The city streets were calm now the rebuilding was completed, the people walking outside feeling safe under the protection of their heroes. News reports of the Samaritan continue to play on the TV screens scattered about the city, the newspapers praising his deeds alongside those of Supergirl. An elderly man sits at a bench reading the paper in a nearby park, grumbling about how much simpler things were before they had aliens and metahumans. Runners and dogs walkers strolled past him, some even glancing at him as he sat in solitude. It wasn't unusual to find him here, he was a regular.
The man sat in silence with his face buried in the paper, not paying attention to the bustling activity around him. Thus he didn't notice the figure lumbering out of the bushes behind him. The man appeared to be hunched over, ragged in tattered clothes with long shaggy hair. The midday shadows cloaked him in shade obscuring his face, but his groans could be heard as he came stumbling out of the bush into the park.
Again, the man on the bench paid no attention, but a woman jogging by saw the man a few feet away shambling towards him. "Hey, are you alright?" she called out, stopping her run to walk over and check on him.
The man on the bench thought she was talking to him, opening his mouth to rebuke her until she jogged past him to the other figure. The elderly gentlemen crooked his neck over his shoulder to see the vagrant doubled over and groan, reaching out for the kind compassionate jogger. He grumbled to himself and returned to his paper. He had no time to waste on dirty vagrants.
The man's quiet contempt was interrupted when the woman suddenly cried out, disrupting his peace again. He threw his paper down and spun in his seat to berate the woman when he saw her body collapse to the ground lifelessly, her skin dry and shrunken to the skeleton, her eyes hollow in a mask of horror. The former athletic young woman was now just a hollow shell, like the life had been sucked out of her.
The man shot to his arthritic feet in shock staring at her, mouth agape as he raised his eyes to look up at the vagrant man she'd tried to help. The figure stepped out of the shade a few inches taller, his groans becoming growls as his body lumbered forward more urgently. Its face lifted under the mop of long hair and the man saw the monstrous features of a humanoid creature staring back at him, its teeth growing sharp as its taunt skin glowed purple bulging like clay. His clothes tore apart as the flesh expanded into a hulking mass of flesh, muscle and bone growing stronger with every step. But the woman's life force only spurred it on. It needed more.
The man stood fixed to the spot, unable to move as the monster roared at him, reaching out with its huge palms to grab the man around his head. The elderly gentlemen screamed in silence as the remains of his life force drained from his body into the flesh of this creature, leaving only a hollow shell to fall to the floor. The monster changed again, its energy rising again as its hulking body grew more solid, the hair falling away along with its clothing. A dog barked noticing the monster, which drew the owner's attention eliciting a primal scream of terror. The purple monster looked in their direction and sprang forward, its hunger driving its instincts. It needed more.
They had only just reached the front door of the Cacto building when Kara heard the screams, her hearing ringing with a dozen voices crying out in terror. Nia ran into her as she froze into place, the two locking eyes without needing to say anything. "You go" Nia told her. "I'll get changed and be right behind you" she said, racing into the lobby to find the storage closet she hide her costume in.
Kara nodded, leaving her bag at the desk and running back into the street. She ducked into an alley and immediately tore open her blouse, the red S revealed on her chest. Moments later she was in costume and flying through the air following the sounds of screams towards the park.
She landed as fast as she could, kicking up a shower of dirt and grass in her wake as she scanned the park. Men, women and children ran in panic around her, their paths leading away from somewhere on her right. One man collided with her, his face as pale as a sheet. "What happened?" she asked him, her voice calm as she took his shoulder.
He ripped himself from her grasp, pointing behind him screaming "Monster!" as he sprinted away. She let him going, following the direction of his finger marching forward. More people sprinted by screaming the same, but none of them stayed long enough to give her more than that.
She jogged further along and finally came face to face with the monster chasing them, her breath catching in her throat when she saw the large purple creature standing twenty feet in front of her. it held a frantic man in one hand and a whining Pitbull in the other, it's head throwing back to roar as it's body glowed and grew larger, absorbing the life force of both living beings in its grasp. When they were drained and dead it dropped them at its feet, exhaling through its narrow nostrils as it fixed its black eyes on Supergirl.
