Inside the barrier, Alex awoke with a start and went downstairs. "Somebody better be bleeding, broken, or on fire," Alex said annoyed as she came downstairs.

"We're just playing tag," Ryan excused.

"I don't remember that being allowed," Alex said darkly.

"Alex, don't be lame," Ryan chided.

Kelly then came downstairs looking a bit disgruntled. "How you doing, sis-in-law?" Ryan greeted her.

"Thank you for humoring me and allowing my foster brother to stay with us," Alex said appreciatively.

"Not like I have a choice," Kelly shrugged.

Ryan and Kelex started playing video games and gulping down sodas. "I had no idea your foster brother was so great with kids," Kelly said amazed.

"He was...is full of surprises," Alex said reflectively.

"Well, I'm off to work," Kelly said, about to take off.

"I didn't realize you worked on the weekends," Alex said crossly.

"Well, I'm telling you now," Kelly insisted.

"Are mommy and mommy fighting?" Kelex wondered to Ryan.

"Nah, they're just...different. A real fight would be between Alex and Kara," Ryan said wide-eyed.

"You have to be here with me," Alex said threateningly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's the big deal?" Ryan stepped in. "Kelly has to save some kids from killing themselves, I'm here now, don't sweat it, sis. Uncle Ryan to the rescue."

"See, no problem," Kelly said. "You should get some quality time with your brother."

"Fine," Alex relented.

A fully healed Mon was pissed off that Alex got the better of him. Now, he had to deal with Alex's better half. "You cut us off at the knees by sending in that missile," Kelly accused.

"Now we know what we're dealing with," Mon said dismissively as he entered the command center.

"Look who it is, the guy that almost got murdered by his own murder squad," Kara mocked.

"You working for me or against me?" Mon snapped.

"I honestly...don't know," Kara said confused.

"She's on my side," Kelly told him off.

"So, we're all on Team Alex now? Fuck me, right?" Mon asked annoyed.

"There's no need to diminish ourselves. This may not be a war we can win," Brainiac 5 said reasonably.

"Alex isn't going to negotiate. We take her out, we win this thing," Mon argued.

"We don't know that. We actually don't have any idea what will happen in there if Alex dies," Kelly said tearfully.

"So, what? We just sit around with our thumbs up our asses?" Mon asked disgustedly.

"We can't outgun her," Kelly argued. "And antagonizing her is only making things worse. If Alex is the problem, she has to be the solution."

"You are impeding the mission. I've been in this time for the last seven years. I know what it takes to keep the lights on," Mon said seriously.

"Don't use your experience of the last seven years as an excuse to be a coward," Kelly lectured.

"Coward? So, I should go in there, myself, and kill her ass? Is that what you're advocating for? It's what James would have suggested. Oh, right, he's been dead for a thousand years. It's a good thing you weren't here during those seven years because clearly, you don't have the stomach to be a Vindicator," Mon shot back.

"Now...get the fuck off my base," Mon ordered Kelly.

"Fine, whatever," Kelly said as she walked away with Brainiac 5 drones escorting her.

Kara eyed Mon knowingly. She didn't particularly care if Mon shit-talked Kelly, but she was slightly concerned of what he might do next against Alex. "I know you're pissed off, you were humiliated by a mere human. I've been there many times," Kara said.

"I know you have," Mon smirked.

"It happens to the best of us," Kara allowed.

"It only happens to you due to your weakness, your emotional entanglements with humans, and your lack of tactics," Mon clarified. "I do not allow humans to get the better of me. Not like that."

"It wasn't Alex that beat you, it was the Phoenix," Kara reminded him.

"It wasn't even the Phoenix. I could have destroyed her with that missile. I could have destroyed her as soon as she exited the barrier. I could fire on that barrier right now. I could destroy this whole planet with her on it if I wanted to. But the thing holding me back from victory is...you," Mon glared.

