Author's Notes: The events of this episode are at the same time as Family Matters Part 1 and Part 2. This episode deals with depression and Kara's mental state that could be disturbing. Depression is just as serious as the Phantom Zone.
At the Luthor Corp. blood bank, a nervous security guard went down the halls. As he did, he listened to some soft Jazz in his earphones to calm his nerves. Suddenly, a middle-aged man appeared before him and screamed in his face. "The fuck?" he wondered.
The security guard got tossed down the hall. "What do you think about that?" the assailant asked.
"That was mildly inconvenient," the security guard said as he got back up.
"Keys," the assailant demanded.
"Sure, man. I only get paid $15 an hour," he said pathetically as he handed his key over.
"You're overpaid," the assailant said as he threw the security guard aside and entered the secure area. Unfortunately for the assailant, a Brainiac 5 unit was already in the room.
"This is going to suck for you," Brainiac 5 said. "Pun intended."
The vampiric assailant punched at Brainiac 5 missing each time. Brainiac 5 punched the vampire to the floor and wrapped him up in cables. The vampire turned into a bat escaping the cables and flew off. Hank suddenly swat the bat to the floor. The bat turned back into a vampire once more. "Got you, mother-fucker," Hank said as he pulled him off the floor to his feet.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. I'm not really a vampire," he said lamely.
"His name is Silas, an alien," Brainiac 5 informed Hank.
"Don't tell me his kind are responsible for the vampire legends of Earth," Hank said incredulously.
"No, I wouldn't dare to disrespect one of the greatest vampire hunters of all time," Brainiac 5 said.
"Blade," all three of them said together.
"I rob blood banks so I don't have to hurt people," Silas said.
"What did you do before blood banks and blood transfusion devices came along?" Hank asked.
"Well...I...," Silas stuttered.
"That's what I thought, asshole," Hank said keeping a good grip on him.
"We'll let you go if you help us break into the Fortress of Solitude," Brainiac 5 explained.
Silas gave them both a spooked look. "The place where she lives? Why the fuck would I want to do that?"
"Supergirl will merely vaporize your ass. I've got a thousand ways to kill you I want to try out," Hank told him as he took him away.
Fortress of Solitude
Kara found herself in a hellish environment with volcanic jagged rocks everywhere and a blood ocean in front of her. She sighed as she rested on the uncomfortable beach in her Supergirl uniform. "I love it here," Alex said to her wearing all black.
"Me, too," Kara nodded as she heard the boiling of the ocean.
"Are you going to stay?" Alex asked hopefully.
"I don't know. I don't know the rules," Kara admitted.
"I don't think there are rules. You know, fuck it," Alex smiled. "I was big on rules. I actually liked rules. I think I loved rules," Alex said.
"You sure did," Mon agreed as he joined Kara and Alex also wearing black.
"I'm not sure how to get back from this funk I'm having," Kara admitted.
"Why go back? The world is better off without you," Mon told her.
Alex nodded to that. "I'm learning to be a great mom for your kids, Kara."
"So, are you two together?" Kara questioned.
"It took some getting used to...but we've worked out an arrangement," Alex smiled.
"It involves threesomes," Mon whispered. "I know it's hard to let go. You got Kon and Mara that love you, but you're no good to them. When you love someone, you tell them the honest truth: You're fucked up. I've been planning a divorce for some time now."
"You never give me credit for anything, Kara. You always make it seem like it was your idea," Alex added. "I'm so glad I don't have to deal with your shit anymore."
"You know, it's hard to enjoy my favorite things with this pandemic going on. Millions of people dead or hospitalized," Kara mused.
"I know, right?" Alex agreed. "You have to be in solidarity with the world's suffering. You shouldn't avoid death. You should be embracing it, Kara."
"You know what my favorite thing is?" she asked rhetorically to both of them. "It's cake."
"The cake is a lie, Kara," Alex said seriously.
"So, life is pain. That's the point?" Kara asked.
