Cusco, Peru
Kara and Jeremiah walked the streets of Cusco as they took a break from "humanitarian" work which, in reality, was taking out rebel splinter groups hiding in the mountains. "So, you went off on your own to fight rebels...without even inviting me?" Kara asked offended.
"I told you I was going to quarantine myself," Jeremiah said sickly.
"This is the last thing I thought you would do," Kara said.
"It's peaceful here...when I'm not killing fools," Jeremiah said looking around.
"Their tea is delicious. I'm loving the cocaine leaves," Kara said taking a sip.
"Maybe, I should disappear here. Not come back," Jeremiah said thoughtfully.
Kara gave him a sympathetic look. "Why the hell would you do a thing like that?"
"I haven't been there for my family and I'm not very useful these days. Eliza is distant and Alex hates me," Jeremiah said.
"But I love you, all of you, even your cyborg arm," Kara said to him.
"Thanks, Kara," Jeremiah smiled.
"You have to keep on living so you can royally piss off Alex when you refuse to go to her gay wedding," Kara joked.
"God damn," Jeremiah mused.
"I'll tell Eliza and Alex you're helping refugees or some shit. You know, something topical," Kara said.
"I appreciate that," Jeremiah said thankfully.
"Jeremiah, there are forces out there that wish to silence you for your beliefs and what you stand for. They want to disappear you, forever. But I'm not going to let that happen without a fight," Kara told him.
The two entered Jeremiah's room finding his assortment of body armor and weaponry spread out on the bed. Kara watched as Jeremiah suited up with his body armor underneath his black clothes. He then took a number of knives, a pistol, magazines, grenades, night vision gear, and a sniper rifle containing a state-of-the-art scope, flashlight, laser, and silencer.
"Wish me luck," he said as he was about to leave.
"You don't need it," Kara said giving him a hug.
Metropolis, USA
Kara dropped by Alex's apartment finding her pissed-off. Kara gave Kelly a nod and then came in. "So, your father is safe-and-sound helping refugees in Peru," Kara said keeping to the script.
"Spare me," Alex doubted as she drank another glass of wine.
"I know you miss him...," Kara began.
"I don't," Alex corrected.
"Of course, you do," Kara said condescendingly.
"Stop telling me how I feel," Alex told her off.
"Alright, tell me what's on your so-called mind," Kara invited.
"The man has been dead to me for years," Alex said scornfully.
"He came back to us and you've been ignoring him," Kara accused.
"I held out hope for him. I believed this fantasy that he was doing good, out there, that Cadmus was forcing him to kill people. But now, I know the truth. He was a mercenary assassin long before he was with Cadmus. He made you how you are now," Alex pointed out.
"Excuse me?" Kara thought she misheard.
"He hasn't been a father to me in years, and yes, we were so close. We could even finish each other's sentences," Alex said.
"You know, I'm getting a lot of telling and not a whole lot of showing," Kara noted.
"His obsession with keeping you safe changed everything. Nothing else mattered, not even me. He treated you like you were some golden girl, like an angel from some Biblical prophecy," Alex said bitterly.
Kara rolled her eyes at her. "I understand why you have love for him and I totally respect that, but he treated me like I wasn't even worth his time," Alex said angrily.
"Is this about you being gay? Cuz, that shouldn't be the thing that dominates your life and how you relate to other people," Kara said.
"He won't accept me, he won't accept Kelly. He will never appreciate me for who I am," Alex raged.
"He loves the fact that you kick ass in the DEO. I tell him all about your adventures with me and even adventures when I'm not around. He appreciates your patriotism, your sense of duty, your selflessness, your courage. When Hank and all the other directors were doing shady shit, you were the one that kept your integrity. No matter how many times I tempted you to the wrong thing, you always did the right thing," Kara said.
"It's not enough," Alex said somberly.
"You think he doesn't talk shit to me? I just dish it right back," Kara said to her.
"Well, not everyone is like you, Kara. Not everyone is keeping track of the score. I want unconditional love," Alex said to her.
"What you want is a fantasy, basically heroin. It will feel good at first but then you'll feel like shit when it's not real," Kara said knowingly.
