- J'onn J'onzz: [watching Nia in a dream-state] Does it usually take this long?
- Kara Danvers: The dreaming? Her handling of the dreamscape is getting faster, but the Elite could be anywhere.
- J'onn J'onzz: Have you told her she doesn't have to wear the suit in private?
- Kara Danvers: It's just a phase. I did the same thing when I became Supergirl. I practically slept in my suit. And, I mean, let's face it. The suits are pretty cool.
- Eve Teschmacher: Hi, Mr. Olsen.
- James Olsen: Hey, Eve. Thanks for coming in.
- Eve Teschmacher: Coffee, two sugars. Just how you like.
- James Olsen: You remembered. Thank you, that's very kind.
- Eve Teschmacher: Hey, anything for my favorite ex-boss. Don't tell Ms. Grant I said that.
- James Olsen: I most certainly will.
- Alex Danvers: [venting about Lockwood's protection detail] I don't know what I should do. Especially when I should be out there tracking down Manchester and the Elite, who I'm pretty sure are still targeting him.
- Kara Danvers: Well, I'm sure Supergirl will find them, and before that rally, so you don't have to worry about Lockwood.
- Alex Danvers: Yeah, but how can I, with a clear conscience, protect a man who is causing so much pain in the world?
- Kara Danvers: You're a hero, Alex. Heroes make tough decisions.
- Alex Danvers: Well, that's not very helpful.
- Kara Danvers: I mean, well, it's your job, right?
- Alex Danvers: Right.
- Kara Danvers: You keep people safe. And like it or not, protecting Lockwood at that rally will keep all of those people safe. Human and aliens.
- Alex Danvers: [sighing in disgust] Ugh.
- Kara Danvers: I thought that was good advice. I don't know.
- Alex Danvers: Well, it is. It is. It's just exactly what Haley said.
- Alex Danvers: [offering Kara dinner] Join me.
- Kara Danvers: I can't. I have a deadline.
- [snickering as Alex's face falls]
- Kara Danvers: Okay, fine. But I call the potstickers.
- Alex Danvers: What?
- Kara Danvers: All of them.
- Alex Danvers: No!
- Kara Danvers: Mm-hmm.
- Alex Danvers: That's ridiculous.
- Kara Danvers: Uh-uh.
- Querl Dox: In thinking of peaceful protests, might we consider the success of the Women's March, the Million Man March, the Freedom March?
- Colonel Lauren Haley: Tiananmen Square, the Bonus March of 1932. For every success story, there's one of lives lost. This march is filled with nearly 1,000 aliens or alien allies, which fall under our protection. And if anything goes wrong, it's on us. Organize a team.
- Querl Dox: Very well. I shall update Agent Reiff on AmericanAlien's profile.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: Look, there's no time for that. I want you to lead it.
- Querl Dox: Me?
- Colonel Lauren Haley: Yes. Danvers has a team at Lockwood's rally. You two should coordinate.
- James Olsen: Nervous about covering the march?
- Franklin: I'm fine.
- James Olsen: No, it's okay if you are, Franklin. I mean, we are living in crazy times, right? It's just important to remember what we do here every day. Reporting on events like this, taking the risk to show all sides, and showing the humanity there, that's nothing less than heroic. I mean, think about it. You fight injustice with your fists, you can help one, maybe a dozen people. But good journalism, that can impact millions. It's why we became journalists in the first place, right?
- Franklin: Yeah. Thanks, Mr. Olsen.
- James Olsen: No problem.
- [Franklin turns to leave]
- James Olsen: Franklin.
- Franklin: Yeah?
- James Olsen: You need a photographer?
- J'onn J'onzz: Where are the Elite?
- Menagerie: Like I'd tell you.
- Dreamer: [conjuring an energy ball] Tell us or eat this.
- Supergirl: Hey, Dreamer. Easy.
- Dreamer: I thought that you said being a superhero was about showing strength.
- Supergirl: Well, I meant more "hands on hips", not "screaming in face".
- Dreamer: Gotcha.
- Kara Danvers: I circled the Earth twice east to west.
- J'onn J'onzz: North to south for me. And?
