"I didn't think you were going to show." Supergirl said as Mongul landed before her. Even though she had seen the videos of Mongul's fight with her cousin, she had to force herself not to look surprised by his huge frame.
"I will give you one final chance. Bow down before me and I will let you live." Mongul said.
"Scared you are going to lose?" Supergirl asked.
"We can not lose. As we speak my army is landing on every part of this planet collecting new slaves. My offer is only because I don't want to damage such a fine specimen. You would make me so much money." Mongul replied. "But if you would prefer to die I will accommodate your request."
"I will not bow down to you and I won't lose." Supergirl said as Mongul launched himself at her unleashing several powerful punches. Despite Supergirl blocking them, each one pushed her back.
"Do you begin to see my strength now?" He asked as he kept hitting her.
"I have fought stronger than you." Supergirl said, trying to sound confident.
"How naive you are." He said attacking her again.
-00-
"I don't think watching the news is going to help." Eliza said turning off the news report that the teenagers were watching.
"But-" MJ started, but seeing Eliza's expression he knew better than to argue and fell silent.
"Looking at the news feeds is also banned." Eliza said noticing Alex was doing that.
"But-"
"I know you are worried about your mother, but Alex will call us if there is anything we need to know." Eliza said. "In the mean time, we are in a very well stocked lab."
"Please don't suggest doing our chemistry homework." MJ said.
"I was going to suggest that we could help Alex figure out her powers." Eliza said.
"Really?" Kara and MJ asked suspiciously as Alex looked at her grandmother.
"If you want to." Eliza said looking at Alex. When the teenager nodded Eliza said. "Why don't you three try to find some light and soft objects and we'll meet you in the main lab?"
"Okay." The trio said walking off.
"I thought using that power still made her tired?" Alura quietly asked Eliza.
"Precisely." Eliza pointed out. "It will be harder to worry if she is asleep."
"I see. If only there was a something similar we could use." Alura said.
-00-
"What's going on out there?" Alex asked.
"Several small ships have landed and are trying to take prisoners. In general they are made up of normal aliens, in that they don't have the gemstone technology. Conventional forces, including our normal forces are doing well against them. However, there are at least one hundred of his Lieutenants, all with gemstones on the ground. Some are in groups of three, others are singletons. Our two squads are taking on the singletons. The Kryptonian forces are taking on the groups of three. J'onn and the Flash are also taking on singletons. So far we are winning those skirmishes. Every time the Flash wins he is bringing the gemstones back here and we are integrating them into our suits. But it is a slow process. And the ones we aren't fighting are causing a lot of damage."
"That's Mongul's plan. He wants to make sure that we don't help Supergirl." Alex said. "What about the Earth based trouble makers?"
"They are also on the move, in every city. But so far the local authorities are winning those battles. And citizens are obeying the stay at home order. In Star City they have almost been suppressed."
"Why the frown?" Alex asked.
"The Vigilantes are using extreme methods." He explained, clearly uneasy.
"Right now we are at war. They are doing what it takes to keep their city safe." Alex said before asking. "And the fleet?"
"Based on their orbital speeds, the optimal time to fire will be in twenty seven minutes. If the weapon works as we hope it should take out over seventy percent of the fleet."
"Is that going to be enough?" Lena asked.
"If Supergirl beats Mongul, there is a chance the fleet will leave." Alex said. "Of course there is also a chance that there will be a massive power grab and we will pay the price of that. Which is why we need to get rid of as many of those Lieutenants as possible. But even if there is a power grab, taking out such a large proportion of the fleet should be enough for them to cut their losses."
-00-
"You have so much potential, yet you allow yourself to be weakened by compassion." Mongul said punching Supergirl again. "I saw how you held that building up." He said pointing to the Blue Diamond building, that was surrounded by warning signs and scaffolding. "You wasted so much strength, for nothing."
"Not nothing." Supergirl said. "I saved the people in it."