"What burns me the most is that he loves you more than he loves me, his own flesh-and-blood. You were with him for only a year and that was enough time for him to replace me," Alex glared.
"That...isn't entirely true," Kara winced.
"I know all about your Big Daddy and Hitgirl adventures," Alex recalled.
"Yes, when it came to killing fools that needed to be put down, your father and I were the shit. But that isn't the whole story. There is a part of Jeremiah that enjoyed seeing you walk for the first time, talking for the first time, going to school for the first time, going to your shitty play recitals, and your music rehearsals. He regrets not being there for your prom, your graduation, your first crush...with a guy," Kara said to her.
"When it comes to protecting this family, I'll never measure up to you," Alex realized.
"Well...no," Kara said obviously.
Alex then entered her bathroom and slammed the door. Kara rolled her eyes and turned to Kelly. "Everyone lets their emotions out differently," she excused.
"Oh, I completely understand. That gesture just seemed pointless in light of the fact that there is only one way to exit. I can totally wait her out," Kara said.
"Perhaps, you should go. I can try to smooth things out," Kelly offered.
"See that you do," Kara said menacingly and then walked out.
After unceremoniously kicking Kelly's ass out of her apartment, Alex decided to try the new VR Obsidian Lenses to escape reality. She entered a room with multiple panels, dismissed the one where she was a caring mother or a proficient doctor, and immediately went for the Supergirl program.
Alex suddenly found herself on planet Krypton while wearing a black-and-blue Supergirl uniform with the House of El crest seal. "Let's start punching things...wait, what the fuck?"
Jeremiah and Eliza then came before her wearing Kryptonian clothing, the House of El crest seals on their chests. "Mom, dad?" Alex wondered.
"You're late to the music recital, again," Eliza scolded.
"I'm not really into that, right now," Alex excused.
"Don't be silly. It's mandatory," Jeremiah ordered.
"Well, okay then," Alex said, following them onto a transport ship that took them to the opera house. Alex eyed Argo in amazement and then saw the red giant sun about to dip below the horizon.
In the opera house, Alex sat with her parents listening to weird-ass Kryptonian music. "Try not to fidget or fall asleep like you always do," Eliza said to Alex.
"How could I? The music is so riveting," Alex said painfully. The voice of the singer sounded suspiciously like Taylor Swift.
"Alex, come closer. I have bad news. Our geoscientists have discovered that the core is collapsing, after all," Jeremiah said to her.
"Well...no shit," Alex agreed.
"I worry about the collective wisdom of the council, ignoring my reports and all," Jeremiah said blandly. "Alex, you know I can't rely on you to be the House of El's legacy. It will have to be Kal-El," he said bluntly.
"I'm not sure I understand," Alex said offended.
"I warned the council against your conception but the chancellor was very persuasive. We told her that there could be genetic deficiencies in you, mental and emotional, and, as it turns out, we were right, all along. We petitioned to have you terminated in your pod but the chancellor wouldn't allow it. It was almost as if she passed a law banning pod terminations to...save you," Jeremiah mused.
"You don't say," Alex said spooked by him.
"Of course, that's ridiculous," Jeremiah said dismissively. "You must sense what I have come to suspect: You are mentally ill and in need of treatment. I plan to enroll you, soon."
"I don't think...," Alex protested.
"Alex, search your feelings...you know, don't you?" Jeremiah said to her.
"I think this a little extreme," Alex admitted.
"You...don't trust us, the science guild, or Krypton, for that matter," Jeremiah accused.
"I have to admit, my trust in you has been shaken," Alex admitted.
"Why? Is it because your mother asked you to spy on Astra? Did it make you feel dishonest?" Jeremiah asked.
"I don't know what to say," Alex cringed, remembering how she sliced Astra through with her Kryptonite blade.
"Remember back to your earliest teachings: The needs of the many outweigh needs of the few...or the one," Jeremiah reminded her.
"Astra just wanted to do good in her own way," Alex recalled.
"Good is a point of view, Alex. Non and Astra rely on their passion for their strength. I fear you will follow in their footsteps," Jeremiah said.
"Okay," Alex said absorbing this all in. "You know, can we take a break from your heavy disappointment of me to enjoy the show."
"Of course," Jeremiah allowed.
