulled their appearance because if they were to go all out like their counterparts in the league, they'd be discovered sooner rather than later.
Cate crossed her arms and glared at Kara.
"No one noticed. That's just your paranoia talking." Kara reassured her friend then continued "Besides, they were busy admiring your pretty face among other things…" A statement that got her a playful punch from cate who was now chuckling recalling the reactions.
"Ouch!" Kara soothed her arm. "Okay. I deserve that." She grinned at the thought of how she attracted the whole football team to their table at lunch earning glares from every cheerleader in the cafeteria.
She was friends with some of them but they never ate lunch with her due to the obvious stereotype of the cool kids and the geeks. Kara always projected herself as a geek in school. They ended up ditching her last class to go to the cinema away from all the attention.
"It's not funny!" Cate complained. "If mother ever found out what happened at your school my hopes of ever attending one will be shattered!" Her mother and sisters don't trust men.
"Sorry! Your mother sounds like my cousin and grandpa. They want to know everything I am doing." Sometimes her cousin forgets that she's technically older than him.
"What if we don't tell them everything?" Cate had an amusing expression on her face.
"What do you mean?" Kara ever curious, turned.
"I need clothes. I won't spend the next weeks sharing with my sister. Can we go shopping?" She may need Kara's advise more than Diana's in that task.
Kara smiled with a gleam in her eyes and crushed her in a hug forgetting her strength for a moment.
"Oh…Sorry" Kara stepped back and scanned looking for injuries.
"I'm fine." Cate shrugged off her concern.
"I keep forgetting you're more durable than almost everyone I know." Kara was relieved. Had it been Lois, her cousin would never forgive her for hugging his girlfriend to death after her excitement got the better of her at that moment.
"Of course. Just say the day and we will get you a whole new wardrobe. I wouldn't mind picking myself a couple of clothes actually." She only ever went with Martha in small Ville when she spent the holidays with them.
"What about now?" Cate replied with uncertainty. "If you've got time that is" she added after noticing Kara stare off over her shoulder into the distance, deep in thought about something.
"What..?" She asked focusing on cate again.
"Yes, we can go right now. But we're going to need money so I'll buy for you some outfits then you'll talk to Diana for the next shoping trip." She explained not knowing if they used money back in their home.
"That's alright. We can use this." Cate started searching for something in her pockets.
"Diana said I can use it for emergencies during my stay here." She held up the card.
Cate watched her friends eyes widen in surprise, her facial expression turning to that of awe and was no doubt scanning it using her enhanced vision. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's just that I have never seen one of those before." She pointed to the card.
"What? You don't have a credit card?" According to her research this was how most of the people payed for things including university students.
"I have one but yours is special. Rumour has it that not everyone can get it." She reached out and took it from her then examined it. It was a couple of inches thicker than the normal credit card. "You have to be invited to receive one of those."
Cate shrugged thinking it was what royalty used so not many people were farmiliar with it. "Okay. We can use it. This qualifies as an emergency."
"Definitely a code red situation." Kara agreed handing her the card and turning to look into the distance again. "Let's make one tiny pit stop. I have to retrieve something." She led the away.
Minutes later…
"I was a guest at that fundraiser! I checked in with Lois Lane." She stressed the name hoping it would get their attention.
"We will have to confirm with the guest list. I will inform you when it's ready, please take a seat." The receptionist instructed them pointing to the waiting lounge.
Kara knew the moment she turned away she would not get what she wanted.
A smug smile played at her lips, "I'm actually surprised you can't recall the one who made the largest pledge at the fundraiser."
This got the receptionists attention. She scanned her form. Rumours spreading round the hotel was that a rather young couple managed to out pledge all the powerful people attending.
No It couldn't be her, she's still in school she thought glancing at the other lady beside her. The odd pair managed to make themselves the centre of attention, everyone glancing at them, boty staff and guests.
"Like I said. We have to confirm with the guest list so as to follow up on your claim otherwise you need to provide a warrant from a judge." She insisted. These ladies were definitely the type to escort such powerful people to their top charities and events. They probably wanted to get some incriminating footages so they could extort the guests.
"I was! View the video! I was in the video!" Kara gestured to the cctv at the top right corner. She had hacked into their system while they sat in their lobby pretending to wait for someone but didn't find the video she was looking for.
Further investigation lead to the discovery that the cctv footage clips of that sensitive meeting was stored separate from their main server so she had to ask for it if she wanted it. That's how she found herself trying to convince her way to the video.
"Kara"
She turned to look at Cate, thinking of a different strategy which involves getting Lois involved. She had to have it now that she saw the hotel and recalled with a clear mind. Their has to be a video footage of it.
"Can we get something to eat from their restaurant?" Cate asked her eyeing one man drinking coffee heading out of the revolving doors. They hadn't eaten for a while and this would be as good a place as any to eat.
"Sure. Can we place orders from here? We'll take it to go." Kara asked as hunger invading her senses. She could use something to eat after talking for this long.
"I'm sorry you cannot. The restaurant is down the hall to your right." The lady waved her hand dismissively in a certain direction at the same time Cate stepped forward handing her card over intending to pay.
Kara turned to the direction but watched the second receptionist stare past her in surprise and turned back to watch the other lady standing up taking the card in her hand and looking up at them. They worked in a seven star hotel so they knew all about it.
She had an idea.
"Yes, you can order from the front desk" the lady was still in disbelief staring at them. Her gaze moved to Kara a thought suddenly flashing in her mind. If her friend has this card then she may well be who she says she is.
"We'll get it someplace else. She doesn't want to help us." Kara gestured to cate to take her card back. She looked to Kara confused.
"Everything should be ready in a few minutes once you place your order." The receptionist spoke up immediately tightening her hold on the card. If her boss finds out she denied service to a black card holder, her career would be over.
It wasn't her fault these two did not dress the part.
Kara smiled. "Thank you."
They both made their order and waited in the lounge area with a cup of tea delivered to them. Kara was impressed with the hospitality the card brought forth even though they just ordered simple meals.
Arkhum asylum
Lex Luthor stood in front of a glass panel staring at the figure crouched, trembling and crying in the corner.
Getting inside the asylum undetected resulted in him parting ways with a generous amount of money. He had to see him. The video got distorted so much that nothing was visible. His technicians claiming system failure in the surveillance cameras.
Ares had not returned to his office and he didn't know what happened to the rest. All he saw was Ares disappear from the room and the bright green flash usually accompanied by the shape shifters powers.
He knew Scare crow had been checked into Arkhum asylum where he was gradually slipping into madness. That made all the inmates worried.
"He's been like this ever since he arrived. He was referred to Arkhum by Star city rehabilitation institution." The prison guard informed him.
Scare crows incarceration in this state took everyone by surprise most of the prisoners and guards wondering what could have scared someone that reveled and fed off of fear.
"The doctor says his mind is broken." The guard continued.
Proving his point, scare crow screamed and moved away from a cockroach scurrying towards his bed.
"What happened to him?" Gotham had lived in fear of his fear gases for so long he couldn't comprehend what was happening.
Lex Luthor turned and walked out of the room.
He knew the shapeshifter had something to do with this. He swore under his breath that at one point he saw Ares and scarecrow with a frightened look while facing him.
Did Ares suffer the same fate as scare crow? What could he have turned to? He thought.
For now he will have someone look at whether or not scare crow can recover enough to explain what transpiredin that lair. All the mercenaries succumbed to heart failures and the status of team arrow was still unknown.
Scare crow was the only lead he could pursue for now. He walked out and headed to the waiting helicopter ready to take him back to metropolis.