Adventures of Supergirl 7x11
Kara barged into John's apartment wanting some real answers. John was in his chair as if expecting her. "A rescue mission. That's the plan," Kara told him.
"It's not really a plan. More like a concept," John mocked.
"You're going to help me find her and bring her back," Kara pointed at him.
"Even if it could be done, why the hell would I do that?" John asked.
"To save an innocent soul?" Kara guessed.
"Try again," he rolled his eyes.
"I can cure you. Barney had the cure for AIDS this whole time but decided not to tell anyone about it for fear of changing the timeline. So, we just give the cure to friends, family, acquaintances, business partners, politicians we occasionally bribe," Kara listed off.
"You're going to have to do a lot better than that," John said unimpressed.
"We negotiating?" Kara asked incredulously.
"Always," John replied.
"Fuck, what do you want?" Kara asked.
"I need to eat," John said simply.
"Really?" Kara frowned.
The two sat down at a burger place not too far away. "I can glimpse into hell for a moment but what you're talking about is bringing your body and soul into hell and coming back to the living. It's never been done before," John said. "Even if it could be done, you're not qualified for it."
"Qualified?" Kara scoffed.
"Yeah," John confirmed. "I don't know you but I know of you. You're paradoxically in a state of grace while having a shit-ton of sins. You've converted the Earth and a quadrant of the galaxy to the true faith while also living a life of violence and hedonism."
"I know all this," Kara rolled her eyes.
"Then you should know that the demons and the damned will eat you alive down there. They'll use your sins and failings against you. You'll begin to doubt yourself, lose your mind entirely. You'll want to be damned just like Alex and you won't want to leave," John said.
"So, we send in the holiest men on the planet to bring her back," Kara said stubbornly.
"It's not a matter of holiness but will," John said.
"I have the will," Kara said determinedly.
"You know those rescue missions where most of the rescue team dies trying to save one person? It will be like that," John said pessimistically.
"Don't you have armor, weapons, shit like that?" Kara asked.
"Hell isn't World of Warcraft," John told her off. "You just need to accept that some of your family members and friends are going to end up in hell. Not everyone is going to heaven. It's simple math."
"Alex doesn't deserve it. This is bullshit," Kara said angrily.
"Would you trade places with her?" John asked curiously.
"Yes," Kara said softly.
"You see, that's why you can't go. Hell will spin your head like a top," John lectured. "I'm sorry," he said after he was done eating. "Use your own strengths and powers. Going to hell should be your last resort."
As John walked off, Kara thought about that and came up with a new plan.
At the DEO, Kara and the rest of the Super-Friends met up inside the time machine room. It was a large dome structure with two rising platforms, one from the floor and another suspended from the ceiling. In the middle were rotating metal rings responsible for creating the time-displacement field. Kara inputted a date in November 2021. She then turned to the Super-Friends.
"Satan knew he couldn't win in a fair fight, that he would lose against us. So, he tried to rig the game, use our virtue against us. If Satan succeeds, Alex will be in hell for all eternity. One by one, he'll either kill or damn the rest of us and by doing so erase every victory we have fought for. If I go back in time, stop this from happening, we win and Alex lives," Kara said to them.
"You really know how to use that thing?" Hank asked skeptically.
"You should send someone that's expendable. I should go," James volunteered. "All I have to do is deliver a message, right?"
Kara smiled gratefully at him. "If my calculations are off, you could end up in space. Every second that goes by, our planet, our solar system, is orbiting around the center of the galaxy that is also in motion. Only I can do this."
"If that's the case, I can go," Hank volunteered.
"You can't fly at light-speed like I can. It could take you years to get to Earth if our calculations are off," Kara countered.
Mon then stepped up. "You're emotionally compromised. I have instant transmission. I'll be doing it."
"Can I trust you to not toy with John Milton and get the job done?" Kara asked skeptically.
"One shot, one kill," Mon replied.
Kara gave him a sad look. "I can't lose you, too."
"Please," Mon rolled his eyes. He then went up to the time machine platform.
"Mon, please bring my Alex back," Kelly said tearfully.
Mon merely nodded to her and stood by. Kara put in the calculation the best she could. Normally, she would rely on Brainiac 5 for this. Kara's fingers raced across the keyboard, her eyes sped through the numbers, and then she finally inputted the command. The machine then powered up ready to go. "Thank you, Mon, for your courage. The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. You must be stronger than you imagine you can be. You must survive."
"I promise you," Mon replied.