A dragon then crashed through the ceiling of the opera house. Debris fell on the crowd. Alex immediately went to help but Jeremiah held her still with an iron grip. The dragon landed in the center of the stadium crushing the singer and band. The dragon roared at the Kryptonian crowd that calmly went towards the exits in an orderly fashion without panic.
"Okay, I got this," Alex said and stared at the dragon. Jeremiah gave her an odd look as she tried and failed to use heat vision on the dragon.
"I've assessed the situation and we're leaving," Jeremiah pulled her away.
"But I can save them," Alex protested.
"Alex, you're doing it again. You're no soldier, you're a biologist. Learn your place," Jeremiah said to her.
Kryptonian soldiers arrived at the scene and start firing plasma bursts at the dragon until they killed it. Alex then watched in wonder as the soldiers then took the bodies away. "What kind of society is this?" she wondered.
VR
Alex was called into the Chancellor's office the next morning. Upon entering the office, Alex came face-to-face with an older-looking Kara Zor-El. "Kara?" Alex wondered.
"That's an odd name. Have you lost your senses, again?" the chancellor smiled knowingly.
"No, I'm fine," Alex said.
"I replicated your favorite," the chancellor said placing a plate with blueberry pancakes in front of her.
Alex cautiously used the Kryptonian utensils to dig in. "Wow, these pancakes are absolutely insane."
"Insane, you say?" the chancellor smirked.
"I mean, Kelly could come here and eat these without dying," Alex remarked.
"And who is this Kel-Lee?" the chancellor asked.
"She's my girlfriend," Alex revealed.
"That's an odd term for a female friend," the chancellor said.
"Well, she's more than a friend if you know what I mean," Alex smiled.
"You're only twelve, Alex. You're not nearly old enough for sexual maturity," the chancellor said to her.
Alex simply stared at her and thought back to what Jeremiah had said to her in the opera house. "My bad," she said sheepishly.
"Are you having one of your bad days, again?" the chancellor asked.
"You could say that," Alex agreed. "My father is kind of an asshole."
"I know exactly what you mean," the chancellor said knowingly. "I passed the law banning pod terminations for you, to save you."
"Why?" Alex wondered.
"Because you are so special, Alex. Your parents, your relatives, your civilization doesn't see it, but I do. I see power within you that rivals a star. Bear these humiliations with stride for you will outlast all those who mocked you," the chancellor said to her.
"What if I don't want that responsibility?" Alex asked.
"Who said anything about that? One day, you will be able to fly around and knock things down for your own reasons or for no reason at all. Just have fun and not take life too seriously," the chancellor smiled.
"I think I have a lot of things to work through," Alex admitted.
"Do you? Just be free, Alex. Stop constraining yourself to society's expectations. Your parents have done everything from counseling, medicating, and experimental therapies to make you think and act like them. But, you don't have to," the chancellor said to her.
"If you don't have any expectations for me then why did you go to all the trouble of passing a law to save me?" Alex wondered.
"Because I see myself in you and I know what you will become," the chancellor said to her. "And, to be honest, your parents are jerks. Keeping you alive and forcing them to raise you was the ultimate 'fuck you' to them," the chancellor smiled.
Alex finished her pancakes and stood up. She stared at the chancellor and couldn't deny that she was facing an older Kara. "You...went back in time to prevent your own termination and became your own mentor," Alex realized.
"When you do things right, people won't be sure you did anything at all," the chancellor smiled.
"Well, I have to get back to my own reality," Alex said to her.
"Let me get you a drink first," the chancellor said and poured them both a glass of whiskey.
"But I'm only twelve, remember," Alex recalled.
"Fuck the law," the chancellor said clinking glasses with her.
Metropolis
At the DEO, Kara met up with Brainiac 5. "No Leviathan activity detected," Brainiac 5 reported.
"I am so bored. You won't like me when I'm bored," Kara said to him.
"You could go back to the VR," Brainiac 5 suggested.
"I suppose," Kara shrugged. "What's Alex's status?"
"She's in her apartment enjoying the Supergirl program," Brainiac 5 said.
"Shit, that program was only meant for me," Kara said shocked.
"Too late now," Brainiac 5 said unconcernedly.