"Crap" she whispered, taking a few steps back before it launched itself towards her. She kicked herself into the air dodging its grasping arms flying out of reach, circling the monster firing her heat vision. It burned into its flesh but did little damage, only enraging the creature. It leapt up at her but she summersaulted under its arms, taking the chance to kick it in the face with her boot. It connected and felt like she'd kicked a pile of bricks, but the strike sent it tumbling to the ground. It also knocked her momentum off a she stumbled through the air landing on her side. She rolled onto her back quickly but already the monster was leaping back at her, both fists ready to smash her into the ground. She sucked in a breath and blew as hard as she could, slowing the creature long enough for her to jump to her feet and dash out of its way before it punched a hole in the ground. "Everybody get as far away from here as you can!" she shouted to the few remaining civilians left in the park, urging them to run as she kept the monster contained.
She reached for her ear, planning to call the DEO for backup. But to her dismay her earpiece wasn't there. It the rush to get here she'd forgotten to wear it. "Crap" she muttered again, using her super speed to dart under the creatures blows avoiding its touch.
Dreamer took a little longer to reach the park but at least she'd remembered to wear her earpiece as she called Brainy at the DEO. "Responding to an attack in the park" she reported, sprinting as fast as she could towards danger. A police barricade blocked her path, along with a crowd of terrified civilians, so she used her astral blasts to propel herself over their heads and landed awkwardly back into a run.
"We're receiving reports of some kind or creature" Brainy relayed, reading the information of 911 calls and social media postings. "I'm afraid we don't know what kind of creature this is yet, but we know Supergirl is already on site."
"When you see Kara, tell her to get on comms" Alex interjected rather angrily. "We're working blind up here and can't seem to reach her."
Dreamer nodded, pushing herself faster following the winding trail towards where the people were running from. She weaved through the civilians and reached a large open clearing where she found the purple monster and Supergirl fighting. The kryptonian weaved and darted through the air around the creature, firing her heat vision and frost breath at it keeping its attention from the other people. Dreamer pointed the last few civilians to the police barricade and ran in to help Kara, reporting to situation to the DEO. "It's some kind of giant purple alien" she told them, unsure whether that helped them narrow down their parameters when searching the database.
Kara dodged away from one of its attacks and saw Dreamer arriving out the corner of her eye. She floated out of its reach and quickly scanned the park, satisfied it was only the three of them now. But she suddenly panicked when Dreamer sprinted headlong towards the monster to engage it. "No, stay back" she called out. "Don't let it touch you!"
Nia heard the warning and immediately slowed her momentum, but her presence was alerted to the creature as it turned its black gaze on her. She threw out her hands and fired a pair of astral rings at the monster, the blast striking it in the chest. But it only staggered it a little before it roared and came charging at her. Kara swooped in from its blind spot and kicked it in the head, knocking it off course as Dreamer dived out of its path. It recovered quickly, swinging its fist at the flying Supergirl while Dreamer continued to fire blasts at the monster.
The cat and mouse game started to wear a little thin as both superheroes started to feel the fatigue. Kara's stamina was enhanced by soaking in the yellow sun but she knew she couldn't keep flying around like this forever. Nia was still limited by her human physiology, her movement speed dropping to the point she was stumbling between dives as it swung its fists at her wildly. She tripped over a chunk of dirt falling to her knees, looking to find it tower over her punching downwards. She summoned an astral energy shield which took the brunt of the assault, but the impact shattered her field and sent her tumbling across the ground. She gasped for air feeling a drop of blood from her nose land on her bottom lip, her head spinning.
