59. New Daxam

Kara woke up on the ground in front of Lena and Rhea’s portal.  She didn’t know how long she’d been out, but it didn’t matter. What did matter was that there were dozens and dozens of Daxamite ships flooding through the portal.  In a panic, she followed them to see where they were headed. When they stopped over downtown National City, she returned to the valley to try and catch Rhea. She searched and searched, but the queen seemed to be gone.  She also couldn’t find Lena or Mon-El. The only person from her team that was left was an unconscious J’onn. In a rage, Kara screamed at the top of her lungs and let loose with her heat vision, blasting everything in sight.  Not that it would help anything at this point, but she was beyond livid. She scooped up the director and flew them back towards the DEO.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lena awoke slowly.  Her head hurt, and her stomach was upset, so she squeezed her eyes closed and willed herself to go back to sleep.  When she felt a gentle caress against her temple, she reluctantly opened her eyes to see which of her wives was trying to wake her.  She gasped when she saw that it was Queen Rhea who was touching her. She bolted upright, and tried to move away.

“Hello, Lena,” Rhea greeted her gently.

Trembling, Lena snapped, “Where the hell am I?”

“I've been taking care of you ever since Supergirl nearly killed you when she attacked our portal,” the queen replied.

“Supergirl tried to stop you.  I should have stopped you,” Lena shook her head in dismay.  “You lied to me and used me.”

Rhea didn’t deny it.  “I did what I had to do for my people.  But I did it for you, too. I meant what I said on the ground.  You are a marvel. And I know that you are meant for bigger things, better things.  This is a planet of wasted potential, and you represent the best of your race. I'm going to make a society worthy of you.  So get comfortable, Lena. You are where you belong, beside me, presiding over this new world that we will create together.”  The queen led her captive toward the window of the ship, and Lena could see the chaos below. The Daxamite ships were shooting at random, obliterating buildings and probably killing countless people.  

Lena tried not to laugh when she threw up on Rhea’s shoes.

XXXXXXXXXXX

A message from the Daxamite queen played on every screen in sight:

“People of Earth, do not be afraid.  We have crossed a sea of stars in order to bring you a new way.  A better way. I will be your Queen, and you will be my subjects.  Obey our orders, and we will protect you. Do not resist… Welcome to New Daxam.”

Maggie was trying to defend the NCPD building from Daxamite troops on the ground.  A rookie cop fell by the invader’s hands right in front of her. She didn’t know if he was dead, or just stunned, but she didn’t have time to dwell on that.  She picked up his discarded shotgun and fired it at the surrounding Daxamites until she found cover. She pulled out her phone and called Alex, “Danvers, I'm at the police station!

“Are you okay?” Alex asked frantically.

“They're everywhere, Alex!” Maggie shouted.  “The Daxamite troops are everywhere!”

At the DEO hub, Winn was yelling, “We have transmat signatures all across downtown!  Our satellite systems are crashed!”

“Danvers, I-”

“Maggie?”  Alex realized they’d been cut off and put her phone back in her pocket.  “They've attacked the NCPD!”

“Is Maggie safe?” Jessie worried.

“What're we going to do?”  Jamie tried not to panic.

Suddenly, the DEO was filled with Daxamite soldiers, beaming down from their ships.

“No!” Winn freaked.

“Everybody evacuate!” Alex commanded.  “Winn, go! Jamie, get your sister out of here!”  

Jamie used her heat vision on every Daxamite she could, but there were too many of them.  She grabbed hold of her sister’s waist and got the hell out of the building.

Alex ducked behind the briefing table and tuned her com to Kara’s frequency, “Supergirl!  We're under attack! I've evacuated the DEO!”

“Hang on!  I'm almost there!” Kara assured her.

“There's no time!” Alex told her.

“All right.  I'll meet you outside.”

Alex and Kara had been married a long time.  They knew they could trust each other, and with that trust in mind, Alex took a deep breath and ran, shooting and dodging her way out to the balcony where she flung herself off, taking one last Daxamite with her.  She free fell for a few stories before Kara swooped in and caught her, J’onn under her other arm. As soon as Jamie saw them, she flew down and followed Supergirl.

“We need to get somewhere safe!” Kara said.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As soon as her guards lead Mon-El into the ship’s main cabin, Rhea shooed them away, “Leave us.”

“How's the invasion progressing? Is it as much fun as you hoped?” Mon-El quipped. 

Rhea smiled.  “This planet has amazing potential.  It's gonna be beautiful when we're finished with it.”

"Finished with it?” Mon-El parroted.  “What are you planning to do?” 

“Build, of course,” Rhea answered.  “Monuments to our people, to our way of life.  Great pyramids like the ones we had back home.”

“And I suppose the humans will build them for you?”

“If they know what's good for them.  This ship is stocked with Daxam's best.  The leaders, the merchants, the military strategists.”

“Ah, the robbers, the liars, the killers.”

“The elite who once led our people to greatness.  Here, we can rebuild again, and make way for the rest of our ravaged population to settle once and for all.”

“If you think that the people of Earth will just lay down and take this, you are wrong,” Mon-El insisted.  “Because they are made of stronger stuff than you think. And besides, Kara will stop you.”

“Oh, I do not fear the Kryptonian girl.”

“What are you planning to do with her?” 

“She's in your past, Mon-El.  Focus on your future.”

“What do you need me for?” 

“We must unite our people with the people of Earth.  You're the key. As you well know, on Daxam, the tradition is for the regent to arrange a marriage for their oldest child.  Your father may be gone, but I think I've made an excellent choice.”

“Really?  And who's the, uh-  Who's the lucky Earthling that won the ‘marry an alien invader’ sweepstakes?  I don’t, uh- I don’t suppose it’s my actual girlfriend?” 

Rhea grinned.  “I choose… Lena Luthor.”

“You mean, Lena Danvers?  The one who’s already married?  To Supergirl?”