Mon then became suspended in the time machine as the rings rotated quickly around him. Electrical discharges began to spark off the rings onto the dome walls. The Super-Friends watched in amazement as a sphere of energy formed around Mon's body. "Wait, shut it down!" Nia said suddenly as she saw something about to happen. Kara eyed her with doubt but then moved over to the control panel. Hank suddenly morphed into John Milton and grabbed Kara by the mouth from behind stopping her. "Come on, Kara, you didn't think it would be that easy," he mocked.
The time machine suddenly exploded sending metal shrapnel in all directions. Nia formed an energy shield around herself and the rest of the Super-Friends as the time machine exploded. John took Kara to the floor as he paralyzed her mind. He then fired heat vision into the control panel destroying it. James tried to grab Hank only to be punched back as Hank extended his arm several feet. Nia wrapped energy cables around him only for him to phase through them.
"Incendio," Lena fired her wand at Hank lighting him on fire.
Hank calmly walked through the flames. "Oh, shit," Lena realized.
"Fire? I was born in this," Hank smirked. His eyes glowed red as he fired on Lena.
"Avis," Lena said quickly summoning several birds in front of her. They were incinerated on the spot.
Hank became monstrous in size as a giant-sized Green Martian. He punched down on Lena's position. "Reducio," Lena fired at him returning him back to normal size. "Petrificus Totalus," Lena fired on him freezing him solid. "Reducto," she said as she fired on him. Hank was then blasted to a thousand pieces on the floor.
Lena dropped her wand horrified by what she had to do. Kara was on the floor dazed and confused. And then there was Mon on the ruined platform not moving. "Mon!" James shouted going over to him. "No pulse." Nia and Kelly joined him on the platform. Mon was a bloody mess with bones and muscles exposed. "I can't fix this," Nia said of her powers.
"Lena," James shouted for her.
Lena simply stared at the pieces of Hank still stupefied. "Lena!" James shouted louder. Lena snapped out of it and looked over at where the others are. "Mon needs your help."
Lena picked up her wand and went over to Mon. "Shit," she realized the extent of the damage. "Brackium Emendo," she said pointing her wand at his body. Immediately, Mon's broken bones cracked and repaired themselves. "Stupify," she said jolting his heart back to life. "Ferula," she said conjuring wrappings all over his body. "That's all I got," Lena said to the others.
Pieces of Hank then came back together as he quickly reformed himself. The Super-Friends surrounded Mon as Hank became whole. "Hank, you good?" Kelly asked him.
"Yeah," he said befuddled and then collapsed as he passed out.
Kara looked over her ruined time machine with total dismay. "I need to get some air," she said walking off.
Kara went outside the DEO in a field and shook her head at the sun. She took a knee in prayer. "What I feared has come upon me. What I dreaded has happened to me. I have no peace, no quietness. I have no rest but only turmoil."
Three men in black cloaks walked towards her from behind and then stopped. "If someone ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? But who can keep from speaking? Think how you have instructed many, how you have strengthened feeble hands. Your words have supported those who stumbled. You have strengthened faltering knees. But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged. It strikes you, and you are dismayed. Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope? Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where was the upright ever destroyed? As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it. At the breath of God, they perish. At the blast of his anger, they are no more, " Demon #1 lectured her.
"If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas—no wonder my words have been impetuous. The arrows of the Almighty are in me, my spirit drinks in their poison. God's terrors are marshaled against me. What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient? Do I have the strength of stone? Is my flesh bronze? Do I have any power to help myself, now that success has been driven from me? Therefore, I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Am I the sea, or the monster of the deep, that you put me under guard? When I think my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint, even then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions so that I prefer strangling and death, rather than this body of mine. I despise my life. I would not live forever. Let me alone. My days have no meaning," Kara said sadly.
"How long will you say such things? Your words are a blustering wind. Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? When your sister sinned against him, he gave her over to the penalty of her sin," Demon #2 taunted.
"I loathe my very life. Therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul. I say to God: Do not declare her guilty, but tell me what charges you have against her. Does it please you to oppress her, to spurn the work of your hands, while you smile on the plans of the wicked? Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as a mortal sees? Are your days like those of a mortal or your years like those of a strong man, that you must search out her faults and probe after her sin—though you know that she is not guilty?" Kara complained.
"Are all these words to go unanswered? Is this talker to be vindicated? Will your idle talk reduce others to silence? Will no one rebuke you when you mock? Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom for true wisdom has two sides. Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea. If he comes along and confines your sister to prison and convenes a court, who can oppose him? Surely he recognizes deceivers. When he sees evil, does he not take note? But the witless can no more become wise than an ass can be born human," Demon #3 mocked.
