Hank and M'gann kicked the door open and entered Silas' apartment finding it a total mess. Two Brainiac 5 corpses were on the floor completely disabled. Silas was on the floor injured and freaked out. "Silas!" Hank shouted for him.
"There he is," M'gann said pointing him out.
"What happened?" Hank demanded of him.
"A Falaxian, one of them escaped the portal and tracked me down. It's worse than anything I could imagine. It was like a living death," he said.
"You just got rough up a bit. Stop being a drama queen," Hank scolded. "You're now charged with finding us a way into the Fortress and finding this Flaxian for us."
"Fuck my life," Silas realized.
Fortress of Solitude
In Kara's depressed dream state, a biker gang took hold of Zor-El in a net and took him away. Kara casually watched as the gang beat Zor-El down to the ground, gave him some good kicks, and then dragged his ass away. "So...where are you taking him?" Kara asked slightly concerned.
"Quiet! The same place we're taking you," the lead gang member told her with a blade in his hand.
"Don't threaten me with a good time," Kara mocked.
An Asian woman in black then intervened on Kara's behalf. "We need to leave. White Martians are on their way here," she warned.
"Why should I believe you?" the gang leader asked.
"Because they got Azrael," she said simply showing his lighter in her hand. "That was what was left of him."
The gang took off taking Zor-El with them while the Asian woman took cover. Kara remained standing not concerned in the slightest. "That was too easy. I'm Nyxly," she smiled.
"Men are stupidly gullible. I get it," Kara nodded. "Not that I give a shit but what happened to Azrael?"
"He's fine wherever he is. I took this from him weeks ago," Nyxly said. "A girl's got to have a way to get around in the dark," she said as she played with the lighter.
"So, does that lighter have eternal fuel?" Kara wondered.
"Sure," Nyxly shrugged.
"So, how is the Phantom Zone an eternal prison if people can die here?" Kara asked confused.
"You tell me, Kara. This is your psychosis," Nyxly replied.
"Fair enough," Kara allowed. "Look, I need to go find my father so I can tear him down the same way he did to me."
"You sure you're up for it?" Nyxly asked.
"You must be confusing me with a Supergirl who gets her ass kicked by humans and breaks her leg from a simple fall. I assure you, I am the most powerful being in this universe," Kara said confidently.
"Well, okay then. Come with me," Nyxly offered her hand.
DEO Fortress
Brainiac 5 was at his computer desk when he turned to the news showing Lex Luthor. "How does it feel to no longer be pardoned?" a reporter asked him.
"Beautiful. I want to thank all my supporters especially my sister, Lena, and Senator Olsen. Without them, my future wouldn't be nearly as bright," Lex said from Lex Corp. tower.
Hank and M'gann entered the facility and dumped Silas onto a medical bed. "Thermal blankets, stat," he ordered M'gann away.
"Did you recover the CPUs of the two disabled drones?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"I didn't see it as a mission priority," Hank told him.
"Well, it's a mission priority to me," Brainiac 5 said annoyed. "They were attacked by a Flaxian. You know what? It's fine," he said as he directed a unit to go back to Silas' apartment.
"I have three roommates. I don't know where they are," Silas said distressed.
"Most likely terminated," Brainiac 5 said coldly.
"We'll find them," Hank lied to him. "Where's Dreamer?" he asked M'gann.
"She's at a Catco investor's retreat with Karina and Andrea," Brainiac 5 said.
"That sounds like bullshit. I want them both here," Hank ordered.
"Go easy on her. She was crushed when we couldn't save Supergirl from the fortress," M'gann said to Hank as he was about to make a call.
"I don't give a shit. Nia's a soldier in my army," Hank said.
"Maybe what we're doing is counterproductive. We just released a Flaxian onto this world," M'gann pointed out.
"I'll release an entire army of Flaxians onto this world if it means getting my weapon back," Hank said as he made the call to Nia.