"I didn't go several seasons of bullshit to have her die as soon as she gets here," Kara said angrily. "I brought her to this time so she could live with me."

"You didn't anticipate that the Phoenix Force within her would become stronger in this time," Mon accused.

"Who the fuck would have known?" Kara asked incredulously.

"There must be an inverse effect. When the Phoenix Force was relatively close to Earth, she was weak as fuck. Now, she's much stronger with the Phoenix Force far away from this system. The only way to weaken her is to bring the Phoenix Force close to her," Mon reasoned.

"Absolutely not. We run the risk of them making contact and then we're really fucked," Kara objected.

"You sound afraid," Mon sensed.

"You want to throw away the entire Galactic Federation and everything we've built over the last seven years so you can have an epic fight with the Phoenix Force in its prime?" Kara asked dumbfounded.

"Yes," Mon said wide-eyed.

"No, no, fuck no," Kara objected. "We're going to wait for the other Vindicators to arrive and then we'll make our move."

Alex, Ryan, and Kelex walked down the street enjoying the fresh air. "You know, I never got to enjoy Halloween with your family," Ryan mused.

"Let's fix that," Alex said as the entire block instantly became full of Halloween festivities and all the people started wearing costumes.

"Wow, mommy, what happened?" Kelex asked amazed.

"It's an old holiday where kids would dress up in costumes and beg their neighbors for either a trick or a treat," Alex explained. "But it was always a treat because the neighbors never had imaginations."

"What if they purge me?" Kelex asked concernedly.

"That's a different day," Alex assured her. "Now, run off and get some candy. Everyone will open their door to you." Alex then turned to Ryan. "So, what was the name of that bowling alley where Kara killed your father?"

"You're testing me," Ryan scolded.

"I am not," Alex said defensively.

"It was called Lois' Lanes," Ryan finally answered.

"Why do you look so different?" Alex demanded.

"Why? You want me to be a little kid again?" Ryan asked incredulously. "This is how I would have looked if I hadn't died."

Meanwhile, Kelly walked straight toward the barrier and couldn't help but notice the Halloween change. As she walked by individual houses, she noticed people were doing repetitive tasks or just standing in place. The closer she got to the edge of the barrier, the worse it got.

Outside the barrier, Brainiac 5 brought Kelly to his computer lab. On the TV monitor was more of Alex's sitcom. "Who is that?" Kelly asked of Ryan.

"He's Alex's and Kara's foster brother who passed away when they were teens. He appears older in this version," Brainiac 5 said nonchalantly.

"Alex never mentioned a foster brother," Kelly said disturbed.

"It's a sore subject. He was only with them for six months before he died," Brainiac 5 said.

"So why are you helping me?" Kelly asked suspiciously.

"You may be key to unlocking new knowledge on the anomaly and Alex's nature," Brainiac 5 said simply.

"So, you don't really care if I live or die, right?" Kelly rolled her eyes.

"You're part of the domino effect. Should you perish, it will destabilize Alex which will destabilize Kara which will destabilize the entire Galactic Federation. I have to weigh all options in accordance with the opportunities for success and the risk of failure. But rest assured, I feel the same about you as I do with everyone else in this universe: nothing," Brainiac 5 clarified.

"I appreciate your honesty," Kelly said impressed.

Brainiac 5 showed Kelly a map of Midvale inside the barrier. "Alex made a fatal mistake by not destroying Salu completely. Using the radiation signature on Salu's ring, I can get information on every resident of Midvale. As you can see, the residents near the border of the barrier farthest away from Alex are barely moving. They're essentially in sleep mode."

"It's too much for Alex to process the lives of everyone in the town," Kelly realized.

"Exactly. She only focuses on those who interact with her on a routine basis," Brainiac 5 replied. "There is a resident coming closer to the barrier."

"An escape attempt?" Kelly wondered.

Inside the barrier, Alex and Ryan passed by the movie theater. "Why are you really here?" Alex questioned.

