Season 5
Kara entered Brainiac 5's lab where mostly drones were working on high-tech stuff. There were some humans, mostly being taught and babysat by Brainiac 5 on advanced quantum engineering. "What are you up to, Barney?" Kara interrupted one of his drones.
"Your sister's heroics saved thousands of lives, yet she died alone, afraid, lost in the realm of death, gone forever," Brainiac 5 said somberly.
"Your point, asshole?" Kara asked pissed off.
"In the past, telling you she would never come back was just as easy as anything else I have said to you," Brainiac 5 continued. "However, I began to wonder if the quantum realm is the answer. So, I reworked some old plans."
Kara eyed the hologram of the device Brainiac 5 was building. It looked like an elaborate vacuum cleaner. "What are you saying, Barney?"
"I think it is possible to enter the quantum realm which is beyond time and space and then come back in a different time," Brainiac 5 theorized. "I think I can bring you back to Alex or bring Alex to us."
"This is priority one, Barney," Kara said seriously.
Mon entered the lab and looked around unimpressed. There were a number of insectoid-looking drones doing construction work. Mon went passed the computer monitors and high-tech equipment to meet up with Brainiac 5 inside the quantum vacuum cleaner. He then noticed what looked like a deep-sea submarine. "Why am I here? I could be relaxing at home," Mon complained.
"Save it, Mon. While you were out gallivanting around the galaxy, Barney and I have been building this," Kara said proudly.
"And what the fuck is this?" Mon asked.
"It's a tunnel to the quantum realm. To Alex. We go down there, we then tunnel back to normal space in a different time," Kara said simply.
"What?" Mon asked confused.
"At the quantum level, there is no time to speak of. It is beyond time and space, the fourth dimension. Upon arriving in this dimension, we can pinpoint the exact time of 2017 where Alex is located," Kara said ambitiously.
"You built all this crap and you don't even know if this is possible," Mon mocked.
"It's called a hypothesis, Mon," Brainiac 5 said condescendingly. "Last night, we powered up the tunnel for the first time. It overloaded and it shut down but for less than a second, a doorway to the quantum realm was opened."
"This is crazy," Mon rolled his eyes.
"I had a dream last night where Alex and I played hide-and-seek as teens. Alex would always hide in this wardrobe that was red with horses on it. I always found her because I have X-ray vision," Kara said wide-eyed.
"It sounds like Alex didn't get the gist of the game and you're a cheater," Mon pointed out.
"It's a sign," Kara said adamantly. "Alex is alive in 2017 and I'm going to find her. The sooner we get this tunnel working, the sooner I can get to her."
"Alex is dead," Mon said bluntly. "And you're being an enabler," he accused Brainiac 5. He then turned back to Kara. "If you don't incinerate yourself on the microscopic level, you will be trapped down there forever. Then, the Galactic Federation, Earth, and your children will be in my hands."
"Whatever," Kara said dismissively. She then exited the building for a business transaction across town.
Kara entered an expensive restaurant and met up with Tobias Manning, a businessman and tech guy. "Ah, Linda!" he said as Kara disguised herself with a brunette wig.
"Toby," Kara addressed.
"I am your yes-man. As in yes to farm-to-table, yes to locally sourced, and yes to planet before profit," he said.
"You also better be yes to the component I ordered," Kara pressed as she handed him a bag of gold bars.
"I love your sense of humor, Linda. Have a seat," Tobias stalled. Kara reluctantly sat down. "You know, I have a special friend that tells me things I didn't previously know. For example, your name isn't Linda. It's Kara Zor-El."
"What do you want?" Kara stared him down.
"Relationships are built on trust, Kara. And I want our relationship to have a strong foundation," Tobias said simply.
"Our relationship?" Kara questioned.
"My business landscaping has been shifting, Kara. Capitalism no longer exists anymore on this world. Now, you're a great opportunity," Tobias said boldly.
"What's your point, asshole?" Kara narrowed her eyes.
"This is quantum technology. Forget nanotech, AI, and cryptocurrency. Quantum energy is the future. It's the next gold rush," Tobias said excitedly.
"Oh, really?" Kara rolled her eyes.
"I want in," Tobias said seriously.
"And you are," Kara confirmed. "I ask for stuff and you go get it for me in return for precious metals."
"I want your schematics of what you're building so I can sell them to prospective buyers. I'm thinking I could get a billion bars of gold for this technology," Tobias said.
"The only one that is going to have this technology is me. So, I'll go ahead and take that component as arranged," Kara said.