Smallville
Alex was at home eating ice cream as she watched home videos of Kara during their younger years. "When you first came to live with us, I thought you would be sad and fragile having lost your whole world, your parents, and friends. But...you never let that loss diminish your light. You've always had the heart of a hero, Kara. You've always been a hero to me. I know you will be one to Lex," a teenage Alex said at Kara's engagement party over ten years ago.
"Thank you, Alex." teenage Kara said as she gave Alex a heartfelt hug.
Mara walked into the house and noticed the TV. Alex quickly turned it off. "The video doesn't disturb me. I'm fully aware my mother had many lovers before marrying my father," she said.
"Kara is in her own hell right now...and I find myself not giving a damn," Alex admitted.
"She's not dead," Mara said flatly.
"No matter what I did, I couldn't save her from herself. I tried to reason with her, tell her how I feel, and push her to do the right thing for years. Maybe if I had been a better sister, Kara wouldn't be so fucked up. Maybe, she would have been a progressive female icon without faults and full of hope," Alex said tearfully.
"These things have a way of working themselves out in the end. My mother's moral flaws showed me the pain of sin. I saw her demonstrate the seven deadly sins in abundance, and I didn't want to be that way. So, in a way, her life has been an inverse example for me," Mara said.
"So, there's a silver lining to my failure after all," Alex said bitterly.
"What kind of person do you think my mother would have been...without you?" Mara asked.
Alex gave Mara a horrified look as she recalled Zod, Astra, and Non. "And then ask yourself, what do you think my father would have been...without her?" Mara added.
"What's the point? She's so set in her ways now. It's not like Midvale where I had some ability to persuade her," Alex said.
"For all my life of seven years in the future, you were the ghost that haunted us all. Your statue was right outside the Vindicator Hall. There were paintings of you in the museum. I read my mother's diary from her recollections of you. The flagship of the Galactic Federation fleet is named after you. New Alexandria is a paradise. Every day, I felt your presence in my life," Mara told her.
"If she loves and respects me so much, why does she treat me like crap all the time?" Alex asked.
"My mother is only respectful and polite when someone is about to die," Mara replied.
Metropolis
Silas was now in a coma-like state on a medical table. "The Flaxians are a hive-based race that invades and infects other planets. They swarm the galaxy like a plague of locusts. Mon-El did significant damage to their homeworld but they possess many other planets from where they can attack," Brainiac 5 explained to Hank and M'gann.
"What do you mean by infecting?" Hank asked.
"It can repopulate itself using humans as hosts. After a short incubation period, the host becomes one of them and connects to the hive mind," Brainiac 5 said.
"So what happens to the man's soul?" Hank wondered.
"Inconclusive," Brainiac 5 said.
Silas began shaking violently and then morphed into a Flaxian. He immediately got up and started to thrash about. Hank fought with the Flaxian while Brainiac 5 placed handcuffs on him. The Flaxian growled in anger as he was placed in a glass cage.
The son-of-a-bitch is still out there infecting new victims. We have to find the Flaxian and find anyone he may have turned," Hank said seriously. "M'gann, you're with me to scan the city for psychic signatures using this asshole as a template. Barney, I need you to use facial recognition to find those roommates."
"What if they've already been turned?" M'gann asked naively.
"They can't be turned back. You must terminate them," Brainiac 5 replied. "I'll keep this one alive to lure the others here."
"God damn, Barney. This creature was Silas just a moment ago," M'gann said appalled.
"I assure you, my opinion of him has not changed," Brainiac 5 replied as the Flaxian screeched from his cage.
Fortress of Solitude
Kara eyed Nyxly as she got herself a cup of water from a cauldron over a fire. "If this is eternal, why do you need to drink or eat?" Kara wondered.
"Can you stop trying to figure it out?" Nyxly asked impatiently. "Besides, you have bigger concerns to worry about."
"Oh really? Like what?" Kara scoffed.
"Those men are going to sacrifice your father to a terrible creature that lives deep in the lake," Nyxly said.
"You're telling me this now? I want to be there when it happens," Kara said suddenly interested.
