Distant Cousins

By Michael Weyer

I know, a few already but inspired by both the Captain Marvel movie and the recent Supergirl episodes. And does work into future plans as well.

Earth-38

National City

Usually, Kara Danvers could handle the daily meeting at CatCo. While Cat Grant's commanding presence was as powerful as ever, Kara wasn't as intimidated by her as she'd once been. This didn't mean Cat had mellowed by any means. If anything, her brush with death had left her more focused than ever before. She was still dominating the meeting easily, making a blouse and skirt more formidable than any uniform as she nodded to the television. "As you can see, the not so prodigal son has returned."

On the screen, the familiar face of Maxwell Lord was smiling as he waved at reporters from outside the National City Plaza Hotel. "Yes, after three years who knows where, Maxwell Lord has crawled out and back into the limelight," Cat continued. "Obviously, the issues I have with this man are very well known. Yes, he helped save the city from Myriad but it was also his fault it happened in the first place."

She leaned on the table to give her patented glare that had everyone else involuntarily leaning back. "I want to know where he has been for the last several years. What he has been doing, who he knows, all of it and I want to know before anyone else!" She waved her hand. "Begone!"

As the group filed out, Cat called out "Kara, please wait." Kara did as Cat waited before everyone else left to speak. "Are you all right? I know the…history you and Lord have."

"I can handle it," Kara responded. "Compared to some of the stuff I've faced the last few years, Max really isn't as intimidating as he once was."

"Good to know," Cat said. "As I understand it, he's trying to reassert his company which includes reaching out to L-Corp. Maybe you can get Lena to find out more."

"Thanks for the tip." Kara suddenly paused to cock her head. "Huh. At least I now know why you were so distracted in your early days," Cat stated.

"Yeah, um…gotta go. I'm sorry." Kara shrugged before racing out the door. Cat tapped on her intercom. "James? Best to send someone for photographs. She's on the move."

Just once, Kara thought it would be nice to go an entire solid week without some sort of wild attack occurring in the middle of the city. She had no idea how Kal had managed to go through so many in Metropolis. In this case, it was seeing a familiar-looking figure exiting a bank. She was clad in a black suit with white hair, her face made up to resemble a skull-like figure. Kara let out a deep sigh as she crossed her arms. "Really, Siobhan? You came back?"

Siobhan Martin looked upward, her face twisted into a scowl. "You," she hissed.

"Um, yeah," Kara intoned as she lowered herself onto the ground. "Come on, Siobhan, robbing a bank? This is what you've lowered yourself to?" She shook her head. "I told the DEO they had to keep you under better lock and key."

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me." Taking a deep breath, Silver Banshee unleashed a loud cry. Kara winced as it hit her, her heightened senses making the attack even harder than for a regular human. She grit her teeth as she fought against it even as it knocked her to the ground.

"Come on, Siobhan, you can't beat me."

"Just don't mess with me," Banshee snapped. "You have any idea what it was like being Dusted and then coming back?"

Kara shook her head to clear it as she got back to her feet. "It doesn't have to be like this, Siobhan…Leslie repented before she died."

"Livewire was an idiot," Banshee yelled. "I'm not giving this up and you're not stopping me!"

Kara was rising to her feet when a familiar sound came to her ears. She cocked her head and looked to the side. Banshee was confused, wondering if it was some sort of trick only to feel a rise in the wind. She looked over to see a tear in the space nearby that formed a portal. In moments, a massive black shape exploded through it to land before the women. It seemed to be a strange red form that resembled a spider the size of a tank. It was snarling as it attempted to dodge the attacks of the two women who had followed it through the portal.

"I am blaming you for this!" Black Widow snapped as she dodged one of the six armed blows from the creature. The alien seemed to match her own red hair with her black jumpsuit showing off her form.

"Sure, my fault this thing yanked us through that portal at the lab?" Carol Danvers snapped back. She dodged a blow to fly upward and fire out her blasts of energy. It struck the creature who howled with rage at the blow. Carol flew upward, her blue and red suit gleaming with power as she unleashed another blast.

Kara was quick to grab Siobhan and wrap her to a pole. "Don't go anywhere," she said before flying out to charge at the spider alien. She slammed her fists into its side then spun to punch it in its face. Carol and Natasha both started at her appearance. "Supergirl?" Captain Marvel asked. "Um…your world or ours?"

"Welcome to National City," Kara replied. She slammed another fist into the spider creature. "New friend?"

