<Author note: This chapter takes place in 'our dimension' with the 'alternate dimension' characters. I will try and post this at the beginning of every chapter just to keep folks in the right head space when reading. Feedback always appreciated.>
"Will you relax, Doc?" Maggie said quietly as she and Alex walked down the hallway toward the DEO Command Center.
"I can't relax. I'm in the DEO." Alex put two fingers to her neck, taking her pulse. "My heart is racing. I feel like somehow my parents are just going to know I'm in here and they'll call."
"You're and adult, and you're worried your parents will call and yell at you? Wait, you're a doctor, and you're worried your parents will call and yell at you?"
"Oh, I don't care if they yell," Alex replied. "They call and say, 'Alexandria, we're very, very disappointed in you. I thought we raised you better.' Parental disappointment is the worst."
"If you say so. My parents think I'm an FBI agent. They couldn't be prouder." When Alex glared at her, Maggie added, "Hey, I have some good news for you. Not only won't your phone work while you're down here, your parents are on another dimension. I bet your calling plan doesn't cover that."
"That's true."
"Ma'am," another soldier said as they walked by Alex and Maggie.
Maggie nodded, and Alex avoided eye contact.
"Let's just get what we need and get out of here. When they made me put my hand on that panel and get my retinas scanned, I thought I'd pass out. How do these people even have my retina scans?" Alex asked.
"We're the DEO. We know...EVERYTHING," Maggie said as she leaned in close and laughed.
"Stop it," Alex said pushing Maggie away.
Maggie just laughed more as they entered the Command Center. Gesturing with her head toward someone leaning in front of a console and typing, Maggie said, "That's my guy."
"Which one?"
"Good jaw, spikey hair."
"The one not in uniform?" Alex asked. "He looks short."
"I'm short. Why isn't he in uniform?" Maggie shook her head. "Maybe he got called in on his day off. Follow me. Make like a bookend so I can talk to him."
As Winn stood leaning forward typing, someone came up on either side of his shoulders. He looked left and then right, seeing Maggie and then Alex. He went back to what he was doing, but they remained there, obviously wanting something. He looked over at Alex who met his eyes with an odd look of anxiety. Turning to his left met him with Maggie's ready smile.
"Ladies," Winn said. "Do you need something?"
"Sure do," Maggie said. "Can you take twenty?"
"Twenty what?" Winn asked.
"Twenty minutes, Winn," Maggie clarified.
"Well, I uh...I guess so. I just need to finish up a few things."
"Great. Meet us in sparring room five," Maggie whispered into Winn's ear.
Winn brushed away the tickle at his ear, but then his eyes flew wide open. A hand had cupped his butt, then squeezed firmly. Fingers frozen above the keyboard, he didn't move at first, then looked over his shoulder seeing Maggie and Alex walking away. Swallowing hard, he locked his console while he quietly said to himself, "Please let it be both of them. Please let it be both of them."
Winn arrived in sparring room five about twenty seconds after Alex and Maggie. The door opened, and he fairly tripped over himself as he stumbled into the room. Standing upright, he pulled his shirt straight and nodded at them both.
Clearing his throat, he said, "Ladies, what did you, both of you, the two of you in here at the same time, need from me?"
"Winn." Walking up to stand within inches of Winn, Maggie smiled broadly. "We need a favor. Could you do a favor for us?"
"A favor? I...I...I like favors. Favors are some of my favorite things. What kind of favor?"
"A friendly favor," Maggie said running her hand up and down Winn's chest and along his shoulder. "Is this a new shirt?"
Winn's laugh was almost a giggle. "Maybe. Do you want it to be?"
"Sure. It looks good on you."
"I like your shirt too, uh..." Winn looked over at Alex who seemed a combination of bored and annoyed, but not hostile. "...Maggie."
"You like anything else about me?" Maggie asked as she slid her hands over Winn's shoulders.
"Wa...wa...wait," Winn said as he stepped away and unwrapped Maggie's arms from his neck. "I, yes. I do. Of course, I do. I mean you're all...Wow! I notice. Who doesn't notice, right? But this?" Looking at Alex, Winn shook a finger at her. "This is a test. I know a test when I see one. I'm not failing this test."
"A test?" Alex asked, now curious.
"My life isn't this good. No one's life is this good. This is about that dream, isn't it?"
"What dream?" Alex asked.
"The Princess Leia dream I told to Monroe, the one with two Princess Leias. Look, it was just a dream. You can't control your dreams. Plus Carrie Fischer had just died. What red-hearted American geek wasn't dreaming about Princess Leia? You two were just doing your part...in my psyche I mean."
"Carrie Fischer died?" Alex asked, hand over her heart.