"Yes," Mon and Alex both said at the same time.
"I lost you both and you both just don't seem to give a shit," Kara realized. "I lost both my parents and even before they died...,"
"They caused you a lot of pain," Alex finished for her.
"So much grief. So much loss. So much pain," Kara reflected.
"Yeah, but what causes the pain?" Mon asked rhetorically.
"It's love, isn't it?" Kara guessed.
"Just get rid of love and you'll have no pain," Mon said obviously.
"I hate this. I hate you two knowing all the right answers," Kara said peeved.
"If you're dead, you don't feel anything. The pain all goes away," Alex said to her. "You're clinging onto everything you know. Just let go."
"Your life is a waste," Mon chimed in.
"I miss you both so much," Kara said sincerely.
"That's kind of a waste of time," Alex scolded.
"Why?" Kara asked confused.
"Because we don't love you anymore," Alex told her.
Kara blinked as she exited her psychosis and noticed Kameron sleeping in a crib by her side. "Kelex: Has anyone attempted to enter the fortress?"
"No, Lady Kara," Kelex reported.
"Good," Kara said and then went back to sleep.
DEO Fortress
Silas was brought before Hank, Brainiac 5, Nia, and M'gann in the entertainment room. "My husband was falsely accused of theft. The Kryptonians sentenced him to six months on Fort Ross. They took Owen from me. It was so unfair. I had to get him out."
"But then you got your ass caught," Hank said amused.
"How do you guys know all this?" Silas asked spooked.
"We have all of Fort Ross' files," Brainiac 5 said simply.
"You're the only person to ever be able to break into a Kryptonian fortress. We need you to teach us how," Nia said.
"You have to understand. I failed and you will, too," Silas said pessimistically.
"Any technology you used can be replicated," Brainiac 5 said confidently.
"The tech is the easy part. It's the phantoms you have to worry about. If what you've told me is true, Supergirl's phantoms will kick our ass. They will feed on your fear. They're like shadows that infest you and take away everything that is good and right. Eventually, you forget the phantoms are doing it to you at all. Your nightmare becomes your reality. That's when you go insane just like my husband did," Silas said.
"This sounds a lot like the Dementors from Harry Potter," Nia recalled.
"Six months? Shit," Hank said unimpressed. "My father was mentally tortured for over 200 years."
"I'm sorry that happened to you but you have a chance to save someone we...that we are...," M'gann struggled to find the right word.
"A colleague of ours," Hank finished for her.
"We're trusting you with this information because you're the only one that can help...and we have an explosive on the back of your head," Hank said seriously.
"So, that's what that was," Silas frowned.
"Help us or your head explodes," Hank ordered.
"Okay...I'll need a pen," he agreed.
"Good man," Hank smiled.
Nia looked at her smartphone. "That was Andrea. I have to get back to Catco," Nia told him.
"Actually, you're going to train. As you are now, you'll be no match for Supergirl's phantoms," Brainiac 5 said.
"What about my job?" Nia wondered.
"Andrea works for me," Brainiac 5 revealed.
"Oh, well, I'll be training on my dreams then," Nia said awkwardly and then left.
Metropolis
Andrea addressed her reporters in her office. Behind her were Catco covers featuring Lex Luthor as the Man of Tomorrow. "We're going to be all things Lex Luthor. My sources tell me President Trump is thinking to give Lex Luthor the Medal of Freedom before he leaves office. We need to be ready when that news finally breaks."
"Well, nice of you to join us, Miss Danvers," Andrea said as Karina entered the office fashionably late.
"I was donating blood," Karina lied.
"Oh, how heroic of you," Andrea mocked.
"I know, right?" Karina smiled.
"Obsidian North was taken from me. Now, Catco is all I have left and I'm going to make the best of it. Kara, I'm going to need an exclusive with Lex Luthor himself," Andrea said.
"Not a problem," Karina said confidently.