"But it doesn't feed until it's at the lake eleven times which gives us enough time to make a plan," Nyxly said brightly.
"I don't think you understand. I want him to be chewed on and digested for the next ten thousand years," Kara said bitterly.
"That's dark. You must be one hell of a criminal," Nyxly remarked.
"You have no idea," Kara smirked.
"How did you end up here?" Nyxly asked.
"Well, you see, there was this orange man that I championed in an election, and he ended up losing. So, I took that personally to the point of being so depressed I'm imagining you and all this other shit," Kara explained.
"It's not like the people rejected you," Nyxly pointed out.
"Kind of feels like it though," Kara said peeved. "Look, I am the Supreme Leader of a Galactic Federation a thousand years from now. As such, I appointed all the presidents and prime ministers of every country on Earth and every planetary governor in the federation. No planet, country, or city ever had the balls to refuse me...until now."
"So, because you lost this one time, you're going to just rage-quit on your life?" Nyxly asked.
"It's a hell of a lot better than getting sent to the Phantom Zone because you didn't properly store away a phantom projector and got your ass kicked by a mere human," Kara rolled her eyes.
"Well, you see, it's not. You're here in this hell because you've put yourself here. You are your own worst enemy and nothing is more pathetic than wallowing in self-pity and self-indulgence. The people that reside in the real Phantom Zone can never get out. You can because this is all in your head," Nyxly told her.
"You know, I'm done with you. Begone," Kara dismissed her away.
Nyxly remained smiling smugly. "The fuck are you?" Kara asked realizing something was off.
"I'm a fifth-dimensional being just like your old friend, Mxyz," Nyxly revealed.
"Well...shit," Kara muttered.
"Don't be like that. I'm here to help. You see, your imagined father is still alive and well," Nyxly said to her using a small crystal ball.
"If you're here to help, you'll point the way to him. I don't want to miss his execution," Kara said urgently.
Metropolis
Brainiac 5's hologram appeared before Lex in his office at Lex Corp. tower. "You sent for me?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"Yes, I did some digging into my foundation's accounting and found out it's actually a sham. It's being used to funnel money to Russian arms dealers," Lex said displeased.
Brainiac 5 scanned his tablet instantly. "So it is," he agreed.
"I want it stopped. I intend to be completely legitimate, unlike my predecessor," Lex insisted.
"Admirable but unnecessary. If there was ever an audit, the evidence would be erased," Brainiac 5 insisted.
"It's the principle of the thing," Lex said.
"You should discuss this with Karina. She's the one that orchestrated this," Brainiac 5 dodged.
"I love Karina with all my heart, but we must put a check on her. She needs to understand that she can't use Lex Corp. as a way to advance Russian interests. I've already spoken to her about this but she won't listen to reason," Lex said.
"As a mediator, I cannot take sides. I will eliminate Lex Corp's involvement by redirecting the money where it should while using other accounts to keep Karina's weapon trafficking in place. Furthermore, I will lock Karina and PATRIOT out of Lex Corp. accounts with a sufficiently high firewall," Brainiac 5 offered.
"I appreciate your help in this matter," Lex said graciously.
"However, you and Karina will need to work out your trust issues alone," Brainiac 5 advised.
"I know," Lex frowned.
DEO Fortress
Brainiac 5 observed the Flaxian banging his head against the wall repeatedly. "He's been doing this for some time now," he told Hank as he came in.
"He must be drawn to something," Hank figured.
Brainiac 5 twitched. "Police scanners indicate a disturbance at a warehouse not far from here. It's being attacked by hostile reptile creatures."
"We have to secure that warehouse. Where the fuck is M'gann?" Hank asked looking around.
"She said she went on patrol," Brainiac 5 said vaguely.
"She's already there," Hank realized.
Hank and Brainiac 5 raced over to the warehouse only to find M'gann injured on the scene with a nasty scrape to her neck. The Flaxians escaped through a portal as they arrived. "Well...shit," Hank muttered upon seeing M'gann's state.