"What rock were you under?" Winn replied. "So to be clear, if anyone in this room was ever interested, or everyone in this room, then yes, but I'm not failing this test. I don't need Alex deciding that I need extra martial arts training for the next year."
"Um, okay," Maggie said. "Well, any chance you'd be willing to pull some data for us just because we're friends?"
"DEO data?" Winn asked.
Maggie nodded.
"I'll do it for Alex."
"You will?" Alex replied, clearly surprised.
"Sure. Why wouldn't I?"
"Uh...Maggie?" Alex stared at the other woman.
"No reason," Maggie replied, having no idea what was going on. "So, Winn, we're looking for a power surge that happened in the last eight hours. We need something huge."
"How huge?" Winn asked.
"Something that could damage the fabric of the space/time continuum," Alex supplied.
"Time travel?" Winn asked. "Did someone travel through time?"
"No it's...it isn't time," Alex asked.
"So it's a hole in space," Winn said.
"Winn, get Alex the answer she needs and don't tell anyone else," Maggie told him.
"Can do. I'll send you the information."
"Oh, our phones are...broken," Maggie said the last word slowly.
"I can get Alex a new phone. You should stop off at your wireless provider, Maggie."
"I should...? I should do that," Maggie said. "Come on, let's head out, Alex. We need to catch up to your sister."
"Oh, say hi to Kara for me. I'll see her on game night," Winn said.
"You will?" Alex and Maggie asked together.
"Wouldn't miss it. Hey, just so I know, that was a test, right? You two weren't just bored or curious, were you?" Winn asked.
"Curious? Curious about what?" Alex asked, curious about being curious.
"Well, I don't know. I've heard sometimes that straight women get curious about women. I wondered if lesbians get curious about men." Winn looked back and forth between the stunned expressions on Maggie and Alex's faces and laughed as he pointed between them both. "See, it was a test. I knew it was a test. You two are perfect for each other. You're such a great couple. I'm going to get Alex a new phone. Grab it from me before you leave. I'll send you those results as soon as I have them."
As Winn left, Maggie looked over at Alex and asked, "Did he say—?"
"No. I didn't hear it, so no."
"We're lesbians?" Maggie asked.
"No."
"We're a couple?"
"No!" Alex replied more loudly. "What is wrong with you? Someone will hear you."
"I think everyone but us already knows. So do you think—?"
"Don't touch me!" Alex said taking several steps away.
"I wasn't going to."
"You moved."
"My arm," Maggie said waving her hand around. "I also blinked. Did you think I was going to attack you with my lesbian eyelashes?"
"Shut up. You're an idiot."
Smiling, Maggie stepped closer as Alex backed away.
"What are you doing?" Alex asked.
"I think the lady doth protest too much."
"It's 'the lady doth protest too much methinks.' If you're going to harass me, at least get the quote right."
"Oh, I'll harass you, Doc," Maggie said running her hand along Alex's arm.
"Stop it!" Alex said slapping at Maggie and backing out of the room. "Why are you doing this?"
"Mainly because it annoys you, same as usual. Today though, I'm your girlfriend so play nice sweetie. That's what everyone will expect," Maggie said as she walked next to Alex down the hallway.
As Maggie tried to take her hand, Alex slapped it away.
"Agent Danvers!"
Both Alex and Maggie turned slowly, seeing a large, African-American man striding toward them purposefully. He was wearing the uniform of a DEO agent and carried himself as if he had years of experience.
Whispering over her shoulder, Alex asked, "Who is that?"
"That is Hank Henshaw, director of the DEO. I've mentioned him. He's tough, mean, anti-alien, and a general bad-ass. I'm pretty sure he catches bullets in his teeth before breakfast. He's everything you hate about this place. I love him like a father. Play nice."
As J'onn arrived, Alex nodded and said, "Director."
"Director?" J'onn tilted his head to the side. "Are you mad at me Alex?"
"Um...no Sir," Alex replied.
"You look well, Sir," Maggie said with a smile.
"Thank you, Detective. As do you."
As soon as he called her Detective, Maggie took a step back. She wasn't part of the DEO? This wasn't her family? She was a...cop? Everything was wrong.
"Alex, how did the testing at L-Corp go?" J'onn asked.
"Testing at L-Corp?" Alex repeated.
"Yes, Alex, the testing? Lena Luthor had some new piece of technology to unveil. You went in as your cover as an FBI agent while your sister was writing a story for it for that newspaper she works for. Detective Sawyer, you were there, weren't you?"
"Yes, Sir," Maggie said snapping back into action when she was addressed. "It was a bust, Sir. The machine didn't work. Mrs. Luthor intends to do another test and Alex thought we should be there for that also, right Alex?"
"I...right," Alex said nodding.
"Miss Luthor," J'onn corrected.
