Hydrology

“Hey, Winn. Yeah, it’s Alex. Can I ask a favor?”

Winn was over in under ten minutes, and Alex had a sneaking suspicion he had still been at the DEO when he called. With the Guardian becoming more prominent, he had been making more and more gadgets to give James an edge.

When he knocked, she quickly ushered him inside, taking the stuffed duffel bag from his shoulder as she shut and locked the door. When the bag came to rest on the counter with a heavy thud Winn visibly cringed, but Alex was already digging around inside. The red spray paint came out first, followed by a slew of technology the DEO agent recognized from her years in the field and some she assumed were made for the Guardian.

“Um, Alex? What are you planning on doing with all of this stuff? I really think we should tell Ka-”

Alex cut him off. “No! We aren’t telling Kara. Not about Guardian, and not about… this. She needs to focus on finding and sealing the breach, and you know if she knows it’s me and James behind those masks, she’ll have an ear on us at all times. I love my sister and how much she cares, but it’s just better if she doesn’t always have one foot out the door to help us.”

She picked up the heavy duty grapple gun with a smile, fitting it to the tactical belt she had around her waist, and Winn continued.

“So… are you joining Guardian? I mean, James and I are kind of a dynamic duo...” He let out a light chuckle as he spoke, trying to keep the situation light as Alex checked out the various weapons she had laid out.

“Not exactly. I want to be patched into your network though. If we’re both out in the field, it seems like a waste not to be in contact. In case you boys run into something you can’t handle.”

“Hey! Who’s to say you won’t be the one calling for help.”

Alex simply sent a look over her shoulder, and Winn deflated a bit.

“Yeah, you’re a Danvers.”

With a self assured smile, Alex swung the black and red cape over her shoulders.

“So, why do I need a cape? It’s not made out of Kara’s blanket, is it?”

“No! Of course not. But it is designed to be similar. I’ve been developing it for Mon-El’s costume. From the tests I’ve run, it should be able to stop bullets. I mean, not as well as Kara’s, since it isn’t Kryptonian, or alien in any way really, but you don’t really care about that, do you? Yeah, it’s bulletproof and fire-proof. Basically an extra layer of protection.”

Alex gave the cape an experimental flick with her wrist, the heavy material swinging in an arc as she spun. “It could also do some real damage in a fight.”

Winn only looked minorly freaked out as she said that, busying himself with attaching the communication device to the mask Alex provided.

“Why is your first move to turn anything you touch into a weapon? Everything isn’t a weapon.” He was mumbling, but Alex heard and lightly hit him with it.

“Because I’m about to go out into the field on my own. Every weapon I can get is an asset.”

“Right. Dangerous missions. That’s a good reason.” Winn nodded and held up the mask. The antennae of the comm stuck up past the edges of the mask, and Alex tilted her head.
“Does it have to be so tall?”

“If you want to communicate across National City, it does. Look, I packed a supercomputer into a tiny mask. You could stand to be a little more impressed.”

Alex actually cracked a smile at that. “I am impressed, Winn. Thank you.”

As Alex suited up the rest of the way, affixing the mask behind her ears, Winn’s phone started to ring.

“It’s James. He’s ready to go out on patrol.” He tapped the phone against his palm awkwardly. “Is there anything else I can do? The comm is online, so you’ll be able to hear us, and a tap to your end will let us hear you.”

Alex shook her head, a smile still on her face. “Not a thing. Go fight some crime.”

Winn’s smile blasted across his face, and Alex chuckled and gave into the offered high five as he ran out the door.

Looking at herself in the mirror, the oldest Danvers couldn’t help but hold herself a bit taller. The tactical gear was form fitting, but the cape made her look much larger and more intimidating, and the beak of the mask created a striking silhouette. Glancing behind her, she regarded the red wig for a moment before pulling it over her head. She was really unrecognizable. She was no longer Alex Danvers; she was the Batwoman.
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“Guardian to Batwoman! I repeat, Guardian to Batwoman! We have a real situation blowing up and we could use some backup.”

Alex tapped the comm in her ear and punched out the would-be robber, letting him drop to the ground.

“Just cleaned up in front of Stormy’s. If you call the cops over here, I’ll start heading to your location.”