M'gann was placed on a medical table. "Her Green Martian physiology may allow her to phase out of the transformation...or not," Brainiac 5 said.
"I'll give her a blood transfusion and see what that does," Hank said.
"I'm sorry I ditched your orders to stay with the group," M'gann admitted.
"Yes, this is your fault. You fucked up. But don't worry. I will save your ass...again," Hank assured her.
Fortress of Solitude
In the dirt, Nyxly drew the geography of the area. "Just beyond this ridge, you'll see shadow lake. They'll be keeping your father in a cave right at the top."
"So bored," Kara said obnoxiously as she looked up at the ceiling.
"Do you want to see your father's execution or not?" Nyxly asked her.
"Why are you even helping me?" Kara questioned.
"I want to give you closure and bring you back to your friends and family. A Kryptonian alone in the world is a dangerous thing," she said.
"Here's the thing. I don't trust you for shit. Every fifth-dimensional being I've ever encountered was an asshole that threatened my existence and everything I've tried to build. To you, it may seem petty and stupid but it's important to me. You see, I believe this life is a test. When someone like me dies, my soul will be in the seventh dimension far beyond your comprehension. So, don't think you can come down here to my third dimension and start shit," Kara warned.
"You really believe that?" Nyxly scoffed. "I've never experienced anything beyond the fifth dimension. There is no higher dimension I've ever witnessed."
"Sounds like a personal problem," Kara said dismissively. "Maybe if you did believe in a higher dimension, you guys wouldn't be shitheads."
"Look, you can't judge us all by how our men are," Nyxly said defensively.
"Oh, we're going down that route? How do I know you're not a dude disguised as a woman?" Kara asked.
"You are a paranoid narcissist threatened by anyone that may take away your power," Nyxly accused. "You think I like being in your head? This is one fucked-up place. I'm here to make amends for all that you've had to go through with us."
"Well, I'd love to have us both compliment each other all night, but I have an execution to get to. I'm going to start believing in myself and crap," Kara said as she took off.
Metropolis
Karina entered the Luthor mansion and found Lex at his desk. "What...the...fuck?" she demanded.
"How could you redirect money from sick kids to weapon traffickers?" Lex asked outraged.
"Those weapons are going to help defend Ukrainian rebels from their fascist government," Karina said passionately.
"You can't fund rebels with Lex Corp. accounts," Lex said obviously.
"I can...and I will," Karina said stubbornly. "We have plans for Ukraine in the spring. It's going to be a blast," she smiled.
"What is yours is yours and what is mine is mine," Lex told her.
"No, I own this planet. As soon as Kara leaves for the future, I'm going to be making some significant changes around here," Karina said ambitiously.
"What happens if someone were to find out about this?" Lex asked.
"Who gives a shit?" Karina rolled her eyes.
"I do. I want to be a respectable legitimate businessman," Lex said.
"Your interests are not my interests," Karina said dismissively.
"If you had to make a choice between PATRIOT and me, who would you choose?" Lex asked.
"You," Karina said painfully.
"Barney can fund your pet projects in Ukraine without involving Lex Corp. Going behind my back like this is not acceptable," Lex lectured.
"Alright," Karina relented. She then made a phone call to PATRIOT agents in the area. "Call off the arson at the hospital," she ordered in Russian.
"Everything good?" Lex asked as she hung up.
"Perfect," Karina smiled.
DEO Fortress
Brainiac 5 looked over M'gann's vitals. "The blood transfusion is complete. It appears to have slowed down the transformation for now."
"But it won't stop it," Hank shook his head.
"No," Brainiac 5 said flatly.
"Her life force, her soul will be lost," Hank said displeased.
"She didn't follow orders and nearly got herself killed," Brainiac 5 pointed out.
"Oh, I'm not blaming myself for shit. You're completely right," Hank agreed. "What is it about me that inspires such reckless incompetence in everyone that has ever served under me?"
"You are over two hundred years old. To you, everyone else acts and thinks like a child. I am over ten thousand years old, and I feel the same way about every living organism I come across," Brainiac 5 said.
