How Bunker Hill Should Have Ended

Plot
Alternate ending to 4x08. Faced with a potential pyrrhic victory, Kara doesn't take that sh*t lying down.

Call this a knee-jerk reaction to the events of 'Bunker Hill' (Season 4 Episode 8 for those of you keeping track), but I just feel like there was one or two things missing from the end. Maybe one of these will turn out to be true when Supergirl returns from the midseason break, but for now, enjoy my fan-grumpiness in a segment I like to call…

Transcript
"Look at my face, look what they did to me. I wore that mask to protect me and my family, because there are aliens who don't like to hear what I believe, don't like to hear the truth, so I'm cards up! What about Supergirl, huh? You know who I am! Who is she?"

Any other time, Kara might have let it go. It was just a general 'you will pay for this' bad guy speech. She'd heard it hundreds of times before.

But maybe it was because of the circumstances, the way this man was the head of a pervasive and discriminatory movement. Maybe it was a byproduct of all the stress the Children of Liberty had been putting on human/alien relations. Maybe it was some of Manchester Black's nihilistic cries of how 'these people will only see you as an alien' getting to her despite all the odds. Maybe it was simply that Ben Lockwood was an admittedly good orator and, as a journalist herself, she knew the power of words and knew that misinformation could easily take root if someone didn't speak the truth.

Maybe, maybe, maybe.

But in that instant, something in Supergirl snapped.

"How dare you."

Her inflection was soft, but the volume was not. Everyone stopped and looked toward the reddening face of the Girl of Steel.

"How dare you!" Supergirl growled, "You think you can stand there, spouting false equivalences and still be listened to after all you've pulled? You think you can compare our lives like any common ground isn't under a mountain of differences? How dare you make light of everything that's happened? HOW DARE YOU, BENJAMIN LOCKWOOD!"

Supergirl stormed right up to him. He flinched a bit at the hard look in her eyes. "You're not going to twist this around. You don't get to speechify your way out of this one." "Speechify?" he asked, his voice a little hoarse.

"I've seen your show. I wanted to give it a fair shake. You raised a few good points, I'll admit…"

"Well, thank y-"

"Too bad the rest of it's bullshit."

He blinked a bit on shock.

"I found your program disgusting and biased. You should be ashamed of yourself for aping Fox News."

"That's a little harsh, don't you think?" Lockwood asked.

"If you had your way, I'd either be killed or driven off the planet I've lived on for over half my life," Supergirl deadpanned, "Sorry, but I'm not pulling my punches today."

"You can't stop me from speaking my mind!"

"I know," Supergirl replied lightly, "Wasn't intending to, really. I'm a proponent of free speech. I do not begrudge you the right to speak your mind, just as others have the right to choose whether or not to listen to what you say. However, that does not mean that you cannot go unchallenged by others who wish to speak their mind, nor, and this is the important part, can you continue to speak when your speech advocates violence. Your right to swing your fist ends where other people's faces begin. I would have thought a learned man like you would have known that, Professor."

Her disgust was palpable. Off to the side, the reporters had fallen silent, knowing that this moment would be a defining one.

"Let's do a little account of the Children of Liberty, shall we? Blackmail, extortion, destruction of public property, destruction of private property, assault, theft of government property, jailbreak, murder, the attempted detonation of Shelley Island, two attempts on my life, and I'm sure there's a lot more I'm forgetting. And you must have known what you were doing was extreme, because you hid your actions from your family, putting on a mask to hide your identity.

"I put on a mask too, I admit that. I shield my private life from the public so as to protect my family. I do it because I have made enemies, and if my address were public knowledge, I'd have an army outside my doorstep, just waiting to try and kill me and everyone I care about. I understand the need for keeping my real name a secret.

"The difference between us is that I'm not using my 'mask' to go out and kill people! You can pretty it up all you like. You can claim you're defending your family, you can tar all aliens with the same black brush, you can whine about all the unfairness of the world even when most of the worries are just jumping at shadows. But that still doesn't change the fact that you. Are. A. MURDERER!"

Ears rang from the force of Supergirl's voice.

"And your movement is more of the same! Stirring up hatred and intolerance, feeding off people's fear to make them dance to your tune, and causing actual harm to other people just trying to live their lives as best they can. You are hurting innocent people, killing them, and nothing you say is going to hide that fact."

"That is not what I-"

"Let's play pretend for a second. Let's say you had a gun in your hand. It's loaded with a Kryptonite bullet, capable of hurting or even killing me."

She stepped back and spread her arms.

"Would you shoot me?"

Lockwood was silent.

"Your voice is silent, but your face says yes," Supergirl said, "And that's the grand message at the heart of the Children of Liberty. It's not about liberty, about freedom from fear. It's about wielding that fear like a club to smash anything that you deem different. It's about teaching them that violence is strength and revenge is a worthy cause. It's about telling people to be afraid, to give into all their fears and embrace every dark and twisted part of their souls as a result. You dress it up in the flag, but it's still not different from those white supremacists who smashed up Charlottesville a year ago.

