Kelly called up Joey in the middle of the night to check up on him. "Hi, Joey, I'm just checking up."
"Hey, Kelly, I'm taking my friend to see our new place," Joey said excitedly.
"That's great but why are you walking out in the middle of the night with a friend and why do you even have a cell phone? Aren't you supposed to be destitute?" Kelly wondered.
"Orlando says I'm going to have my own room and everything," Joey said ignoring Kelly's questions. "Holy shit!" he shouted as the building collapsed in front of him.
Kelly saw the same building collapsing not too far from her and immediately ran towards it.
Upon arriving at the scene, Kelly treated a woman with a head wound and remembered something rather important. "Call 911," she said to some random individual. She then went over to Joey covered in bricks. "Can you sit up?" Kelly asked him.
"Ayesha is over there," Joey said weakly.
"Joey...you're too young to have a girlfriend," Kelly scolded him.
Orlando then arrived on the scene. "How did this happen?" he asked.
"I don't know but someone was..supposed to call 911," Kelly said looking around and not finding the person she had told to do so.
"To the Heights? By the time they arrive, these people won't make it," Orlando said grimly.
"I can't breathe," Joey complained.
"Like you have a cough or more like a cop has his knee on your neck?" Kelly asked.
"Like a cop having his knee on my neck," Joey clarified.
"Well...shit," Orlando said.
Orlando and Kelly picked up Joey and Ayesha and brought them to the hospital. As it happened, the paramedics actually did get to the injured and brought them to the hospital before Kelly and Orlando arrived. "Hi, this child can't breathe," Kelly said to a female Asian doctor.
"Like a cop putting his knee on his neck?" the doctor asked.
"Yes," Kelly confirmed.
The doctor immediately checked him out. "Code blue," she ordered and then walked off immediately with no one actually doing anything in response."It's the same with all the others. It's the dust from the building that collapsed," the doctor said to Kelly.
"So, we need respirators and...," Kelly listed off.
"Yeah, old and/or white people take priority so little Joey is going to have to wait," the doctor told Kelly.
Mayor Rankin then came into the hospital with a busted right arm. "Why did you take me here? This is a poor people's hospital," she said distressed.
"It was the nearest hospital to your location," the nurse said flatly.
"Mayor Rankin, are you alright?" Kelly asked concernedly.
"I'll be...fine," Rankin said uncertainly as she noticed all of the doctors and nurses were minorities that probably hated her.
"This hospital needs more respirators and supplies," Kelly said urgently.
"I'll make some calls," Rankin replied having no intention of doing so. "Go and open a bed for one of these good people," she said condescendingly.
"Actually, ma'am, we prioritize based on level of injury and so we weren't going to give you a bed anyway," the nurse corrected her.
"You know what? I've assessed the situation and I'm leaving," Rankin said directing her nurse to roll her out of the hospital to a better hospital for rich elites on the other side of town.
Orlando then met up with Kelly. "Mayor Rankin just left," Kelly said disappointedly.
"To be fair, she is injured and has no direct control over this hospital. Those decisions are left to a board of directors and...," Orlando excused her.
"Are you mansplaining to me?" Kelly silenced him.
"Hey, you know Supergirl. Where is she?" Orlando asked.
Kelly called up Alex and heard loud music in the background. "Hey...babe, it's not really a good time. Can I call you back?" Alex asked as they were in a noisy bar.
"Joey was at the Ormfell building when it came down. It's bad. The hospital is overwhelmed. They've run out of respirators and oxygen tanks. Can you guys come?" Kelly asked.
"Look...I totally get it but we're not really in a condition to help," Alex said as she eyed Kara, Hank, Mon, and James completely sloshed at a bar table in a drinking contest between them all.
"Alex...are you at a bar?" Kelly asked accusingly.
The next morning at the white-painted hospital with the white doctors and white patients, Rankin was recovering from her ordeal. "You inhaled a lot of dust. What on Earth were you doing in a low-income neighborhood?" the young white male doctor asked.
"I was talking to people on how to tear it down. Kind of ironic, isn't it?" Rankin rolled her eyes.
"Well, all you need is rest and probably an inhaler, pills, X-rays, and some other tests. I'll also get you in touch with a lawyer that specializes in Mesothelioma cases," the doctor said helpfully.
"Well, no rest for the wicked. How about you give me that RP-90 treatment?" Rankin said as she looked over her phone.
"It's highly experimental and extremely expensive so, in your case, absolutely," the doctor smiled.
At the hospital, Kelly frantically went from nurse to nurse trying to find someone to help Joey and Ayesha. "I'm sorry. We're doing all we can," the nurse told her.
Kelly then eyed the battle between the Super Friends and Nyxly in the Metropolis Park that was dominating the news on the TV. As for the sudden implosion of a low-income building, the news did not give a single fuck. Kelly finally called up James. "Hey, James, there was an explosion at the Heights," Kelly began.