"Some creature breaking out at Project Pegasus," Carol replied as she blasted the spider alien. "Research lab on our world." She punched the creature with a blast before lifting it over her head. Bending her knees, Carol flew up with the creature. Kara was quickly behind her.

Banshee had unleashed a small scream to unlock the bonding around her. She was about to move when she saw Widow glaring at her. Banshee drew herself up to prepare a scream…and that was the last thing she remembered before it all went black.

Above, Kara tossed the spider into the air as Carol brought her hands together to fire off a blast. It struck the creature dead on as it howled in pain. Together, the two women grabbed it and flew it downward to smash it into the pavement.

Carol winced as she rose up. "That was annoying…" She looked over to see Natasha dragging an unconscious Banshee behind her. "Oh, good, you made a friend."

Natasha nodded to Kara. "Good to see you again. I guess we need to figure out a way back to our Earth."

"We can get over to the DEO," Kara said. "We need to lock Banshee up and this thing anyway." She looked around at the various people who were watching. "It's okay, folks, I know her! Captain Marvel!"

Carol glanced around at the onlookers. "Ah, shouldn't we stay? Talk to the cops?"

"Nah, they're used to this," Kara said as she lifted the spider creature over her head. She began to fly off with Carol behind her. Natasha sighed as she began walking to follow with Banshee slung over her shoulder. None of them noticed a tiny piece of the creature that had been flaked off in the fight seeming to crawl on mini-legs into a nearby sewer grating.

J'onn J'onzz sighed as he took in the sight of Banshee locked in a cell on a security monitor. "You realize we have a room issue right now? That…creature was a hard one to fit into a cell."

"It's not like I can just lock him in the Fortress," Kara defended herself. "Besides, they can take him out when they go to their own Earth." She nodded to Carol and Natasha who were looking about the operations room, impressed by the setup. Meanwhile, Alex and Lucy Lane were sizing up the duo. "Huh…so they're from the other Earth you guys mentioned?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, Natasha's pretty cool," Alex said.

"Is she the one you…"

Alex rolled her eyes. "No, different assassin from a different Earth."

"Sorry, hard to keep up."

"Thanks."

Natasha was all business of course. "We know you have one of those communicators and breach devices. We can use it to get back to our Earth fast."

"About that," Brainy stated as he stepped up. "I have attempted but it seems there are…issues."

They all looked at him. "What kind?" Kara asked.

Brainy pursed his lips. "The barriers between Earths may have weakened in the past several months yet they are still rather strong. There is, for lack of a better word, interference in how these Earths connect at times. Which makes travel between them even more difficult. Think of it as sort of the interdimensional version of a storm system passing by that delays air travel."

Carol held up a hand. "Wait…you're telling me we can't go back?"

"Not until the interference passes," Brainy stated. "If you wish me to be more specific…"

"Please, don't," Lucy pleaded. "You know how long it's taken to get him to cut down on explanations as it is?"

"I believe from your first accusation, it took approximately three months, two weeks..."

Carol sighed. "Fine, fine. Hopefully we can keep under the radar."

"Too late." Alex nodded to a TV screen which showed footage of Carol on the street. "Already buzzing if the city has a new hero." She tapped her phone. "And no shock, Cat Grant has already named her."

"I have a name," Carol replied. "Captain Marvel. Which I did not choose but…"

Alex appeared to be smirking as she held up the phone. "It looks like Cat argued with that."

Kara took the phone, glancing at the screen and wincing. "Ah. Right."

Carol frowned as she reached to pull the phone out of Kara's hands. She took in the CatCo headline of the "new heroine" and stared at it. Natasha peeked over her shoulder and couldn't help but let out a snort.

Kara licked her lips. "Okay, now before you get mad…"

Carol was just staring at the headline in disbelief. Natasha, meanwhile, was clearly biting her lip to keep from openly laughing. "The thing is," Kara went on. "We couldn't call you by your usual name…."

"Power Girl?" Carol asked in a flat voice.

"There's a Captain Marvel already in Fawcett City. And, well, it's sort of a whole legal issue as they get upset about others with the name…"

Power. Girl?" The voice now had a tinge of menace.

"It just seemed so obvious with what you were doing and Cat is already working on spreading it out…"

"Power Girl?" The tinge was now a full-blown explosion.

"It's really not that bad…" Kara winced as Carol's hands ignited to burn the phone to ash. "Then again, you'd see it differently…" Alex just sighed with the reaction of someone long used to going through phones at a record pace.

Natasha was giggling as Carol glared at her before standing up. "All right, I'm going to go kill your boss now."

