Macau, China
Hank and Nia phased through the ground and ended up the in middle of Macau. "That felt so weird," Nia said freaked out.
"It's only going to get worse," Hank said dryly.
"Why do you need me for this?" Nia asked looking around apprehensively.
"I need someone that can see the future, can supposedly defend herself and is also comic relief," Hank said bluntly.
"I'm comic relief?" Nia asked offended. "No, I am super-serious about what I do."
"Which is why it's hilarious," Hank said dismissively.
The two entered an elevator to an unfinished skyscraper that was also known for illegal gambling fights. "Sign here to get in," the elevator security guy said to Hank.
"I don't have to do a damn thing," Hank corrected and then had the man pass out in the elevator.
"You sure she's here?" Nia asked.
"This asshole confirmed it," Hank said confiscating his tablet.
"I don't think this elevator is up to code," Nia said looking it over. "No chance of it falling off the building or anything."
"Is that a premonition?" Hank questioned.
"No, it's just...," Nia said awkwardly.
"Shut your mouth unless it's a premonition," Hank ordered.
"Hey, I'm not your slave," Nia said offended. "You're a shape-shifter. Why don't you look Chinese to help blend in?"
"Because I want all my enemies to come at me," Hank said obviously.
"Is M'gann an enemy?" Nia asked incredulously.
"She could be," Hank said thoughtfully. "We didn't part on good terms."
Hank and Nia eyed fights on either side of them with mix-matched martial artists. "These are low-level fights. Your level," Hank said to Nia as they walked past them.
"Thanks. So, where are we going to find M'gann?" Nia asked.
"There," Hank pointed to the main arena on the second floor, a much larger cage with a much bigger crowd of betters. There, Dr. Fate kicked ass on Swamp Thing with no context whatsoever.
"Oh my God," Nia said freaked out by the savagery of the fight. Dr. Fate ended up victorious.
"I'm next. Bet all your life savings on me," Hank told her.
"But I don't have any savings," Nia objected.
Hank entered the ring without his shirt on looking good for his age. M'gann then entered the ring as well wearing an all-black sleeveless shirt and pants outfit. "The battle of the Martians. The challenger, the Martian Manhunter. The reigning champion, Miss Martian," the announcer boomed to everyone watching.
Pissed off, M'gann rushed Hank missing a few times and then getting a good kick on his leg. Hank blocked M'gann's next attacks and flipped out of the way of her kick. As he came up, M'gann kicked him square in the chest sending him to the glass floor. "I know you're upset. I can explain," Hank said condescendingly as he got up.
M'gann took hold of Hank, gave him a back kick to the face, got around to his back, and kicked his leg to trip him up. Hank remained standing and easily broke M'gann's hold. He then blocked her punch and violently threw her to the floor. M'gann kept her grip on Hank and kicked him to the face and body with solid kicks from the floor. She then hooked her leg around Hank's neck and forced him to the floor. As he got up, M'gann kicked him hard to the dick.
"Why? Why did it have to be the dick?" he winced.
M'gann took hold of Hank's head in a headlock and kicked him repeatedly to the gut. Hank took hold of her and slammed her to the floor. He then punched her hard to face knocking her out. Hank then got to his feet victoriously as M'gann was counted down. M'gann quickly recovered and got back to her feet.
"I'm not kicking your ass...again," Hank said to her.
"You shouldn't have come here," M'gann glared.
"Bitch, please," Hank rolled his eyes.
M'gann suddenly kicked Hank to the face stunning him. He fell to the floor knocked out. "Stay down, old man," she taunted and then walked off like a boss.
Hank met up with M'gann at her office leaving Nia behind at the bar. "So, you fight here?" Hank asked unimpressed.
"Actually, I own it," M'gann said, impressed with herself.
Nia then came in with some cash in her hands. "Did you bet against me?" Hank accused.
"Girl-power," Nia smiled. "Hi, M'gann, you're such a badass. Everything you do is so cool."
"This is some bullshit," Hank rolled his eyes.
"You may be the big bad but I've been fighting non-stop for the last couple of months," M'gann said proudly.
"I'm only a few centuries older than you," Hank excused.
"What do want?" M'gann asked scornfully.
"We've all been attacked by demons and shit. They may come after you next. We have to stick together," Hank said seriously.
"You know what you said to me when he left Mars? I'll be back in three days," M'gann said angrily. "But three days turned into weeks, months. That's how long it took for me to realize I don't need him anymore," M'gann said to Nia. "I built this place on my own. I didn't need you then. I don't need you now," she said to Hank.