Fortress of Solitude
Kara's deep depression over the election loss had manifested in the real world inside the fortress. Swarming about her were phantoms of people mocking her for her failure. As per her orders, the fortress was on lockdown making it extremely difficult for anyone to get to her. In one particular fit of madness, she found herself in a cave-dwelling. "Who are you?" Kara demanded of a robed man.
"Oh, I think you know very well," the man said. "You wear the symbol of my house."
"The House of El? You better explain yourself, asshole," Kara demanded.
The man dramatically turned to see her. "Father?" Kara wondered upon seeing Zor-El.
"My daughter alive, my wife alive? It was more than I could ever hope for," Zor-El said stunned.
"Well, then I should probably not tell you I married an Insane and had children with him," Kara rolled her eyes.
Zor-El looked upon Kameron, the baby, in a crib monitored by Kelex. "My granddaughter," he said warmly.
"This is my mind trying to reassure me that you loved me and that you love my children. I know the truth. You're the same asshole that saw me as a disappointment, that threw me away to orbit this system's star for eternity, who left me behind when you planned to rescue Argo. So, don't think you can come down here and make me feel sentimental," Kara said pissed off.
"In my last moments before my death on Krypton, before I heroically saved Argo, I thought of you," Zor-El said.
"Yeah, bullshit," Kara doubted.
"Whether I am real or a figment of your imagination, I am here to help you overcome your phantoms," Zor-El said.
"You're like the last person in the universe I would want help from," Kara said stubbornly. "In my valley of regret and sorrow, I see and hear the voices of 80 million Americans that rejected me!" Kara said self-absorbed. "And I took that personally."
"I couldn't save my people. I wanted to just die with them, but I can't do that either," Kara said depressed
"You must face your phantoms, Kara," Zor-El advised.
"You deserved to die. I don't deserve this. I'm Supergirl, damn it," Kara said.
"In this state, you may not die but you will never live. You will be trapped in this depression of yours for all eternity," Zor-El warned her.
Metropolis
Karina as Red Daughter entered the Tower and eyed Kelly and Silas. She scanned Silas and noticed unusual physiology. "I thought she locked herself in the fortress?" Silas asked confused.
"This is Karina, her twin sister," Kelly introduced.
"You will have the portal ready by sundown," Karina ordered Silas.
"By sundown? What the fuck?" Silas wondered.
"I have her favorite potstickers. You better finish with this portal before they go bad," Karina warned.
"Sundown is impossible. Next week or next month may be impossible. The last time I built this portal, it took six months of testing to make sure I didn't burn to death when I went through it," Silas said alarmed.
"Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate you," Karina threatened as her eyes glowed red.
"Karina, it's wonderful how much you care for your sister but we must take proper precautions," Kelly said gently.
"You may burn to death. I am invincible," Karina reminded them both.
"I can't guarantee that. I already have my husband losing his mind on my conscience. I won't add yours to it, too," Silas refused.
"What did you say?" Karina asked advancing towards him.
"What part?" Silas asked confused.
Karina gave Silas a disgusted look and then back to Kelly. "Your kind is less than five percent of the world's population and yet you are all here together like some kind of circus," she said rudely.
"That is very very insensitive, Karina," Kelly lectured. "You should apologize."
"What I should do is hand you over to Romania where they can put a stake through your heart, cut off your head, and light your body on fire," Karina threatened.
"Look, I got this," Kelly said to Karina and then tried her way to persuade Silas to do his job.
Karina snickered as Kelly tried to assure Silas of his role in his husband's fate. "His shame and guilt are justified."
"Not helping," Kelly told her off.
Kelly continued her shrink skills on Silas and was making some progress. Karina lost patience and confronted Silas directly. "You will build the portal or I'll send you to Siberia."
Washington DC
Lex came before the US Supreme Court acting as his own lawyer. Lena and James were present to assist him. The US Supreme Court minus Supergirl came to hear his case. "You come before us to argue that your pardon is unconstitutional? You argue that you're a separate individual from your donor upon which you were made. Therefore, you believe a pardon is an acknowledgment of guilt," Chief Justice Roberts summarized.