"I'm just trying to do my part. I come to town unexpectedly, create tension with the sister-in-law, stir up trouble with your kid, and ultimately give you grief," Ryan said obviously. "I mean, that's what you wanted, isn't it? The last thing I remember is passing out in the hot weather balloon with you and then I heard you calling me. I knew you needed me."

"We have some unresolved issues. You knew Kara put a mental block on my sexuality, didn't you?" Alex accused.

"Apparently that mental block came down," Ryan smirked.

"Nonetheless, you knew about it. Maybe, you could have told me, could have taken it down," Alex glared.

"Kara told me not to fuck with it," Ryan shrugged.

Alex gave Ryan the crazy eye. "Do you know how many years I suffered because of that?"

"Come on, I was fourteen years old. You want an apology? I'm sorry," Ryan said sincerely.

"It's not your fault, Ryan," Alex eased up. "It's hers."

Outside the barrier, Kelly was still with Brainiac 5 in his computer lab. "I need to get back in," she said impatiently.

"I would advise against it," Brainiac 5 objected.

"Worst case scenario, Alex removes my free will and has sex with me every night," Kelly said dismissively.

"I have your blood work. The energy inside is rewriting your cells on a molecular level. It's changing you," Brainiac 5 warned.

"I have seen enough lab results to last me a lifetime. I know what Alex's feeling and I won't stop until I help her," Kelly said passionately.

"I don't think you fully understand the implications. Your cells are changing to that of a male. You will begin to produce sperm with the delivery system that goes along with that," Brainiac 5 explained.

"Why would Alex want me to have a penis and testicles?" Kelly scoffed.

"It's not what Alex wants. It's what the Phoenix wants. Alex can't breed with any of the Martians inside the barrier. She will breed with you if you go back in there," Brainiac 5 said.

"Well...I'm still going back in," Kelly insisted.

"Well, okay then," Brainiac 5 allowed.

Inside the barrier, Alex and Ryan hung out at the city square with kids running around. "Midvale is just as charming as I remember it," Ryan smiled.

"You must think I've gone full-blown soccer mom, but it is nice, isn't it?" Alex asked awkwardly.

"I think your mom and dad would have loved it," Ryan said.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen them around," Alex said suspiciously.

"You've handled this scenario's ethical considerations the best you could. Families and couples stay together, most personalities are not far off from what's underneath, and people get better jobs and haircuts, for sure. I mean, Mars is a desolate wasteland and the only thing that keeps these Martians sane is being able to think up these sorts of scenarios in their heads," Ryan said.

"You don't think it's wrong?" Alex questioned.

"I'm impressed. It's a pretty big leap from anything I could have done. How did you even do all this?" Ryan asked. Alex hesitated to reply. "Hey, I'm not your wife, I'm not your parents, and I'm not some stranger. You can talk to me."

"I don't know how I did it. I just remember grief and feeling empty. I had lost my parents, my job, my planet, and my purpose in life. I came to this time leaving everyone I knew behind to start a new life. And, when I thought about the life I wanted for Kelex, I couldn't picture anything other than Midvale, the town I grew up in," Alex explained.

Outside the barrier, Mon saw that a resident was attempting to breach the barrier. Thinking it might be Alex, Mon prepared himself for round two. "I will handle her, myself," he said to all the Brainiac 5 drones and Martians in the command center.

The fake Kelly then breached the barrier and tried to get through it. The fake Kelly pushed through and struggled to take steps away from the barrier. As she did, her appearance began to fluctuate between Martian and human. Fake Kelly fell to her knees and tried to crawl her way away from the barrier. Mon instantly teleported to the breach but kept his distance.

"Help. The people need help," fake Kelly said to him and then collapsed on the ground.

Mon eyed the struggling Martian and noticed he was male. The male Martian fluctuated between himself and Kelly. "What the fuck?" Mon wondered. The barrier then became an angry red and started expanding.