Now, Rhea actually laughed.  “Please. Like that means anything to me.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kara took J’onn and her family to the alien bar, and she and Alex tried to contact as many Superfriends and DEO agents as possible to join them.  As they waited, Supergirl looked solemnly at all three of her girls. “You guys, I have something I need to tell you.”

If it was possible, the gang grew more serious at Kara’s tone. 

“What is it?” Alex worried.

“Rhea took Lena and Mon-El.”

Alex’s face hardened into something terrifying.

“Oh, no!” Jamie started crying.  “Not again!”

Jessie’s breathing verged on hyperventilating.  

“Jessie?” Kara checked.

Her daughter picked up a billiard ball in each hand, and with a loud scream, threw them against the wall.  The force of it lodged the balls six inches deep into the concrete. Everyone blinked at her, as she looked at her hands.  She picked up another ball and squeezed it in her fist, and it disintegrated into powder. “Holy sh-” she stopped herself before she actually swore, but her eyes were widened with surprise.  “Mom! Did you see that?”

“I saw it, baby,” Alex breathed.

Jessie laughed a little hysterically.  “I got my powers! I got my powers! Now I can help save Lena!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Alex stopped her.  “No. You’re not going out there and exposing yourselves to the world!  It’s not safe! There are thousands of troops out there, and you don’t even know how to use all your powers yet.  No. No way.”

Jessie screamed in frustration again and slammed her fist down on the pool table, breaking it in half.  “All I need to do is punch, and I can do that!” she insisted angrily.

“I said no!” Alex shouted.

“Uncle Winn!” Jamie exclaimed, running to the man as he walked in the door, loaded with electronic equipment.  “Here, let me help.” She took a few things from him that looked a little unsteady, and helped him set them down on the tables.

“What happened here?” the tech asked, seeing the broken pool table.

“Uncle Winn, I got my powers!” Jessie told him.  “But Mom won’t let me help get Lena back.”

“Uh, yeah,” Winn agreed.  “You’re definitely not going out there with all this going on.  Where’s J’onn?”

Kara pointed to the makeshift table/bed that she’d put together for the debilitated Martian, and Winn started hooking up his machinery to him.  

“This should monitor his vitals and stuff.”

Lyra arrived soon, and then the DEO agents started pouring in, carrying more equipment for Winn and quite a few guns to boot.

Alex looked over all the medical equipment and checked the readings on J’onn, while Winn set up more computer equipment around the bar.

“Do you know what Rhea did to him?” Kara worried.

Alex sighed heavily.  “His vitals are erratic.  You know, it's like his neurons are working overtime.  He's comatose on the outside, but on the inside…” she shrugged. 

“Will he wake up?” Jessie asked nervously.

“Look who found us!” Winn announced.

“Uncle James!  Aunt Lucy!” the twins ran to them and hugged them tightly.

“Ow!” they both cried out when Jessie hugged them.

“Sorry!” she pouted.  “I just got my powers!”

“Wow, finally!” Lucy started to high-five her, and then thought better of it.

“How did you get them to work?” James quizzed.

Jessie cocked her head to the side.  “I don’t know. I wasn’t afraid. More like angrier than I’ve ever been in my life.  First Mama and Mon-El got kidnapped by Cadmus, then Mom got kidnapped by that crazy guy, and now Lena and Mon-El are kidnapped by Queen Rhea, and I just snapped.”

“Is that why my favorite pool table is broken?” Maggie’s voice came from the hallway.

“Maggie!”  Alex ran to kiss her, full of relief.  “I'm so glad you're okay.”

“And I'm so glad that when things look their worst, we both thought to run straight to a bar,” Maggie quipped.

Alex chuckled.  “Yeah, if only we could have a drink.”

The girls pushed Alex out of the way so they could hug their stepmom.  “We’re so glad you’re OK,” they told her.

“Thanks, girls.  I’m glad you’re OK too.”

Kara finally took her turn to hug and kiss Maggie soundly.   “I'm so glad you're all okay,” Kara told them in relief.

“Yeah, me, too,” James replied.  “It's a war zone out there. The Daxamite troops are beaming down from everywhere, setting up checkpoints, arresting resisters.  It's almost like they're instituting their own martial law.”

“Yeah, well, not to mention the full-on Independence Day going out there with the mothership hovering over the city,” Lyra added.

Kara’s face grew dark, “Lena is on that ship.  Rhea took her and she took Mon-El, too.”

“Shit!” Lucy hissed.

“Have you reached Clark yet?” James asked. 

“No.  I called Perry White,” Supergirl answered.  “He's not at the Daily Planet, and he's not at the Fortress of Solitude, either.”

“Maybe Superman's out there right now, fighting in the streets,” Lyra offered.

“If he is, I didn't see him,” Maggie shrugged.

Kara looked around at the group.  “Well, we're all together. We can fight back.”

“But where do we start?” James wondered.

“Well, without the DEO mainframe, we're flying blind,” Winn informed them.

“Not to mention the Daxamite military patrolling the streets,” Maggie added.

Alex sighed.  “And J'onn's not here to lead us.”

“Maybe I can be of service,” a voice came from the door.

The group turned to see Lillian Luthor sauntering in like she owned the place.  Everyone who had a gun pointed it at the woman. 

“What?” Lillian chuckled. “ Not happy to see me?  You people are so predictable.”

Alex stepped forward and pointed her gun at the Luthor woman’s chest, “Hands above your head.”

“No,” Lillian defied, taking off her gloves as if she were going to stay a while.

Kara put her hands on her hips, “You made a mistake coming here.”

“I find it as distasteful as you do, Supergirl, but I need your help.  And you need mine.”

“Where's my father?” Alex demanded.

“I don't know,” Lillian replied casually.

“That's the wrong answer.”

“Well, it's the truth.”

“Yeah, right,” Jessie huffed.

Lillian looked sharply at the twins.  “Oh my god! You have got to be kidding me.”

“What?” Alex asked sharply.

“I knew you had children, but I had no idea they were Kara’s.”