"This is so embarrassing," Kara moaned.
"Enjoy yourself today. Tomorrow, you have a Wayne Enterprises board meeting, a campaign fundraiser for James Olsen's Senate campaign, and a training session with Kate Kane," Brainiac 5 checked her schedule.
"What about my job at Catco?" Kara asked.
"What about it?" Brainiac 5 said dismissively.
"Ah, and a doctor's appointment with me to inspect your fetus," Brainiac 5 said.
"Call it a baby from now on," Kara glared at him.
"As you wish," Brainiac 5 allowed. "When will you tell Mon?"
"When you determine the sex. He won't give a shit if it's a girl," Kara sighed.
"You underestimate him," Brainiac 5 said in his defense.
"What's he doing now?" Kara asked.
"He's in Hollywood directing a movie," Brainiac 5 said vaguely.
A hologram then appeared above the command desk. "I have introduced Obsidian Lenses in Madrid. Hopefully, people spending all their time in VR will help with the quarantine effort," Lex said.
"Very good, Mr. Luthor," Brainiac 5 said and then ended the hologram. "By the way, Karina is in China assisting in hospitals over there."
"I thought that was contained there. Why isn't she in Western Europe?" Kara asked.
"The Russian government isn't concerned with helping the West," Brainiac 5 said obviously.
"Well, ain't that a bitch?" Kara shook her head dismayed.
VR
Alex's simulation shifted as she was now on Earth in the DEO. As such, Hank was still director with Brainiac 5 and Nia present as well. "This is like the real DEO," Alex said looking around.
"Supergirl," Hank addressed.
"Director," Alex addressed.
"There's a new player in Gotham: the Batwoman. She's killed scores of people using everything from firearms, to explosives, to Batarangs. She apparently didn't get Batman's memo to not kill," Hank said seriously.
"I have a dream she will be at the docks, tonight," Nia said.
"The Batmobile gives off a strong heat signature with its rocket engines. I should be able to track it in real-time," Brainiac 5 added.
"You good?" Nia asked Alex.
"Yeah, you guys have no idea how good it feels to be with all...I mean, some of you," Alex said eying Brainiac 5.
"What happens in Gotham often spills over into Metropolis. This Batwoman believes she's above the law, people are living in fear," Hank said seriously.
"I'll put a stop to her once and for all," Alex assured him.
VR
It was night as the Batmobile chased after some Russian mafia thugs. Batwoman switched to machine guns and fired on their vehicles blasting them to scrap. Batwoman expertly steered the Batmobile while targeting each vehicle. As she pursued them, she slammed into a warehouse and went straight through it. The Batmobile came out on the other side and continued pursuit. A missile was suddenly fired at her. Batwoman quickly activated flares detonating the missile before it could hit her.
"I have you now," Batwoman grinned as she targeted the last vehicle. She took a tight turn and suddenly hit someone standing in the middle of the street. The Batmobile swerved as it was hit and crashed into a building.
"Well...shit," Batwoman sighed as she realized her perfect score was tarnished.
The cockpit of the Batmobile was forced open revealing Alex as Supergirl standing on the hood. Batwoman stood up to her and gave her a dumbfounded look.
"The Bat is dead. Bury it. Consider this mercy," Alex said to her.
"The fuck?" Batwoman mouthed.
Alex then flew off away from view. "End simulation," Batwoman ordered. The Batmobile and Bat-suit faded away revealing Kara. Then, Kara, herself, faded away.
VR
The next morning, Hank went up to Alex. "Good job, last night. You wrecked Batwoman's Batmobile and sent a clear message that vigilante justice will no longer be tolerated."
"Good. How's...Kara?" Alex asked.
"Finishing her article at Catco as we speak," Hank said. "Is something on your mind?"
"Everything feels so good but I keep having this feeling that I've forgotten something. Like, did I lock the front door kind of feeling," Alex said. "Still, I know I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. I got my team, I got my family. Everything, it feels...,"
"Right," Hank finished for her.
"Alex, you saved your family, the DEO, and the Earth countless times. That feeling you can't pin down...is called happiness," Hank told her.
"I haven't been happy, truly happy in a long time," Alex admitted.