She straddled her trusty bike, the iconic Bat-Signal still sprayed in red on the side, but the crossed out FBI sigil was covered by a new layer of black. It sailed through the streets, dodging between cars and late night traffic, the populous of National City apparently never sleeping. Her cape was a streak behind her, creating an impressive figure.

The bank the Guardian was protecting that night was surrounded by floodlights, and Alex didn’t hesitate a moment to drive straight into the fray outside, swinging the bike on its front tire to knock the legs out from under one of the crooks, offering the Guardian a smile.

“Am I late?”

A loud and familiar laugh echoed inside the metal helmet, and the Guardian responded. “Right on time, Batwoman. Thanks for the support.”

Alex ducked under the Guardian’s shield, that and parts of the armor recently painted a dull gold, and landed a solid hit on the robber’s nose, sending him reeling back. A small ruckus started in the bank, and two gun-toting thugs stepped out, one holding a sack, presumably full of cash. The first levelled his UZI at the crime fighters, and Alex couldn’t help the smile from pulling at her lips as he opened fire, and she dragged her cape up to shield both herself and James. The bullets slammed into the fabric, but it held, and the small, deadly bits showered onto the ground.

Paralyzed by the display, Alex took full advantage of the moment, unleashing her own weapons. The UZI user took a rubber bullet to the cheek, and he went reeling back. The other dropped the sack and put his hands up. As James knocked down the last of the crooks outside, Alex shot her grapple gun just past the surrendering guy’s head, slamming it home in the wall and knocking the trigger. She clung to the device and flew forward, knocking the robber back and out.

Pulling the hook from the wall, Alex smiled again. She dumped the bag of cash just inside the doors as James joined her, the pair sharing a high five and breathing hard.

“That was fancy work with that cape of yours.”

Tapping her comm, Alex made sure Winn was listening. “Yep, that’s all on Winn. He’s pretty damn good at this.”

Over the comms, Winn responded. “You should get into more crazy crossfires if it makes you appreciate my genius. But we might want to take this party somewhere else. The cops are en route. Eta: less than a minute.”

James and Alex rushed back to their respective bikes and took off as the sirens approached, and Alex vaguely wondered if Maggie was going to hear about the Batwoman back at the station.
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Someone in National City had clearly heard about the Batwoman, and news travelled fast. Alex stepped into the DEO the following morning a bit late, opting to walk to work, seeing as her bike was still decked out for Batwoman, and she was practically assaulted by Winn.

“Alex, I think we’re in trouble. You-know-who is all over the news!”

Alex shook her head and patted Winn’s shoulder, holding back any jokes in favor of calming the techy down. “Don’t worry about it, Winn. We handled the Guardian; we can handle this, too. At least Batwoman isn’t being charged with murder.”

Winn flinched at the reminder about the Guardian hiccup, and Alex’s cold exterior faded.

“Seriously. We have Jimmy running press, and I can convince Maggie to stop any manhunts that may or may not pop up. After all, the city has bigger fish to fry with the breach. I’m sure a new vigilante is the last thing people will care about. Just keep it cool”

“Danvers!” Alex jumped at her name, maybe not as chill about the whole Batwoman thing as she had lead Winn to believe. Her stoic expression was back in a blink as J’onn approached.

“Director Henshaw.” Tension hung in the air, and Alex held her ground firmly, holding her hands behind her back as silence hung for a moment. “Do you have an assignment for me?”

J’onn frowned at the pose and his eyes narrowed just a bit. Alex steeled herself and glared right back. “Director, if you could leave my thoughts to myself this time.”

Sighing, he backed off and tried to extend an olive branch. “Alex…”

But he was cut off by a new face entering the scene. “So you’re Alex Danvers? Director Henshaw told me we’ll be working closely together. I’m-”

Alex cut in, a friendly smile on her face rather than the defensive mask. No one else needed to know about her dirty laundry with J’onn. “Detective Montoya.”

“Renee, please. So, you’ve heard of me?” She had a flirty smile that reminded Alex of her own detective. The reminded Alex that she hadn’t heard from the detective since yesterday’s disappointing phone call. The mental image of Maggie hunched over her desk at the station, an old cup of coffee next to her as she worked the night through brought a smile to Alex’s face as she answered Montoya.

“I’ve seen you on the news with Commissioner Gordon. What’s brought you so far from Gotham?”

J’onn was the one to answer, and the words sent a chill down Alex’s spine.

“You and Detective Montoya are going to be hunting down the Batwoman.”