Kara saw the close call and thought quickly, soaring around it as fast as she could inhaling deeply before exhaling a stream of frost breathe onto the creature. It looked up and swiped at her, its movements slowing as its flesh slowly became solid and brittle. Kara kept coating it in ice as Dreamer wiped her nose and stood back up. In her frustration she summoned the biggest mallet she could manage and sprinted at the monster, leaping into the air as high as she could bringing the translucent blue weapon over her head and smacking it down onto the monster's temple. It shattered with a thump, the purple alien swaying in a stunned daze as Supergirl's frost covered its body until it finally seized up into an ice sculpture.
Dreamer heaved from exertion as she looked at the frozen monster, standing inches from its base where it slumped to its knees. The blood was rushing to her head, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She gasped for breath as the constructs dissolved, her hands on her knees panting. Finally, it's over she thought.
Kara remained unconvinced as she came to a landing a safe distance from the monster. "Nia, keep away from it" she warned, a worried look on her face as she gestured for Nia to step away.
Nia was too exhausted to react fast enough as the ice started to crack, chunks falling away drawing both the girl's attention. Then it exploded as one of its arms ripped free of the temporary prison and grabbed Dreamer by the wrist. She cried out in alarm as its large fist wrapped around her arm with crushing force, struggling to break free grabbing it with her other hand.
Unfortunately that's when Nia discovered why Kara was keeping her distance. Dreamer's costume had only half gloves, leaving three fingers on each hand exposed and uncovered. So the moment the alien's flesh came into contact with Nia's skin it started to absorb the life force within her. Nia's eyes went wide as she felt her energy pass through her skin into the monster, opening her mouth to cry out but unable to find her voice as her strength left her body, her facial features shrinking like she was losing substance. Her gaze lifted to see the creature within the ice glow as she fed the monster, her strength passing to it.
Kara screamed in fear, racing forward in a blur faster than she'd safely consider to chop at the arm holding Dreamer. It shattered with the impact almost severing the limb, the monster wailing in pain letting the girl go. Kara caught her instantly and rushed her to the edge of the clearing, cradling the young hero's unconscious body as she collapsed limply in her arms.
"Nia!" Kara shouted, lowering her to the floor so she could examine her properly, her x-ray vision scanning her internal organs searching for signs of life. She was in a bad way, but she found a shallow breath in her lungs and a faint heartbeat. She was still alive, but only just. Fear tightened her chest, recalling when Jon found himself in a similar state during their previous battle with this creature. Along with her heartbeat, Kara heard the voices of Alex and Brainiac V calling Nia's name over her earpiece. She took it from her and put it in hers, answering them frantically. "Alex, it's parasite" she told them, looking up watching the alien grow stronger from Nia's life force and break free of the ice encasing him.
"Parasite?" Alex echoed with fear. "I thought Rudy Jones was dead?"
"I don't know how to explain it either" Kara said. "It got Dreamer, she's down" she reported, hearing Brainy bristle over the earpiece. "I need to get her to hospital."
"No" Brainy said, much to everyone's surprise. "No, you can't leave the area. We need to contain parasite to the park where it is isolated. DEO backup is already on route."
"I can't leave Nia here, she needs help" Kara protested, shocked at Brainy's response. She thought as her boyfriend he'd want to put her life above stopping the alien.
But Brainy, while obviously worried and concerned for his girlfriend's wellbeing, also had to be logical. "If you leave Parasite to save Dreamer, it will make its way to the police barricade and attack everyone it can find" he explained in a calculating voice. "The more life force it absorbed, the stronger it will become. We much keep its power levels at a manageable limit."
"He's right Kara" Alex said before Kara could interrupt. "Wait for backup and then bring her here. But we can't let that thing leave the park. I'll call Jon so he can help."
Kara didn't believe Nia could wait for help to arrive, but she found she had little choice as Parasite broke free of the ice and roared into the sky. She reluctantly left Nia by the clearing and stood up, deciding if she couldn't get her to a hospital she might as well keep the monster away from her until help arrived. "Please be quick" she begged her friends and she rushed back into the fight.