"I want compensation for my injured feelings," Tobias demanded.
"Listen, Toby, I'm really close to just blowing your head off so just give me the component," Kara ordered.
"The only thing you're taking is my heart but it will mend in time," Tobias smiled as the chandeliers above them started growing green.
"Well, okay then," Kara said as she became sickly. She walked away from the bag filled with gold bars and then activated a detonator. The bag supposedly filled with gold bars exploded blasting apart the lobby. The Kryptonite chandeliers fell to the floor creating a green gas mixture in the air. Supergirl emerged from the green gas with a pistol. She fired on #1 bodyguard sending him stumbling through a chair. She backhanded #2 to the face while firing her pistol into #3. She rapidly twirled around and fired #2 to the chest, dropping him. She then kicked #3 away from her through a table. The #4 man charged her only to be kicked back by a leaping side kick. Kara kicked #5 to the face, punched #6 to the gut, and fired her pistol into #7's head. She then kicked #6 to the head, dropping him. Kara leaped on top of #8 and flipped him.
Some of Tobias' men recovered and fired their pistols at Kara. The pistol shots merely bounced off her as the Kryptonite effect wore off. "Take it and go," Tobias said to one of his men referring to the component.
Kara punched a man into the kitchen room and fired her pistol on the man with the component dropping him. One of the men threw knives at Kara. She easily dodged them all and then gave him an uppercut, dropping him. Kara fired heat vision on another lighting him on fire. Tobias' men resorted to using various kitchen-related weapons to defend themselves. Kara quickly dropped them all with her pistol and exited the kitchen. She then took the bag with the component.
Kara then went over to Tobias sprawled out on the floor, a bloody mess. "Pleasure doing business with you, Toby," she smirked at him. A woman in a white suit suddenly phased into existence in the hotel lobby. She wore a mask to hide her face. "What the fuck?" Kara wondered.
The woman phased in and out of existence as she walked closer to Kara. The woman in white suddenly phased next to Kara and tried to take her component. Kara tried to fight her off but her punches and kicks just phased right through her. Realizing the situation, Kara let the woman in white take the component. Now, materialized, Kara punched her to the face. Stunned, the woman in white backed away. Kara went on the offensive with more kicks and punches, but the woman in white was able to dematerialize parts of her body while keeping a materialized grip on the component.
"Barney, are you seeing this bullshit?" Kara wondered.
The two fought furiously with tables and chairs being thrown around. The bag with the component skidded across the floor in the scuffle. Kara rapidly kicked and punched at the woman in white without effect as she merely phased. The woman in white suddenly placed her wrist through Kara's throat and out the other side. Kara fired heat vision that merely went through her.
"At any moment, I can rematerialize my hand and send your head to the floor," the woman in white said to her.
"Alright," Kara relented.
"Slowly pick up the component," the woman in white ordered.
Kara moved slowly with the woman in white's hand through her throat and picked up the component. "Now, give it to me," she ordered. Kara reluctantly handed the component to her. The woman in white's energy flowed over the component so that it had the same properties as her. She then became invisible and phased away.
Kara gave a sigh of relief and shook her head dismayed.
At the lab, Kara was pissed off. "This creepy cat attacked me like a ghost or something. Whoever stole my component is going to get their ass kicked in this dimension and the next. I want them found."
"You don't find someone like that. They will find you," Mon smirked.
"This person was phasing. Is that something you're familiar with?" Kara asked Brainiac 5.
"Quantum phasing, when an object phases through different states of matter," Brainiac 5 explained.
"Well...no shit," Kara said obviously. "I can somewhat understand how a sub-atomic particle can appear and reappear out of nothingness but this was an entire humanoid person. I know this is rich coming from me but this is total bullshit."
In the middle of nowhere, the woman in white phased into a cottage. She took off her mask revealing herself as Tinya Wazzo of the planet, Bgtzl. She had black hair, dark eyes, and a pale complexion. She struggled to walk around and entered a containment room. She activated energy waves that kept her solid and then went to sleep.
That night, Mon teleported into the cottage and found Tinya still asleep inside her containment room. Mon eyed the containment room for a moment and then took hold of the component case. When he looked back to the containment room, Tinya was gone. She suddenly reappeared and sent her hand through Mon's chest.
"Hi, I'm Tinya," she said adorably.
"Mon-El, Prince of all Insane. So...you don't need the suit to go through things?" Mon asked.
"No," she shook her head. "It just helps me control it and the pain, supposedly."
