A man is sitting by a bus stop, collecting money in his hat from passersby. A man, Danny, comes up, and the hat man pulls a knife out of his hat and kills him.
The next day, Kara brings James an article on Ben since he got out of prison. She says that people need to be reminded that Ben is a murderer. Alex comes in and Kara realizes that she forgot lunch with her. Nia arrives and asks Kara if they're still on for the research trip, and Kara apologizes to Alex for having an interview. Alex apologizes for having to go back to the DEO and skip her lunch date with James, who is still dealing with his breakup with Lena. Once she leaves, MacKenzie comes in and tells James that she got a report from a friend about a friend at NCU who applied for a medical study at L-Corp.
Nia asks Kara if she covered about the two of them trying, and Kara assures her that she'll get used to it. Brainiac-5 arrives in "disguise" and says that he wanted to keep a low profile. They travel to the Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic The robot Kelex shows up and Supergirl tells it to give Nia anything that it needs. Brainiac-5 and Kelex snipe at each other, and Supergirl takes off to let Brainiac-5 train Nia.
Manchester asks to meet with J'onn and claims that prison has changed him. J'onn asks for Manchester to let him help him, and Manchester says that it's a good time to be a bad man. The Hat, disguised as the guard Danny, paralyzes J'onn with an energy device as Manchester tells J'onn that he could solve the world if he had motivation. Manchester explains that he and Hat go way back, and he has bigger fish to kill and J'onn can't stop him. Hat and Manchester leave, and Hat pulls a sword out of his hat and gives it to Manchester to fight the prison guards as they attack them. Manchester easily defeats them and Hat knocks out the last guard as he tries to run.
Once they get Manchester's jacket, Supergirl arrives and a Morae knocks her away. Menagerie comes out and reveals that she got her power back, and Hat takes a guard hostage. Manchester says that they're going to kill the Children of Light, and Hat teleports them all away as J'onn comes out and says that he's going to find them.
At the Fortress, Brainiac-5 blindfolds Nia and trains her to fight. She blocks his blows but he manages to take her down using his calculative powers. Nia asks about her descendent in the future, but Brainiac-5 refuses warning that they could create a paradox. Supergirl and J'onn arrive and pull up footage of Rio. The team is at a secret Army base where the military torture aliens. Menagerie reveals that they killed thirteen of theirs, and Manchester says that they're going to meet prejudice with extreme prejudice. Supergirl flies to Rio, and J'onn says that the Hat is using fifth-dimensional "magic".
At the DEO, Alex tells Haley that she'll get Lena settled in. She goes to the lab where Lena and Eve are getting set up, and checks Lena's work. Alex realizes that Lena is working on giving humans superpowers, and Lena tells her that she doesn't trust government and isn't handing over her procedures even if she's providing them with product. Lena assures Alex that it isn't personal.
In DC, Ben meets with Cooper, who supervises the CoL in DC. Cooper says that he's been taking care of things while Ben was in prison, and Ben tells him that he's about to meet with President Baker. Ben doesn't know that Manchester has broken out, and Cooper says that the CoL figure that Ben has been neutered since his time in prison.
At the Fortress, Supergirl and the others watch a newscast about how Manchester and his "Elite" are going after people who hurt aliens. The Elite are in London, and Manchester says that Supergirl is clinging to ideals in the past and she's done while they kill the people they're dealing with. Manchester challenges Supergirl to meet him face-to-face alone.
J'onn warns Supergirl that it's a trap, but Supergirl isn't impressed. Manchester sent a subliminal map to Manchester, London, and Supergirl is waiting until dawn there to go after the Elite.
Ben meets Baker in the Oval Office and says that he speaks for a lot of good people. Baker has someone take PR photos, and Ben suggests that Baker deputize the CoL to deal with the Elite. The President says that he has the situation well in hand and tells Ben to look pretty for the cameras while he smiles for the photographer.
J'onn tells Supergirl not to let Manchester bring her down, and she figures that Manchester got to him. The Martian admits that he's struggling to honor his father's pacifism because fighting is part of his nation. Supergirl says that J'onn's father would understand if J'onn joined the fight, and J'onn figures that Manchester can feel the rage within him and is baiting him. J'onn says that Manchester is a test for him but doesn't know. Supergirl assures him that he'll find clarity, and says that she needs to fight the Elite alone.
Nia finds Kelex looking at stars dying and being reborn. She asks about her species so she can know what she's capable of. The robot says that her timeline isn't prone to paradox and there are other risks, and follows Supergirl's orders to give Nia whatever help he can.
Supergirl flies through the ceiling of a bar to meet Manchester. He invites her to sit with her and warns that if she does then the Morae will start killing people. Hat and Menagerie teleport in with the wealth that they've stolen, and Manchester says that he came to reimburse Fiona's family and will deal with Ben in time. He suggests that Supergirl deal with normal crime while they deal with the anti-aliens. Manchester explains that the U.S. government is building a satellite to shoot down alien spacecraft, and tells Supergirl to ask Baker about Project Claymore. Hat teleports them away, and Supergirl flies to the White House to talk to Baker.