- Kara Danvers: No sign of the Elite anywhere. I should have dealt with this Manchester business when I had the chance.
- J'onn J'onzz: You brought him to the police. What more could you have done?
- Kara Danvers: Now the Elite are as bad as Lockwood and his Liberty fanatics. Look, all that matters now is that we find them and we end this.
- Dreamer: A classic superhero speech. Just, first, we should really do something about Menagerie. There's only so much footwear advice I can take.
- Menagerie: Gucci all day and Prada all night.
- J'onn J'onzz: The Elite can't run forever. Tell us where they are and we might go easy on you.
- Menagerie: If you touch one scale on my body, my friends *might* transport you to a fifth dimension of pain.
- J'onn J'onzz: [threateningly, as his eyes turn red] Last chance. WHERE IS MANCHESTER?
- Ben Lockwood: It is with great humility that I accept this presidential appointment as your new Director of the Bureau of Alien Affairs. This appointment will signal a new dawning of a new day. A day in which human beings need no longer live in fear of aliens or their random acts of...
- [pandimonium as an energy blast hits the podium]
- Manchester Black: Say cheers to my little friend.
- Ben Lockwood: [to his bodyguard] How's it looking out there?
- [Kara lands and blocks an incoming blast with her cape]
- Quentin: Supergirl. You saved our lives.
- James Olsen: So, uh, a few weeks ago, I had a report put on my desk, um... that detailed a black budget at L-Corp. Normally, I would be digging into this myself, but I figured with the nature of your relationship there...
- Eve Teschmacher: You figured you'd ask me first?
- James Olsen: It's probably easier.
- Eve Teschmacher: Um... obviously, this is something I'm going to have to talk about with Ms. Luthor. But there's nothing to worry about. The black budget is a tool we use to shield proprietary science from our competitors.
- James Olsen: So nothing's off?
- Eve Teschmacher: Mr. Olsen, you and Ms. Luthor are in... a rough patch.
- [as he laughs dryly, she indicates the television newscast behind him]
- Eve Teschmacher: Look at it out there. Lena's trying to help make that reality better. Still, with her approval, I will e-mail you the budget, so you can see for yourself. But I promise, we're one of the good guys.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: I was just informed that you're refusing to test my volunteers. Is this true?
- Lena Luthor: Yes. The serum's purification level is still below 90%. At this point, human trials are too great a risk.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: I disagree.
- Lena Luthor: Well, that's not your decision.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: Tensions in this nation are high. To keep the peace, I need my soldiers to be as strong and as fast as they can be. I need them super.
- Lena Luthor: And I understand that, but rushing science is not the answer.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: Time is a luxury we do not have.
- Lena Luthor: Don't you think I know that? I want this serum as quickly as you do, but I refuse to rush anything that may kill your agents.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: Soldiers take risks every day.
- Lena Luthor: I just need more time.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: Fine. But remember, you were hired to do a job. Do it.
- Querl Dox: Supergirl left us a present. And a note. Says "You're welcome."
- Alex Danvers: Well, she did manage to take down one of the Elite and stop Lockwood's assassination in a day.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: Then it sounds like you've got some breathing room. Which is a good thing. The president asked me to reassign you to a security detail.
- Alex Danvers: Security? Whose?
- Ben Lockwood: Mine. But please don't worry, Director Danvers. I, uh... I come in peace.
- Alex Danvers: Guard Ben Lockwood? You can't be serious.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: The president doesn't joke.
- Alex Danvers: Lockwood is a murderer. The only ones that should be watching over him are prison guards.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: Director, you swore to keep this country safe. Protecting Ben Lockwood does just that. Now, extremists are out to kill him. And if they succeed, we will have a revolution on our hands.
- Alex Danvers: There are other qualified agents.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: No one has more experience dealing with hostile extraterrestrials than you. And the president knows it. If you've got an issue doing your job, you need to take it up with him.
- Ben Lockwood: [approaching as Haley leaves] Well, looks like you're stuck with me. Press conference at 10:00. Shall we?
- Kara Danvers: J'onn, the Elite really seem to be getting to you. What's wrong?