The twins glared at the woman, and Alex cocked her gun and pointed it in the Cadmus leader’s face.  “If you even think about touching them, I will end you, bring you back to life, and then kill you again.  Slowly.”

“I came here to call a truce, remember?”

Supergirl crossed her arms over her chest, “All right.  What do you want?” 

“To take down our common enemy,” Lillian replied, sitting at the bar.  “Everything I warned against has come to pass. The alien invaders have come to destroy our way of life and claim our planet, just as I said they would.”

“You can just say I told you so,” Winn grumbled.

"I did.  Tell you so.  And now you can shoot me, or we can work together, and we can save our loved ones and this city.”

“You mean your daughter that you kidnapped and framed?” Kara snipped.

“We're going to save this city,” said Maggie.  

“But we will never work with you,” Alex finished.

“That's right,” Lucy chimed in.  “We got this.”

“Don't let your pride get in the way of your objective,” Lillian reasoned.  “That ship is armed with Kryptonite cannons. You have no transmat portal, and the Daxamites have upgraded their shields.  I need your help to get onto that ship.”

“Even if we wanted to, like you said, there's no way onboard,” Alex challenged.

Lillian countered, “So sure about that?” 

“What are you saying?” Kara wanted to know.

“I'm asking you to work with me.  And we find Lena and Mon-El. Together, we can save them.”

“You've said your piece.  Now leave.” Alex was done with this bitch.

The Luthor woman sighed. “You're making a mistake, Agent Danvers.”  She got up to leave, but spoke directly to Supergirl before she did.  “I understand why you all don't trust me. But whatever happened in our past, I'm asking you to leave it there.  The love I feel for my daughter is real. Please, Kara. Help me save her.”

The Kryptonian was having none of it.  “Get out.”

“Call me if you change your mind.”  Lillian handed Kara a burner phone.

“I think some of us should get back out there, see what we can do,” Maggie suggested.

“Okay, that's a good idea,” Alex conceded.  “Someone should go check on Eve and tell her what’s going on.”

“We can do that,” Lucy replied.

“Call us if you need us,” James said on his way out.

Kara turned to Alex, “So how are we going to do this ourselves?”

The agent sighed heavily and shook her head.  “I don't know.”

“Let us help!” Jamie insisted.

“No!” Alex snapped.  “You girls are staying here where it’s safe, and if you go out there, you’re going to be in big trouble!”

Jessie groaned and flopped into a chair, but she didn’t have a hold on her strength yet, and the chair shattered beneath her, leaving her laying on her back on the floor.  “Dang it!” she grumbled, climbing back to her feet. “Stupid chair.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

James and Lucy split off from Maggie and Lyra and headed to Catco to look for Eve.  They had tried calling her cell phone, but she usually turned it off when she was at work, and the calls to Catco all answered with a message that all lines were busy.  When they got there, it was chaos. The Daxamites had trashed the place, and there were hardly any people around. Shockingly, Eve was sitting at her desk, frantically trying to answer phone calls.

“Eve!” Lucy called out.  “Thank God you’re OK!”

The assistant hung up the phone and ran to hug them.  “I’m glad you guys are OK too! Have you seen Mon-El? His mother has gone crazy!”

“Yeah, that’s why we’re here,” James informed her.  “We tried to call, but we couldn’t get through. Rhea has taken off with Mon-El and Lena.  The gang is trying to find a way to get them, but so far, no luck.”

Eve looked panic-stricken.  “Oh, no!” She slumped down in her chair and started to cry.  “He told me he was afraid his mother was tricking us, but we could never prove it.  Now, he’s up there with her, and who knows what she’ll do to him now! And Lena! Poor, sweet Lena, and her little babies!  What does she want with them?”

“We don’t know her plans for them, but we promise, we’re doing everything we can to figure out how to get them back,” Lucy said solemnly.

“Come with us, and we’ll take you somewhere safe,” James offered.  

Eve nodded, “OK.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Set up a blockade and arrest any resisters,” Rhea commanded.  “I don't want anyone getting in or out of the city.”

“We're receiving a communication from Earth,” one of her lackeys told her.

“Put it up.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

The transmission came through loud and clear, “Rhea, Queen of Daxam, my name is President Olivia Marsdin.”

“You represent planet Earth?” Rhea asked.

“I represent the United States,” Marsdin replied, “But today I speak for all humanity when I demand that you abandon your siege of National City.”

Rhea smirked, “Well, I'd be happy to move my invasion force to Washington, D.C. if you prefer.”

“Oh, I'm not in Washington,” the president informed her.  “I'm heading straight for you.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Uh, guys, I just picked up on some sort of live transmission from Air Force One,” Winn announced.

Supergirl ran to him, “Air Force One?” 

“Wait,” Alex joined them,  “Don't tell me the president is heading towards the conflict and not away.”

“Every time I think I can't get happier I voted for that woman!” Kara cheered.

“We wanna see!” Jessie exclaimed, and she and her sister clamored for a spot to watch the screens.

The conversation between Rhea and the president continued, ignorant of the Superfriends watching. 

“National City is mine,” Rhea stated, “And you should be thankful that that is all I am currently taking from you.”  

“The militaries of Earth will unite against you,” President Marsdin claimed proudly.

Rhea scoffed.  “I am not afraid of your trembling little militaries.”

“Stand down!” President Marsdin demanded.

“Stand down?!  I think you are confusing this situation with one in which you have any sort of negotiating leverage,” Queen Rhea countered.

“This is not a negotiation, this is a demand,” Marsdin continued.

“You speak like that to me again and you will feel the consequences!" Rhea hissed.

“Oh, my God, enough.”  Another voice came from the background.  “All right, ladies! Ladies, if I wanted to listen to this adolescent macho-posturing, I would have stayed in D.C.”  Amazingly, the person speaking came around the corner and appeared on the screen.

“Ms. Grant?” Supergirl gasped.

The former CEO of Catco continued, “Is this really who you want to be?  Testosterone-driven windbags, boasting about your big guns? Surely we don't need to measure anything.  We're women. We're tough, we're wise, and we're way above this pettiness. So let's just roll up our sleeves and talk peace.”

