Time seemed to be frozen. Kel-El watched as Saturn Girl closed her eyes, one of the robots of C.O.M.P.U.T.O readying to fire at her head. Imperiex sneered. "Finally ridding us of that weak shell."

"For father."

"No," Kel-el tried to remove Imperiex's foot, "don't!"

The robot looming over Saturn Girl pushed the laser against her cheek. She shut her eyes, awaiting the attack.

Whoosh!

The laser tore through the concrete ground, penetrating it until there were cracks reaching out a few feet. The robot stepped back to find the legionnaire had disappeared. It looked around but found nothing. "She has vanished from my view."

"Keep up, C.O.M.P.U.T.O – ha, like you ever could!"

Kel-el recognized the voice. From behind the robots zipped out a young black girl in a ponytail and blue and white jumpsuit. She gave them a big smile. "Good thing I decided to take my ring off when it stopped working, huh, Imperiex?"

"You may run fast," the warrior warned her, "but no amount of speed will be able to save you."

"I'm not the one who'll need saving. Now, Blok!"

Kel-el felt Imperiex's foot lift off him as a large figure made of stone, in blue shoulder pads and boots, yellow wristbands and a body suit, lifted the warrior off and tossed him away, his swords skidding out of his reach. Blok helped Kel-el up. "We seem to be the last legionnaires in the city. XS, where did you place Saturn Girl?"

"I'm right here," Saturn Girl ran back to them beside XS, "there's no need to remove me from the battle quite yet."

"Cosmic Boy and Lightning Lad are always on my case about keeping you safe, though." XS sighed. "If you're injured, I'm in trouble."

Blok pointed in the direction of the Legion's tower. "It will be easier to confront Cosmic Boy once we've saved him and the others from C.O.M.P.U.T.O's hypnosis. Kel-el, can you and XS get us there before Imperiex?"

Kel-el glanced at the warrior who was collecting his swords. "So you would run, then?" Imperiex faced him. "Make your choice, Kel-el – perish with your allies, or fight me to the death for the honour and glory you know you deserve."

"…There's no honour is letting my friends die." He grabbed Blok and raced off, XS and Saturn Girl close behind as she ran circles around Imperiex. They were out of his sight in seconds.

"…So be it. C.O.M.P.U.T.O," he called forth all the robots in the area, "commence phase four. We head for Legion headquarters, and at last end their pathetic reign!"

"…I'm guessing you guys aren't much for conversation?"

Supergirl gave the robots a weak smile, but they had no response. "…Could you at least turn your heads a little? Your staring is starting to freak me out."

She had been standing in the kryptonite glass tube for too long: her legs were beginning to cramp up on her. The soldiers did nothing but stare and hold their arms behind their backs. She had no means of escape, nor a plan for when she did.

"So this is what Kal was protecting me from," she murmured to herself, "boy, am I in over my head. If I don't find a way to get out of here, him and all his friends are going to suffer the same fate Krypton did…?"

Sparks were flying from the left robot, and it crumpled to the floor. Before the right one could react, some invisible force knocked it against the wall and pulled out a wire from its neck, immediately shutting it down. Supergirl watched in amazement as a young girl unshrunk herself before her eyes. She had pale skin, short black hair that matcher her leggings, and a green and purple dress on. "Sorry I'm late, Supergirl."

She walked over and took to the console. In a few seconds the kryptonite glass tube vanished into the ground, and Supergirl broke the wires around her. "Better late then never, uh…"

"Shrinking Violet, and don't worry, I didn't come alone. The coast is clear, Invisible Kid."

A black boy in a yellow suit and headband adjourned by a white exclamation mark phased into visibility. He held her hand as she stepped off the platform. "Good to see you're alright."

"How did you two not fall under C.O.M.P.U.T.O's control?"

"My ring was in for repairs when the tower came under attack, and Violet here was having hers upgraded."

She snorted. "I want a bright pink flashlight addition. Hope you don't mind the company, Supergirl. I know you're probably more than fine on your own, but-"

"No, no, no," she held her hands up, "look, whatever I'm to become, this great hero in the future – that's not the current me! I have no idea what I'm doing, and Brainiac, the robot that destroyed my planet, is here, and…and…I have nothing."

Invisible Kid put a hand on her shoulder. "You're not a great hero because you always have a plan, Kara. You went down in history for your charisma, bravery and leadership. Brainiac has nothing on you."

"…You think so?"

"And you're not alone. There might only be three of us, but just think: once we rescue Brainiac 5, we'll have a whopping four."

Violet snorted again, and Supergirl felt her confidence returning. "Super strength, shrinking and invisibility? Easy."

"Really?"

"If I question it, I'll starting having doubts, so let's go before that happens." She led them out into the ship corridor, where they looked either way for more robot soldiers. "We find Brainiac 5, we find Brainiac."

"You gotta be kidding me!" XS smacked her forehead. "So much for speed."

They had made it to the tower to find their fellow legionnaires inside glass cases up the walls, but they couldn't stop the robots from collecting overtop the building. They were joining together and forming some large laser pointing down at the tower. "I thought Imperiex wanted to crush us one by one?"

"It is nothing more than a precaution."

"C.O.M.P.U.T.O," Blok awed as the tower-high robot walked out from behind the tower, "what is this?"

"Yet another choice, if your simple minds can handle it. Stay out of the way – or watch your tower be obliterated."

I don't really know how Brainiac could use C.O.M.P.U.T.O to do all these things with New Metropolis technology...but screw it, if the real show can have tiny plotholes, then so can I! It's more fun that way sometimes. And yes, I've included Invisible Kid in the story because he's cool, and now Supergirl is on the ship with the nerd trio. Time to save the world!

Until the next chapter!