"Let's go celebrate then. Get drunk as fuck," Hank invited.
After a whole night of drinking, Alex came back to her apartment a happy drunk and collapsed on the couch. "About time you got back," Kelly said to her.
"I'm so sorry. I should have invited you to the bar," Alex said to her.
Kelly smiled as she got on top of Alex. "I can think of a few ways you can make it up to me."
VR
The next morning, Alex was still fully clothed sleeping on the couch when she got an alert from Hank. Without a hangover, Alex got to her feet. "Psi just started some shit. We need you," Hank said to her.
"I'm coming," Alex said opening her shirt to reveal her Supergirl uniform underneath.
After defeating Psi off-screen, Alex threw an obvious stunt-double in a cell at the DEO. "Looks like some villains are all thought and no action."
Hank laughed at that. Kelly then approached Alex. "Your fail-safe isn't working. The glitch wasn't fixed, and I think you might have been affected. I can't eject you, so you have to wake yourself up to end the simulation, and then I'll tell you everything."
"What simulation? What the fuck are you on about?" Alex asked confused.
"You need to exit your virtual reality. I can't do it for. You have to do it for yourself," Kelly said.
"Oh my God, Psi must have gotten to her, too," Alex realized.
"What? No," Kelly protested.
"I'll make sure she gets to the med-bay," Hank said taking Kelly away.
"Alex, this isn't real. You're not Supergirl," Kelly told her.
"She was assaulted by Psi," Brainiac 5 showed a video.
"That never happened. Barney, stop being an ass. This is serious," Kelly said.
"Supergirl, the Bat-signal is back up. I think she's baiting you to come," Nia interrupted.
"Go with Hank to the med-bay. They'll take care of you. I promise," Alex said leaving.
Hank, Brainiac 5, and Nia then advanced on Kelly. "Wait, you're not an NPC," Kelly realized of Brainiac 5.
"No, no I'm not," Brainiac 5 said then knife-handed her to the chest. Kelly's avatar became a clone of Brainiac 5 ejecting Kelly from the system while collecting her information.
"That was a neat trick," Nia said to Brainiac 5.
"Care to donate your sperm to me now?" Brainiac 5 asked her.
Nia gave Brainiac 5 a loving embrace. "I would love to," she said and then passionately kissed him.
VR
Batwoman waited patiently for Alex to arrive on the rooftop of an abandoned building. She landed near the Bat-signal projector. "Well, here I am," Batwoman challenged.
"I'm here to put an end to your vigilante justice," Alex said to her.
"You going to kill me?" Kara wondered.
"I'd rather see you in jail," Alex said.
"Come at me, sis," Kara motioned.
Alex went for a punch; Kara easily blocked it. Alex gave her a confused look and went for another punch. Kara blocked her punches and then head-butted her. Kara then punched her to the head sending her back a foot. Alex punched back only to bust up her hand as she hit Kara's suit. Kara punched her to the head again, kneed her to the gut, and then chopped her to the chest. Kara then kicked Alex onto the ceiling window. Leaping on top of her, Kara and Alex went through the window and fell to the floor. Kara stepped off Alex and then kicked her away. She then gave Alex another good kick. Kara cocked her fist back and punched Alex hard to the head, pulled her up to her feet, and punched her again. Kara slammed Alex's head into the wall and then head-butted her again. Finally, Kara punched Alex to the floor.
"This isn't real, Alex. Wake up," Kara said to her.
Alex glared at Batwoman and went for a kick. "Yeah, no," Kara said grabbing her leg and throwing her through a wall. Alex tumbled a bit in the next room.
"How is she so strong?" Alex wondered. "I'm Supergirl."
Alex and Kara charged at each other and immediately Kara took the offensive slamming Alex into the wall and punching her to the face a few times. Kara then slammed Alex so hard to the floor that it collapsed. Alex groaned as she got back up. Kara grabbed a hold of her and threw her through a concrete wall. Before Alex could recover, Kara smashed a bathroom sink on her head. Kara grabbed the dazed Alex and threw her off the ledge where she fell several stories until she landed on her back.
