Metropolis, Four Years Ago
Lena tells her brother Lex that he doesn't have to do it, and he says that he's doing it for the human race. He shows her the chaos in the streets and says that the people are cheering, and Lena tells him that he's going to kill millions of people because they can't live under the red sun shining down on the road. A helicopter flies up outside and Lex blows it up with a remote, and then tells Lena that it's his duty to show the world that Superman is a false god. Lena says that he's a good man, and Lex yells that Superman is not a man. He insists that he's the Man of Tomorrow, not Superman. The police break in and arrest Lex, and Lex says that everyone will see and then they'll thank him.
Today
A police escort brings Lex to Lena after he has a stroke. He removes his breathing mask and says that he missed her.
At CatCo, James' shooter triggers his signal watch. Kara hears it and flies there as Supergirl.
In his manor, Lex explains that it's a mercy furlough. Lena gives him an injection, and Lex says that he's dying. She tells him that she knew because he keeps mentioning it to him, and Lex admits that he's pathetic. He wants her to finish the Harun-El serum and save him, and assures Lena that no one knows that he pulled strings to have Lena research the serum for the government. Lena points out that he accidentally poisoned himself with Kryptonite, but admits that she wants to save him because he's her brother. Eve comes in and tells Lena that James has been shot.
Lena goes to the hospital and finds Kara, Brainiac-5, and Nia in the waiting room. She insists on seeing James even though his spine was badly damaged. J'onn arrives and figures that Manchester was responsible since he swore to come after the people close to him, and promises that it will end today.
Alex joins Lena as she waits outside the ER, and suggests that the serum could fix James' spine. Lena warns that she can't produce miracles, but Alex says that she's done it before and figures that there's some research she isn't using. Considering an idea, Lena leaves.
J'onn telepathically scans for Manchester, and then tells Kara that Manchester has done something terrible. Kara starts to go with him, but Alex arrives. Her foster sister says that she has to go to CatCo and will be back soon. They go to where J'onn's father died. Fire springs up around the wreckage and Supergirl extinguishes it. Manchester steps out carrying the Staff of H'ronmeer and explains that when J'onn telepathically linked with him, it gave him access to J'onn's mind and learned about the Staff and Hronmeer's punishments. Chuckling, Manchester says that they can stop the hate burning the world like it burned Mars. Manchester escapes and Supergirl asks J'onn what the punishments are.
Lena tells Lex that James is badly laughed, and Lex chuckles at the thought of helping her save James. She needs to separate the super-power aspects of the serum from the healing properties, and Lex asks her if he trusts him. Lena says that she doesn't but she needs him and that's enough. Lex considers the idea.
Nia tells Brainiac-5 that she should have seen it coming in her dreams, and he notes that he should have predicted it. Brainiac-5 blames himself for what happened. Alex and the doctor arrive and the doctor says that they removed the bullet fragments but it caused an unusual amount of decision. He says that they need a family member, and James' daughter Kelly arrives. Kelly recognizes Alex and greets her, and asks to see James. She tells the doctor that the trio are family and should have access.
Lex examines the black Kryptonite and taunts Lena, and reminds her that she has always needed someone to defy. He says that she's always been driven to impress him, and coughs up blood. An FBI agent brings in a glass of water but then drops it on the floor and says that Lex can lap it up. Lex dismisses it and tells Lena that she's always been wonderful and he's proud of her.
At his office, J'onn tells Kara that H'ronmeer tested the Martian people and when they failed, he punished them. He summons the sacred symbols of the Martian Bible, full of tales of H'ronmeer's vengeance. J'onn continues blaming himself for Manchester getting the staff, and Kara tells him to focus on finding Manchester.
Andrea confronts Lena and points out that she's giving Lex access to all of her research to save James. Lena says that she knows Lex and he's only focused on saving himself, and they go back to work. Lex is laying on the floor, and Lena demands the keys from the agent. He hands them over and leaves, and Lena unhandcuffs her brother.
Alex thanks Kelly for giving them access, and Kelly wonders where Kara is. James codes and the doctors usher Alex and Kelly out while intubating him.
After they've stabilized James, the doctor tells Kelly that James is bleeding internally and they have to operate or he'll die. Kelly agrees and Alex tells her about Lena's research. She warns that it's not ready but will be in hours, and warns that the surgery will likely kill James. Kelly doesn't know Lena except that her family has done terrible things to people, including James, and refuses to put her brother's life in Lena's hand.
As they work, Lex talks about his tutor. They reduce the size of the tumor-infected heart.
Alex calls Kara and says that James is going back into surgery. She complains that they need Kara there and says that she called CatCo to confirm that Kara wasn't there. Kara says that she's helping J'onn with an investigation, and Alex says that she has to go as James goes into surgery.