"This is beyond us. Alex is dead," Hank told her.
M'gann gave Hank and Nia a look of shock but then the alarms went off all over the fight club. Brainiac 5 units swarmed the fight club in SWAT gear and TASER staffs. The fight club attendees fled the scene. M'gann phased through the wall out of view. "Do we fly away, phase through the floor?" Nia asked Hank.
"I'm going to go fight them," Hank smiled.
Nia sighed and then meditated on the floor as she created a forcefield around her. Hank engaged the Brainiac 5 drones outside the skyscraper on the scaffold. As he did, he kicked and punched a few drones off the scaffold to the bottom. While balancing on wooden boards, Hank phased in and out as the drones swung at him with TASER staffs. One drone managed to stun Hank with a staff and then kicked him to a lower level of the scaffold. Hank continued to slam drone heads into the windows of the skyscraper. The drones got the better of Hank tossing him off the scaffold altogether. M'gann then grabbed Hank and brought him back to the scaffold.
"What's wrong? Have you lost your powers?" she asked genuinely alarmed.
"I'm just having some fun but the look on your face was priceless," Hank grinned.
"Such an ass," M'gann spat.
The two engaged the drones sending more of them off the skyscraper to the bottom. "What's your deal?" M'gann demanded one drone only for Hank to kick him off before he could answer. "How could you?" M'gann asked dismayed not realizing they were drones.
"Don't get soft on me," Hank lectured.
A dagger suddenly sliced into the glass and exploded. The lead drone climbed down the scaffold head-first and punched M'gann off. He then went back inside the skyscraper. Hank followed after him and engaged the drone in hand-to-hand combat. The drone's two daggers glowed red-hot as he engaged Hank. Somewhat distracted by this, Hank let the drone get the better of the fight. The two fought evenly once more until Hank pinned the drone to the floor. A sudden shockwave blasted the two off each other.
Supergirl and several drones then entered the room. "I reprogramed all the drones I could find. Still, I didn't think they would kill you even at their best," Kara said.
"Damn straight," Hank agreed.
Hank and Kara embraced in their shared grief over Alex. "Let's go home," Kara said to him.
Metropolis
Kara, Hank, Nia, M'gann, and the remaining drones took a portal back to the DEO fortress. That night, the four of them had dinner. "How did you find me?" Hank asked irritably.
"I always know where you are," Kara said vaguely. "When Alex died, I became lost. But now, I'm no longer lost. I started studying everything I could about Alex's town, Midvale. There is a gate in the Appalachian mountains. Alex is waiting for us there."
"What the fuck?" Hank mouthed.
"I know this is a lot and I wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't told me herself," Kara said.
"What are you talking about?" M'gann asked confused.
"I was sitting here, deep in my research, and she spoke to me. It was like she was standing in this room. I could feel her breath on my cheek and her hand on my back. She told me she needs my help," Kara said.
"From what?" Hank asked.
"From hell," Kara said simply.
"Bullshit," Hank doubted.
"I went to John Constantine. He saw her in hell. Now, this is my only chance to free her and bring her soul back," Kara said forcefully. "Don't you see? She's leaving clues for us. She wants us to find her and bring her home, so we can be a family again."
"Kara, Alex's gone. She's not talking to you behind the gate and she isn't leaving any clues for us," Hank said seriously.
"That's why you're here. To bring her back to us," Kara said to them.
"And what if you unleash something terrible behind that gate? What if it burns the whole world?" Hank asked her.
"I don't care," Kara replied coldly.
Hank, M'gann, and Nia stood up to her. "This is bullshit, Kara. You can't do this. I won't let you," Hank said to her.
"Then step aside. I'll do it myself," Kara said shaking her head.
Hank, M'gann, and Nia engaged Kara all at once to subdue her. Kara took hold of Hank and threw him to the floor. M'gann went at Kara from behind. Kara quickly threw her down as well. Brainiac 5 drones circled Hank and M'gann with flamethrower weapons. The drones also grabbed Nia and placed her in the circle. "You merely pretended to be Alex's father figure," Kara sneered.
Hank grabbed M'gann and Nia and phased through the ground. Kara looked everywhere for them to reappear. When they failed to come back, Kara secured the DEO and prepared herself mentally for her mission.
Midvale
Hank, M'gann, and Nia arrived around Midvale near the gate. There, Hank was able to clearly see a black circular gate made of stone in the mountain. The stone appeared as scales, like that of a dragon. As it happened, there was a Green Martian village guarding it. M'yrnn and Malefic came out to meet with them. "The fuck you doing here?" Hank asked his father.