"No shit? Was it captured on Youtube?" James asked enthralled.
"James, focus, people are going to die and it's like no one cares. It's like their lives don't matter," Kelly said urgently.
"Well, you're not wrong," James said grimly.
"I just need to vent to someone that I know...doesn't give a shit because he was getting drunk as fuck at a bar last night with the only people that could have stopped this tragedy!" Kelly shouted at him.
"Holy shit," James said stunned.
"I'm fine, I'm cool, I'm fine," Kelly said calming herself down. "I just don't know how you did it? Acted all calm and nonchalant while people died around you."
"It was super-easy, barely an inconvenience," James assured her.
"Well, I'm tired and exhausted of your shit, James. Get the fuck down here and do something," Kelly raged.
"Kelly, you've been at that hospital for half a day over something that just happened last night. You don't get to be tired and exhausted until weeks or months of this shit go by. So, get your shit together. You sound like a crazy woman," James rebuked.
"You're only focused on yourself!" Kelly accused. "Everyone here is so powerless here. There are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters...," Kelly listed off. James let her rant for a good minute. "...and third cousins once removed here," Kelly concluded.
"I get it," James stopped her.
"I don't know what else to do," Kelly admitted.
"Have you tried violence?" James suggested.
Kara dropped into the Tower as Supergirl. "I X-rayed the entire city and noticed a building had collapsed just recently. Imagine that," Kara said brightly.
"We have more important things to be concerned about," Hank said gravely.
"Like what?" Kara asked curiously.
"I have a hunch that Nyxly is not dead," Hank said.
"I'm pretty sure I fired a beam into her heart and blasted her to pieces," Kara recalled.
"That may have only been a part of her. We're still registering fifth-dimensional energy on the planet," Hank said.
"Indeed, there is tracker equipment at the old DEO facility which is still operational by the way," Brainiac 5 said.
"You'll need my retinal scan to enter the door," Alex reminded them all.
"Yeah, sure, we'll need that...I'll give you a ride," Kara lied and then walked off.
"Everything okay?" Hank asked Alex.
"Kelly is a bit upset over this building falling down. I was going to visit her to give her some needed emotional support but...," Alex cringed.
"You'd rather not," Hank said knowingly.
"Yeah," Alex said awkwardly. "I'm beginning to wonder if I can really maintain a relationship with a woman with all of their feelings, emotions, and crying."
"Men are just as problematic in their own way," Hank assured her.
"One of the things that made me feel comfortable with Maggie was that she never got bent out of shape over all the murder, rape, and theft that was happening in Metropolis. She stayed cool and calm under all that pressure," Alex said. "But one little thing and Kelly just explodes."
"Seems like the opposite of what you would expect from a shrink," Hank remarked.
"I know, right?" Alex nodded.
"You need to teach Kelly that the best way to help people is to stop giving a shit. The best doctors, police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and soldiers are those who don't give a shit. They remain calm, collected, and professional under pressure because it's just a job. You can't be 100% passionate about this job and hope to last. That's how I've been able to manage for the last two hundred years," Hank told her.
Kelly called up Andrea at Catco. "You're reporting on traffic? Why?" Kelly asked incredulously.
"I'm sorry but the Heights collapse isn't newsworthy to my white middle-class demographics. So, sorry," Andrea said and then hung up.
"Bitch," Kelly sighed.
There was a knock at the door. Kelly answered the door and saw James smiling at her. "Sup?"
"I'm glad you're here. The situation in the Heights is a mess," Kelly said inviting him in.
"I'm actually more concerned with you about how you've been taking it all," James said concernedly.
"I'm fine. I've overcome a lot in my life. I just want to make sure the people of the Heights get the help they need, and I'm not sure there's a kick-ass solution here," Kelly said.
"If you push yourself too hard, you'll miss the warning signs. Maybe something else is going on with you. Now, I'm not questioning your strength...right now...but I do want you to know I'm here for you," James said.
"At the hospital, there was nothing I could do to help these people. I'm not a doctor, I'm a shrink," Kelly said helplessly.
"And doctors feel the same kind of helplessness when they have a patient that's crazy-as-fuck," James reminded her. "Don't try to do it all because you'll end up doing nothing."
"I just feel alone on this," Kelly admitted. "The rest of you were having a good time at a bar getting drunk," she accused.
"We were celebrating the vanquishing of a very powerful enemy that could have destroyed the universe if she had wanted to," James said defensively. "When I was with Winn," James recalled and then wiped away a tear. "When I was with Winn kicking ass, he would give me a thousand different things that were wrong in the city. It crushed him to know we could only kick ass on one of those wrongs per night. I had to look at the bigger picture which was that if we tried to kick ass on every wrong in the city in one night, we would both end up dead or locked up."
"I know there's something that is making the people in the Heights sick," Kelly said confidently.
"Yeah, it's call dust," James said dismissively.
"It's more than that," Kelly insisted.
