"It worked." Mongul said happily as he surveyed the barren environment that he and Supergirl found themselves in.
"Where are we?" Supergirl asked looking round, seeing sand, rocks and dead trees. As she kept turning she saw a large mountain in the distance. Nothing she saw was familiar.
"The rings can access a pocket dimension. We are effectively imprisoned within the ring." Mongul said. "There is no way out, until the Lanterns let us out."
"You seem kind of happy about that." Supergirl said not understanding why.
"We will be released eventually. Well I will be. You'll be dead." He said stepping towards her. "In here you have no powers." He said punching her, sending her sprawling to the floor.
"When I am released I will be holding your severed head. I will be known as the slayer of Supergirl. Sinestro will beg for me to join them."
"That's not happening." Supergirl said getting to her feet.
"You can not stop me. Here you have no powers, you are just a female. You can not beat me."
"You really shouldn't underestimate women." Kara said throwing a punch. Only Mongul easily blocked it.
"You were saying?" He smiled as he tried to punch Kara again. This time though Kara successfully sidestepped the punch.
"Perhaps you should work on your own game before your criticise mine." Supergirl said.
"I have been in that cage for so long, I need a good battle." He smiled before unleashing punch after punch at Supergirl. As Supergirl worked on blocking the punches she missed Mongul raising his huge leg and ended up with a foot in her stomach, winding her. As she gasped for air he punched her jaw knocking her out cold.
-00-
"Salaak?" Diggle called, rushing over to the Lantern who was coming to.
"What the hell did you do?" Alex demanded as he opened his eyes.
"Do?" He asked.
"Mongul and Supergirl disappeared after being hit with light from your ring." Diggle said. "What did you set it up to do?"
"I didn't. It wasn't me."
"It was your ring." Diggle said.
"Oh." Salaak said.
"Oh what?" Alex asked.
"The Guardians must have taken control."
"The Guardians?" Alex asked.
"They can control the rings. I assume when they saw the fight they acted to protect the planet." Diggle said.
"What did they do?" Alex snarled.
"We may never no for sure, but it is likely that they sent them to a pocket dimension inside the ring."
"So Supergirl is stuck inside that ring with Mongul?" Alex asked.
"Possibly." Salaak said.
"Will she have powers in there?" Alex asked.
"I don't know for sure." Diggle said.
"It is very unlikely." Salaak said.
"How do we get her out?" Alex asked.
"I don't know. We probably can't without the Guardians." Salaak said.
"Send me in." Alex demanded.
"That would be a breach in proto-" Salaak started only for Alex to turn on him.
"Your screw up has resulted in Supergirl being in there with Mongul, without her powers. Do you think I give a damn about protocol. I gave up on her once, I am not doing that again."
"You don't have to." Diggle said. "We will get her out."
"How?" Salaak said. "The guardians sent them there not me. My will power is unlikely to be able to free them."
"Well you can try." Diggle said.
-00-
When Supergirl came to she found herself tied with what looked like vines to a dead looking tree. As she slowly lifted her head the motion was seen by her captor who approached.
"You are awake?" Mongul said. "Like I said you were no match for me."
"I thought you wanted to kill me." Supergirl said. "Or is it death by mundane conversation."
"You would have been a fine fighter in my cages." Mongul said. "People would have paid money for that attitude. But here it wasted."
"Why haven't you killed me?"
"Are you in a rush to die?" Mongul asked. "Of course you are. I have seen your fears I know how much you fear solitude and that is all that awaits you here. But I am not merciless. I will kill you. But I could be in here for years. I don't know the food situation. I may need to eat you at some point. Until I know for sure I will keep you alive. Don't worry we will have plenty of fun in the mean time."
"They will get me out." Supergirl said.
"You don't believe that." Mongul said. "They abandoned you once, they will again. While I am in here Earth is safe they won't risk that." He said walking off leaving Supergirl struggling to free herself from the vines.
-00-
"You have failed to escape." Mongul said returning some time later. "Is that because you are that weak or because you realised the truth?"
"The truth?" Supergirl asked
"You can't run forever. And you can't beat this prison. And unlike me you do not prioritise your own survival. That is why you can't win." He said walking in front of Supergirl. "Tomorrow you will wake here and realise you aren't getting out. No one is coming for you, at least in the short term. Even if you escaped me, by the time we are out those you will grow to hate for leaving you here will probably be dead. And your thirst for revenge will never be quenched." He grinned before walking off once more.
-00-
"What is taking so long?" Alex demanded as she paced.
"I've never sent anyone to a pocket dimension before let alone released them from one." The Lantern said.
"With everything else it is about will power and control." Diggle said.
"I do not need a lecture on will power from you. What I need is an event so improbable we may as well give up now. If I try to free them and get it wrong I could crush them to death or lock them away in a timeless zone forever."
"Do not fear what may happen. If you do you will lose control." Diggle said. "You need to focus and do it fast."
"Why fast and what do you mean timeless?" Alex asked, sensing Diggle was hiding something from her.
"There is another issue." Diggle said.
"What?"
"The flow of time inside the ring maybe different to out here."
"Which way?" Alex asked.
"I don't know." He confessed. "It depends on how it was set up."
"Then hurry up and get her out." Alex growled.
"We're trying." Diggle assured her as the Lantern Alex held responsible said.
"It's not working." Salaak said. "It is more powerful than should be possible."
-00-
"Thirsty?" Mongul asked as he drank some water using a large shell he had found near the lake. When Supergirl didn't answer he said. "I spent all of yesterday looking for food and water. This lake is the only water source. And it is mine." Mongul said. "You will die without water and you will die if you fight me. The only question that remains is how long can you hold out for?"
"They will release me." Supergirl said, her voice slightly hoarse.
"The Green Lanterns don't care about you. They are as self serving as everyone else in the Galaxy. You may despise me, but I acknowledge who I am and I don't hide behind meaningless words to justify my actions. I do what I do because I want to."
"Even if the Lanterns think it is better to keep you locked in here, I will get out." Supergirl said.
"I look forward to seeing your spirit crushed."
"You tried that before and you failed. You will fail this time to." Supergirl said defiantly.
-00-
"It won't let me." The Lantern said after another failed attempt. "It is as if the ring is fighting against me."
"You think the Guardians are still in control?" Diggle asked.
"No, it feels like it is the ring itself."
"Maybe it is." Diggle said.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked trying to remain calm.
"The Green Lantern rings can be powered by Blue Lantern rings." He explained.
"Blue Lanterns has something to do with hope?" Alex asked.
"Yes." He confirmed.
"It is possible that because Supergirl is the Paragon of Hope, that she may able to boost the charge of the ring." Salaak explained.
"In other words her hope is keeping her locked inside?" Alex asked.
"It is a possibility." Diggle said.
"Well how do we get round that?" Alex asked.
"Wait until Supergirl comes to the obvious realisation that her hope is unfounded." Salaak said.
"You want me to hope that she loses hope." Alex asked feeling her anger rise again.
"It may be the only way." The Lantern said.
"Or we need to drain the ring, but not so that much it looses all energy." Diggle said.
"What happens if you do drain it too much?"
"It's possible that the prison may collapse killing everyone inside." Salaak said.