Rhea was taken back, “I'm sorry, who are you?” 

“I'm Cat Grant.  Known on Earth as Queen of All Media.”

“Oh,” Rhea chuckled.  “Well, Cat Grant, I'm Rhea, and Earth now has a new queen.”

“Oh,” Cat smirked.  “Oh, well, let me just give you a little bit of friendly advice, Rhea.  That tiara that you have on the top of your head, it's overkill. Real royals, they don't need to try that hard.  The thing is, is that I have brokered peace between Kanye and Taylor Swift, so I think mediating peace between our two worlds should be a piece of cake.  And, the future is female, we've all read the T-shirts. So we are three strong, formidable women and we can do anything we want. So let's just talk it out and come up with a harmonious solution, shall we?”

Knowing Rhea, Kara could suddenly see the future quite clearly.  “Oh, my God.” She zipped out the window and headed as fast as she could toward Air Force One.

“As I said before, I am Queen now.  I don't confab, I command. This conversation is over.”  Rhea ended the transmission and fired at the president’s personal jet.

“Madam President, this way!” the secret service tried to get her to safety, but it was too late.  The plane was blasted to smithereens.  

Cat Grant screamed as she hurdled toward the ground at top speed.  She was prepared to die, but then, she stopped falling and realized that Supergirl had caught her.  The descent to the ground was much slower, but as soon as they landed, Supergirl exclaimed, “Oh, my God!  The President!”

Metal creaked behind them, and a figure stepped out from under a scrap of metal from the plane.  The figure was decidedly, obviously alien, but as it walked forward, it morphed into President Olivia Marsdin.  “Uh, I suppose I owe you an explanation,” she muttered.

Cat huffed, “Well, at least tell me you're still a Democrat.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Madam President! Thank God, you're alive!” Alex sighed with relief as the woman walked into the bar with Supergirl and Cat Grant.

“Remarkable, isn't it?” Cat agreed.

“Ms. Grant, you're alive, too!” Winn ran up and hugged her.

“What did you think, Winslow? My city is under siege.  Do you think I would just allow myself to die?” She patted his back affectionately.

“I'm a little shaken up,” the president informed them.  “I could use a moment to collect myself. Is there a restroom I could use?”

“Oh, yeah.  Right around the corner,” Winn pointed.

“Okay, thank you.”

Cat looked around the bar curiously, “Supergirl, I understand you setting up your rebel headquarters in a dive bar.  It's very French Resistance. But what are all these monitors and these satellites and these handsome, armed men dressed in black?” 

“Well, um, Ms. Grant, we work for a clandestine government organization called the DEO,” Kara told her. 

“We're devoted to protecting the planet from extraterrestrial threats,” Alex added.

“Oh, I see,” Cat hummed.  “Well, you do a bang-up job…  Um, why do you have children here?”

“Those are my kids,” Alex replied.  

“Oh.”  Cat frowned.  “I thought your kids were babies.  Kiera always had pictures of babies on her desk.”

“Her name is Kara!  And we’re not babies!” Jessie snapped.  “We’re twelve years old!”

“Twelve?” Cat frowned harder.  “That doesn’t add up. You would have had to have them when you were teenagers.”

“Yep,” Alex confirmed a little awkwardly.

“Oh, yeah, Ms. Grant,” Winn graciously interrupted, grabbing her attention,  “Hi. Uh, Ms. Grant, how How did you get on Air Force One?” 

“Yeah!” Jamie wanted to know too.

“Oh, it was just kismet that I happened to be in D.C. with the Dalai Lama when the Daxamites invaded and I just hitched a ride with Olivia.”

“Olivia, as in, you know, leader-of-the-free-world Olivia,” Winn swooned a little.

“Yes, she was my RA at Radcliffe,” Cat regaled, “And I'm having this vague memory of walking into the dorm bathroom and seeing E.T. in a bathrobe and I thought it was the pot brownies, but now I'm realizing that it was actually E.T.”

“What are you saying exactly?” Alex was confused.

“I'm sorry, did I not make myself clear?” Cat smirked.  “Our leader-of-the-free-world - ‘Olivia’ - is an alien.”

“Okay, come on.  The president is not an alien,” Winn chuckled.

As he said this, the president herself walked out in all her alien glory.

“Oh, my God, the president is an alien!” he gasped.

“Cool!” the twins exclaimed.

Marsdin morphed back into her human form.  “I assume that you are all a little frightened, but I assure you, I mean you no harm.”

“Obviously,” Cat said.  “Otherwise I would have been stabbed in the back by you that night at college when your fiancé flung himself at me.  Clearly, she's a pacifist. And darling, I love you just the way you are, scales and all.” Her cell phone rang. “Oh!  Sorry, I need to, um- I need to take this call, sorry, I- It's, uh… Madeleine, hi! … Well, yes, of course I survived  … Well, if I can survive dinner with that letch, Bill O'Reilly, I can certainly survive a little turbulence…”

The president looked around the room, taking in the faces and the scene.  Her eyes locked onto the twins, and widened. “Oh, my. Supergirl, I didn’t know you had children.”

“It’s top secret information,” Supergirl replied.  “For obvious reasons.”

“Yes, I can understand that,” Marsdin nodded.  “I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thank you,” Kara breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that Ms. Grant was distracted at the moment.

“What are your names?” she asked them.

“I’m Jessie.”

“I’m Jamie.”

“Do you have powers too?” Marsdin asked.

Kara was reluctant to answer, “Yes, they do, but they just got them.”

“I hope you’re training them to control those powers.”

“Absolutely,” Kara promised.  “But Jessie literally just got her powers today.”

“Well, you must be excited,” Marsdin grinned at the preteen.

“So happy!” Jessie smiled back.  “Except my X-ray vision is kicking in, and it’s making everything look really weird.”

Marsdin chuckled.