"Alright, let's go to the source," James said motivated.
At the site of the destroyed building, James got himself into a suit and a press corps. as he surveyed the destruction. "As for how people will recover from losing their homes, their possessions, and quality of life...they'll find a way," James said confidently to the press corps.
"Really?" Kelly asked him unimpressed.
"Hey, what the fuck is this?" James wondered as he lowered his sunglasses to notice a glowing blue light coming from an open door leading to a creepy basement. The two then went inside.
At the Tower, Alex was furious with Kara. "So, you had access to the DEO base this entire time and didn't even need my retina scan?"
"My mistake. Who could have known?" Kara asked sheepishly. Brainiac 5 nonchalantly raised his hand.
"That took time out of my day; time I should have used to deal with Kelly," Alex said peeved.
"I sent James her way. He'll calm her down," Kara said confidently.
"That's just great," Alex said skeptically.
"Here are the Baltorian scanners," Kara said impressed with herself as she opened the case.
"Interesting. You can put them over there," Brainiac 5 said dismissively. "I've already detected the source of the fifth-dimensional energy," Brainiac 5 said showing them the collapsed building.
"Did you just play the both of us?" Kara accused Brainiac 5.
"That's the building where Nyxly ambushed us," Hank pointed out.
"Do you think she would return to the scene of the crime?" Nia wondered.
"Holy shit, I didn't even realize you were there," Kara said startled. "Let's be clear. I killed her ass. She isn't coming back, but we should check it out anyway."
Kara, Hank, and Brainiac 5 sped over to the collapsed building and found the creepy basement with the blue light. "Careful, Supergirl," Brainiac 5 advised Kara.
"It's just James and Kelly," Kara said having scanned the basement beforehand with her X-ray vision. "What are you two doing here?" she asked as she kicked the door open.
"We came back here to find out what was making the people at the Heights sick," Kelly explained.
"Yeah, it's called dust," Kara rolled her eyes.
"The building is infused with fifth-dimensional energy. The energy has now been disbursed in to the air and surrounding area. We'll need to find every patient and scan them," Brainiac 5 said.
"Will this lead us to Nyxly, assuming she's still alive?" Kara asked.
"It could simply be residual energy from the fight," Brainiac 5 downplayed.
"And what about the people of the Heights?" Kelly pressed.
Kara gave Brainiac 5 a "whatever" look. "Sack the hospital and start managing it more efficiently," she ordered.
"Our plan was to reduce the quality of life in this sector so the people would be forced to accept your city planning vision," Brainiac 5 reminded her.
Kelly gave Kara a shocked and appalled look. "You weren't supposed to say that in front of her," Kara muttered.
"You are unbelievable," Kelly rebuked.
"I always play the long game," Kara said staring directly at her.
A recovered Rankin spoke with her city planner, Brainiac 5, on her new ideas. "With the Ormfell building gone, we can bring in five new tech firms instead of one. We have a real opportunity here," Rankin said gleefully.
"Unfortunately, you have a significant number of constituents without housing who can still vote," Brainiac 5 warned.
"These low-income people don't know what's good for them. They need to skip town and be someone else's problem," Mayor Rankin sighed.
"Supergirl will soon be an obstacle to us," Brainiac 5 informed her.
"Why? I thought she was firmly on our side," Mayor Rankin asked.
"She's being emotionally blackmailed to oppose you. If we are to defeat her, we must work together," Brainiac 5 said.
"But how?" Mayor Rankin wondered.
"You can start by learning to control the fifth-dimensional energy in your possession," Brainiac 5 said knowingly. "Sandwiches? Please," he said dismissively.
"Okay, how about this?" Mayor Rankin asked as she materialized a few thousand dollars into her hand.
"It's a start but nowhere near as impressive as the Fed," Brainiac 5 said.
At the poor people's hospital, Orlando looked over Joey as his condition seemed to be getting worse. Still, Joey finally got a bed at least. "Doctor, what can be done?" Orlando asked distressed.
"Well, he's not human so I have no fucking clue. You should try...a vet," the doctor suggested and then walked off.
At the collapsed building, Hank and Kara were scanning for fifth-dimensional energy. "Pressure and debris from the Ormfell building coming down caused damage all over the community," Kelly said.
"Don't I know it," Kara said looking around.
"Neighborhoods like this get fewer resources so it takes longer to recover. Many times, it's just people in the community desperately trying to help themselves. They need help," Kelly said passionately.
Kara glanced at James playing basketball with some underprivileged kids and then focused back on Kelly. "Assuming Nxyly is still alive, I'll make her pay. I promise," Kara said to her.
"I'm not really focused on that," Kelly corrected her.
"Oh, the people, right," Kara said noddingly. "The best thing for these people is to get out of town."
"How can you say that? These people are productive members of society. They provide things we need," Kelly said.