Lena tells Lex that she can't help James. Lex talks about his dog Ignatius, his closest companion. He had to be put down and Lex wanted to be there. Lillian thought that he was being too sentimental and sent him on a trip with his father. Lex's father brought a woman with him and spent all of his time with her, and Lex realized that the woman was wonderful. She hugged Lex on the day they put Ignatius down, and by the end of the trip Lex wished that she was his mother. The woman was Lena's mother, and Lex tells Lena that she came from love no matter what the other Luthors are like. He says that James needs Lena, and tells her to send the guard back in. Lena briefly puts a hand on Lex's shoulder and leaves.
J'onn prays to his father, saying that he's lost. He hallucinates an undead Alex and Kara confronting him, saying that James is dead like them and J'onn came for both of them. J'onn figures that it's one of Manchester's mind guards. The undead Alex grabs J'onn by the throat, and the real Kara snaps him out of the hallucination and says that he's safe. J'onn explains that Manchester showed him what would happen if he sat idly by choosing the path of peace. Kara says that she didn't understand until J'onn took his vow of peace that he swore that standing by people can give them strength. She tells J'onn that they'll stand by him, and suggests that the best thing to do is let Manchester come to them.
While they wait, Alex offers Kelly Jell-O as a peace offering and apologizes for arguing with her earlier. Kelly says that James kept running into danger to avoid what was happening at home. Kara and J'onn arrive and Kara says that she's where she needs to be. Kelly and J'onn leave Kara and Alex to talk, and Kara says that deep down she didn't come because she couldn't bear standing by doing nothing. They both admits that it's terrifying being unable to do nothing, and Kara says that being there with Alex isn't nothing. They hug, and Lena and Andrea arrive.
Nia approaches Brainiac-5 at a vending machine and asks if he's okay. He talks about all of the difficult things in his life, and Nia kisses him and then looks up, her dreaming powers restored.
Lex is reading a book when the lights flicker.
The power at the hospital surges, and J'onn realizes that Manchester is at the dam preparing to wipe out the city's power. The doctors can't finish the surgery without power.
Supergirl and J'onn fly to the dam, and Manchester dares J'onn to come at him. He deflects Supergirl's heat blast with the Staff, cracking the dam, and J'onn tells her to deal with it while he handles J'onn.
Alex tells Kelly that she made the best decision at the time, but now the serum is ready and asks Kelly to trust her if not Lena. Eve interrupts and says that she brought the drug, and they go to find Lena.
Supergirl freezes the water pouring out of the dam. Manchester tries to blast J'onn and misses, creating more leaks. They fight and Manchester says that the world is already tearing itself apart. He invites J'onn to join him, and J'onn refuses.
Lena goes into the ER and tells all of the doctors to leave before she's going to do something illegal. Once they go, Lena prepares to inject James with the drug and he flatlines.
Manchester summons visions of J'onn's family. J'onn tells his family to run, but they're slaughtered by the White Martians. A White Martian briefly appears and J'onn yells at it in rage. It disappears, and J'onn assumes his human form, draws the Staff to him, and hits Manchester with it.
Lena injects James with the serum and it spreads through his body, healing his wound. He wakes up, gasping.
Manchester tells J'onn that he's beautiful and then dissolve, leaving Brainiac-5's Legion ring behind. Supergirl arrives and when she asks where Manchester is, J'onn says that they should go see James and flies off.
The next day, everyone visits James and he thanks Kelly for coming. She says that one of his friends saved his life, and Lena tells James that James is the one who found her. She notices electricians working on the lights and goes out, while James' mother calls and he takes the call as everyone else leaves.
Kara finds J'onn contemplating Brainiac-5's ring, and he says that he doesn't want to try and explain how he got it. She says that he had no choice but to kill Manchester to save National City, and J'onn tells him that he's not a man of peace and leaves.
Brainiac-5 tells Nia that relationships based on intense experiences never work. He says that the two of them can never be together, says that her speaking will make it more difficult, and leaves.
Lena returns to the manor and Lena says that he used to think that as a child he would trick ants into a maze and burn them in flames. She realizes that Lex took the power out at the hospital to force her to test the Harun-El out on James. Lex admits that it's true and that he had James shot. He snarls at her that she wouldn't test the drug on him and neither would he, so he prodded her into testing it on James. Lena says that she'll never give Lex the cure, and James says that he had someone give him the cure ten minutes ago. He stands up, while Otis drops his image induced disguise and grabs Lena. Lex calls Eve in with a gun and tells Lena that it's nothing personal. When a guard comes in, Eve shoots her. Lex says that he has no intention of having Lena killed, and Otis chloroforms Lena unconscious and tells Eve to take care of her. He walks out and Lex triggers the automatic defense system, killing the remaining FBI agents. They go to the helicopter and Lex blows up the landmines in the yard, then leaves with Otis. As they go, Lex shuts down the projection of the manor. Supergirl arrives and Lex smiles as he finally meets her.
Written by Gadfly on Mar 18, 2019