"When President Ford pardoned Nixon, it was his belief that if a man accepted a pardon it acknowledged his guilt," Lex said.
"Why did you accept the pardon in the first place?" Justice Kegan asked.
"At the time, it was hard to explain the situation to the American people. In order to spare the nation a criminal trial, I accepted the pardon so I could come back to the United States," Lex said.
"If you are completely apart from your donor, it stands to reason you're not even an American citizen. You were created in a lab in Russia were you not?" Justice Alito asked.
"True but my donor was an American citizen so I am, therefore, naturalized through him," Lex said awkwardly. Lena and James both gave WTF looks to the notion that Lex was claiming his donor as his father in this case.
"Is there any precedence of a pardon being revoked?" Chief Justice Roberts asked the government lawyer.
"Nope," he said flatly. "We feel the president lacks the constitutional authority to revoke a pardon once it has been issued," the government lawyer said. "The president has the authority to pardon individuals before they have actually been charged. This was the case with President Ford pardoning Nixon, President Carter pardoning thousands of draft dodgers, and President Bush pardoning those involved in the Iran-Contra scandal."
"However, President Dubya did revoke a pardon for real estate developer Isaac Robert Toussie for mail fraud a day after the pardon was given," Lex pointed out.
"Mr. Luthor is correct. However, the reason that specific pardon was able to be revoked is that the pardon lawyer had not yet signed the grant of clemency," the government lawyer said. "This is not the case here."
"Why is this an issue anyway? Why are we even here?" Justice Sotomayer asked dismayed.
"My reputation is at stake. I am an innocent man. Being given a pardon for a crime I did not commit hurts my standing in my billionaire community," Lex said passionately.
"He's got my vote," Justice Kavanaugh agreed.
"What we must determine today is whether the constitution's clear meaning of the text and the author's original intent covers a case in which a man is pardoned for crimes committed by his clone or donor," Justice Gorsuch said.
"I say we make stuff up. We've done it before. We can do it again," Justice Bryer said dismissively.
"That's too vulgar a display of power," Justice Thomas rebuked.
Lena then stood up to address the justices. "My brother was a good man that was killed by his clone. Then that clone masqueraded as Lex Luthor for years until he was finally put down. But from that clone, comes this man here who is innocent of any crime. He may have the same look but he's not the same man. In this case, I ask that you render a judgment that may not be strictly constitutional but is nonetheless fair and honest."
Lex gave his sister an appreciative look. "With our dear colleague still gone, you will need at least 5 votes. If we tie at 4-to-4, the lower court decisions will stand," Chief Justice Roberts told Lex.
"I understand, Your Honor," Lex bowed his head.
Metropolis
Karina and Hank waited impatiently as Silas worked on the portal machine. Suddenly, the portal machine zapped a fast food bag on fire. Karina blew it out with her frost breath. "I'm sorry. You know this isn't easy for me," Silas excused.
"I do not have time for your excuses. Fix it, fix it right now!" Hank demanded.
"J'onn, can I speak to you outside?" M'gann asked.
"Do you think it's wise to leave him alone with me?" Karina smirked at her.
M'gann talked with Hank on the balcony while still glancing at Karina every so often. "I know Kara was like a daughter to you."
"More like an employee that became a business partner," Hank considered.
"I'm worried about Kara, too. But I'm also worried about you and Karina. You're recklessly trying to speed up the process," M'gann said.
"You may not have been around for it, but we've taken risks before," Hank said dismissively.
"It's not risk but ego. Your ego can't take failure. You can't face the possibility you may not be able to breach the fortress," M'gann sensed.
"Every moment we wait is a moment Kara could blast her own head off. Depression is nothing to fuck with. I've dealt with it for decades at a time. I fought countless mother-fuckers hoping one would end me in the jungles of Peru. It wasn't until I became a father again with you that I have felt a semblance of self-preservation," Hank said. "I hear your wisdom or what passes for it these days but if we don't get Kara back, Karina will be our only hope and then we're fucked."