"Speaking as someone of the one-percent class, I don't need any of these people. I can buy and sell everything I want from outside this city. These people provide little in the way of tax revenues but take up a large chunk of the budget. I don't need any of these people in my Sim City," Kara said coldly. "And if the day ever comes when I do need them, I'll be forced to pay them a decent wage. It's supply and demand, baby."
"So, you don't give a shit about these people?" Kelly asked.
"I do. I think they would have a better chance at success away from here in small towns and villages. I'll personally contribute to a program that helps them relocate their ass out of here so they can be replaced with tech guys just getting out of college," Kara said.
"How can you be so callous and cold-hearted?" Kelly asked dismayed.
"I don't know. How can you be so short-sighted and stupid?" Kara shot back.
"I have to take this," Kelly said as her phone rang. Kara rolled her eyes and flew off as Kelly went back to the creepy glowing basement where she found Alex. "
"What's wrong?" Alex asked her.
"It's Orlando. Joey isn't getting any better," Kelly frowned.
"My friend said they delivered respirators to Chisholm Memorial Hospital," Alex said brightly.
"That's great but that's the elite high-income hospital," Kelly told her.
"Oh...shit," Alex realized.
"Joey should be getting better by now but he isn't. I'm worried we're missing something," Kelly said.
"We've calibrated the senors. You should come back to the Tower ASAP," Kara said over the radio.
"Alright. I'll be right there," Alex replied back. "Nia, we need to get back to the Tower."
"Take my scanner. Maybe we did miss something," Nia said helpfully.
At the low-income hospital, James waltzed in wearing a suit and sunglasses with his press corps entourage as he greeted patients. Kelly was with him disgusted by how James was using the tragedy to elevate his profile. "I keep telling the doctor he's getting worse but they don't listen. He should be better by now," Orlando complained.
"I feel worse," Joey said sickly.
"He just got a bunch of dust particles in his lungs. I seriously doubt he'll be fine in less than a day," James doubted.
Kelly gave him a dirty look. "We'll figure this out. I promise," she assured Joey.
"Have the nurse keep checking, keep pushing," Kelly said to Orlando and then looked out the window. "Wow, Mayor Rankin is already better," she said upon seeing her at the street level with a crowd.
"Yeah, I've met her once or twice," James recalled.
"She was there when the building imploded and also here at the hospital," Kelly told him. "She's reading high levels of fifth-dimensional energy. She must be connected to all of this."
"Who's connected?" Orlando asked looking out the window. "Oh, that bitch," he said running out.
"Orlando, don't!" Kelly called after him.
Rankin spoke to reporters just outside the hospital. "Yes, last night's accident was horrible for some of us but as you can see, I'm back to work. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all."
"What about all those poor people still being treated in the hospital?" one reporter asked.
"Well, maybe they're weak-as-fuck and need to reassess their lives a little," Rankin suggested.
"So, you just got better? Just like that?" Orlando questioned.
"I'm sorry, I'm not taking questions from your sort of people," Rankin said dismissively.
"You get some fancy treatment and now you're better? What about my brother? What about all the people still in the hospital?" Orlando asked.
"What goes on in that hospital is none of my jurisdiction but when they get better, I'll help them pull themselves up by your own bootstraps...in another city," Rankin promised.
"It's not us that it is the problem. It is people like you that keep us done and keep yourselves up," Orlando accused.
"Excuse me but who do you think pays for city services? The one percent pays fifty percent of the income taxes in the city. The top ten percent pays eighty percent of the incomes taxes in the city and the lowest forty percent actually receives more in income tax credits than they actually pay. Face it, you're a leach on this city taking more from the city than you give. You should be on your knees thanking my ass," Rankin told him off.
"People deserve better," Orlando said lamely.
"You people deserve shit. What do you contribute to the city other than crime and exploding budgets? The rich subsidize your ability to live in this great city. The rich don't need you, but you need the rich for your jobs, your housing, your health care, your food stamps, your transportation, and so forth. If you don't like Metropolis, get the fuck out of my city. Better yet, get the fuck off my planet," Rankin told him and then powered up her hand to literally force Orlando off the planet.
"Damn," Orlando said stunned.
Mayor Rankin advanced on him with glowing blue eyes. "Can you even calculate the weight and the size and the shape of the shadow of the power you're standing in?" as she fired on him.
James suddenly blocked Mayor Rankin's blue beam with his Guardian shield. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" he said to her. "We got a bad-ass over here, plus I got your back, man, senatorial black guy," he said to Orlando. "By the way, the answer to your little calculation is "i" as in I put the swag back in civics," he said back to Rankin.
Mayor Rankin decided to retreat as James pressed a button on his suit activating a nano-suit that covered his entire body. "Get me out of here," she said to her guards.
James pursued her down the street and was intercepted by Mayor Rankin's guards. He easily subdued them both with competent punches and kicks. James then continued his pursuit of Mayor Rankin only for her to teleport near him and kick him down the street. "You got skills, lady," James allowed.