"Please, don't."

"Fine."

"Although I do have to get to work quick."

"I'm going with," Carol declared.

"I already said..."

"I at least want to know what she was thinking."

Kara looked to Natasha. "I say no, she's going to just fly over there, isn't she?"

Natasha nodded. "I'll stick here and see if more info comes in on getting back home."

"Good." Carol nodded as she touched the gauntlet on her suit. A shimmer flowed over it as the suit appeared to transform into a light pair of jeans, a white tank top and an aviator coat. "Nice," Kara marveled.

"Yep, handy if trouble breaks out." Kara said. "It's also why the Kree tend to adapt their uniforms. What's bright neon to one race is stealth black to another and vice versa."

J'onn smiled. "It's amazing how humans keep forgetting that. Fantastic what you see with Martian eyes."

Carol nodded before she began marching out with a reluctant Kara following. Natasha just looked to Alex. "Just point me to your training room, I'll keep myself busy."

Alex wasn't sure she should have been almost aroused at the way Natasha said that.

The elevator doors to the top floor of CatCo opened to allow Kara and Carol to exit. Carol had basically spent the ride just looking at Kara in her usual dress, ponytail and eyeglasses. "Seriously? Glasses?"

Kara rolled her eyes. "Why is that the first thing almost anyone from another Earth asks me?"

"Because it shows the people on your planet have to be visually impaired not to put two and two together."

"Not just this one. Plenty of worlds where Clark gets away with it."

"Those worlds are also idiots."

Kara shrugged as she looked Carol over. "By the way, I love the new haircut."

Carol brushed at her shorter hairdo. "Thanks. I was getting tired of my hair flying in my face so often when in the air."

"Huh….maybe I should consider that…"

Eve Tessmacher was at her desk and smiling as Kara came up. "Hey, Kara. Who's your friend?'

"Oh, this is Carol," Kara said with a wave. Carol nodded, waiting for Eve to ask her about being the new superhero on the block. To her utter surprise, Eve merely nodded and looked back to Kara. "Ms. Grant has been busy for the last hour but it sounds like…"

"Kiera!" Cat called out from her office. With an expert air, Kara headed to it with Carol in tow. Cat was behind her desk as usual, looking over some expense reports. Cat looked over her shoulder. "And whom might your friend be?'

"Carol Danvers."

"Danvers." Cat pursed her lips. "Any relation?"

"My cousin," Kara instantly said. "Well, Alex's cousin. Distant, very distant."

Cat looked at her. "Kara…You realize you no longer have to waste time or brain cells coming up with these ridiculously false excuses and stories, correct?"

Kara blushed. "Sorry, old habits."

Cat looked over Carol. "Huh…so you're…"

"Call me that name and I will throw you out a window."

"Been there, done that." Cat sat behind her desk, utterly non-plussed at Carol's obvious ire. "Kara, I understand that Lord is going to be having a little tete a tete with Lena Luthor. I can do with someone as a fly on the wall."

"Well, I can try, Ms. Grant but Lena might not want me there. Or Max."

"But you can listen in, can't you?"

Kara frowned. "I could but…that wouldn't be right."

"It does sort of smack of cheating," Carol stated.

Cat snorted. "Like she hasn't done it before."

"Not for a story!" Kara blurted. "That's a total invasion of privacy, Ms. Grant!"

Cat stared at her. "Wait…you mean…all those stories…weren't you using your powers?" She shook her head. "I don't know whether to be impressed or let down."

Kara wasn't sure herself whether she should have felt insulted by the reaction. "Well, I can still reach out and see if I can land an interview."

"I'm sure you'll do your best." Cat looked to Carol. "Now then, is your friend here for an interview?"

"The last one I did ended with a simple line on more diversity in the military translated to me hating all white men," Carol snapped. "I don't do press."

"Then I would recommend you keep a low profile here. Oh and do something about the hair, it looks unattractive."

"I like it."

"That just makes it sadder." Cat sat at her desk sipping her mug of coffee before waving her hands. "I'm sure it'll work out so begone."

Kara nodded to leave while Carol stepped forward. "Listen, I am still arguing the name…"

"Power Woman doesn't have the same ring to it," Cat stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "If you have better ideas…."

"Captain Marvel."

"Trademarked."

"I'm not from this Earth."

"Honey, that's hardly an unusual thing."

"I'm sorry, did you just call me 'honey?'" Carol leaned on the desk. "Lady, I am not leaving…"

Cat looked up at her.