"I heard that, asshole," Karina said displeased.
DEO Fortress
Brainiac 5 casually entered the simulation room. "How goes your training?" he asked.
"Shitty," Nia admitted.
"Depression is something you've experienced quite a lot in your life. However, it will require a great deal of focus to penetrate the zone Kara has made for herself. This is a simulation of the Fortress of Solitude. Should you waver, Kara's phantoms will overcome you," Brainiac 5 warned.
"Wait, why am I even doing this? Kara is a bitch to me all the time," Nia pointed out.
"The alternative is Karina," Brainiac 5 reminded her.
"Damn," Nia realized.
"Close your eyes and find Kara's simulated location," Brainiac 5 instructed.
Nia closed her eyes and dreamed of teenage Kara and Alex running around during their Midvale High years. A phantom suddenly broke her concentration. "Kara and Alex in highschool. A surprising insight," Brainiac 5 said interested.
"It's just a distraction. Look, I don't know what the fuck I'm doing. Without my mother, I don't have anyone to help me interpret my dreams. And until I learn, I won't ever be the hero I want to be," Nia said subdued.
"I am from the Vindicators of the future and everything we did was through the lens of Kara's will, drive, and virtue. But you and I have actually gotten to know her. So, we know she's more than just Supergirl. She is our beacon through the darkness. She's the example we all aspire to be," Brainiac 5 said.
"You're so full of shit," Nia shook her head dismayed.
"So, yes, you may feel you may have failed to live up to Kara's example, but I am here to tell you in no uncertain terms that you are not a liability to this mission," Brainiac 5 assured her.
"Who said I was?" Nia asked offended.
"You will be the reason it succeeds," Brainiac 5 told her.
"Thanks, Barney," Nia said blushingly.
"Now, try again," he ordered.
Fortress of Solitude
Kara watched as Zor-El slept. "Rise and shine, asshole," she said to him. "Do you have any idea how much I endured, how much shit I had to go through because you decided to send me to Earth?"
"I take it you've learned your lesson," Zor-El assumed as he awoke.
"And what lesson would that be?" Kara asked condescendingly.
"Try, try again," Zor-El said simply.
"You're not my real father. You're just a delusion I held onto for so long. For years, I thought it might be possible that you loved me. I'm glad you died on Krypton. It's better than knowing you escaped with the others on Argo and never bothered to look for me," Kara glared at him.
"You mocked and belittled your classmates, you broke the rules constantly, you unleashed a plague of insects onto our world, and supported General Zod's insurrection on social media," Zor-El accused losing his patience. "You were unbalanced from the very beginning."
"Here it comes," Kara rolled her eyes. "I was fourteen years old. Cut me some fucking slack."
"I tried to prevent your birth. To spare you the misery that is your life," Zor-El admitted.
"The fuck you say to me?" Kara confronted him.
"Search your feelings. You know it's true. Otherwise, why would I have said it?" Zor-El said to her.
"I can't tell if what you're saying is true or it's my own self-loathing," Kara admitted. "The House of El is not just of hope for the strong and the clear-minded. It must be hope for even fuck-ups like me. You lost hope in me."
Metropolis
At the tower, Karina and Hank waited impatiently. "You sure this thing won't blow up?" Hank asked Silas.
"It won't blow up but I can't guarantee it won't implode," Silas said nervously.
"Well, it better not or I will shove a garlic bulb up your ass," Karina threatened.
"Let's bring her home," M'gann said brightly.
The portal opened revealing a red-tinted world that was definitely not the fortress. "This doesn't look like the simulation, Barney," Nia noted.
"We must have the wrong coordinates in the wrong universe. We'll have to do more calculations to find the right frequency to get it right," Brainiac 5 explained.
"How long could that take?" Hank asked irritably.