"You going to crush my heart? The moment you do, I'll destroy your room," Mon threatened.
"I don't want to hurt you, Mon. Can you promise me you won't try to destroy me or my room?" Tinya asked.
"On my Insane honor," Mon swore as he held up his hand.
Tinya reluctantly phased her hand out of Mon's chest. Several versions of Mon then entered the cottage and got close to Tinya's room. "What the fuck is this?" she asked freaked out.
"Clones," Mon said obviously. "You didn't think you were threatening the real me, did you?"
"Then, why did you swear?" Tinya asked confused, backing away.
"A sign of goodwill. Your abilities impress me," Mon said sincerely. "Now, if you make a move against me, I will destroy your room. I'll also pay a visit to Bgtzl. You will never threaten Kara's life again. Do we have an understanding?"
"Yes," Tinya nodded.
"I'm being rather gentle with you, all things considered. So, tell me your tale of woe," Mon ordered.
"My father worked in quantum research. He was fired and exiled by the academy. Desperate to restore his good name of Wazzo, he took risks. Too many. Something went wrong. My parents and I were caught in the explosion. When I woke up, my parents were dead. I wasn't so lucky. They called it molecular disequilibrium. It's a name that doesn't give justice to what it means. Every cell in my body is torn apart and stitched back together over and over every day," Tinya said.
"How did you build the suit?" Mon questioned.
"There were those who saw an opportunity in my affliction. The government built me a suit to assist me in my phasing. I was made to be a stealth operative. I was weaponized. I stole for them, spied for them, killed for them. And in exchange for my soul, they were going to cure me. They lied," Tinya said.
"Well...no shit," Mon said obviously. "Look, your story is badass. We could use you on the team."
"Wait...what?" Tinya wondered.
"As a Vindicator, I can make you lethal as fuck," Mon promised.
"I don't want a kill count, I want to be cured," Tinya resisted.
"Why not both?" Mon suggested.
Supergirl suddenly landed in the cottage, fired on the containment room destroying it, grabbed the components, and took off before Tinya could even make a move.
Kara entered the lab and brought the component to Brainiac 5. Mon teleported into the lab. "I gave that...Phantom Girl my Insane word of honor that she wouldn't be harmed nor her containment room," he protested.
"Insane honor? Is that even a thing?" Kara mocked.
"Careful," Mon warned.
"You threaten my quantum tunnel, I will end you," Kara glared. "Everything she may have told you could have been a pack of lies."
"This isn't going to work," Mon said skeptically.
"Why the fuck do you care, Mon? If I perish, you get everything," Kara pointed out. "If I succeed, you still get everything."
"Fine, fuck it," Mon allowed.
"You'd think after all this time, I would be ready. What if she's a completely different person than what I remember? What if I have changed too much?" Kara wondered.
"All valid questions," Mon agreed.
"I've been counting the minutes until I can see her again," Kara smiled.
"Here it goes," Brainiac 5 said as the machine activated. "Source locked on."
"We got it," Kara said pleased.
"Send in a drone first," Mon insisted.
"No, fuck that. He won't do what needs to be done," Kara objected.
"Oh, I see now. You intend to go back to the past before you went into that black hole. You're going to undo everything that we've built here," Mon accused.
"That's right, asshole. All the suffering I have had to endure over these four years will be gone," Kara said with a crazed expression.
"And what of all the lives we've saved by killing so many lives?" Mon asked her.
"Like you give a damn. You're just scared that when I tell my past self who you really are, she'll kill your past self," Kara taunted.
"When you go into that tunnel, you'll vaporize yourself with evil intent on your soul. Or, you'll be trapped down there forever," Mon told her.
"Get out of my way," Kara ordered.
Mon suddenly formed several clones of himself around Kara. She immediately knew what he was up to and tore through the clones as fast as she could. One clone managed to touch her and teleport them both out of the lab.
Brainiac 5 continued his work as if nothing had happened. He put on a suit to protect himself from potential radiation and then entered the submarine craft. The quantum tunnel powered up and became orange-hot with energy. Meanwhile, Tinya phased into the building and was engaged by Brainiac 5 drones trying to stop her.
Tinya took hold of one drone and kicked him through a wall. "Call off the drones," she ordered. Brainiac 5 refused and continued to engage her. The drones fired on her with plasma rifles only for the bolts to go through her. They attempted to entangle her with cables only for her to get past them as well. Tinya phased through the drones, took out power cells, or CPUs, and disabled them.