“Wait till your hearing comes in,” Jamie scoffed.  “Then you’ll really know what weird is.”

“Madam President, can I ask, where are you from?” Kara wanted to know.

The president waved her hand to a table, and they all sat down.  (Jessie was particularly careful this time.) “I was born on this beautiful planet, Durla.  And when the invaders came, we hoped for the best, and we did nothing. Within a year, they had enslaved my people.  I was one of the few to escape.”

“Well, now I understand why you're so supportive of alien refugees,” Kara observed.

“Yes.  I would appreciate it if you would all keep my secret.”

“Your secret is safe with us,” Alex replied.

“And you girls?” Marsdin looked at the twins.  “Can you keep this a secret?”

“Of course,” they answered solemnly.  “We promise to keep your secret, as long as you keep ours.”

“Thank you.  And J'onn J'onzz is still injured, which makes you acting Director of the DEO, Agent Danvers.”

“Yes, Ma'am.”

Jessie patted her mother’s arm proudly.

Marsdin continued, “You and your team will break into the DEO and access the positron cannon that is mounted to the roof.”

“I'm sorry, we have a positron cannon?” Winn asked disbelievingly.  “Like a vaporize-anything-it-shoots positron cannon?” 

“You are to fire on and destroy the Daxamite supership,” the president commanded.

Kara and Alex looked at each other worriedly.  “There are civilians on that ship,” Kara told her.  “We have two friends up there.”

Marsdin was serious as the grave, “The Daxamites shot down Air Force One.  Make no mistake, they have the intent to destroy us. The terrible lessons I learned on Durla will not be repeated.  Destroy those ships. That is an order.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Ah, my son,” Rhea grinned.  “The Prince, and his beautiful, brilliant bride-to-be.  Finally, all is right with our worlds.”

“I'm insane to even try to get through to you, Mother, but here goes:  Lena and I are not getting married. Lena is already married!”

Rhea ignored him, “You can make this easy, or you can make this hard.  But there will be a wedding, and you will produce an heir.” 

“Did you not hear us?” Lena snapped.  “We are not getting married and we are certainly not giving you an heir.  I’m already pregnant, anyway. With Supergirl’s babies. You know that.”

“She doesn't need us for anything,” Mon-El informed Lena.  “She just needs our genetic materials. Daxamites can generate a child using just locks of hair.”

“Which I collected while you slept,” Rhea smirked.  “My son knows me well. I hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.  So the wedding will legitimize your union in the eyes of the Daxamite people.  We'll have a formal ceremony.”

Lena scoffed, “You're insane if you think I'm going through this pageant for you.”

“Yes, you've made your feelings for me abundantly clear, Lena.  I don't expect you to do it for me. But there are people you do care for.”  Rhea pulled up a video feed of a familiar building.

“Wait. Wait, what is that?” Lena panicked. 

“The Luthor Family Children's Hospital, of course,” Rhea smirked.  “It's one of the things I've always liked about you, Lena, that you do more with your money and power than just live lavishly.  You care about the little people. The two of you will get married, and after that you can spend the rest of your days rotting in a cell for all I care.  The question is, will you agree to the ceremony now, or only after I've murdered thousands of lives in the city below? Because, after all, the Luthor Children's Hospital isn't the only hospital in town.”

“Fine,” Lena conceded.

“We will do as you ask,” Mon-El grumbled.

Rhea grinned.  “I know it's hard for you to see now, but in time, you will realize you made the right choice.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Where's the President?” Kara asked Alex.

“I sent her back to D.C., escorted by two of our agents,” Alex replied.  “Listen, if this plan goes awry, she's gonna have to lead the country.” 

Kara huffed, “You're not actually thinking of going through with this?  Lena and Mon-El are still up there.”

“I know.”

“What would J'onn say?” 

“He would tell us to blow up the ship.  At least with the positron cannon, we have a chance to save the people of National City.  We don't have a choice. But I promise, before we do, we’re going to get Lena and Mon-El out of there.  I’m not prepared to lose Lena, and I might have been OK with blowing Mon-El up when he first got here, but he’s grown on me, and I kinda love the guy now.  How can we lose them?”

Kara nodded with a heavy sigh.  “I need to get some air.” She stomped outside and sighed again, but before she could start punching the dumpster, she noticed her old boss sitting next to it.  “Ms. Grant! What're you doing out here?”

“I just came out to look at the stars and to contemplate,” Cat said, “But there isn't much to look at tonight.  Oh, and I didn't get a chance to say it before, but thank you for saving me.”

Kara chuckled softly, “Of course.  It's been nice having you around again.”

“So, who's up there?” Cat asked, looking up at the space ships.

Kara balked.

“Oh, please.  We both know that Winslow is not capable of keeping his mouth shut.”

“It's my wife and my friend.” Kara answered sadly.  “Maybe the President is right. Supergirl has a responsibility to protect everyone.  But all I can think about is the fact that two people I love are trapped on that ship and if we destroy it, then they're destroyed too, and that-  That will break my heart. I'm selfish.”

“Oh, no, no,” Cat countered.  “That's not selfish, Supergirl.  That's human. Do you want to know the real reason why I left National City?  I wasn't happy. So I asked Siri, ‘Where is the happiest place on Earth, Siri?’ And she answered, ‘Bhutan.’  So, I booked my passage to the Himalayas and moved into a yurt. Now, do you have any idea what is in a yurt?  Nothing. Nothing. Not even central air conditioning. But these people, they are happy. A child learns how to walk, they sing.  A group of people come down from a hike from the mountains and they, they dance. And a couple, they go on their first date and they throw a damn festival!  And all of a sudden, the secret to happiness just dawned on me. It's human connection. And I could conquer the world at CatCo, or I could twiddle my thumbs in the yurt and the loneliness would feel exactly the same, because I was missing the point.  It's not about what you do. It's about who you love. And there are two people that you love trapped in an evil spaceship. Wanting to rescue them is not selfish. It's everything.”

“Yeah…  Yeah. I have really missed your advice, Ms. Grant.”