"I have a mind as well as you. I am not inferior to you. Who does not know all these things? But I desire to speak to the Almighty and to argue my case with God. You, however, smear me with lies. You are worthless, all of you! If only you would be altogether silent! For you, that would be wisdom. Hear now my argument, listen to the pleas of my lips. Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him. I will surely defend her to his face. Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless person would dare come before him!" Kara declared.
"Would you argue with useless words, with speeches that have no value? But you even undermine piety and hinder devotion to God. Your sin prompts your mouth. You adopt the tongue of the crafty. Your own mouth condemns you, not mine. Your own lips testify against you and your sister. For eternity, Alexandra will suffer torment, terrifying sounds fill her ears. When all seems well, marauders attack her. She despairs of escaping the realm of darkness. She is marked for the sword. She wanders about for food like a vulture. She knows the day of darkness is at hand. Distress and anguish fill her with terror. Troubles overwhelm her because she shook her fist at God and vaunted herself against the Almighty, defiantly charging against him," Demon #1 taunted.
"You are miserable comforters, all of you! Will your long-winded speeches never end? What ails you that you keep on arguing? I also could speak like you, if you were in my place. All was well with me, but he shattered me. he seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has made me his target, his archers surround me. Without pity, he pierces my kidneys and spills my gall on the ground. Again and again, he bursts upon me. He rushes at me like a warrior. My face is red with weeping, dark shadows ring my eyes. My spirit is broken, my days are cut short, the grave awaits me," Kara said miserably.
"When will you end these speeches? Be sensible, and then we can talk. Why are we regarded as cattle and considered stupid in your sight? You who tear yourself to pieces in your anger. The lamp of Alexandra is snuffed out. The flame of her fire stops burning. The light in her tent becomes dark. The lamp beside her goes out. She wanders into its mesh. A trap seizes her by the heel and a snare holds her fast. A noose is hidden for her on the ground and a trap lies in her path. Terrors startle her on every side and dog her every step. Calamity is hungry for her and disaster is ready for her when she falls. It eats away parts of her skin. Death's firstborn devours her limbs. She is torn from the security of her tent and marched off to the king of terrors. Fire resides in her tent burning sulfur is scattered over her dwelling. Her roots dry up below and her branches wither above. The memory of Alexandra perishes from the earth. She has no name in the land. She is driven from light into the realm of darkness and is banished from the world. Surely such is the dwelling of an evil woman. Such is the place of one who does not know God," Demon #2 said accusingly.
"Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, and my children were around me when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil. When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square, the young men saw me and stepped aside and the old men rose to their feet. The chief men refrained from speaking and covered their mouths with their hands. The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths. Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me because I rescued the poor who cried for help and the fatherless who had none to assist them. The one who was dying blessed me. I made the widow's heart sing. I put on righteousness as my clothing. Justice was my cape. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a mother to the needy. I took up the case of the stranger. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth. My glory will not fade. The bow will be ever new in my hand. People listened to me expectantly, waiting in silence for my counsel. After I had spoken, they spoke no more. My words fell gently on their ears. They waited for me as for showers and drank in my words as the spring rain. When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it. The light of my face was precious to them. I chose the way for them and sat as their chief. I dwelt as a queen among her troops. I was like one who comforts mourners," Kara boasted.
The three demons looked at each other and sighed seeing Kara as a hopeless case. Kara got back to her feet and turned her gaze to the sun. "I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer. I stand up, but you merely look at me. You turn on me ruthlessly. With the might of your hand, you attack me. You snatch me up and drive me before the wind. You toss me about in the storm. I know you will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living. Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor? Yet when I hoped for good, evil came. When I looked for light, then came darkness. The churning inside me never stops. Days of suffering confront me," she cried out.
The sunny day quickly became a storm as the wind picked up. Kara and the three demons remained standing even as the wind sliced at them. Then, Kara heard a voice from the storm loud and clear. "Do you think you're being treated unfairly?" the voice asked her.
Kara sighed and closed her eyes in grief. "No," she sobbed and then fell to the ground prostrate in total submission.
The three demons then vanished from the field. Kara continued to cry as all hope seemed to be lost. As the storm died down, she heard a metallic click, the smell of something burning. Kara got back to her feet and turned around to face John Constantine casually smoking a cigarette. "You done?" he asked her.
"Yeah," Kara nodded.
"I have an idea," he said super-serious.