Mon teleported away as the barrier expanded beyond the entire base. All of the base structures, tents, equipment, vehicles, drones, and Martian helpers were all swallowed up. Kara managed to fly out of the area just in time.

Kara and Mon met up outside the barrier as it stabilized. "We've lost all of the Barney drones and Kelly," Mon figured.

"Well...shit," Kara sighed.

Earth-Metropolis

While the Earth was a central command economy via Brainiac 5 drones, other planets within the galaxy had a diverse array of economic models. Orando was the richest planet in the Galactic Federation and Projecta was their princess making her one of the richest people in the galaxy. On the way to her room in the Vindicator compound, Rokk and Thom made small talk.

"We have a budget?" Thom wondered.

"Of course, we have a budget," Rokk said obviously.

"I thought currency was no longer a thing and we each were given provisions according to our abilities, according to our needs," Thom said confused.

"That's only the case with Earth," Rokk clarified. "Our bases, vehicles, warp-fuel, and equipment are ridiculously expensive. To make things fair, Barney developed a progressive income tax among the Galactic Federation planets. Because Earth is the Supreme Leader's favorite planet and due to it being a relative shithole compared to most other planets, Earth doesn't have to pay shit."

"So, which planet pays the most?" Thom wondered.

"That would be Orando with their medieval mystics able to change the appearance of ordinary metal into gold, silver, uranium, etc," Rokk explained.

"The appearance of?" Thom asked confused.

Rokk didn't reply as they came up to two large bodyguards wearing black suits and sunglasses. "Star-Boy, meet Badger and Bounce, "Rokk introduced to Thom. "Sup, boys?"

"Sup with you, cos?" Badger replied.

"She in today?" Rokk asked.

"I don't remember. Do you remember, Bounce?" Badger asked his partner.

"I don't remember shit," Bounce replied.

"We don't remember," Badger informed Rokk.

"I get it. Hard work, long hours. Plays havoc on one's memories," Rokk smirked.

"Sure does," Badger agreed.

"Maybe this will jog it," Rokk figured as he handed them a metal case.

"Just like last time?" Badger asked.

"Exactly," Rokk said seriously.

"This is primo. Smell that shit. This is most excellent pornography," Badger said impressed.

"Enjoy, it's part of Element Lad's personal stash," Rokk assured them.

The two then entered the room where Projecta was in the middle of a phone call with her father on a viewing screen. "But princess, I just bought you a star cruiser last month," his father cried.

"It made me look fat," Projecta rejected.

Rokk and Thom looked around at all the expensive luxuries in the room. "Holy shit," Thom said amazed. The room was full of paintings, drapes, cushions, crystal ball viewing screens, an elaborate lamp, a tea kettle, and tables that were all in Orando's style.

"Daddy, only Earth peasants eat this food. I require imports," Projecta demanded.

"Sweetheart, I didn't just want to discuss your allowance. Your mother and I want you home. The weather here is most troubling," her father said through the screen.

"Daddy, I have to go. Commoners are requesting an audience. Kisses to mother," Projecta said as she gave her father the "rock-on" hand signal. Projecta finally turned to Rokk and Thom.

"Commoners? It's because I'm Black, right?" Thom assumed.

Projecta merely stared at Thom wondering why he even had the audacity to ask her anything. Projecta was slender, feminine, with purple eyes, and had white hair. Her family had gone through generations of incest to keep this appearance. "Projecta, I still outrank you," Rokk reminded her.

"Charmed," Projecta mocked, not taking him seriously, and then sat on her throne while Rokk and Thom sat on elegant cushions. "I overheard there was a mission on Rokyn last week. Why wasn't I informed?"

"It was nothing, routine. Your time is too valuable to be wasted on routine missions," Rokk lied.

"Routine?" Thom wondered as his PTSD was triggered. He stared aimlessly as he recalled how the rangers fought furiously against giant sentinel robots in a hellish battle to the death.

"You want...more...money," Projecta assumed.