From outside the office, both Kara and Eve watched as Carol backed up and in moments was exiting the office in a fast-paced walk with a shaken look on her face. "That woman could give Fury lessons on intimidation," she said as Kara had to giggle.

The L-Corp building had been recently upgraded following both the Dusting and that whole mess with Morgan LeFey. It was a bit warmer now to welcome Kara as she took the elevator up to the main office. She exited to see Lena at her desk across from a figure that was all too familiar. "Ah, Kara," Lena said. "I believe you and Max know each other already?"

Maxwell Lord seemed to have lost some weight but still the handsome man Kara had known for some time. His beard was as immaculate as ever and he still had that arrogant smirk. "Ah, Ms. Danvers." He extended a hand. "And how is your sister?"

"Hates your guts," Kara evenly stated as she shook back, resisting the urge to crush the man's fingers in her hand. She let it drop fast as Max shrugged. "And don't think of trying to ask her out. You're not her type."

"I heard. No wonder I never got to first base with her."

Kara tried to keep herself calm as she sat by the desk. "I think the first thing the readers will want to know is just where you have been for the last few years?"

"Ah, here and there," Max said as he sat back in the chair. "I needed time away from National City after the whole Myriad mess. The Pentagon wasn't as welcoming of my help as I'd hoped they would be and once Cat pressed on me inadvertently helping the Non out, well…"

"Yes, I can see why they were so troubled by your actions aiding an alien force in taking over the city," Kara said in a cool tone. "Now that you are back in National City, what are your plans?"

"Actually, that may depend on Lena here." Max waved to her. "I'm considering a new partnership with L-Corp for my latest breakthrough."

"Which is?'

Max wagged a finger. "Ah, ah. Until I know for sure a deal is set, I'm keeping it quiet. Sorry but you know how it is." He winked at her and Kara rolled her eyes.

"As I was just telling Max, I need far more details before I agree to any sort of partnership," Lena stated.

He smiled. "Come on, Lena, it'll work. Trust me."

"Does anyone?"

"Your reputation is hardly sterling either."

Lena sighed. "I'll consider it, Max but no promises. If you'll excuse me, I am rather busy."

Max nodded as he rose up. He passed Kara with a smile. "Give your sister my best, won't you?" He exited as Kara shivered. "Ugh, he's even creepier than before."

"How is he still free?"

"I tried locking him up at the DEO for a while but we couldn't make anything stick. Am surprised he just left town after Myriad and kept so quiet." She looked to Lena. "If you're thinking about getting into business with him, you should be careful. Max has a tendency to stab folks in the back."

"He'd fit right in with my family then…" Lena sighed. "Sorry, I still have a tendency to think I'm really a Luthor."

"Hey, don't start on that again," Kara pushed. "You're your own person, we've proven that. You don't have to be tied in with how Morgan was using you for so long."

Lena smiled. "Thanks, Kara."

"On that, how's the TK going?"

To answer, Lena waved a hand and a glass of water floated across her desk to her. "Still rather limited so I'm not picking up tables or such yet. But never know when it might come in handy."

"Nothing else?"

"You mean fireballs and teleporting? Not yet. I suppose that was more Morgan's own powers." She leaned forward. "Putting that aside, who's this new friend of yours? She looks interesting."

Kara laughed. "Oh, you have no idea…"

"So, wait…on your world, Game of Thrones actually used Lady Stoneheart? Man, that's so much better than our version."

Carol was stretched out on a couch in the rec room of the DEO with Natasha and Lucy Lane sitting nearby, watching TV. Natasha was sipping a coffee as she observed the screen. "Let's not get Peter over here, he'd spend weeks doing nothing but checking out the different movies."

"And that's when he's not in the science museums," Carol added.

Lucy sipped her own drink. "Just wild to hear of you guys. I thought I had a weird job but you have a team of mutants, monsters, people with magic hammers and more. Makes National look downright sedate."

Natasha nodded as she sipped her coffee. "I am considering trying this place out for the dating scene, if nothing else."

"Ugh, I can agree," Carol stated. "I was off earth for over twenty years and it turns out guys are even more scummy jerks than they were when I left. The whole social media thing is just insane."

"Oh, Tinder on your Earth?" Lucy asked.

"And it's a disaster," Carol said. "As proven by my last date."

"Was that the Marcus guy?" Natasha asked.

Carol glared at her. "Never mention that name to me again."

Lucy frowned. "Huh. We're not passing the Bechdel test…"

Natasha and Carol both groaned. "God, that's a thing here too?" Carol asked.