"I'm more powerful than you are, Guardian. Now, stand down," she ordered as she materialized a hammer in her hand.
"Oh, I don't think so," James said as he blocked her hammer with his shield and kept his distance. "You disappoint me, Olsen. Supergirl holds you in such high esteem. Surely, you can do better," Mayor Rankin taunted.
James went to strike her but she kept teleporting away. Finally, he grabbed ahold of her hair. "Bitch, don't make me scalp you," he said to her.
Mayor Rankin teleported away and inexplicably left a strand of hair behind.
At the Tower, James came in still wearing his Guardian uniform. "Rankin is the source of the fifth-dimensional energy," he said as he came in.
"Probably should have...you know...called...or texted...immediately after you found out," Kara said condescendingly.
"I couldn't stop her, but I did grab some of her hair," James said helpfully.
"Eww...gross," Kara said immaturely as Brainiac 5 took the sample.
Kelly then arrived to scold them all. "I told you the people of the Heights needed your help and you didn't see them. You don't see me."
"Kelly, I see...," Alex interjected.
"Look, Kelly, not everyone agrees with the propaganda bullshit you're spewing here," Kara told her off. "When we're done with this Nyxly business, I'll be more than happy to be the Heights' white savior."
"I know you're all trying to stop Nyxly but do you hear me? Do you see what is happening? People are going to die!" Kelly said outraged.
"And...we'll weep for them in the press, set up a scholarship in their names...," Kara began.
"Oh my God, Kara, shut the fuck up! I feel like I'm shouting into the void. We're supposed to fight for everyone, together. And yet, I'm looking at people suffer, people that look like me," Kelly said passionately.
"How is a lesbian supposed to look?" Kara whispered to Brainiac 5. He merely shrugged.
"And everyone here is too busy to give a shit. Where is the outrage when people are going to die without our help?" Kelly asked them all. "Without hope?" she glared at Kara.
"The only reason Rankin got better so quickly is that she took a medication that increased the effect of the fifth-dimensional energy she was exposed to. In her case, she became healthy and powerful. The same may not be true of the other patients nor can we predict what will happen to Rankin in the long term. The only way to help those people in the hospital is for us to determine the source of the fifth-dimensional energy and study it. Then, we can determine a cure. When it comes to fifth-dimensional energy, no amount of medical resources will make much difference," Brainiac 5 said simply.
"I agree. This isn't our area," Hank seconded. "We'll be much more effective finding out a way to detect and extract fifth-dimensional energy. And now Mayor Rankin has proven herself to be a formidable threat. The entire city is now at risk. What you're arguing for is basically the same as asking a Special Forces team to do community service."
"Even I can't predict how this will end," Nia added.
Kelly gave them all a dirty look and stormed off. "I'll, uh, I'll go after her," Alex said sheepishly.
"I'll go with you," Kara volunteered.
"Wait...let's just give her a second until she's ready," Nia suggested.
"Yes, let's continue to perpetuate the stereotype that women are too emotional to have a rational conversation," Kara mocked.
"I'll handle this," Alex said taking off downstairs.
"I'm sorry you had to witness this," James said embarrassedly.
"It's not your fault," Hank assured him. "How's Lena by the way?"
"Well, she's in some cave in Newfoundland up to some Harry Potter business," James rolled his eyes.
Alex came downstairs and found Kelly getting her ass kicked by the punching bag. "You want to tell me what this is really about?" she asked her.
"I'm not known to be hopeless. I can't express how I'm feeling right now," Kelly admitted.
"But you're a shrink," Alex said confused.
"I just want to make a difference, but I am one person fighting a system," Kelly said.
"That system has a name," Alex reminded her.
"That has been against those that need it for centuries," Kelly added.
"I learned the hard way that a job and what you're passionate about are two different things. As the DEO director, I came to realize that I couldn't put my passion into my job. I had to delegate, do paperwork, and send others to do missions while I stayed behind. And I wanted to be on every mission kicking ass. And when one of my agents died, I wanted to have taken their place. But I soon realized that my passion burnt me out and my performance suffered for it. So...I stop giving a shit and things actually improved," Alex told her.
"Then what good is passion?" Kelly asked.
"You can do a lot of things when you're passionate about something, but you can't be on the job. Those people upstairs truly don't give a shit but they'll do a much better job than we will. Passion is for things we like to do, things we enjoy. Are you enjoying yourself right now?" Alex asked.
"No," Kelly admitted. "I feel tired and exhausted."
"Then, you have to stop giving a shit and go back to your training. Do you really think that speech is going to convince those assholes upstairs? If anything, it's just going to entrench them in their own views," Alex said.
"I want to be an advocate for people who have lost hope, for the people who have been failed by those who meant to protect them. For the people who don't have heroes that look like them, protecting those that are exhausted, so they don't have to fight every single day for themselves," Kelly said resolved.
"That's great and you'll start doing that very thing...once you stop giving a shit," Alex promised her.