"Once I sensed Kara's thoughts, I brought everyone here," M'yrnn said.
Hank looked over the four dozen Green Martians. "We don't have much time. She's on her way."
"What is behind the gate?" Nia asked.
"A dark evil," M'yrnn said vaguely.
"Kara wants to open that gate. She thinks Alex is behind it," Hank told him.
"She has been deceived," M'yrnn said sympathetically. "Kara isn't the only one to become lured to the black gate. Native Americans, English, French, Canadians, and Americans have all come here at one point. They all have one thing in common: They heard a voice from beyond the gate granting their greatest desires."
M'yrnn then led Hank and M'gann to a hut and gave them new Martian armor. "Kara is too OP. Teach me how to beat her," Hank requested.
In a circle away from the village, M'yrnn supervised as Hank and Malefic fought each other. The two rapidly increased their speed, phased through each other, fired heat vision in all directions, and powered up to their maximum causing the wind to pick up around them. "You are a product of all that came before you, my sons. You are the legacy of your family, the good, the bad, and the ugly."
M'yrnn then walked up to Hank specifically. "Stop hiding your grief, my son. It only prolongs the pain."
Hank embraced his father and sobbed as he let out his emotions over Alex.
That night, Kara sat alone in her office at the DEO deep in thought. "She told me I could change, that I could leave my past behind. But she was wrong. Had I been more forceful, more ruthless, these demons wouldn't have dared to fuck with me. And now they will pay for it.
At the same time, Hank sat by the lake brooding. Nia came over to him. "You okay?" she asked.
"I'm not who you think I am," he said to her.
"A total asshole?" Nia wondered.
"After what happened on Mars with my family, I thought I could change my name, start a new life, and act like it never happened. I became detached and hid my emotions from everyone. I created this persona to bury deep my pain. My wife would have been ashamed of what I have become," Hank said.
"You saw your family burned to death. You realize how fucked up that is, right?" Nia asked sympathetically.
"My family is dead because I failed. And now I'm about to lose what family I have left when Kara arrives," Hank said subdued. "I can't let Kara breach that gate no matter the cost."
"What are you saying?" Nia asked worriedly.
"If it comes down to it, I may have to kill her," Hank said resolved.
The next morning, the Martians put on their armor and got out their staffs. These staffs allowed a Martian to transfer their power-level into them. Upon receiving a premonition, Nia warned the Martians of Kara's arrival. Soon thereafter, Supergirl landed near the village with a thud. Several vehicles with Brainiac 5 drones arrived. They exited the vehicles and formed a platoon with non-lethal TASER staffs.
"Are you here to keep me from saving Alex?" Kara asked Hank accusingly.
"She isn't back there. You're being lied to by a creature that only wants to destroy us all," M'yrnn told her.
Kara touched her ears to make certain her psychic inhibitors were good. "I know my sister's voice."
"I grieve for Alex as much as you do but this is not the way to honor her memory," Hank told her.
"Honor? Memory? She's in hell, Hank. And I have to free her," Kara said tearfully.
"The sins of your past will destroy this world," Malefic told her.
"Careful how you speak to me," Kara warned. "I'm ten times stronger than you without even needing to power up." She then turned to M'yrnn. "Let me pass."
"We cannot let you do that," M'yrnn refused her.
The Brainiac 5 drones raised their weapons. The Martians went into a fighting stance with their staffs and shields. Kara looked to the gate, back to the Martians, and then back to the gate. Looking back to her drones, she signaled for them to begin firing. The drones immediately fired TASER bolts and cables at the Martians. Immediately, a few of them went down stunned or tied up. The Martians then charged the drones in hand-to-hand combat. The Martians had superior skill but the drones kept getting back up to fight. Kara walked through the battle focused only on the gate. Malefic got in her way only to be engaged by Kara's lead drone.
Hank and M'gann engaged the drones successfully but Kara still made her way to the gate. "Stop her!" M'gann said alarmed. Hank pursued Kara into the village.
"Are you planning to stop me all by yourself?" Kara asked him.
"I'm not afraid of you," Hank told her off.
"You will be," Kara said coldly. Quicker than he could react, Kara punched Hank across the floor. Using his staff on the floor, Hank slowed himself down. "You've spent your entire life afraid, always running, always hiding," she mocked.