In the lab, Brainiac 5's submarine craft went through the tunnel to the quantum realm. He ended up floating in a zone at .01 mm in length. Brainiac 5 calmly flipped a switch to recalibrate himself. Looking above, he saw tardigrades as large as whales around him and floating single-cell organisms. "Signal restored," the computer informed him.
Brainiac 5 shrank further down to the next level.
Kara looked around and found herself on some weird alien world. The ground was purplish, hard, and brittle. The sky was filled with floating spherical objects that looked like jellybeans. These floating objects had a viscous liquid property to them. Kara eyed Mon with trepidation have no idea where she was. "You're going to return me back to Earth," she ordered.
"If you kill me, you'll never get back," Mon said obviously.
"I'm just going to have to beat your ass until you relent," Kara glared.
Mon smirked and then went Super Insane 3 in a flash. The ground underneath Kara's feet became dented as she took off. Kara went for a kick which Mon narrowly avoided. Mon went for his own kick which Kara deflected off her arm. Kara went for a kick that Mon avoided. With one hand on the ground, Mon gave Kara a kick to the jaw. Kara grabbed the offending leg and swung Mon around. Mon used his other leg to kick Kara to the back of her head, releasing himself. Mon then fired off an energy blast straight at Kara's face.
Kara fired heat vision through the blast forcing Mon to retreat as the ground exploded around him. Mon got his footing back and kneed Kara hard to the chest, stunning her. Mon then gave Kara a sidekick to the face. Mon dropped down and fired an energy blast at her. Kara fired heat vision at him at the same time giving Mon first-degree burns. Kara pointed her index finger at Mon paralyzing him place and then fired heat vision on him, roasting him up.
As the smoke faded, Mon was smoking, his feet dragged across the ground several meters. Kara looked only slightly ruffled from the fight. She sped toward him and gave him a knife hand left to right. Mon narrowly avoided her. Kara then gave him another knife hand top-to-down, which he also narrowly avoided. Mon fired off an energy blast that Kara attempted to knife hand through. The blast exploded in front of Kara giving Mon some time to get cover behind a floating jellybean. Kara fired heat vision beams through the jellybean slicing deep into Mon's shoulder.
Kara then backhanded Mon into a floating jellybean where he remained floating inside, depowered.
Brainiac 5's submarine craft shrank down to 50 picometers making 1 nanometer phospholipid towers look like skyscrapers. He was now roughly equivalent to a hydrogen atom. The ground in front of him fluctuated greatly as subatomic particles appeared and disappeared. Brainiac 5 switched his vision to X-ray as he could no longer see in the visual spectrum. Walking outside, he was immune to an organism typically losing its mind under such an environment. Suddenly, he encountered a woman wearing a mask, a cloak, and a scythe blade on her back.
"Greetings," Brainiac 5 said to her.
The woman had black hair, and a pale complexion, and wore a purple and green suit. She gave tears of joy at finding someone new in her solitude. "I am Salu Digby of Imsk," she introduced herself.
"Do you want me to take you home?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"Yes," she nodded.
The two entered the craft to go back to normal size. "Describe this place," Brainiac 5 requested.
"Constant adaptation and evolution. It changes you," she said wide-eyed.
"Lab coordinates not found," the computer informed them.
"That could be an issue," Brainiac 5 said as Salu gave him a horrified look.
On the jellybean planet, Kara fired heat vision directly at Mon. As the jellybean exploded into a liquid that rained down on the surface, Mon was gone. "No fucking way he just bailed," she figured.
An energy orb suddenly hit her right in the face. Kara dropped to the ground and saw Super Insane 2 Mon appearing before her. "In your third form, you could give me a decent workout. In that form, you have no chance," she told him.
"Fortunately, I have nothing to lose," Mon smirked and then went for an attack. Kara evaded his kick and gave him a kick of her own. Mon avoided her, lifted her leg up to keep her in place, and fired an energy orb at her.
Kara went for a punch which Mon blocked just in time. He put his hands together and fired on her. Mon then put his arms together for a swing. Kara took him by the neck, slammed him to the ground, placed her legs on his arms, and pinned him. Mon powered down as Kara continued to strangle him. "Now, you're going to take us both back," she ordered.
At the atomic level, Brainiac 5 waited patiently for the computer to coordinate the signal. "Ready to ascend," the computer said. The craft powered up and floated in the air causing an energy surge all around them. The craft became larger as it worked its way to normal size. As it did, Salu felt herself power up as all the quantum energy she had accumulated began to emit.