Kara then waltzed in. "I'm sorry. Am I interrupting?" she asked with a smug expression on her face having overheard the entire conversation.
"Are you going to be okay?" Alex asked her.
Kelly nodded, ready for Kara's onslaught. "Kelly, I am...so...sorry about your feelings," Kara began.
"I have pushed down so much trauma that the Heights has brought up. I have pushed it down and smiled, stayed friendly, and stayed positively, even when it didn't feel right," Kelly said.
"Have you now? Because I'm thinking it's been the opposite so far today," Kara mocked.
"You may not get it but I need you to understand that it exists. It's important. People need hope. And there's a whole lot of people that don't have any, no hope in the hospitals, no hope in the police, and no hope in superheroes," Kelly said softly.
"God, you make us sound like we live in some shithole third world country. Last time I checked, we're not Haiti," Kara said dismissively. "In the future, none of this matters."
Kelly cringed but kept her cool. "Yes, in the future, but while you have the luxury of tomorrow, they are barely surviving today."
"In the future, every citizen has universal healthcare, education, housing, food, and basic provisions. You know how that happened? By ending scarcity and I did that by producing billions of drones. It wasn't easy. Humanity suffered horribly while every man and woman did nothing but built drones all day in factories. In the first few years, a lot of people died of disease, starvation, and violence. But now the Earth is a paradise because of those sacrifices because I considered the long game," Kara revealed.
"What do you care about, Kara? Really?" Kelly asked.
"I do care in my own way. In the future, there is a social contract. I have an obligation to provide for my people's needs but they also have an obligation to help themselves. You want universal health care? That's good but every citizen must follow guidelines on nutrition, exercise, vaccines, and hygiene, or they get cut off," Kara said.
"Health care is a right," Kelly said passionately.
"Fuck that. No one has a right to a man's labor or resources. You would make all medical professionals slaves. There must be a social contract between the receiver and the giver. Unfortunately, this 21st-century society is too fucked up for me to change overnight. You want the system to give you everything. What are you willing to give back in return?" Kara asked rhetorically.
"You are going to miss things because it's not close to you," Kelly said.
"It is because these people are not close to me that I can remain objective," Kara countered.
"We need to hear each other," Kelly beseeched her.
"I've heard all the arguments. Barney knows them all so don't think I'm ignorant. I simply do not agree. Deal with it," Kara shot her down.
"I want justice in this fight," Kelly said vaguely.
Kara eyed Alex and then back to Kelly. "What do you want?"
On the Tower balcony, Alex stared off into space. Hank came by to check on her. "I thought I was listening. Kelly and I, and we have so much in common," Alex said.
"You will most likely never understand what she has been going through. I came to this planet a Martian. In my heart, I still am but I have chosen the face of a black man for a very long time now. I could have changed races. I could have changed into someone else entirely. But if I am being honest, I've kept this skin to bait racists into attacking me so I could kick their ass. And over these several years, it's been a lot of fun. But I realize James and Kelly don't have the choice I have and not everyone is like me," Hank mused.
"I know you and I know your heart because I'm psychic. I know you two love each other very much but this obsession Kelly has will doom you both. When you first came to me, you wanted to go on every mission to save the world. I had to stop you and put obstacles in your way because it would have destroyed you. You need to be the same leader I was to you to Kelly," Hank advised.
Inside the Tower, Brainiac 5, Kara, and James discussed the issue at hand. "I analyzed Rankin's DNA from James' shield and cross-referenced Rankin's medical file. The fifth-dimensional energy has apparently interacted with her gene therapy causing her to be an energy siphon. She's draining the people of the Heights of their life energy to make herself stronger," Brainiac 5 reported.
"I was there. Why wasn't I affected?" James asked confused.
"Because you weren't there at the blast radius," Brainiac 5 theorized.
"How do we stop her?" Kara asked.
"Rankin is nowhere close to a fifth-dimensional being. She's well within the range of you being able to terminate her," Brainiac 5 said bluntly. "However, if we can drain her of her power, we may be able to return the energy to the people," Brainiac 5 said.
"Any downside?" Kara asked.
"It would consume all available fifth-dimensional energy in the debris which we would not be able to use to track Nyxly should she emerge," Brainiac 5 said.
"The priority is stopping Nyxly," Kara ordered.
"I will scan for Rankin," Brainiac 5 said to Kara.
"Hey, Barney, I was wondering if you could make some modifications to my helmet. I can't see shit out there," he said handing him the helmet.
"I've been working on your helmet design for some time wondering when you would finally ask," Brainiac 5 said showing the schematics on the computer screen.
"Nice," James smiled.
Kelly came up the top floor of the Tower and conversed with Brainiac 5 as he worked on James' helmet. "In the 31st century, has society grown past racism, discrimination?" she asked.
