"The number of businesses connected with Tycho is phenomenal, there is no way we can search all of them." Alex said said she sat with J'onn.
"But your team are following that lead?" J'onn asked.
"Yes."
"Then let's work a different angle. What if Tycho wasn't behind the Kryptonite?"
"He was there, well his avatar was, that's how Lena got into his system."
"But his guards weren't. They had been killed. What if someone hijacked Tycho's plan?"
"But who? I mean what type of sick individual would set a trap that would cause so much pain and-" Alex started before coming to a realisation and saying. "Lobo."
"He's definitely sick enough and is obsessed with Kara." J'onn said.
"Can you fly us to the cave?"
"I can, but he may not be there and if he was we need a plan." J'onn pointed out.
"I'm not sure there is time for that. I'll get the DEO team to meet us there with every weapon they can think off."
"As good a plan as any." J'onn said.
-00-
"What are you doing?" MJ asked his cousin who was taking a panel to pieces.
"Getting out of here."
"Why?"
"To get to mom."
"That doesn't sound very safe." MJ said.
"Don't care."
"You don't even know where she is."
"He does." Alex said.
"He who?" MJ asked.
"Lobo."
"Lobo's here?"
"No. He spoke to me, in my head."
"You are sounding a lot crazy right now." MJ said.
"He said his bike would take me to mom."
"I'm going to get grandma." MJ said turning, only to walk into an invisible wall. "Oww." He said holding his already bad nose. "That hurt."
"Sorry, but I can't let you do that." Alex said. "She'll stop me."
"Because you are being stupid." MJ said holding his nose.
"No, I'm not." Alex said. "If your mom was in trouble wouldn't you do everything you could to save her?"
"Well yes. But all you are doing is trusting Lobo, who is a psycho."
"He's all I have right now." Alex said.
"No he isn't." MJ argued.
"You're right." Alex said before grabbing hold of her cousin and leading him to another room.
"I am?" MJ asked feeling he won the argument too easily.
"No." She said pushing him in the room before shutting the door and locking it behind him. She then went back to the panel and continued to rewire it until finally the door opened and she left the safety of the lab.
-00-
"You are persistent." Lobo said when J'onn and Alex entered the cave.
"What are you up to?" J'onn asked looking round, but not seeing Kara.
"Come to collect my prize. Supes 2.0." Lobo said standing and crushing the cigar under his foot.
"2.0?" Alex asked.
"You don't know?" Lobo questioned suddenly looking like he was interested.
"Know what?" Alex asked.
"Wow, he is good." Lobo said taking out a cigar.
"What did you do to Kara?" Alex demanded.
"Nothing." Lobo said. "I have not touched her. Yet. But when she gets here, that's when things get fun. We're going to unleash hell." He grinned as he showed them the Red lantern ring.
"Kara will never give into it." J'onn said.
"That was a problem." Lobo agreed. "The wearer needs to want it. Deep in their soul they need to desire it."
"Kara would never desire that." Alex said.
"Hence the problem." Lobo said before grinning like a mad man. "Well it was a problem. Not anymore."
"What have you done?" Alex growled.
"Me? Nothing. Well I talked to someone."
"Who?"
"Have you heard of the Diasporans?" Lobo asked.
"They are a reptilian race of ruthless conquerors." J'onn said recognizing the name.
"Their leader believes his mission is to cull the weak. Those who can survive the slaughter are deemed worthy. What people don't know is their leader isn't who people think he is. He was a Diasporan who hosted a sentient parasite. A parasite called Worldkiller 1. And he really wanted a host that was a Kryptonian powered by the Red Lanterns. When I mentioned I knew of a Kryptonian and I had the ring. He did the rest. But I never thought he'd be this good. I mean you seem oblivious to the fact he has been inside her for weeks."
"What do you mean inside?" Alex asked.
"Just that. Slowly taking control, eating away at her soul, until finally he won." Lobo said. "I prefer to just blow stuff up, but his slow steady approach worked."
"Where's mom?" The teenage Alex asked entering the cave.
"Alex? What are you doing here?" Her aunt asked.
"She is my insurance policy." Lobo said. He then looked at the teenager and said. "Looks like you have the same sacrifice complex as your mother."
"Go." The adult Alex said.
"No." The teenager argued.
"Take her." Alex said to J'onn.
"I don't think so." Lobo grinned before punching J'onn to the ground. "If you want to go, go. But mini Supes stays." He said as J'onn got to his feet and launched himself at Lobo.
With Lobo distracted the adult Alex ran past the fight and grabbed hold of her niece and started to run to the cave entrance only to stop when Kara entered the cave.
"Mom!" The teenage Alex said, only to be met with an icy glare.
"You survived then." Kara said.
"'Bout time you showed up." Lobo said shooting J'onn while looking at Kara.
"There was more resistance than I thought. But I am ready." 'Kara' said. "You have the ring?"
"Right here." Lobo said showing his hand, which held the ring. "I hope don't let me down."
"Mom no." The teenage Alex cried. In response her mother looked at her before slapping her to the ground.
"Leave her alone." The older Alex said moving in front of her niece.
"She does not interest me." Kara said before adding. "Nor do you." With that she tried to hit the older Alex, only to be stopped by a forcefield.
"Maybe there is hope for you yet." Kara said to the teenage Alex.
"Run." The adult Alex said to her niece.
"I've already told you that ain't happening." Lobo said before tossing the ring at Kara. But before it reached her it flew off into a corner of the cave.
"What?" Lobo asked looking round and seeing the teenage Alex squinting.
"Points for trying, but it won't work. Your mother is gone." Lobo said. "But you and me can have fun later."
"No she isn't." The teenager said getting to her feet.
"Perhaps you should prove it." Lobo said to Kara as the adult Alex shouted to her niece.
"Get out of here." As she shouted Kara stepped towards her daughter.
"No." The teenager said erecting a forcefield round herself and her mother's body.
With the forcefield in place all J'onn and the older Alex could do was watch on as the teenage Alex shouted at her mother who stepped right up to the teenager.
"Your mother is gone. Only her body remains. Her mind was weak." The approaching figure said, the voice was Kara's, but the tone was cold and sounded almost evil.
"No. She's in there. Ieiu!" She called as her mother's body reached her.
"If she is still inside she can watch you die." 'Kara' said before placing her hands round Alex's throat.
"This is way more fun that I thought." Lobo said from the side lighting another cigar.
"Ieiu! Fight. You told me I gave you strength us-" She started only for the hands to tighten and she found herself unable to breathe. Knowing she could no longer talk she used the last of her strength to project every happy memory of her and her mother that she could think of before finally loosing consciousness. As she did so the forcefield collapsed.
"Alex!" The older Alex said sprinting towards her as Lobo sat in the corner smoking a cigar. Before the older Alex reached them though her sister dropped to her knees and started coughing before slime started to emerge from her mouth, eyes, nostrils and ears.
"She's alive." Alex said finding a pulse on her niece. "We need to get them back."
Nodding J'onn picked up the trio and flew off, leaving Lobo and the slime.
"Stronger than I thought." Lobo said walking to the slime. "When she is mine she will be so much fun. But in the mean time, I need my ring." He added before searching for the lantern ring.