"Sorry."

A coughing sound got their attention as they looked to see Alex in the doorway. "If I can interrupt? Brainy has an update." The women rose to join her out the room. "By the way," Alex said to Natasha. "Thanks for the training session with the team."

"I knocked out four of them."

"That's good, shows they need major improvement to handle someone without powers."

Natasha stared at her. "Please say you're not trying to hit on me. You're not my type."

"Sorry, my gaydar is still a tad wonky."

They headed into the main meeting room with Kara and J'onn already there. Brainiac nodded to them. "I have managed to gain contact to your own Earth and they have been enduring the same issues. The…woman I talked to was rather…strident about trying to get over here."

"Pepper, right?" Natasha nodded. "She has been a lot more serious lately."

"I still cannot believe Tony talked her into her own suit of armor," Carol said.

Natasha snorted. "Please. She was asking for him to do it so she could finally keep an eye on him in the field. And I guarantee she's going to make sure it's in top form."

Alex glanced to Carol. "You know…We were doing a check on things after the entire mess…It seems my mom did have a cousin named Marie, same as your mom. She died in a car crash as a teenager though, no kids."

That hit Carol. "Really? Huh. My mom was an only child so guess things went differently." She shrugged. "I lost a lot of my own life and memories when the…accident happened to me. I've been reconnecting on Earth but it's hard." She sighed. "My best friend Maria was my own age the last time I saw her. Now she's looking in her 50s, her daughter Monica is in the Coast Guard herself and I still look exactly the same."

"Ah, looking younger than you are is a common thing on our Earth," Kara said. "You'll fit in."

"Maybe," Carol allowed. "It's still tricky trying to find a place."

Kara smiled. "You and I really need to talk more."

"Back on topic," J'onn stated. "Kara, anything from the interview with Lord?"

"Well, if he's up to something, he's keeping it hidden," Kara said. "It's still weird he's not setting up his old business again. He hasn't even been in his office since coming back to town."

Alex pursed her lips." I always thought the guy's ego was out of control but he actually did a good job keeping under the radar for the last two years." She looked to J'onn. "A bit too good."

He nodded. "I agree. He must have been planning something, we need to find out what. Maybe if I get in close, I can try a mind-read."

"It's Max so he's probably ready for it," Alex pointed out. Natasha had stepped to the side, observing some of the video monitors with interest.

J'onn looked to Carol. "You're taking me in stride."

"I've known green shapeshifters before," Carol answered. "Not a bad sort, really."

"It's not right," Natasha announced.

Everyone turned to look at her studying the monitors closely. "What do you mean?" Kara asked.

Natasha pointed to the monitor. "Enhance that." Brainy complied as the image zoomed in on Max. "Look at the shadow," Natasha pressed. "The one he casts under that blast of light."

It took a moment for Kara to catch it. "It's…not the same…"

"Different build," Alex agreed, seeing it herself. "The hair too…"

Carol frowned. "How could that happen?"

"Image inducer," Brainy immediately stated. "It's been a recurring issue with some models from L-Corp. No matter how good and realistic they can replicate the face and voice of someone else, they can be prone to not getting the shadows right. The light can affect the image, especially high-intensity bursts."

"So it's not Max…" Kara frowned. "Then who? And why impersonate him?"

"We need to find out more," J'onn stated. "Where is 'Max' now?"

Kara got out her phone. "I think he was going to meet Lena again. I'll get to her fast."

Lena was finishing in her office as a knock echoed on the door. She looked up to see Cat Grant standing there with Eve not far behind. "Ms. Grant," she stated. "What brings you by?"

"Oh, just checking in on the third most powerful woman in National City," Cat stated. Lena smiled, knowing who Cat would have topping that list. "I know it's been complex for you but thought past time we talked a bit more." Eve had fallen back to wait in the outer office as Cat shrugged to Lena. "I know, she hangs around a lot but very dedicated and can't argue with that."

She sat at the desk as Lena poured them both some drinks from the nearby decanter. "How's Kara?" Cat asked.

"Shouldn't you know that better?" Lena asked. "I assume she told you I know. As I know you know."

"Yes, we're a very knowledgeable group," Cat remarked. "I do have to ask how you're handling things. Kara was a bit light on details but shared you weren't quite yourself. I can understand that better than you think."

"Let's just chalk it up to my version of red kryptonite," Lena stated. "It's a bit more complex but it was a side of myself I'm more than happy to get rid of. I just want to go back to what I was doing, redeem the Luthor name."