“And I've really missed giving it.  Now what?”

Kara took the burner phone out of her pocket and dialed the only number programmed into it.    She knew Alex was going to kill her, but so be it.

“Supergirl,” Lillian answered with pleasure.

Kara took a deep breath, “So how do we get onto this ship?”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“How can we possibly work with Cadmus?” Alex hissed.  “We've been fighting them for a year. We cannot trust them!” 

“I know, but we need them.  We have to try,” Kara insisted.

“Time is wasting,” Lillian interrupted.

“You said you have a plan?” Kara inquired.

Lillian nodded.  “Yes. When Henshaw was at the Fortress of Solitude-” 

“Breaking in, stealing a deadly virus, and using it to kill aliens in this very bar,” Alex interjected.

The Luthor matriarch continued as though the agent had never spoken, “He discovered your cousin keeps a Phantom Zone projector among his Kryptonian artifacts.”

“A projector?” Winn frowned.  “That sounds kind of low-tech.”

“They used it to beam the prisoners instantaneously up to Fort Rozz,” Kara informed him.

Winn’s eyes widened.  “That is very high tech.”

“I can re-purpose it to beam us onboard the Daxamite spacecraft,” Henshaw said.

“That's why we need your help,” Lillian added.  “Give us access to the projector and we bring you aboard.”

Alex smirked.  “That sounds like a great plan.  One that we can carry out without you.”

“Not quite,” Lillian countered.  

“My cybernetic core has been enhanced,” Henshaw told them.  “I can interface with the onboard Daxamite computer system. We'll pass through undetected.”

“Cool,” Winn muttered, then at Alex’s glare, he retracted,  “Not cool.”

Kara leaned on the table, “And when we're on board, Alex can wrestle back control of the positron cannon at the DEO.  It'll be a tight squeeze to find Lena and Mon-El before she fires.” 

“I suspect you're up to the challenge,” Lillian raised her brow in a very Lena-like way.

“We need to get going,” Alex insisted.

“Listen,” Winn stopped them,  “We're forgetting, like, the biggest obstacle of all here, Rhea.  Right? I mean, she took Mon-El and Lena for a reason. She's gonna be watching them.  She's gonna need to be distracted if we're gonna go in there and rescue these guys.”

“We're gonna need one hell of a distraction,” Alex mused.

“I'm the queen of distraction,” Cat offered.

Supergirl turned to face her.  “Ms. Grant, this could be dangerous.”

“No.  No, no.  This will be dangerous,” Cat agreed.  “But if it's dangerous for all of you, why shouldn't it be dangerous for me?  But I'll need Winslow.”

“Me?  Really?” 

“Well, I'm not taking the robot.”

Lillian helped herself to the armory around them.  “The Daxamites are powerful, but they're susceptible to lead.  A well-placed bullet will take them out. We can do this. And now it's time to go.”

The twins whimpered as their parents started to head out.

Alex went over and hugged them.  “It’s gonna be OK. Douglas is here, and you both have your powers now, so I’m sure you’ll be safe here.  We have to go rescue Lena.”

“Please, be careful!” Jamie pleaded.  “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Mom,” Jessie added.  “Come back to us, OK?”

“I will, I love you too, babies.  Be good.”

The twins repeated their sentiments to Kara, hugging her with all their might.

“I love you girls so much.  I’ll be back,” Supergirl promised.

Henshaw examined the incapacitated DEO director.  “I'm not a fan of the alien invaders, but I have to say, they did nice work here.”

Winn bumped him on the way over, and the cyborg grabbed him roughly by the arm.

“Hey!  I thought we were on the same team now! What are you-”

Jessie rushed over and punched Henshaw right in the ribs, making him grunt in pain.  “You leave him alone!”

Henshaw growled, and Alex put her gun in his face.  “Touch my daughter, and you lose another eye.” She turned to Kara.  “You better hurry.”

“I will.” Kara wrapped her wife up in her arms.

“If you are on board when I fire, you will not survive that,” Alex said tearily.

“I know,” Supergirl whimpered.

“Okay.  So please, just be faster than me.  Okay? I know, I know you're fast, but just be faster.”

“Faster than a speeding bullet.”

“Okay.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kara flew Hank and Lillian to the Fortress of Solitude, following the cyborg to the projector.  “Is this going to work?” she worried.

“Most likely,” Hank replied in his deep gravelly voice.

“And if it doesn't?” Kara continued.

“Then we'll all spend a lot of time getting to know one another in the Phantom Zone,” Lillian said seriously.  Turning to her henchman, she commanded. “Turn it on.”

Kara huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.  “Right now our interests are aligned, but when this is over, we go back to being enemies.”

“I look forward to it,” Lillian quipped.

The projector flared to life

“It's ready,” Hank confirmed.

They stepped into the projector, and transported themselves to the Daxamite ship.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Back on the mothership, Lena and Mon-El were being led into the main hall for their wedding ceremony.  Queen Rhea’s lackey held out his hand to Lena, and she gave him a dirty look.

“Yeah, I'm good.”

“Please join hands,” Rhea directed them.

Lena and Mon-El hesitated until Rhea raised a threatening eyebrow at them.  When they obeyed, the queen continued.

“We come here today, under the eyes of the gods, to seal a bond of marriage “

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Oh, my God,” Cat exclaimed when they arrived at her old office.

“I know, yeah.  The damage is extensive.”

“No, not that!  This. There are free weights in my office.”

“Yes.  Uh, well, James, he believes the body is a temple.”

“And it smells like a West Hollywood gym in here.  And there are sports paraphernalia where my Diptyque candles are supposed to be.”

“Uh, yeah, I will make sure that James cleans all this stuff up as soon as we, you know, save the world.”

“Clearing up is not gonna do the trick.  I'm going to have to burn sage for, like, a century.  And where is James Olsen? This is the biggest story in the history of the world, just the reason I put him in charge.”

“James is out there in the streets covering the invasion.  Just like he’s supposed to be.”