"All you did was give me another way of destroying hope. How will the people of this planet feel when they see their precious hero crushed by the very building she tried to save?" He said punching Supergirl to the floor before grabbing her by the ankle and swinging her round like a hammer before finally releasing her so that she went flying into the base of the Blue Diamond building, crashing straight through the temporary supports that had been put in place a few weeks before. As her body smashed them out of the way there was nothing to support the building and it started to come down on top of her.
As the building came down Supergirl flew skywards crashing through every falling floor until she saw daylight.
"You okay?" Alex asked over the radio link.
"No, he is making me really angry." Her sister replied before using the dust kicked up by the collapsed building as a smoke screen and launching herself at Mongul. The move surprising him enough that she could grab hold of him and fly them both away from the city before he fought her off and they both crashed to the ground.
-00-
"Status update." Alex barked as she paced the control room.
"Squads one and two are relocating having won their latest battles. Team Delta and Greyhound are securing the prisoners."
"Injuries?" Alex asked.
"Nothing major so far." Dustin reported.
"How many fights have they taken part in?"
"Squad one is about to start their fifth and two their fourth."
"What about the new squads?"
"Three is about to engage and four are just finishing up integration now."
"Every squad is to take a break after forty minutes or seven fights, which ever comes first. Ten minutes of no activity." Alex ordered.
"Does being transported from one site to another count?" Dustin asked.
"If it is ten minutes yes. But make sure the support teams keep them them pumped with liquids and calories. If we lose a squad we are in big trouble." Alex said. "What is happening outside of the city?"
"Outside of Central City and Star City the Lieutenants were starting to do some major damage. But metas are starting to work together to overcome them. However, several metas don't appear to like team work and they are paying the price. Casualties are mounting."
"As soon as squad four is ready have the Kryptonian team redeploy to the part of the country that needs help the most. When it looks like the Kryptonians have control of their powers have them split into two groups."
"Yes Ma'am." He replied before relaying orders as Alex went to the console showing Supergirl's fight with Mongul, where Lena and Wildcat were watching the fight unfold.
"How is she doing?" Alex asked
"She isn't going to last much longer." Lena warned as she read the stats being streamed from the suit.
"Is there any sign Mongul is taking damage?" Alex asked.
"Yes. But not as much as Supergirl. That said she isn't taking as much damage as she should be."
"What do you mean?" Alex asked.
"It's like she is predicting his attacks and is trying to absorb them." Lena said.
"She is." Wildcat said.
"You trained her to be a punchbag?" Lena asked.
"Not exactly." He said. "The plan was her idea. She is trying to exploit the opening."
"What opening?" Alex asked.
"He has been favouring his right leg." Wildcat said.
"Supergirl has already seen that, she has been going for his left leg." Lena pointed out. "And he doesn't seem to be affected."
"Yes she has and no he hasn't." Grant confirmed. "And now he is lowering his guard on his right leg."
"You think the left leg is a bluff?" Alex asked.
"I do. He favours his right leg so much it almost encourages the opponent to attack his left leg."
"So if it was really his right leg that was weak it would be safe." Lena guessed.
"Exactly." Grant said. "But at the start of the fight his stance still protects his right leg. However, with every blow he lands on Supergirl he gets more careless and that right leg becomes less protected. With Supergirl attacking his left leg and being badly beaten, he is letting his guard down."
"So Supergirl is deliberately allowing herself to take those blows?" Alex asked.
"She had faith in the ability of the suit to absorb some of the energy. And faith in her skills to exploit the opening when it occurred." He explained as Lena's computer started flashing.
"What's going on?" Alex asked.
"The suit has been scanning Mongul since the fight started trying to find a weakness." Lena said.
"And?"
"He is wearing a ring, that has a large energy field associated with it."
"You think the ring gives him powers?" Alex asked as Lena zoomed in on it. "Wait, that looks familiar. Kind of." Alex said looking at the image.
"He didn't have it when he fought Superman." Wildcat said looking at the image.
"That's not where I've seen it." Alex said. "But if that comes from where I think it does she is in trouble. We are all in trouble."