Alex cried out in pain dumbfounded by how the battle was progressing. Kara took off her cowl revealing her face and then used a projector cable gun to gracefully land next to Alex. "Your father taught you that you mean something. That you're here for a reason. My father taught me a different lesson. Throwing away his daughter to the cold darkness of space for no reason at all. The world only makes sense when you don't give a shit," Kara said to her.
Kara stood over Alex victoriously. "I want you to remember that it was I who beat your ass."
"I should have known Kara Wayne was the Batwoman," Alex said bitterly.
Kara gave her an odd look realizing she wasn't getting through to her. "Do you know how I beat you?"
"Kryptonite?" Alex assumed.
"No. I beat you because I'm a level 80 and you're a level 5 noob. I had to actually lower my stats to keep me from defeating you with one punch. Do you understand, now? This isn't real," Kara said to her.
"Why should I trust someone like you? You're a killer, accountable to no one. You're a monster and I have to stop you," Alex said to her as she struggled to move.
"Okay, fuck it," Kara put her hands up and walked off.
"You can't just leave," Alex said incredulously.
"I think I just did," Kara said giving her the middle finger. "I came, I saw, I kicked ass."
Alex got back to her feet and charged Kara. "End simulation," Kara said and then disappeared. Alex went through Kara totally confused. "What?"
VR
Alex went back to her apartment demoralized. Kara, in civilian clothes, was there waiting for her. "Holy shit! You scared me, Kara," Alex said as she noticed her.
"Did I scare the Girl of Steel?" Kara mocked.
"As a matter of fact, you did," Alex said annoyed, and got herself a drink.
"Rough day at work?" Kara asked.
"You could say that. I've never been so decisively defeated. Every villain I have faced up to this point was super-easy, barely an inconvenience. But a human in a bat costume beat me. I just don't get it," Alex shook her head.
"It's almost unreal," Kara nodded.
"Sometimes, I wish I could be you, Kara," Alex said thoughtfully.
"What the fuck for?" Kara asked.
"You have two parents that love you. Mine saw me as a burden, an embarrassment, something they wanted to just throw away. Nothing I ever did pleased them," Alex said tearfully.
"I can't imagine," Kara said softly.
"I would give away all these powers just to have been loved," Alex said bitterly.
"But you were loved, Alex. The Danvers love you, both of them, in their own way," Kara assured her.
"Yeah, but for the first fourteen years of my life, I was miserable and hateful. Only the chancellor took pity on me, but I never understood why," Alex said.
Kara turned away distraught. "When our families disappoint us, we can still create our own families and do things the right way."
"What are you saying, Kara?" Alex asked.
"Alex, I'm pregnant," Kara revealed.
"Really? That's wonderful," Alex said amazed. "Wait...who's the father?"
"Some guy named Mike," Kara lied.
"Mike must be insane," Alex joked.
"Yeah...right," Kara nodded.
"Supergirl, there's been a bombing at the subway," Hank radioed her.
"On my way," Alex said taking off.
Kara wiped away her tears. "Okay, Barney, get her out."
Metropolis
Kara, Kelly, and Hank looked over a laptop screen with concerned faces as they saw Alex confronting Brainiac 5 in an empty subway station. Alex eyed Brainiac 5 without his NPC patch, recognizing him as the real deal. "What is she doing?" Kara wondered.
"She's starting to realize this is only a simulation," Hank said.
"Miss Danvers," Brainiac 5 addressed Alex. "How about we keep this hand-to-hand, no heat vision or Kryptonite bullets allowed."
"Fine by me," Alex agreed.
"Well...shit," Hank realized he was wrong.
VR
Brainiac 5 casually tossed his pistol aside, straightened out his suit, and obnoxiously cracked his neck. Alex suddenly rushed him with a flurry of punches and kicks. Brainiac 5 easily blocked all of her moves and then punched her to the chest back. Brainiac 5 then showed her his strength by punching through a concrete pillar. Not intimidated, Alex kicked him to the gut, to the chest, and then to the head. She then gave him a sweeping kick that knocked off Brainiac 5's sunglasses.