“And Kiera?  Where is she?” 

“She's also covering the invasion.”

“Hmm.”

“Uh, are you-  I'm almost finished.  Are you, are you ready?” 

“Oh, Winslow.”

“Yeah?”

“I am always ready.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at the alien bar, Jessie and Jamie wrestled to keep themselves busy.  They started out with outright sparring, but they kept breaking things, so Douglas told them to cut it out.  They couldn’t sit still, though. They were too worried about their loved ones being out there with the Daxamites.

Eve sat in a corner booth looking solemn, and helpless, and tried to watch the twins to take her mind off of Mon-El.  It broke her heart to know that she couldn’t do anything to help, and it frustrated her even further that people she loved were risking their lives to do what she couldn’t do.  Her only comfort was her belief in these friends. She held onto hope that they would come back with her partner, and they would be reunited soon.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Agent Danvers?” President Marsdin buzzed in her ear.  “Requesting update."

“Roger,” Alex replied.  “I have infiltrated the HVAC system.  Proceeding to command center.”

“And Supergirl?” Marsdin asked.

“Supergirl is dark out of mission necessity.  I’ve got a very trusted agent on my six.” She turned to Maggie,  “We're almost there. You good?” 

“So good.  You know what I just realized? The first time we met was when the president got attacked.  Makes this kind of a full circle thing for us.”

Alex chuckled and kissed her wife quickly before heading deeper into the DEO.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Queen Rhea stood regally in front of the unhappy couple, presiding over the wedding in front of dozens of Daxamite elite.  “Though there are many stars in our celestial kingdom, only one will lead you down the correct path. Each of you have found your star.  And so, in my power as acting regent of the Daxamite Empire, it is my duty and my honor to proclaim you-”

“Good evening, National City.”

Everyone turned to look at the communications screens that had just interrupted them.

“It's Cat Grant.  Yes, I've been away for a while, but I'm back.  Now, I can imagine that you're feeling afraid, and feeling like your world is spinning out of control.  But, believe me, you have power. And right now, you have a job to do. Resist. Resist these invaders with everything you've got.  They come with empty promises and closed fists. They promise to make our world great again, and yet they know nothing about the people who make this world great.  They think they can con us. And if that doesn't work, what? They're going to beat us into submission? They have no idea who they're up against. Aliens and humans, we need to band together and we need to stand up and fight back.  Everyone needs to be a superhero. Everyone needs to get up and say, ‘Not in my house!’ Let's prove to these thugs that we are strong, and we're united, and we are not going to be conquered. And, Tiara Woman, if you and your little minions happen to be listening, you have come to the wrong town.  Yeah. I'm Cat Grant. Not going anywhere.”

Rhea stomped down the dais steps and shoved Lena and Mon-El out of the way.  “Send a squadron to the planet's surface and kill that woman!” she commanded her troops.

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Take them to their chamber,” she waved Lena and Mon-El away.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kara punched her way through Daxamite after Daxamite.  It felt good. She needed someone to take her anger out on.

After the fifteenth knock out, Lillian smirked at her.  “It's a shame your politics are so intractable. You're very useful.”

“My politics?” Kara scoffed.  “I thought it was my alien genetics that were the problem.”

Lillian glared at her.  “Just take the compliment.”

Kara rolled her eyes and turned to the cyborg henchman, “Do your thing, R2.”

A long tube protruded from Hank’s hand, and he inserted it into the Daxamite ship interface.

“Any sign of them?” Kara asked.

“There's only one other human heat signature on this ship,” Henshaw answered.

“That's my girl,” Lillian said a bit cheerfully.

“MY girl,” Kara snarled.

“Excuse me?” the older woman huffed.

“My wife, my girl.  Mine. Not yours. Mine.”

Lillian just blinked at her for a moment.  “You’re lying. She’s not your wife.”

“Wanna bet?”

Lillian looked furious.  “Let’s get this over with.”

“I can lead us,” Hank offered.

“And I can punch,” Kara grumped.

“Let's go,” Lillian commanded.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lena and Mon-El were being shoved down the hall towards their ‘chambers.’  On the way, Mon-El turned around and said in a commanding voice, “As your prince, I order you to lay down your weapons and let us go.”

The soldier pointed his gun at the prince’s face.

“Yeah, I didn't think that was going to work either,” he said to Lena, but as he turned back around, he sucker punched the guard, knocking his weapon out of his hands and wrestling with him until Lena walked casually over, picked up the gun and shot the guard who fell heavily onto the floor.

“Thank you,” Mon-El breathed a sigh of relief, and Lena just kept walking back the way they came, “Yep, this way.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Madam President, we're in.”

“Excellent work, Agent Danvers.  How long until the cannon's ready?”

“Powering up now.”

“We are watching closely, Agent Danvers.  We expect you to fire when ready.”

“Yes, ma'am.  Over and out. Come on, Kara.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lena and Mon-El ran down the hallways, looking for an escape pod.  Unfortunately, they hit a dead end.  

“It's locked,” Mon-El complained.

“Break that.” Lena pointed to the lock.

“This?” Mon-El pointed to the glass.

Lena nodded.

The Daxamite shattered the glass with his elbow, and Lena placed her wedding tiara into the gears, overriding them, and getting the door to open.

Lena chuckled. 

“I can see why Kara loves you,” Mon-El observed.

“You questioned?”

“Never!” Mon-El covered.

Suddenly, three Daxamite guards came through the doorway, but they were quickly knocked out from behind.  As the bodies fell to the ground, a friendly face was there to greet them.

“Hi,” Kara chirped.

“Hi,” Mon-El grinned.

“Kara!” Lena ran to her and threw her arms around her neck.  She was sobbing when she spoke, “Kara, she took my wedding ring!”

“We’ll get you another one,” Supergirl promised.  “All that matters is that I have you back.” She gave Lena a long kiss, until they heard Lillian clear her throat.

Lena pulled slowly away from her wife and focused her eyes on her mother.  “You came,” she said, amazed, “With her.”