"If M'gann dies, who will be there to care for my new family back on Mars? Who will cook the meals, clean the house, and teach the kids?" Hank wondered.
"Indeed," Brainiac 5 agreed.
"I've lost so many people that I've...," Hank said and couldn't finish.
"I would have thought you'd be numb to it by now," Brainiac 5 said insensitively.
"Thanks, Barney. You always know the right thing to say," Hank said appreciatively.
"Karina is getting ambitious again. If we don't find a way to reach Kara, there could be trouble," Brainiac 5 warned.
"Alright," Hank agreed.
"You can potentially save M'gann by extracting her soul before she fully transforms," Brainiac 5 said obviously.
"You're right. I'll give it a try," Hank nodded.
A disgruntled Karina entered the DEO Fortress as Red Daughter. "This better not be a waste of my time," she said annoyed.
"We're going to place M'gann's soul into this jar," Hank explained.
"The fuck?" Karina wondered.
"We have been breached," Brainiac 5 informed them.
Karina blasted the doors with frost breath sealing them. Meanwhile, the cell of the Flaxian prisoner in the other room went down to the basement level to keep him secure. "The ROE is to injure but not kill," Brainiac 5 ordered Karina.
The ice on the doors burst outward as a squad of Flaxians came barging in. Brainiac 5 and Karina fired on them as they came in with non-lethal bursts. M'gann began to deteriorate rapidly transforming more into a Flaxian. Hank concentrated on bringing her soul out of her body and into the jar. The Flaxians desperately tried to get to M'gann only to be blocked by a forcefield. Karina suddenly punched them all down within a second.
Brainiac 5 activated a portal that sent all the Flaxians to the underground cell. The leader portaled away out of the cell leaving the others behind. With his influence gone, M'gann changed back to normal. Hank then placed her soul back into her body. M'gann awoke stunned by what she had gone through.
"Next time, you follow orders," Hank lectured her.
Smallville
Alex read a report from Brainiac 5 on the recent activities. "I've come to a revelation," she said to Mara.
"Oh?" Mara asked curiously.
"We've been so desperate to reach Kara that we never stopped to think that maybe we shouldn't. I mean, look at the cost of it. Silas is dead, transformed into a monster alien. His roommates are dead, too, also transformed. M'gann almost died. If Kelly and I had been there, we could have been seriously injured or killed. Not to mention we're putting this planet at risk every time we open that portal," Alex said.
"We are responsible for our intentions...but also the consequences of our actions," Mara agreed.
"So, I think it best if we let Kara go and hope for the best," Alex concluded.
"We decided that was the best policy awhile ago," Mara said referring to the family. "This isn't the first time mother has locked herself away like this."
"Really? When did she do the first time?" Alex asked.
"It was soon after she came to the future and couldn't go back. When she realized she would never see you again," Mara recalled.
Fortress of Solitude
Kara and Nyxly watched passively as the gang did a pagan ritual and proceeded to sacrifice Zor-El to a huge sea monster in shadow lake. They chained his wrists and lowered him towards the lake. The sea monster came out of the water and swallowed him whole. Soon thereafter, Zor-El respawned and the process would occur again. Kara smiled each time her father was eaten.
"You have issues," Nyxly told her.
"Well, it's been fun," Kara said and then woke up in her bed. She fed Kameron a bottle to stop her from crying and gave her a burp. Suddenly, Kameron decided to talk. "Mama," she said to her.
"That's right, mama," Kara said to the three-month-old.
Author's Notes: CW Kara's general incompetence to secure her weapon's arsenal and defeat Lex is leading to people getting killed and putting the entire planet at risk. Continued efforts to bring her back are likely to get more people killed. Lena abdicating Luthor Corp was predictable which is why I placed that event at the finale of Season 5. If there is a Russian/Ukrainian war IRL, I'm going to have to figure out Karina's role in that. The Flaxian aliens are the same aliens from Family Matters Part 2. The home video is a reference to when Kara and Lex were engaged in my Midvale fic.