"In the 31st century, everyone is relatively the same. There are no racial differences and gender differences are not nearly as dimorphic as they are now. No one has an ethnicity nor can they remember a time when they did. The racial violence and prejudice of human history have long been forgotten," Brainiac 5 said.
"Sounds great," Kelly said thoughtfully.
"But there was still war and violence. Just before Kara and Mon arrived, the Earth had many factions fighting each other in the Science Wars. The wars were fought on interpretations of the scientific method and objectivity. It is in your nature to destroy yourselves," Brainiac 5 said.
"So, what did Kara and Mon do to fix that?" Kelly asked curiously.
"They killed all the killers," Brainiac 5 said simply. "They gave me the labor, equipment, and resources to multiply myself several billion times within a few years. Then, they let me do all the planning and decisions."
"So, you're the real mastermind behind everything," Kelly realized.
"If you were to come with us to the 31st century, I could see to it that you make a difference. I believe in you, Kelly Olsen. I always have. It's why I orchestrated your return to Metropolis to become part of our circle. I can make you an effective tool for justice but only if you cooperate with my plans," Brainiac 5 said.
"Even if I convinced Kara to side with me, I would still have to contend with you," Kelly understood.
"I'm not nearly as flashy as the others, but I am your most formidable adversary in this arena," Brainiac 5 confirmed.
At the collapsed building, Rankin met with Brainiac 5 and James wearing his Guardian suit. "You were given strict orders," Brainiac 5 told her.
"Shove it. I have the power to destroy this city and rebuild it however I want," Rankin said drunk with power. She created a forcefield around herself and sent an energy pulse into a nearby building causing it to nearly collapsed. A crane overheard began to swing dangerously.
"If you continue this course of action, you will be alone," Brainiac 5 warned her.
"That's the thing. I'm never alone," Rankin revealed as she took off her blond wig and revealed Nyxly's face implanted on the back of her head.
"God damn," James winced.
Kara, Hank, and Nia dropped down next to Brainiac 5 and James. "Holy shit," Kara remarked.
"Yes," Nyxly hissed. "See what I have become, what I must do to survive?"
"Not apologizing," Kara said automatically.
Flames roared around them in a circle. "Don't be a fool, Kara. Why suffer the pain of death when you can join me? Together, we can bring back all those you cared about that have died. There is no good or evil, Kara, only power and those too weak to seek it. Together, we will do extraordinary things. In the fifth dimension, you will have unlimited power, the ability to navigate the multiverse instantly, to change reality however you wish, to go forwards and backward in time, to control the minds of all those around you, and to even bring back the dead," Nyxly offered.
"I like the setting of my current game, thank you," Kara declined and then snatched Rankin off the ground into the air.
Hank flew up to control the crane swinging around, Nia created a forcefield to block falling debris, and James entered the hospital. "Orlando Davis? It's time to leave," he told him.
"I'm not leaving without my little brother. All you superheroes end up the same. You say you care, but you're just going to go and leave us with this mess to clean up. Why should I trust you?" Orlando asked skeptically.
"I don't give a damn if you trust me. Now, get your bro and your bitch ass out of this hospital before it collapses on your head. We can talk philosophical shit later," James ordered.
Kara slammed Rankin to the pavement and punched her hard several times. Rankin absorbed the blows and go back up as the fifth-dimensional energy protected her. Powering up, she backhanded Kara hard to the face and then evaded Kara's quick attacks. Rankin exceeded Kara's power level and kicked her into a dumpster.
"You ungrateful bitch. I put you where you are," Kara said getting back up.
"I'm done being your puppet. While you would slowly infiltrate and bribe your way to controlling this city, I will soon have the power to change this city with the snap of my fingers," Rankin said ambitiously.
"Where's the fun in that?" Kara asked her.
Rankin grabbed Kara and began to burn her with fifth-dimensional energy. Kara went Prime but was still unable to get out of her grasp. "I have powers beyond imagination, beyond compare," Rankin said to her as Kara fell to her knees.
James then hit Rankin in the back with a fifth-dimensional energy siphoning device. Rankin quickly lost her powers while Kara remained in Prime mode. Rankin immediately disintegrated from the intense energy Kara was giving out. The remnant of Nyxly screamed as she faded away.
Shortly thereafter, Kara went to city hall where the city council, city manager, and administrative heads of every department in the city met in an office room. As she entered the room, they all turned their attention to her. "With Rankin gone, the purge is now complete. Let's get to work to make Metropolis great again," Kara smiled.
The two dozen men in the room then morphed into Brainiac 5 drones. "As you wish, Supreme Leader," they all said at once.
At the Tower, James put his Guardian suit away. "Congrats, you evacuated all those people out of the hospital and stopped Rankin," Kelly complimented.
"I know, right?" James smiled.
Kara then entered the room after finishing her meeting at city hall. "You should have given those people back their energy," Kelly scolded.
"After Barny has located Nyxly," Kara insisted.
