Chapter 24
"What have you got?" Kara asked as she walked up to the main computer hub.
"A lead on the ship. You found nothing on J'onn?" Alex was concerned.
"He and his brother have completely disappeared," her sister told her, leaving out the fact that she couldn't hear his heartbeat.
"Well we'll keep trying to find him from here. Headquarters isn't exactly back up and running but we have a bigger problem if Midnight uses that ship for what we think she might be using it for," Alex said.
"True Kryptonian ships are powered by anti-matter – last I checked this time doesn't have that capability," Brainy spoke up.
"Yes, the replica does not have an engine that uses anti-matter," Lena nodded.
"We'll discuss why there was a replica in the first place later but right now, tell us what we need to know," Kara said.
"I found the replica in the black site when I took over things. Lex had somehow managed to get his hands on plans for one or maybe a broken one. I have no idea. He didn't exactly leave notes on that. We do know that he trained Snowbird to be like a real Kryptonian so he managed to collect a lot of data," Lena explained despite her friend's comment.
"But he couldn't fully replicate it because of the propulsion system," Dreamer said.
"Exactly. It would seem that he had some of our scientists trying to create an engine that would fit inside the pod and have the capability to reach space. Our scientists are some of the best but trying to put a space engine into something that small wasn't exactly easy. However, there was one idea that was tracking. Ricky, can you pull it up? I'm guessing that's how you knew about it," Lena looked at the agent. Ricky turned red and quickly punched up the schematics.
"A mini nuclear propulsion system?" Kara's eyes went wide.
"Well the bad news is, the scientists made a critical mistake about how it would work," Brainy was looking at the math.
"That's the bad news?" Dreamer gave him a look.
"The worse news is that if Midnight tries to use it…" Brainy trailed off.
"How many dead?" Alex asked.
"It would make Hiroshima look like a day at the beach," the twelfth level intellect frowned, referencing the nuclear bomb dropped on the Japanese city during World War II.
"Sweet mother," Ricky swallowed.
"So, you think that Malefic intended to use it to fly to Mars but would unintentionally blow himself and hundreds of thousands of people up with him," Kara said.
"Yes. With J'onn keeping him busy, you need to get that engine out of danger," Alex nodded.
"Try to defeat Midnight with a nuclear bomb in the room," Dreamer said.
"Is there any way we can evacuate the area nearby the coordinates?" Kara wanted to know.
"Not without inciting panic or giving a Midnight a heads up. The area is way too big. Even if there was a way to do it without alerting Midnight, we wouldn't be able to," Brainy shook his head. The logistics were against them. They didn't have the time, equipment, nor the infrastructure.
"Ok. Brainy, Dreamer, with me. Bring that Projector. Everyone else find J'onn. Even if we manage to get rid of the ship and Midnight, Malefic could still cause trouble," Kara said. Alex gave her sister a look and Kara gave her a tight smile. Then they parted – neither one knowing what was coming next.
To Be Continued…