"Oh, I don't know it needs that." The two women turned to see Max in the doorway of the room. He had that annoying smirk on his face as he sauntered inside. "I mean, Lex had his issues but come on, he was onto something about Supergirl."

"Like what?" Lena demanded.

"Like how putting our trust in some alien is not smart for Earth." Max's tone seemed easygoing but there was also an edge to it. "How we should be masters of our own destiny and not have someone so superior flaunting their power. Luthor understood that under that guise of heroism is a being who wants nothing but control over us."

"Lex Luthor," Cat stated in a blunt tone. "Is a psychopath to the point he poisoned the courtroom that put him away after he nearly wrecked this planet. That you use him as a character reference speaks volumes about you, Max."

"Cat. That hurts. After all we've shared…"

"Utter disdain from my part, Max."

Max shrugged as he paced around the office, looking around. "This really is impressive, Lena." He nodded to the huge door to the side. "Your personal vault, huh? Tell me, still using Lex's or your own?"

"Mine mostly," Lena stated. "Specially coded to the Luthor DNA strand. With Lillian gone…"

"God rest her soul," Max interrupted with a sigh.

Lena went on as if nothing happened. "And Lex in jail for the rest of his life, I'm the only one who can get in there. So don't even think about trying to worm your way into it." She sipped her drink. "I might as well use this opportunity to tell you, Max, I am not entering into any partnership with you. Your stock has fallen, both in name and business. National City is no longer your home."

Cat pursed her lips. "In other words, Max, you want a new playground, try Gotham. They would love your type of scumbag."

Max was quiet for a moment before shaking his head. "No…No, I think I'm pretty happy right here, ladies. National City is my home. As is this planet. And I think it's high time I started fighting for both."

Something in his tone set both women on edge. Max's cool tone seemed more mocking but also in control. Lena was moving a hand to her intercom. "Oh, don't bother," Max stated. "Your security won't be able to answer as they're busy being, sort of, fighting to stay alive from the poison I inserted into the lower level air ducts."

Lena's hand froze. "You…what?" she choked out as Cat also stared in shock.

Max held up his hands. "Hey, calm down! I could have done it in the middle of the day with the place full of employees but I waited for the skeleton crew, that should be a consideration!" He touched his watch as a beeping sound went out. "And there's the lockdown set, no one coming in and no communications out just in case someone survives to pull a John McClane."

"Now that's handled…" Max turned his head to call out. "Miss Tessmacher!"

Eve entered, a wicked smirk on her face and an even more wicked gun held in her hands. "Eve…" Cat whispered in shock.

Lena was thrown but then narrowed her eyes. "How long?'

"Forever." Eve shrugged. "Sorry, not sorry."

Cat scoffed. "Ugh, you're already evil, you don't have to be pretentious too."

Lena watched as Max headed to the nearby vault and sighed. "Max, I don't care how smart you are, how many tricks you have or the rest. The only one who opens that vault is me and I'm not doing it."

Max simply pricked his thumb and pressed it to the pad while leaning in so the eye scanner flashed over his face. A loud beep went out and then a rumble as the door slowly began opening.

Lena blinked. "Wait…How did you…"

Eve was giggling. "Oh my God, she still doesn't get it…."

Cat's phone was buzzing as Max smirked. "Oh, just let that go to message but put it on speaker."

Cat was confused but a glance at Eve's gun pushed her to do so. She held the phone up as Kara's voice echoed. "Miss Grant, I can't reach Lena, you need to get to her! Max isn't Max! Help is coming but you need to get to her!"

Cat frowned deeply. "Wait..." She looked up at the man before her. "Who are you?"

"Max" smiled brightly. "Come on..." He looked to Lena. "Think it through, Lena. You said it yourself, the one way to open that vault..."

Lena was staring at Max with her eyes widening in newfound horror. "No…It can't be…"

With a smile, Max reached up to his neck and pressed down. A shimmer flowed over his entire body as his appearance changed. Gone was the rather handsome younger man for someone older. His bald head shone under the lights to match his goatee. His mouth smirked as he gazed at the two stunned women before reaching to rub his feet. "Ugh, the lifts in these shoes have been killing me but figured better than you noticing I was a few inches shorter." He straightened up to face them both.

"So, sis," Lex Luthor stated. "Let's see what you've been up to, shall we?"

For those wondering, the alien they fight at the start is Rorgg, a classic spider-like monster from Marvel's Golden sci-fi age that made a few more appearances clashing with the X-Men and others.

So a set-up to whet the appetite, all comments welcomed.