Hank swung his staff at her which she easily evaded. Hank got in closer with his staff but Kara blocked all of his strikes. With her power, every block created a shockwave rattling Hank's staff. Hank missed her entirely and then Kara slammed her knee down on Hank's neck sending him to the floor. "Would you do nothing, Hank? Would you do nothing while Alex suffers for all eternity in hell?"
Kara gave him a disgusted look and then walked through the village to the lake. Across the lake was the gate, to Alex. Hank got up and attacked Kara from the rear. She grabbed his staff, twisted him around, and kicked him to the chest shattering his ribcage. Kara then punched Hank to the chest across the field towards the lakeshore. Kara lazily fired heat vision beams at Hank as she advanced. Hank desperately deflected the beams with his staff and tried to advance closer to her. Finally, he got close enough to swipe at her but missed completely. Kara blocked Hank's staff and then locked her arms around it keeping them both still.
"She's gone, Kara. We need you now," Hank told her.
"There is no we without Alex," Kara spat back.
Hank phased his staff out of Kara's grip and kicked her back. "I'm a trained killer, Kara. Do you want to die? Is that what you want?" Kara dodged Hank's strikes but ended up hit a few times as she became distracted by Hank's words. Kara took a knee as Hank got his breath. "Even if you could bring her back, she wouldn't approve of what you have become. She always put duty above self."
Kara suddenly grabbed Hank's staff and punched through it creating a hole in Hank's gut. Kara then cocked her right fist back and punched Hank into the lake creating an explosion of water upon impact. Kara then turned her attention to the gate. "Save me," Alex's voice said in her head. "Save me, my sister." Kara flew over the lake and near the gate onshore. The gate glowed red with demonic energy.
Kara touched the stones that appeared as scales. "Save me," Alex's voice said to her.
"I'm coming, Alex," Kara said and then punched the gate as hard as she could. Immediately, the gate began to crumble. Kara kept punching even as demonic bats escaped the gate and went straight for the Martian village.
"She's breached the gate," M'yrnn recognized.
The drones noticed the danger and began firing on the bats with lethal intensity. However, after every hit the bats quickly regenerated. "You'll need our weapons," Malefic told the drones and then illustrated by hitting one of the bats with his staff. The bat then dissolved on contact with the end.
"We concur," the drones replied and took up Martian staffs. The drones then released their Martian prisoners as the two sides agreed to work together.
"Where's Hank?" Nia asked M'gann.
"I was hoping you knew," M'gann said sensing for him.
Switching to long-range combat, the Martians and drones prepared arrows. A large dragon suddenly tore through the lake and devoured several bats at once. Hank had become his dragon form. Inspired, the Martians and drones fired arrows at the bats taking several more of them down. Once the bats got too close, the Martians and drones switched to staffs and blades. J'onn, the dragon, swiped at the bats taking more of them down.
"You have to stop Supergirl!" M'yrnn reminded J'onn.
J'onn, the dragon, flew over to Kara evading the bats. He transformed back to his regular Martian Manhunter form, slid down the gate, and slammed into Kara. "She's not back there," he told her.
"Get out of my way, Hank," Kara ordered.
"No," J'onn refused her.
Kara fired heat vision nearly hitting J'onn. She then rushed him with superior speed. J'onn used that to his advantage as he let her pass through him and around him. She took her into a circular spin to restrain her. Kara suddenly got free, elbowed J'onn to the face, and punched him to the chest away from her. Kara continued her assault with J'onn evading her and phasing through her punches. He finally landed a good punch to Kara's chest sending her away. Kara formed a spinning orb of air in her palm and then fired it at him. J'onn took hold of the air sphere, spun it around his body, and deflected it away.
J'onn closed his eyes as he focused on all of his abilities and then began again. The two clashed repeatedly in front of the gate. J'onn and Kara exchanged heat vision beams, he would phase right before getting punched, turned invisible when Kara nearly had him and divided into three different versions of himself before combining again. J'onn extended his right arm around Kara's body and threw her towards a rock formation. She jumped off the formation, exchanged heat vision beams with J'onn, and then blocked J'onn's leg as it nearly came down on her head. Kara easily cast J'onn off of her a distance away towards the gate.
Slightly frustrated, Kara clapped her hands creating a shockwave. J'onn flew over the shockwave to evade it. Kara counted on that, flew up, and punched J'onn hard to the ground creating a crater. Kara then landed with no injuries. J'onn emerged from the crater hurt and fatigued. He created a ball of energy in his hands from his eyes. Kara went into a fighting stance to either evade or block it. J'onn suddenly lost power with the sphere evaporating in his hands.