"The proof that your actions can have deadly consequences is today, when a dangerously skilled man attacked you and your wife. But here's the kicker, the single fact that destroys your argument of aliens wanting to silence you: Manchester was human. He came after you because you killed his fiancé, just because she was an alien. You used her powers to stage what appeared to be an alien attack, one that would give you credibility, and what you did killed her. She died in her fiancé's arms, after days of pain and suffering. That pain of loss prompted him to hunt you down. He wanted to hurt you the way you hurt him. Violence begetting violence, an endless cycle of pain!"

Supergirl heaved a deep sigh.

"The worst part is, you could have stopped it before you began, Professor Lockwood. You could have prevented the wheel from turning anew. You could have used that magnificent brain, those excellent oratory skills, and your nice and shiny professorship as tools for peace and equality for all. But instead, you chose to follow in the footsteps of violent extremists, thus perpetuating the cycle."

She glared at him.

"I hope it's worth it."

She turned to the police officers.

"Get him out of my sight. His shortsightedness and fearmongering disgusts me."

She spun on her heel and walked off, her head held high.

The cameras and microphones caught everything. oOo

Later…

Supergirl flew into the DEO, hoping for an update. To her surprise, they had a visitor, standing next to Colonel Haley and Alex.

"President Baker," she said, "What can we help you with?"

"I'm glad you asked that, Supergirl."

He held up a copy of The Metropolis Inquisitor.

"Human rights activist imprisoned," he read.

"You really shouldn't read that publication," Supergirl replied, "They're trash. And I'd hardly call Lockwood a human rights activist."

"But it serves as an example," President Baker said, "A lot of people, a lot of donors, are asking how we can tolerate this in a government that is supposed to be for the people?"

"That mean to imply that aliens aren't?"

"Aren't what?"

"People…sir."

Privately, Kara bristled. She shouldn't have had to spell that out. And she didn't like where this was going.

"Of course not-"

"Good, because I question your sources."

President Baker hummed a bit, then shrugged.

"I will admit, your blasting of Lockwood was good work, but people are still talking. Enough people in enough places…well, I'll be frank. You're a government employee, same as I am. And as such, we need to make sure that we're serving all of the people of this country. Not just the ones we agree with."

It was a good sentiment, Kara agreed with it. So why did it feel so slimy?

"For reasons of National Security, from now on, the DEO will require full transparency from its assets," Colonel Haley explained.

Alex and Kara traded a look. Was this going where they thought it was going?

"We need to know your secret identity, Supergirl," President Baker said.

And there is was.

A wave of fear washed over Kara, even as Alex stepped forward, planting herself beside her sister.

"No. We keep her off the books for a reason. She can't tell you that, sir." "And why not?" the president asked, all geniality gone, "Lockwood just shined a huge spotlight on the fact that you are withholding who you really are. Now, keeping that secret enflames things. Gives the public more reasons to distrust you and my government."

Kara tried to steady her breathing. When she started working for the DEO, she was always concerned that this might happen. Officially, she was labeled as a contractor for the organization, a specialist they could call upon. But she always worried about the possibility that someone up the chain of command might start making noise that would lead to this very thing.

Kara was tired. She was tired of this rising anti-alien tide, she was tired of the vaguely threatening stares of Colonel Haley, she was tired of the political posturing of this president, who seemed a lot less sure of himself than Olivia Marsdin, carried himself with a little less decorum.

And now he was asking for her identity, something so precious to her.

She took a deep breath.

"I am willing to do a lot of things to safeguard the people of this planet. I have allied myself with the government, something my cousin has long been unwilling to do. I stomached when the DEO had access to Kryptonite, because I knew they would be able to keep it safe. I killed my uncle, because he was threatening this world. If this had been Krypton, where family and the House were everything, Non's death would have seen me punished severely. But what you're asking…I can't give you that. If I did that, sir, everyone I know, everyone I love, would be at risk."

Baker's face hardened, and he stepped closer to Supergirl.

"My family is with the Secret Service as we speak. You think they're not in danger?"

"My family's best defense is anonymity," Supergirl countered.

"That's not good enough. No one should be above the rest of us. I need to put country first." Something about that last sentence felt disingenuous, Kara thought. She kept her breath even, trying to tamp down the anxiety roiling in her gut. The room had gone extremely quiet. A tension hung in the air. She flicked her gaze to the DEO agents watching. They looked at her with sympathy.

Supergirl took a breath and squared her shoulders. She channeled every ounce of courage she had in her and slipped on a resolute mask.

"I'm sorry, sir. I can't give you what you want."

There was a pause, as if he had been expecting her to cave and was now lost when she didn't. But then President Baker slid into a cold stare.

"Then, I thank you for your service, but you are dismissed, effective immediately. I hope you'll comply. The United States does not want a war with Supergirl."

"Mr. President, I hope you've thought through your decision instead of simply reacting. The people who want you to do this, they're emotionally charged, not thinking clearly."

"You may give whatever clearance ID you have to Director Danvers on the way out," he replied coolly.

Supergirl sniffed dismissively.