A Kryptonian ship arrived at the DEO and entered the landing bay. Winn exited the ship wearing beige Argo clothes. Kara was there to greet him. "I got your message. I'm so sorry, Kara," he said sympathetically.
"What I'm about to ask you is more than I have the right to ask," Kara said seriously.
"Anything, what is it?" Winn asked confused.
"Come with me," she said and then brought him into the command center. Glowing symbols were on all the doors to keep any additional denominic presence from coming into the DEO. Mon was back to full health again.
"My man," James said getting up and embracing Winn.
"I missed you, buddy. I wish it could be under better circumstances," Winn said.
"I know," James nodded.
"Do I have to go over this briefing again?" John asked dismayed.
"Is that the John Constantine? Wow, I read all your books and subscribed to your fan clubs," Winn said amazed.
"Of all the souls I've encountered, you're one of the most honest. Now, sit down and shut the fuck up," John ordered.
Winn awkwardly took a seat with the others as John did a power-point presentation on hell. "There are nine levels of hell, each corresponding to specific sins. Alex is in the seventh circle here," John pointed to a Medieval map that looked like a pit.
"Wait, don't most people have more than one sin?" James asked confused.
"The circle a shade is sent to is based on their most grievous sins," John answered. "When we encounter Alex, she will refuse to acknowledge she is dead. She will refuse to acknowledge she is in hell. She won't recognize your face or your voice. She will most likely be uncooperative."
"How do the laws of physics work in hell? Will she be heavy or light as a feather? How can we even touch her?" Lena asked.
"Bring Alex's soul back to the living isn't really an option. Our best bet is to absolve her of her sin and send her to heaven," John said somberly.
"We'll see what happens when we get there," Kara said.
Hank then pulled Kara aside. "I'm really sorry. I don't know what came over me," he admitted.
"It's not your fault. We square?" Kara asked referring to her misadventure with the Green Martians in Midvale.
"Yeah, we square," Hank assured her.
Vatican
The Super-Friends assembled at the Vatican with Alex's body placed in a clinic, still on life support. Her body was then put under heavy guard. The jet landed in St. Peter's Square with Swiss Guards and priests there to greet them. Father Luigi Grimaldi led the entourage. Kara and John walked up to him to make introductions. "This is Father Luigi. He killed a prostitute he later claimed was a succubus," John introduced him.
"That was a long time ago," Father Luigi said dismissively. "And you are Kara Zor-El, the Supergirl," he identified.
"I appreciate you helping us out like this," Kara said appreciatively.
"It was not on your account, I assure you. Jeremiah Danvers holds a great deal of clout here," Father Luigi said as Jeremiah arrived on the scene.
"I didn't expect to see to you here of all places," Kara admitted.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Jeremiah frowned as he looked around St. Peter's Square.
"Yes, well, we would be remiss to not give Jeremiah an audience with the Holy Father on this matter," Father Luigi said.
"So, if Alex had been some nobody's kid, this wouldn't be happening?" Kara guessed.
"Precisely. We're taking an awful risk, opening a doorway into hell. If we are to assume you can enter, we must assume it possible other things may come out," Father Luigi said gravely.
"Surely your men are up to the challenge," John goaded.
"I'll show you all the armory," Father Luigi said and then gestured for the group to follow.
As they entered the Vatican halls, Father Luigi remarked on the architecture, sculptures, and paintings. At one point, he stopped the group so the women would have to wear veils. Kara, Lena, and Kelly reluctantly agreed to wear the veil.
"Do I?" Nia wondered.
"No," Father Luigi said bluntly and then escorted the group further down the halls.
They then entered a secret basement room where the armory was held. "Your wand, please," Father Luigi requested of Lena with a condescending tone. John nodded to Lena to give it up.
Lena reluctantly handed the wand to him. "It will be safe and secure here," Father Luigi said and then placed it in a locked case. In the armory were the Swiss Guards' weapons, automatic rifles, pistols, grenades, and so forth. They then came to a chest filled with unique weapons: swords, ax, bow, whip sword, lances, shield, mace, and wrist stinger dagger.
"Only these weapons will be able to protect you from demonic forces," Father Luigi said.
"How do you know?" Hank asked skeptically.
"They've been tested," Father Luigi said vaguely. "Each weapon goes to a specific owner. Upon touching them, you will receive a positive or negative reaction. Proceed."