"I have to save her," Kara said passionately. "She's calling to me."
"I wish that were true," J'onn said sadly.
Kara shook her head in denial. "Kara, please, your family, your friends need you," J'onn told her.
"Let me out!" Alex shouted in her head.
Kara went Prime and fired a heat vision beam at high intensity at the gate. J'onn barely moved out of the way in time. The gate exploded and was completely demolished. However, instead of Alex, a demonic dragon creature emerged. The dragon was black, had bat-like wings, seven tails, and ten horns on its head. In addition, it had two arms and legs ending in claws.
"Shit," J'onn realized.
Kara stared at the Beast in amazement and horror. She quickly backhanded J'onn out of the way as the Beast tried to devour him. Kara went Prime only to be caught up in one of the Beast's tails. She quickly lost power as the Beast sucked out her soul. Kara gave J'onn one last look of remorse before she was gone. Her body then fell to the ground lifeless.
J'onn became a dragon again and attacked the Beast with fury. The two slammed into the mountain creating a landslide. J'onn, the dragon, sliced into the Beast's neck creating an awful wound. The Beast quickly regenerated the wound aweing the Martians down below. The Beast went straight for the Martian village. Just as it was about to strike, J'onn, the dragon, came up from the water and smacked the Beast high into the air. J'onn, the dragon, wrapped the Beast up with his coils. However, the souls of Martians captured by the demonic bats were then given to the Beast to strengthen it. As the Beast powered up, it glowed purple and cast J'onn, the dragon, off of it.
The Beast and J'onn, the dragon, slammed into each other with their heads. The Beast then gained the upper hand clawing and griping J'onn, the dragon, tightly while it tried to get at his soul.
"If it gets J'onn's soul, it's over," Malefic said upon witnessing the battle. "I'll save the day," he said aiming his eyes at the Beast. A bat suddenly sucked out his soul stopping him.
"Holy shit," Nia said stunned, right next to him.
Green Martians were dropping all over the place as their souls were being sucked out. "Is it really okay for me to save the day? It's like being a white savior or cultural appropriation," Nia said uneasily.
M'gann flew into action only to be caught up in one of the Beast's tails. The Beast was just about to suck out J'onn's soul when a blue energy blast hit it in the throat puncturing a large hole.
"Oh, shit," Nia said surprised she actually got a hit.
The Beast roared in pain and detached from J'onn, the dragon. J'onn went back to his Martian Manhunter form and M'gann was released. The two circled around the Beast hitting it multiple times as it frailed about in the water. J'onn then phased inside the Beast's gut and let loose heat beams internally. The Beast suddenly exploded with flesh, limbs, and tails being thrown about. The souls of those captured by the Beast were given up and went back to their bodies. The dead Martians in the village returned to life. Kara's soul also went into her body. J'onn went back to being Hank and walked over to Nia.
"Not bad," he complimented.
"Lucky shot," Nia downplayed.
"From now on, luck doesn't apply," Hank sensed feeling a spiritual presence in the area. Hank then went over to the fallen Kara.
"Just kill me. I deserve hell," Kara said miserably.
"If I was in your shoes, I might have done the same," Hank admitted. "That's why we create bonds with family and friends to keep us on the right path. We rise and fall together."
"Then, we've all fallen," Kara said bitterly.
"If Alex truly went to hell, then the path is clear," Hank said.
Kara got back to her feet. "And what path would that be?" she asked skeptically.
"A rescue mission," Hank said obviously.
Kara simply gave him a blank look. "Can it really be done?" she asked hopefully.
"We'll find out together," Hank promised.
Author's Notes: When confronting a village with bows and arrows, staffs, and blades, you put mounted weapon systems on your vehicles and your men use lethal rounds while using said vehicles for cover. Grenades and missiles can also be used. It would have been a total slaughter. POWs are to be segregated and separated so they don't escape or talk to each other. You also don't tell your POWs your master plan. While the rings are cool, a pistol would have been 10x more effective. Anyway, this nonsense was a little tricky to adapt but I wanted to give Hank the spotlight here. CW was never able to truly show the MM's awesome powers and give them justice. His inclusion into the series has been tricky for me since Season 1 since he could, reasonably speaking, solve every problem and issue by himself without the need for the rest of the cast. Because of his vast potential, this sadly makes Hank the most incompetent character in CW SG. To compensate for this, I made Hank an uncaring self-centered asshole with his own agenda or non-agenda but one with a heart of gold really really deep down.