"Very well, sir. I hope you can live with the decision. And I trust you won't start that war." He turned away and walked back to his Secret Service detachment.

"Hey, give me some time, they'll come around," Alex said softly to her.

"Protect this place and everything it stands for," Kara whispered back, "This hopefully isn't over." She turned to go, walking up familiar steps to the balcony and floating upward.

She paused a moment outside the DEO building. She listened to the heartbeats of the people inside.

She heard racing hearts, a tide of anger suffusing the building, and she suppressed a smile. oOo

The next day…

Colonel Haley stormed into Alex's office.

"Why is there hardly anyone working the hub?"

Alex looked up from her small mountain of paperwork. She slid the folder she was looking at across the table.

Haley looked it over. "A resignation?"

"The entirety of the paperwork on this desk is more of the same," Alex said, taking a sip of her coffee, "Seems word got out about Supergirl's dismissal and the reasons therein. By my estimate, about half the DEO has tendered their resignations. Talk about solidarity, right?" Haley looked at Alex, stunned.

"Honestly, the only reason I'm still here is a personal favor to Supergirl, keeping the DEO from descending back to the old 'imprison first, ask questions later, if at all' mindset of years ago. Apparently, the move towards a more policing body that was spearheaded by Director J'onzz and Supergirl was a popular one."

It was a stinging rebuke, given that the move was disliked by Colonel Haley, and both women knew it.

"Few of the senior staff remain," Alex continued, "This morning, I had to personally convince Vasquez to stay on, if only to have someone I trust implicitly at my side. Brainy's still here, but don't expect him to be very friendly for a while."

Alex set her mug down heavily.

"In one fell swoop, the President just cut us off at the knees, all because of pressure to do what was politically convenient instead of what was right. I hope he's happy. Now, I've had a terrible start to the day and I still have a lot of paperwork to get through, so with all due respect, Colonel, get the hell out of my office."

Alex turned back to her paperwork. Haley left, her mind awhirl.

oOo Cat Grant sat hunched over her computer, grunting.

"Why did I agree to stay on and help that weasel, again?" she asked herself.

She heard a tapping on glass, and looked up to see Supergirl hovering outside her window. She immediately hurried to let her in.

"Supergirl, nice to see you."

"Likewise, Miss Grant. Now, I wish I could say this was a social call, but I need your help." "What can I help with?"

And so Supergirl began to tell her. She told Cat of the capture of Ben Lockwood and the storm that had ensued between those who saw him as the murderer he was and those who still painted him as a savior. She told Cat of President Baker's caving to political pressure and demanding to know her identity, and of her dismissal upon her refusal.

"And now I'm adrift. I don't have the DEO at my back anymore, I still have all this anti-alien stuff to get through, and I need help making sense of it all."

Cat was quiet at first. Then she got up, went to her kitchen, poured two glasses of wine, and shoved on in Supergirl's hands.

"I always suspected Baker was a coward, but this is something else," Cat replied, swirling her wine in her glass, "Since we can't easily go public with your dismissal, we'll have to approach from the other angle. I caught you bringing the heat down on Lockwood. That was well done, Kara."

"I learned from the best. He should be glad I didn't compare him to Breitbart," Kara replied, privately sighing at the confirmation that Cat knew her identity, but overall not surprised. "Well, keep that in mind, because you basically need to do more of that. Keep tearing down the Children of Liberty every chance you get. Make sure no one forgets that Ben Lockwood, for all his handsome looks and excellent oration, is a demagogue and a murderer. Keep equating his movement with hate and intolerance, and don't let those soulless morons slide in their fake news."

"I was thinking about that," Kara said, sipping her wine, "On my flight over here, an idea popped into my head. Lockwood's partners in this endeavor at first were Mercy and Otis Graves. Old guard Luthor allies. If that fact were leaked, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to equate the Children of Liberty with Cadmus. Sort of a Cadmus 2.0."

"Not bad, not bad. And since Cadmus is well-known for their terrorist actions and their leader is in jail, it will do serious damage to Lockwood's credibility."

The two continued in that vein, tossing ideas around. Finally, Cat dropped a bomb.

"I think it's pretty clear what has to happen next, at least for me. I need to come back." "Really?" Kara asked, her eyes wide, "What about being the Press Secretary?"

"That boob is digging his grave with all this, and when word gets out that he censured Supergirl, our illustrious President can kiss his job good-bye. Might take time for word to get out, but it'll happen," Cat replied, "Honestly, I was thinking of abandoning ship anyway. The culture of the White House has gotten rather toxic and fearful, and I was despairing of being a voice of reason."

She sighed.

"I was torn as to Olivia stepping down, but I understood her reasons. I only wish the man who she chose as her number two had some of her backbone. No, there's little more I can do here. But if I can help expose the lies of the Children of Liberty, if I can bring some sense back to the public, that will do far more than remaining where I am." "It'll be nice to have you back," Kara smiled.

"Don't get soft on me, Keira," Cat scolded, "We haven't won yet."

"No," Supergirl replied, a hard gleam in her eye, "We have not yet begun to fight."