"That will be complicated," Brainiac 5 said as he entered the room and accessed the computer. "From the data I collected, there are multiple energy signatures and they're all smaller than a person."
"What does that mean?" Kara asked.
"It's possible she divided her essence into multiple objects in case she was ever killed. Unless we destroy all of these objects, Nyxly will remain," Brainiac 5 said grimly.
Kara then turned back to Kelly. "You were right. I am too biased and impulsive to run this city. There are injustices that I either don't care to know or fix. So, I have assigned Barney to take over the Metropolis city government and its bureaucracy. Progress will be slow at first but will quickly accelerate. You can submit your concerns to him from now on."
"What about democracy?" Kelly wondered.
"Not in the cards, I'm afraid," Kara said bluntly.
"That's not right. The people should have a say in what Barney does with their city," Kelly said outraged.
"I'm so glad we're beginning this conversation. I hope to have more conversations and dialogue on these matters in the future," Kara said with false sincerity.
"I will continue to fight for justice," Kelly told her.
"Knock yourself out," Kara said unconcernedly.
Kelly then stormed out of the Tower disappointed. "I'm headed out back to DC," James informed her.
"Don't be a stranger," Kara said giving him a hug.
At her apartment, Kelly went full radical putting on a Black Power t-shirt, covering her hair in a hijab, and reading a book about the fragility of the White Man on her comfy couch. Alex awkwardly came in. "I don't think I'll truly understand what you've gone through...you know...being black and all."
"It's like a valve has opened and I have no control over my emotions. Which is something I have always prided myself on. We should all be fighting for something that we should all innately agree with and I can't process your sister right now," Kelly said.
"How do I support you?" Alex asked sincerely. "Because I love you and it kills me to see you in pain."
"Just let me be and don't push me to unpack it all right now so it can be communicated for you. Hold the space and love me without having to understand all of me and all of my experiences. And for now, just hold me," Kelly said tearfully.
Kara, Mon, Brainiac 5, Hank, and Lena gathered at a table at the Tower. "It's called a Horcrux, a way to divide your soul into fragments. It's powerful dark magic," Lena said showing them an old magic book.
"What does a Horcrux look like?" Kara asked.
"It could be anything, usually a trinket like a ring, for example," Lena said.
"Could it be a person?" Mon asked.
"Yes but it's difficult to control when it's a living being. If the person is killed, the Horcrux will be destroyed," Lena said gravely.
"I have detected a fifth-dimensional energy source coming from Kelly. It could explain her sudden change in demeanor," Brainiac 5 said.
"Are you suggesting Kelly has to die to stop Nyxly?" Hank asked seriously.
"I do not believe it is our only option. If we can destroy the other Horcruxes, it could force Nyxly to the table, so to speak," Brainiac 5 suggested.
"If Kelly dies, Alex will blame me even if I had nothing to do with it," Kara said. "Can the process to become a Horcrux be reversed?"
"I don't know," Lena said honestly.
"We let the bitch make the first move. She'll be after one of the totems. This threat is beyond my abilities and powers. I'm going to need all of your help," Kara said sincerely.
"Whatever our differences were before, we're in this together," Hank said to them all.
Author's Notes: There's a lot to unpack here. First, I'd like to say I'm a semi-expert of propaganda as I not only deconstruct it but put it out there in Adventures all the time. What Azie wrote is social justice propaganda of the highest level. You can tell by how one-sided it is on a complicated issue, how characters fall over themselves to apologize for not addressing this issue 6 seasons ago, the vilifying of a political opponent, referencing other forms of propaganda on a coffee table, and disqualifying white people from having a contrary or even an "allied" opinion. I really feel sorry for Alex here where she's basically forced to apologize and be silent in Kelly's crusade. Don't let anyone use a dozen fallacies to shut you up because of your race, especially not a lover. And by no means has Kelly earned the right to be "tired" on this issue with her lack of screen time. Furthermore, the Super Friends have endangered the entire universe by giving away a critical method to detecting Nyxly. I have always said that superheroes should be available to all sides of the political spectrum, not one or a subcategory of one. Also, gene therapy doesn't solve that kind of issue that quickly. If you want to inform the public about health care, don't use bad science.
Adventures Kara follows an economic model similar to a military whereby soldiers are given free health care, housing, food, clothing, etc in return for their service, keeping in shape, and doing a salary job that often has long hours away from home. It also follows closely to the Star Trek model where everyone is provided for but there is still a ranking system for those who are hard-working or excel. It's very much a give and take system with a developed social contract. So, it's a third alternative to the common capitalist vs socialist debate that is in this episode. As per usual, both sides of the argument are thrown out there and both sides are being assholes. Back in 1x03, Hank made the point that DEO jurisdiction was only to hunt down criminal aliens. Now, everyone is an asshole for not doing enough for specific urban communities and not solving a specific problem immediately. Imagine if Kelly called everyone an asshole the day after 9/11 because not everyone was immediately cured.