Supergirl eyed the door where smoke was pouring out from. "Querl, find them before-ugh!" She felt Brainiac 6 wrap his neck around hers, his head resting over her body as he tightened. "Go!"

Querl faltered before nodding. His force field hand vanished and he ran through the door, leaving her alone with Brainiac, who leaned in beside her ear.

"The ship falls apart as we speak. There is nothing more you can do besides joining Kal-el on Earth."

"I can handle this. I don't have to defeat you – I only have to make the ship falling as bad for you as it is for us!" She grabbed his neck, unraveled it and wrapped it around a pipe sticking out from the floor. She tied it into a bow and smiled. "…It suits you."

"Further proof that you are still a child." Brainiac 6's body walked over to the neck and quickly untied it. "I do not play games, Kryptonian."

"Vi! Invisible Kid!" Querl held a force field over his mouth to keep from inhaling too much smoke, but it didn't help with his vision or hearing, the blaring red lights and siren still going and growing louder by the minute. "Can either of you hear me?"

He found the source of the explosion to be the main console room, and as he ran in her felt something nudge his shoulder. "Invisible Kid?"

"Here," he heard him cough hard in his arm, "but I lost Violet."

"What happened?"

"We tried to work the console, but it blew up in our face. Some sort of firewall left over from C.O.M.P.U.T.O. We have to get back to Supergirl."

"We have to find Violet first." He tried to step forward but a hand held him back by his arm.

"Brainiac 5…I'm sorry…Violet was inside the console when it blew."

For the first time, Querl felt everything go cold. He had known death as a robot, and he had heard some terrible stories on his travels the past three years, but he had real emotions, and they were currently screaming guilt into his eardrums and shoving it down his throat. He could feel Invisible Kid tugging at his arm, but he didn't move.

"…She…she can't be…"

"Brainiac 5, come on, there's nothing else we can do!" He appeared through the smoke, eyes dark. "I tried to stop her, but…we need to go."

"…Go without me."

"Brainiac-"

"I'll join you soon, I promise."

Reluctantly, Invisible Kid exited through the corridor, covering his mouth with his hand. Querl felt his way to what remained of the console and began to search through the blown metal and wires.

"Come on, Vi, where are you?"

He didn't know how small she was or where she had ended up during the explosion, but he needed to find her.

The smoke was thickest around the console, however, and was spreading over him. "I can't leave," he murmured, determined to find some trace of Violet before leaving, " I can stay…I can-" He broke into harsh coughing that made his lungs sore. "I can't leave…?"

The smoke suddenly seemed to vanish from his mouth, and it no longer stung his eyes. He looked himself over to find a light purple glow covering his entire body. "…My force field…it's protecting me…like blood cells! It reacts when I'm in danger…half the time."

"…Brainy…"

"Violet!" He knelt down and ran his hand over burnt wires, feeling no pain. Finally he found a small figure hidden underneath a metal plate and wires melted together, and gently picked it up. He held her close to see her covered in cuts and scrapes, barely able to sit up. "Violet…"

She gave him a weak smile. "Sorry…we couldn't…shut it down…"

He had to use all his willpower to keep from looking away. "This is why I can't return to the Legion. I'll only end up hurting everyone again, and sooner or later I'm going to start something that I won't be able to undo!"

"We all bring something different to the Legion, Brainy," Shrinking Violet comforted him as best as she could in her condition, "good and bad. No one blames you for Brainiac."

Querl could see how painful it was for her to speak. He placed a force field around her to keep the smoke out before standing up and turning to the door. "…I blame myself for Brainiac."

"Don't."

"Its fine," he gave her one of his most serious expressions, "I'm not going to hide from him. Not anymore."

Supergirl waved the smoke away. "Lost him again. Show yourself, Brainiac!"

"Supergirl, over here," Invisible Kid was next to her, "we have to get off this ship before it hits the city and blows. Brainiac was right about one thing – there's no stopping this ship from the inside."

"If we leave Brainiac will escape."

"There will be other chances to-!"

A dark green arm wrapped around him, and he was sucked back into the smoke. Supergirl tried to follow, but her senses were in disarray. "Brainiac!"

"I told you, I do not play games."

She heard Invisible Kid yell out before hitting the ground next to her, unconscious. She turned to him, only for two fists to hit her stomach and throw her against the wall. Before she could get her bearings, another blast of green energy hit her, knocking her head back. She flew around, using her x-ray vision, but electric shocks ran through her body as a pair of hands clapped her back.

"Ahh!"

She fell to the floor as Brainiac 6 stood over her and Invisible Kid's bodies. "I grow tired of your extensive and useless fighting." He raised his arm, where a laser cannon formed and charged up. "I won't be needing your data. A deletion is required."

"Brainiac!"

Brainiac turned as Querl stepped out, Shrinking Violet in his hands. He gave him a cold glare before gently placing her down beside Invisible Kid, then stood toe to toe with Brainiac.

"This is our fight."

Alright, it's Brainiac vs Brainiac once again! This way I can give the guy a physical fight against his ancestor, instead of him calling on four...fiery...other consciousness'? Yeah, I never got what really happened in those last few moments of the series, but it was totally cool none the less.

Until the next chapter!