“I did,” her Lillian confirmed.

“We should move,” Henshaw warned.

Kara took a second to hug Mon-El, then they both followed after the others.  When they got to the end of the hall, the three humans disappeared.

“Where did they go?” Mon-El exclaimed. 

Kara sighed, “Lillian left us to die.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lena found herself transported back to the Fortress of Solitude with only her mother and Henshaw.  Supergirl and Mon-El were nowhere in sight. “What did you do, Mother?” 

“Humans only, dear,” Lillian replied.  “Disable the projector,” she told Hank, then picked up her phone, “Danvers, this is Lillian Luthor.  We're clear of the supership and safe. Fire at will.”

“With pleasure,” Alex replied.

“Turn it back on, Mother!” Lena demanded.

“I came for you.  Not them,” Lillian dismissed her.

“Supergirl helped you.  How could you betray her?”  

“I put everything on the line to save you from them.  Supergirl and Mon-El are still aliens and they'll die with their own kind.  I thought you'd finally see my side.”

“See your side?!” Lena laughed hysterically.  “I’m carrying Superigirl’s babies, how the hell would I see your side?”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Well, now what are we gonna do?” Mon-El complained.  

“Lillian betraying us wasn't the biggest shock ever,” Kara reasoned.  “So, Winn bugged Henshaw and rigged a remote so I could beam us back if she double-crossed us.”

Mon-El grinned.  “Hope for the best, have Winn Schott prepare for the worst.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“You’re what?” Lillian froze.

“You heard me,” Lena replied.

Suddenly, the projector flared to life again.

“Why is it turning back on?” Lillian wondered.

Henshaw was frozen to the spot.  “I don't know. I'm not in control of myself.”

“We’ll talk later,” Lillian snipped at Lena.

“Yeah, OK,” Lena replied sarcastically.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Let's go!” Mon-El insisted.

“I'm not going with you,” Kara said.

“Well, I'm not going without you,” he countered.

“Rhea's already lost.  The positron cannon is ready to fire, and you're safe.  Your mother deserves to surrender gracefully.”

“Please, don't do this.  You're not gonna get through to her.”

“I have to try.  As long as you're safe.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Ms. Grant, that was incredible,” Winn bubbled.

“And that was a pretty nifty trick,” she miraculously complimented him in return.

As soon as they left the office, a troop of Daxamites beamed down right in front of them.”

“Whoa!” Winn exclaimed.  “Go, go, go. Elevator, elevator.”  As soon as they turned toward the elevator, another troop of Daxamites appeared.  “This way, this way, this way.” Again, more Daxamites appeared.

“Okay, well, it was nice knowing you,” Cat deadpanned.

The sound of gunfire filled the air, and Winn and Cat turned to see Lyra, James and Lucy charging in with guns blazing.

“Yes!” Winn cheered.  “Go, go, go.” The pair of them hid behind a desk.

“Come on.  Bring it!” Lucy yelled, spraying a mace can in the remaining Daxamite’s faces.  “Lead dust. Let's make this a fair fight.”

“Space asthma,” Winn explained to Cat.  “It's my idea.”

“It's a good idea,” Cat encouraged.

“You're safe now, Ms. Grant,” James told her, once the last of the Daxamites had been taken care of.

“Thanks, James.  Thanks, Lucy. And you are?”

Winn grinned, and put his arm around the Valerian, “Oh, Ms. Grant, this is my amazing girlfriend, Lyra Strayd.”

“Oh!” Cat’s eyes widened in delighted surprise.  “My little Winslow has a girlfriend?” She chucked him on the arm, and Winn chuckled bashfully.  “And she’s a beautiful one, too!” She held her hand out, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lyra. Thanks for coming to our rescue.  How did you guys know to come?”

“Alex sent us,” Lucy informed them.

Cat looked the Major up and down with a strange look in her eyes.  “I must say, Lucy, this female Rambo look you’ve got going on right now…  It suits you much more than being cooped up in my offices, doesn’t it?”

Lucy chuckled.  “Pretty much.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Mon-El was transported back to the Fortress of Solitude. 

“Where's Supergirl?” Lena panicked.

“She's not coming.”  He snatched the phone away from Lillian and called Alex.  “Alex? Alex, it's Mon-El. Lena and I are fine. Winn's device worked.  But Supergirl stayed up there.”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“Your time is up, Agent Danvers!” President Marsdin reminded her over the comms.  “The positron cannon is ready to fire. You need to use it.”

“Mon-El yelled into the phone, “Alex, do you read?  Supergirl stayed up there!” 

Maggie and Alex exchanged petrified looks.

“Madam President, I need more time!” Alex pleaded.

“You have your orders!” the president replied.  “Now complete your mission!”

Maggie shook her head.  "Don't," she mouthed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“It's over, Rhea,” Supergirl announced, hands on her hips.  “I came back to give you one last chance to do the right thing.”

“How generous of you,” Rhea purred.

Supergirl took a step toward her.  “When I was a child, I could look up into the skies and see Daxam and the stars.  I was told so many times how terrible a place it was, but I couldn't understand that.  Because they had families, like us. People they loved. In a few minutes, this ship will be destroyed, and everyone on it.  You don't want that. Save your people while you still have time.”

“Touching speech, Supergirl.  Sadly, wasted on the wrong audience.  When my own husband opposed me, I killed him.  You really think you can tug at my heartstrings?  You were right about one thing though. It is over.  For you.”

Rhea pressed a button, and Kara could hear the beam firing outside.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Alex hesitated.  She wasn’t going to kill her wife, no matter what the president said.

There was a surge of energy, and the building shook, and the next thing they knew, the screens showed all kinds of error messages.

“It's gone,” Alex gasped.  “The positron cannon is gone!”

XXXXXXXXXXXX

“You really thought you'd won.  Didn't you?” Rhea chuckled.

Kara was hit from behind with such force that the Girl of Steel was sent flying across the room.  She looked up to see what had hit her.  “Superman?”