Now with Dreamer's life force absorbed the alien creature known as Parasite was taller and stronger than before, it's body contorting and shifting to adapt to the new energy that had been drained. Kara didn't wait for it to settle before launching herself at the beast, spinning in the air to deliver a roundhouse kick to its massive jaw, careful not to let any of her skin come in contact with its flesh. It staggered back in a daze as Kara flew by it, circling back to kick it again, then again, darting in and out getting as many cheap shots in as she could before it recovered. In her head she prayed she could knock it out before it hurt anyone else, but it was just as durable as it was strong. And fast as it managed to catch her last kick by the ankle and flick her over its shoulder. She went spiralling through the air landing on the ground, rolling and tumbling in the dirt before striking a tree. She groaned from the headache, otherwise unbruised. Fortunately it wasn't trying to grab her, just knock her aside. She pushed herself back into the air, floating above the park making another survey of the empty area before choosing something more powerful, her eyes glowing red hot as she unleashed a powerful beam of heat vision at her opponent. It struck the monster and incinerating the grass around it, the heat engulfing the clearing.
At the DEO, Alex and Brainy quickly reviewed their files on the parasite. In 2016 a researcher called Rudy Jones stumbled upon the alien parasite that seemed to have been frozen since the ice age. They failed to learn much more about it apart from the assumption it came from the Angon system. Jones got infected and killed the rest of his researchers. When they fought the creature it became apparent this parasite took over their hosts and used them to absorb energy from whatever living thing it touches. Rudy was killed and the alien believed to have been destroyed when they forced it to absorb plutonium, effectively overcharging it.
"We could gather more plutonium and bring it on site" Brainy suggested, but Alex shook her head. "Too many risks taking that material into a populated area" she said. What she didn't need to mention was it would take too long to sanction such an action. They monitored Kara's attempt to burn the alien with her heat vision when Alex suddenly asked Brainy "if parasite can absorb the powers of metahumans and aliens it drains, what powers would Nia have given her?"
Kara cut the beam after a minute, the energy dissipating as she gasped from the burst of energy. The clearing smouldered from the heat as smoke engulfed the area below Supergirl. She resisted the urge to blow away the cloud so she could catch her breath and recharge under the midday sun. But as soon as the smoke clear she found Parasite standing in the same place as before, its flesh unharmed as a translucent purple shield blocked the heat. Her eyes went wide, tapping her earpiece reporting "um, it has her astral abilities."
She heard Brainy remark how "this complicates things" at the same instant Parasite thrust its arm into the air, a massive construct of the fist launching towards her forcing her to dodge to the side. She spun and flew in circles around the creature, the task becoming much more difficult now astral energy was thrown and whipped around her coming from its body. It appeared Parasite now had Dreamer's ability to astral project, though the constructs were unrefined and chaotic. But they were enough to knock Kara to the ground catch her a few times across her hips and legs. She managed to stay in the air, extending her safe distance kicking and knocking the constructs away as fast as she could.
It's okay she told herself. You've trained with Nia plenty now. You know how her powers work. Just apply that knowledge here and stay out of its grasp.
Parasite proved smarter than she predicted though, fainting with a fist to the ground to drive Kara into the air where it then lashed out with several astral tendrils to catch her. She found herself caught in their hold, two whipping around her wrists, two catching her ankles, three wrapping around her waist. She struggled pull away as they help her in place, straining against the tangible projections trying to break free.
"Kara?" Alex's voice called out sounding worried, listening to Kara struggle.
"I'm okay, I got this" Supergirl replied confidently, pulling on the tendrils until they were taunt. She knew she was strong enough to break free. She just needed to…
But then she felt it, her strength fading, her life draining out of her. No, Rao no! He can't…she thought. But the way the constructs glowed as they pressed against her skin said otherwise. Parasite growled as he stood there, drawing her energy through its new constructs sucking the life out of Supergirl. She fought against their grasp but it was quickly becoming futile. The longer they held her the weaker she became. She saw the skin on her hands become pale and grey as her throat became dry and hoarse, her breath coming out in wheezes. Alex called out her name through her earpiece but Kara couldn't answer, black spots dancing across her eyes and her consciousness flickered out seeing no way to escape.