"Excuse me?" Maggie asked.
"You called her Mrs. Luthor. Lena is Miss Luthor. Her mother is Mrs. Luthor. Oh, how I'd like to get that woman in my sights again. I realize she's human and doesn't have powers, but the human courts haven't been able to hold her. Though it loathes me to say it, that woman needs to be thrown into a hole, and that hole needs to be filled in."
"You're not serious, are you?" Alex asked thinking of Lillian.
"Those are my feelings, Alex. She very nearly killed the entire alien population of this planet and would have if not for her daughter. No, punishing humans isn't our job, but protecting this planet is, all peaceful people on this planet. The alien refugees here need our protection too. The likes of Lillian Luthor and Cadmus are the true enemy." While Alex and Maggie both stood there stunned, he added, "I'll see you and your sister here at 7:00 tomorrow?"
"My sister?" Alex repeated. "My sister Kara?"
"Do you have another sister?" J'onn asked.
"God, I hope not," Alex mumbled under her breath.
"They'll be here, Sir," Maggie promised.
"Good," J'onn said, looking oddly at Maggie, then addressing Alex again. "Oh, and Alex, make sure you're in uniform. Those shoes, you'll break an ankle if you have to go into combat in those. See you in the morning." Winking, he clapped Alex on the back and smiled as he walked away.
As he left Alex said, "Huh. I like him too."
"I have no idea who that was. He looked like Director Henshaw, but he didn't act like Director Henshaw. That was weird."
"Well, I like this DEO. I work here?"
"And I don't. I'm a cop. This world is...I don't like it."
"It seems okay," Alex said.
"You going to feel that way tomorrow morning when you and your sister have a DEO mission?"
"Mission?" Alex shook her head quickly. "I can't do some kind of mission. I'm a scientist. Is that what I do here? Is my job here bio-engineering?"
Maggie shrugged. "Let me answer that question with a question. Can you bio-engineer with those shoes on?"
"Bio-engineer is not a verb," Alex sighed. "And yes."
"Huh. Then the answer to your question is no. Guess tomorrow we'll find out what your job is. Hey, want me to teach you some grapples?" Maggie asked, wrapping an arm around Alex's waist.
"Aaahhh!" Alex let out a shriek as she danced away from Maggie, slapping freely. "Stop touching me!"
Holding out a hand, Maggie wiggled the fingers at Alex. While she smiled, she waggled her eyebrows.
"No," Alex said.
"Oh, come on pookie-bear. Hold your girlfriend's hand."
"Isn't there some rule against fraternization or something in the DEO?"
"Maybe," Maggie admitted, "But I'm not in the DEO. I'm a police detective. Hey, I wonder where I work. I wonder where I live."
"Both good questions you should try and get answered somewhere far from me," Alex urged with shooing motions from the back of her hands.
"Don't be that way, Doc. Anyway, I need to get you to the armory."
"The armory? Why in the world would I ever need to go to the armory?"
"Do you know how to fire a pistol?" Maggie asked.
"Of course not," Alex replied.
"That's why. Tomorrow you might need to know how. So, before you get yourself or anyone else killed, I'm going to teach you. We're also going to find your locker and make sure you can suit up. I'll show you how to properly don body armor. We'll do a couple of quick, easy take-downs too."
Arms folded, Alex stared down at Maggie.
"It's not a trick. You could get yourself killed if you go in there completely blind tomorrow. Hey, let me find out what your mission specs are for the morning, okay? I bet Winn will get those for me."
"You mean for me."
"Right, right, for you, because you're...whoever the hell you are here. We should also find that out." Holding out her hand again, Maggie said, "Give me a chance to set you up right, Doc?"
Alex reached out, but then pulled back her hand. "No tricks?"
"Nah. I want to get back to where I can harass you and have home court advantage. I'm not digging this away team feel. Maybe we could make peace until we're both where we're supposed to be?"
"So a ceasefire?" Alex asked, thinking she understood Maggie.
"Just while we're here. As soon as were home, you may continue hating me, unless it turns out you don't really hate me."
"Oh, I'll still hate you," Alex promised.
"Okay, lady's choice. For now..." Maggie held out her hand again.
After considering, Alex took the hand, and the two began to walk.
"You know I could figure this all out on my own, don't you? The only reason I'm not ditching you is I think we may need to account for the same energy we took through the dimensional hole as we're bringing back."
"Huh?" Maggie asked.
"I can't leave you here. A one way trip for you is a one way trip for me...hypothetically speaking."
"Ah. Well, hypothetically thank you."
"That isn't what that...close enough," Alex said as she made a right at the end of the corridor.
Maggie tugged hard on Alex's arm, pulling her in the opposite direction. "Armory is this way."