The group touched the weapons until they were oriented with the right one:
Jeremiah: Broadsword
Mon: Ax
Hank: Mace
James: Shield
Winn: Lances
Kara: Katana
Lena: Bow
Nia: Whip sword
Kelly: Stinger dagger
John then turned to Father Luigi. "Now, where's my shit?" he asked expectedly. Father Luigi opened a chest with John's holy shotgun with mounted dragon breath flamethrower, sling, revolver, holy hand grenade, and brass knuckles.
"Don't we need ammunition, arrows?" Lena asked.
"Your ammunition will come from the spiritual energy around you," John explained.
"Neat," Lena said apprehensively.
"These weapons are supposed to slice through any demon we come across?" Mon asked skeptically.
"They should but keep in mind, the demons have their own weapons. They won't fight fair," Father Luigi warned.
"So, what happens if we get killed in hell?" Winn asked.
"You won't die. You'll simply be tortured, maimed, and beaten until you give up," Father Luigi said flatly. "If you're unsure of yourself, now is the time to back out."
Everyone shook their head resolved to continue. "The crosses," John requested.
Father Luigi opened a chest with silver crosses, one for each of them. "These crosses have the power to absolve shades in hell of their sins. They're also very expensive so don't lose them. Normally, you would ask someone if they wished to be forgiven before absolving them. But the damned have no grace in them. All that is good has been stripped from them including your Alex. You must remember her as she was, not what she has become. She will say and do things you find...disturbing. Do not attempt to reason with her or debate with her."
"How do they work?" Lena asked curiously.
"You put the cross in your hand, absolve them of their sins, and then bring the cross back to this plane. Only then will the soul be saved. A word of caution on these crosses. With each soul you absolve, the heavier and heavier the cross will be. You will be covered in heavy chains until you can't even move. You may see family, friends, acquaintances in hell. You will be tempted to use this cross on every shade you come across. Hell, itself, will take advantage of your pity and compassion. Remember why you're there or you will fail in your mission," Father Luigi warned.
Father Luigi then led them to a closet with black robes and boots. "These uniforms are blessed and should give you some protection from the elements."
"Why black?" Nia wondered.
"The same reason priests wear black: They don't stain so easily from blood, dirt, and shit," he shrugged.
After they were all dressed in black kimono robes, Father Luigi addressed them. "The Holy Father will see you off now," Father Luigi said finally.
The Super-Friends were escorted by a squad of Swiss Guards on the way to St. Peter's Basilica. There, Pope Francis waited for them on a throne chair. Upon their arrival, he activated a hologram emitter showing Brainiac 5. "I, Pope Barney I, hereby authorize and order a rescue attempt of any Super-Friend sent to hell except under the following clauses and exceptions I shall now list...,"
Pope Francis turned off the hologram before he could continue. "It would appear the Holy Father has spoken. Who am I to judge?" he asked rhetorically.
"With your permission...Holy Father," John said dryly.
Pope Francis gestured for him to do so. John clapped his hands and opened a portal. With his hands, he made it as wide as he could. The wind picked up and the basilica became dark despite the natural sunlight from the windows. The Swiss Guard aimed their automatic rifles at the portal while priests surrounded it. "Godspeed," Pope Francis said to them all and was then escorted out of the basilica.
Jeremiah turned to the rest of the group. "I'm going in to rescue my daughter, and I won't return without her. What we find in there isn't going to be pleasant. You will see things that may not be real, your spirits will be tested, and we may lose a few battles before we win the war. Superpowers and martial arts training won't make a difference there. Only the strength of your spirit."
"I'm in," Kara said immediately taking Jeremiah's side.
"Let's do this," Hank said resolved.
"For Alex," Winn nodded.
"We can do this," Nia said optimistically.
"Even in death, we will not part," Kelly promised.
The whole group then entered the portal and began their journey into hell.
Author's Notes: Time machines are an obvious cheat in the Arrowverse to avoid any consequences whatsoever. In AOS, time travel is often used but Kara had always relied on B5 for the calculations and it ends up a disaster anyway. In keeping with continuity, Lena still has her magical powers and shows how Harry Potter could theoretically defeat a Green Martian.
Kara's debate with the demons over God and Alex comes from various places in the Book of Job. In that book, God's reply is rather lengthy but it's shortened to one of Kara's catchphrases which, in turn, is one of Darth Vader's famous lines. As per usual here, the demons mix truth with lies when they lecture Kara to give up. The use of weapons and holy crosses is a big part of the Dante's Comedy video game which is a total bastardization of the famous poem but has some great visuals. B5 can't go on this mission as he is all-machine in this version, but he still leaves an impact here nonetheless.