Tinya entered the lab and fought off several drones trying to keep her away from the equipment. She phased through the laser beams and tore out their power cells as she went through them. Occasionally, a drone would manage to get a hit on her as she phased into a solid. The submarine craft suddenly appeared in the tunnel and slammed into Tinya at just the right moment, stunning her.
Kara and Mon suddenly teleported into the lab. Kara released Mon to the floor and eyed Salu as she exited the craft. "I am Kara Zor-El, the Supreme Leader of this world, a Kryptonian. Who are you?" she asked of Salu.
"I am Salu Digby of Imsk. I have been trapped in the quantum realm for the last three years. Thank you so much for finding me. I am forever in your debt," Salu said to her.
"At the quantum level, how does one go back in time?" Kara pressed.
"Back in time? It's impossible. I would have gone back in time to save myself. No, the quantum realm slows down time but it doesn't reverse time," Salu said.
"There has to be a way," Kara insisted.
"Whatever made you think there was a way?" Salu asked confused.
"Yeah, don't worry about me," Brainiac 5 said miffed as he exited the craft and noticed all of his disabled drones all over the floor.
Tinya then got back to her feet as she phased through thrown-around equipment. Salu seemed to understand her problem and went over to her. "Your pain. I can feel it," Salu said to her.
"It hurts," Tinya winced as she phased uncontrollably. "It always hurts."
"I think I can help," Salu said and then put her hands to Tinya's head. Quantum energy surged between them until Tinya's body was stabilized. Tinya flexed her fingers and then realized she was healed.
Tinya turned to Kara. "I surrender to you. I've hurt people."
"So have I," Kara said tearfully and then walked away.
Mon cracked his neck painfully as he got to his feet. "Nice to meet you. Your power is...?" he asked Salu.
"I can shrink to the atomic level...naturally. I just got stuck down there. I'm not going to try to get that small again," Salu said dryly.
"I am Prince Mon-El of the Insane. I can channel ki energy into flying, teleportation, clones, illusions, and energy blasts," he explained. "I lead an interplanetary team called the Vindicators. You want to join us, become enormously privileged, and kick ass on bad guys?"
"You saved me from the quantum realm. I am at your service," Salu bowed her head.
"I don't know how much use I can be without my...," Tinya said and then phased her hand on her own accord. "I still have my powers."
"I didn't take them away. I just stabilized them," Salu explained.
"I am yours," Tinya said to him, going to a knee.
"I hereby knight you as Vindicators," Mon decreed.
"I will need to debrief the both of you," Brainiac 5 said as he joined the conversation.
"Sorry for killing all your drones," Tinya said sheepishly.
"We have gained something far more valuable," Brainiac 5 assured her.
"There's something I should tell you without delay, immediately, of the highest level of importance," Salu said urgently.
"By all means," Brainiac 5 encouraged.
"At the quantum realm, there is a man who is building a fleet of ships and an army of drones. He plans to invade the normal-sized realm and conquer the galaxy. His name is Kang," Salu warned.
Mon teleported to the Fortress of Solitude and came upon Kara who was weeping and feeling sorry for herself, hunched over the control panel to her computer. "I was going to abandon you all, my family, my friends, my empire. I was going to leave you all behind. I was going to retcon the children out of existence. I'm so fucked up," Kara admitted.
"Well...yeah," Mon agreed. "I did appreciate the fight though. That was fun."
"Is that why you're still here with me? For fun?" Kara asked incredulously.
"Is this the part where I say I still love you despite all your faults and imperfections?" Mon mocked.
Kara got up and nodded. "What do you suggest?"
"Movie night with the kids," Mon shrugged.
"Well, okay then," Kara agreed.
In Metropolis, Kara, Mon, Kon, and Mara watched a horror movie about giant bugs. "This is awesome," Kon grinned as he saw a giant bug nearly kill a screaming woman.
"So...Kon, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Kara asked conversationally.
"I wanna kill people, like my Dad," Kon said obviously.
"God damn," Kara said softly. "Mara, what's your deal?"
"I want to be as loving and supportive as I can...," Mara began.
"Ah, that's so sweet," Kara said pleased.
"To whatever my brother needs of me," Mara concluded.
"Well...that's a nice sentiment," Kara allowed. "I'm going to make a point to be a better parent to you two. You both should be the most important things to me."
Author's Notes: As is often the case, there is an equivalent for everything between Marvel and DC. In this case, Phantom Girl is based on Ghost, and Salu is based on Janet. The pothole whereby Janet decides not to tell everyone about Kang is resolved here.