"Your planet owes a lot of overdue taxes," Rokk said bluntly.

"It's the 1% of the galaxy that pays 50% of the taxes. That's bullshit. What if Orando suddenly disappeared? You would be fucked," Projecta said angrily. "I want the Vindicator flag to have a picture of me on it in return."

"Yeah, the Supreme Leader isn't going to agree to that," Rokk shot down.

"Daughter!" her viewscreen called.

"What?!" Projecta yelled at it.

"Do not use that tone with me, young lady. There are dark forces brewing on Orando. Your mother is very worried about the climate that has come upon us. The Southlands are awash in monsoons, and the tropics are becoming like deserts," her father said gravely.

"Yeah, Climate Change is bullshit," Projecta scoffed. "The number three ranking Vindicator is here to talk to me. He needs me. I'm important."

"Actually, I just need you to write the check," Rokk said impatiently.

"Is that all you need me for? I feel like I'm not even on the team," Projecta complained.

"Daughter!" the viewscreen shouted becoming active again.

"Fine, I'll go home, God damn," Projecta rolled her eyes.

"No, stay where you are. Merciful lord and savior, Jesus Christ, it came so fast," her father said alarmed.

"What? What happened?" Rokk asked concernedly.

"King Voxy, we can help. What is it?" Thom seconded.

"The storms, we thought were from Climate Change, but it was them. They couldn't be reasoned with, couldn't be bought. They had no mercy or pity, and they absolutely won't stop until Orando is torn apart," King Voxy said dramatically.

"Who?" Rokk demanded.

"The invaders. They scream for genocide. Oh, God!" King Voxy shouted and then the view screen turned to the planet being destroyed.

"Attention, all Vindicators within the range of my signal, assemble at the spaceport for immediate transport to Orando," Rokk said through his ring.

Projecta began to laugh thoroughly amused as her planet burned on the viewing screen. "The fuck?" Thom wondered.

"So, you guys do care after all. That's so sweet," Projecta said and then deactivated the crystal ball. "The whole conversation with my father was an illusion. Orando is fine, but you should have seen the looks on your faces."

"This isn't a laughing matter," Rokk said pissed off.

"What's not a laughing matter is giving my guards pornography every time you come to visit me," Projecta rolled her eyes. "Badger, Bounce, come in here," she ordered. The two came into the room and then vanished.

"What the hell is going on here?" Thom said spooked.

"Thanks for the magazines," Projecta smiled.

"So, those guards were never there," Rokk realized.

"You also think I'm a rich bitch, don't you? I see you cast judgment upon all of my riches," Projecta accused, and then all of her expensive items suddenly disappeared revealing a very simple room.

"Cosmic Boy, I don't know what's real anymore. Am I still Black?" Thom asked, freaked the fuck out.

"All of your senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch belong to me. What still belongs to you, for now, is your own mind and it's rotten with envy," Projecta said to them.

"And your mystics trick other planets into thinking they're getting precious metals when you send them blocks of shit," Rokk shot back.

"Here's your check," Projecta said, handing it to him.

"Thanks," Rokk said resentfully. The check then disappeared in his hand. Projecta laughed amused at his frustration. Thom suddenly grabbed her hands. "If I grab you, I become immune to your power."

"That's right," Projecta said alarmed.

"You're staying put," Thom said as he used his powers to weigh her down.

"Oh, you're so strong and Black. Take me now, Thom. Punish me for my insolence," Projecta requested as she started making out with him.

"Well, I...," Thom stammered as he started taking off his uniform and making out with Projecta on her bed. Meanwhile, Rokk and the real Projecta watched.

"Please, stop this before it goes too far," Rokk pleaded with her.

Projecta ended the image of herself. Thom, half-naked, fell on her bed dumbfounded. "The Supreme Leader needs S-Class and A-Class Vindicators to go to Mars immediately," Rokk said seriously.

"If you're asking me to help, it must be really serious," Projecta realized.