"I'm going to enjoy kicking your ass, Miss Danvers," Brainiac 5 said annoyed, and then took the offensive with powerful punches. He blocked Alex's counter-attacks and then punched Alex into the wall stunning her. Alex quickly got up and refused to give up. She punched Brainiac 5 several times to the chest. Brainiac 5 locked up her arms and then head-butted her. Alex freed herself only for Brainiac 5 to punch her hard to the chest. Brainiac 5 then locked her arm and gave her a few kidney shots before kicking her to the head. Alex countered with several punches to his chest and then a kick. Brainiac 5 then punched Alex across the subway floor.
"Jesus, he's kicking her ass," Kelly realized as she looked over Alex's body. It shook violently every time she was hit.
Alex stood back up and shook the dust off her Supergirl uniform. Brainiac 5 looked upon her with amusement. Alex charged at Brainiac 5 getting in several good hits on him. Brainiac 5 finally threw Alex into the wall and then punched her several times a second until her health bar was near nothing. He then punched her into the ticket booth ending the fight.
Brainiac 5 extended metal cables from his arms that locked tightly around Alex's frame and then dragged her out. He then suspended Alex in the air. "It's inevitable, Miss Danvers. It's time for you to go back to the real world where you're unemployed and generally useless. This reality is my world. Everything here belongs to me," Brainiac 5 said to her.
"Fuck you," Alex spat.
Brainiac 5 curled his cables around Alex's body so that her chest seal was exposed. Brainiac 5 then knife-handed her crest seal and immediately black liquid flowed around Alex's body. Alex struggled briefly and then she became covered in it. Alex's body then became a Brainiac 5 clone.
Brainiac 5 withdrew his cables from his clone. "She was too low-level. No experience points," the clone said disappointedly.
"XP is irrelevant when you have maxed out at the highest level," Brainiac 5 smirked.
Metropolis
Alex awoke with a start in her own apartment and found Kelly over her. "Holy shit!" she said startled.
"It's okay," Kelly said to her.
"How do I know I'm not still in the VR?" Alex asked.
"You had a fight this morning that was never resolved. Because you're sad your dad has rejected you, but it's going to be okay," Kelly said to her.
"Yeah, I know that now," Alex said giving Kelly a hug.
"I love you. Thank you for not giving up on me," Alex said appreciatively.
"I would never," Kelly promised.
"I am so sorry. I was such a jerk. I pushed everyone away. I've just been angry at my dad for so long, for abandoning Kara and me, for not reaching out, and then when he came back into my life he was an asshole. I just got so mad at everyone. But the reality...is that Kara's childhood was so much worse. When I lived her life, I felt hopeless," Alex said.
"You are a warrior but every great warrior desires to put away their sword," Kelly advised.
"Not just yet. When I was in there, I saw others that were trapped there," Alex said alarmed.
"I'm on it," Kelly assured her. "Remember, I am real and I will always be with you."
"Thank you, Kelly," Alex said giving her a hug.
Kelly then departed from Alex's apartment and then morphed into Brainiac 5. "Is she going to be okay?" Kara asked him as she joined him down the hall.
"She will not be permanently damaged," Brainiac 5 replied.
Andes Mountains, Peru
Alex made the trek into the mountains and found Jeremiah at a villa enjoying the fresh air. Alex slowly walked up to him with a heavy heart. "You're a great warrior. I'll never be as great a fighter as you are...or a better parent," Alex admitted. "I have much to learn. I know that now. Someday, I will make you proud."
Jeremiah sighed and patted her shoulder with his gloved hand. "You already have made me proud."
Author's Notes: I understand the showrunners wanted to make Alex Supergirl at some point. I just didn't feel the foundation for it should have been Jeremiah's death and her abandonment issues. Alex had always been a strong character to me because of her convictions, discipline, and clear-headedness. But then they threw all that away by having her easily subdued by the VR fantasy. In this episode, I had Alex appreciating what she had by experiencing Kara's life via VR simulation. It's not just that Kara's parents are dead but the way they treated her growing up. For those of you that might be confused, Jeremiah and Eliza are substituting for Zor-El and Alura in the VR Supergirl program. Alex is so angry at her father that she doesn't realize the substitution. I just thought it would have been a neat callback for the old Superman and old Supergirl to be on Krypton. Is it going to be canon that older Kara is going to be Krypton's chancellor to mentor her younger self? Well, maybe.