Baker refuses to apologize for protecting the U.S., and Supergirl warns him that everyone at the satellite base are at risk. The President refuses to close bases based on threats, and tells Supergirl not to interfere with the satellite. Supergirl warns him that it's a mistake and flies off, and Baker calls the base to have the Claymore launch at Devil's Tower moved ahead of schedule. Once he leaves, the Morae secretly listening in turns visible.
Ben calls Lydia and leaves a voice mail tells her what happened, and says that he keeps imagining his father telling him that he's an idiot for dealing with politicians rather than lead the CoL. His time runs out before he can finish.
Nia concentrates and tries to summon her powers of astral projection. It backfires and Brainiac-5, watching, comes over and says that she went behind his back. He warns that she's jumping months of training, and assures her that the next time she will fire forward rather than backfire.
Alex is at home when Supergirl comes to see her. Once Alex lets her in, Supergirl says that Baker is planning to launch a satellite array to destroy alien spacecraft. Alex wonders if it's legal since the DEO is the first line of defense, and Supergirl warns that if she stops the satellite then she'll appear to be aligned with the Elite. However, if she lets it go then she'll appear aligned with the CoL. Alex tells her that she can only do what she feels is right, and Supergirl asks Alex to come with her and talk to the Marine Corps. Her sister refuses, saying her position would be at risk, and Supergirl says that she understands and flies off.
The Elite play cards and the Morae joins them and tells them what it heard… and that the launch base is at Devil's Tower in Colorado.
Supergirl arrives at Devil's Tower with J'onn and confront the Elite as they break in. Brainiac-5 and Dreamer join them. The two teams square off and Manchester opens fire on the soldiers. J'onn gets them to safety, and Menagerie knocks Supergirl down. Dreamer takes her out using gloves made of raw dream energy, and Hat knocks out Brainiac-5 after tossing Manchester an axe.
Manchester prepares to kill J'onn, but Alex shoots the axe out of his hands. They fight and Manchester runs off. Supergirl arrives and is surprised to see Alex, who says that she's doing what's right. J'onn tells Supergirl to stop the satellite.
The invisible Morae takes out the guards at the satellite controls.
Hat manages to hold his own against Dreamer, and Brainiac-5 anticipates where Hat will teleport away, and takes his Legion ring. The villain teleports away after boasting that he's a distraction.
Supergirl arrives and drives the Morae off, and discovers that it has initiated the launch and destroyed the controls. Manchester comes in with a captive Alex and says that he's targeted the White House with the satellite. Alex pins down Manchester, and tosses Supergirl her battle armor. Once Supergirl flies off, Manchester knocks Alex out. Hat teleports in and gives Manchester the flight ring.
Manchester flies after Supergirl and knocks her out of the sky. J'onn arrives and knocks Manchester to the ground, and Manchester chuckles and says that it's nice to meet the "real" J'onn. The Martian figures Manchester called him because he has a death wish, and Hat teleports Manchester away.
Supergirl flies into orbit and pushes the satellite out of orbit just as it unleashes its death ray. The ray misses the White House, and Supergirl destroys the satellite.
As the military secure Devil's Tower, Brainiac-5 tells Dreamer that the ring was his and he lost it. Dreamer says that he taught her that setbacks will make him stronger, and it's about how they will get it back. Supergirl checks on Alex and assures her that she won't tell the President that Alex was there. Alex assures her that they'll get the Elite, and says that she would appreciate Supergirl's unofficial help from time to time. Supergirl agrees and leaves.
Later at the White House, Baker complains to Supergirl that the satellite cost $2 million. She points out that the White House wasn't destroyed by the satellite. Baker figures that she hated the satellite and destroyed it because she wanted to. Supergirl assures him that there was no other way and leaves.
The next day, J'onn sits in his apartment meditating.
Alex tells Parker that Claymore should have been DEO purview. Parker says that she didn't know and Baker acted against protocol.
Lena and Eve are working with Alex comes in. Alex deactivates the security cameras and tells Lena that she's right and there's something wrong with the government. She assures Lena that whatever she needs, she's there for her. Lena tells her to come back the next day and she'll give him the real tour.
Baker calls Ben in and talks about how loyalty is important to some people without capes. He offers to make Ben his Director of Alien Affairs.
Once Kara hears about the appointment, she complains to James. James wonders if he should pursue his own story, and Kara says that she examined her motives to make sure that she was making the right decision rather than a selfish one. She goes to write another article, and James calls in MacKenzie and tells her to bring in her source.
Cooper is meeting with the CoL when Ben arrives. The leader introduces the various leaders of the CoL branches, and says that it doesn't matter who leads. He says that they all feel like Ben is all talk and they need someone strong. Ben beats Cooper down and asks the others if they want to change the leadership. No one speaks up, and Ben says that they should proceed.
Written by Gadfly on Mar 4, 2019