"A while," Brainiac 5 said vaguely.
Several green-skinned aliens wearing blue uniforms and white chest armor exited the portal and fired on the Super-Friends. Nia threw up an energy shield while Hank and M'gann used their mental abilities to force the alien soldiers to fire on themselves. Brainiac 5 fired a plasma rifle on them while Nia would occasionally fire from her hands. Karina watched passively for a few moments as Silas scrambled to close the portal with his pad. As the Super-Friends were about to be overwhelmed, Karina fired a heat vision beam that annihilated anything on the other side of the portal for miles.
Silas then turned the portal off.
Washington DC
Lex exited the Supreme Court building all smiles with Lena and James at his side. "The Supreme Court ruled 6-to-2 in your favor. How do you feel no longer a pardoned man?" a reporter asked Lex.
"It feels great. I feel vindicated," Lex smiled.
"I will continue to work in the US Senate to see what we can do for people that have been pardoned but no longer wish to be pardoned," James said.
"What are your plans now, Mr. Luthor?" a reporter asked.
"I'll be working closely with NASA to finally bring mankind to Mars," Lex said ambitiously.
Metropolis
The Super-Friends gathered to chew Silas out for his epic fail. "Sorry I couldn't find your friend," he said lamely.
"We should take a break. It's been a rough day, but we will figure this out," M'gann said confidently.
"Silas will get it figured out tomorrow," Hank said and then triggered the bomb on the back of Silas's head for emphasis.
"You'll be in our protective custody," Karina said as she handcuffed him and allowed two Brainiac 5 drones to take him away.
"Who are you, people?" Silas asked horrified by his predicament.
Hank walked away from Silas with M'gann following him. "How are you holding up?" she asked.
"Silas may have failed today but we've made good progress. I pride myself on motivating people," Hank said pleased. "Sometimes, I ask myself I could have prevented this. If I had swayed a few hundred thousand people in the right states with my mind-control powers, Trump would have won, and then Kara wouldn't have exiled herself."
"I know Kara means a lot to you but that's kind of fucked up," M'gann said gently.
"And then a part of me says I should leave her alone. Let her sort this out her way," Hank said. "But as a soldier, I can never leave a man behind. And that's not just from the battlefield."
Metropolis
Lex and Karina played chess at the old mansion. "You fooled Gemma into falling into our trap. Quite the performance, Lex," Karina complimented.
"You underestimated me even more than I did," Lex smiled.
"Don't jerk yourself off too hard," Karina smirked. "You had a lot of help."
"But as far as the world is concerned, I did it all," Lex pointed out. "No one can know Barney is controlling everything behind the scenes. The truth can never come out. Tell me, what is the reputation of the Luthor family now?"
"Much improved since you've taken over Luthor Corp. from Lena," Karina reported.
"From mass murderer to vindicated martyr in only a year," Lex said pleased.
"The crimes of your former self do not fall on you," Karina told him.
"People want a guy that tells it as it is," Lex determined.
"You just keep telling the truth and we'll do the rest," Karina said referring to her people.
Author's Notes: This episode did a hit-piece on Zor-El to make Kara look better in comparison. Was not a fan of that but there was some heartfelt acting going on here and some real stakes. Granted, those stakes were the result of Kara being easily defeated by a human and not locking away her weapons as she should. The Lex trial contradicts my "good Lex" narrative and was preposterous. Andrea still the CEO of Catco and not behind bars is preposterous. Vampires being this particular kind of alien was nonsense. Alex really doesn't need to wear her "costume" inside the tower. This episode hurt my brain.
I added some scenes from Grey's Anatomy that had Chyler guest star in and it just so happened to work here in the inverse. I have future plans for the "real" Zor-El in Season 7 so we just get a deluded dream here. The green alien invaders in this episode correspond to the same aliens in Family Matters Part 2. Zor-El wanting to terminate Kara before she was born is referenced in Season 5's Alex in Wonderland episode.