- J'onn J'onzz: Manchester brings out feelings in me that I haven't felt in a very long time. I don't like feeling like this. Like I could... lose control. And I just don't know where it's coming from.
- Kara Danvers: We all have people that push our buttons, J'onn. It's natural.
- J'onn J'onzz: Yeah. Manchester gets under my skin.
- Kara Danvers: Well, good thing Martians have thick skin.
- Alex Danvers: So, we have teams set up at your D.C. and Collinwood residences, and I should be getting an update every hour.
- Ben Lockwood: I have to say, it is so great to finally have a human in charge of the DEO. I mean, the idea that an alien would be running the very department in charge of policing aliens.
- Alex Danvers: Did you hear that from the DEO agent that you turned into a terrorist?
- Ben Lockwood: Uh, no, from the president.
- [noticing her reaction]
- Ben Lockwood: Okay. I know that you think that I'm a monster. But half of England said the same thing about Winston Churchill before World War II. So, I guess we'll just wait and see. History will prove me right.
- Ben Lockwood: Listen, I, uh, don't really want to talk about the Elite or their assassination attempt on me last night. Instead, I would like to discuss with you what I was prevented from announcing. My drive to repeal the Alien Amnesty Act. Because, for too long, alien criminals have come down to this planet, and they have been given amnesty. They've been given protection, when we are the ones that need protecting. We are the ones who have been suffering, not them. With the repeal of the Alien Amnesty Act, I propose that we send these invaders back to the planets that they came from, allowing us to finally live in peace. I would like to invite you to a rally tomorrow in the main concourse of this very building, where I will share with you what I intend to share with Congress.
- Kara Danvers: [watching on TV] He can't do that. Tell me Ben Lockwood cannot repeal a congressional act.
- J'onn J'onzz: No, but he can try and sway the will of the people.
- Kara Danvers: Well, he's just begging the Elite to take another whack at him.
- J'onn J'onzz: Which is why we have to find them before his rally. If only we knew where to look.
- Dreamer: [waking up] The balcony. Across from the Alien Affairs building.
- Kara Danvers: The same place as last night?
- Dreamer: I saw it in my dream. And returning to the scene of the crime is a classic bad guy move.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: Since Director Lockwood's little announcement, a pro-alien march has been organized to counter his rally. Someone going by "AmericanAlien" is at the center of this one. I need you to hack into the message board and see if any extremists will be showing up to stir the pot.
- Querl Dox: You want to stop the march?
- Colonel Lauren Haley: No. But with Lockwood amping up his base and the Elite amping up theirs, this whole event could turn into a powder keg.
- Querl Dox: Well, whoever this AmericanAlien is, their website is superbly protected. He or she must be a highly intelligent cryptophile.
- [seeing her stoic stare]
- Querl Dox: This may take some time.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: Just do it, Dox.
- J'onn J'onzz: Damn it.
- Supergirl: Dreamer said they'd be here.
- J'onn J'onzz: Dreams are interpretive. Maybe something about them is here.
- Supergirl: [spotting something with her x-ray vision] Part of them is.
- [picking up a broken claw]
- Supergirl: Ugh.
- J'onn J'onzz: A Morae's claw.
- Supergirl: You can use that to track the Morae psychically, right?
- J'onn J'onzz: Yeah.
- Manchester Black: Bloomin' heck, man.
- Hat: Bloody hell.
- Manchester Black: Well, isn't this a surprise?
- Hat: Yeah, a giant wall of ice.
- Manchester Black: Now, where did your pal Mxy say the key was?
- Hat: He didn't.
- Manchester Black: What?
- Hat: [the Morae chitters] "Under the doormat"?
- [spotting the key in the snow]
- Hat: Right. No, not gold, it's dwarf star. Weighs around 500,000 kilos.
- [pulling a pair of mechanical gauntlets out of his bowler]
- Hat: There. These little bad boys will do the trick.
- [picking up the key, he unlocks the door]
- Hat: You're very welcome. Now can we please get something for Mo's mitt?
- Manchester Black: Of course we can.
- [they walk through the Fortress of Solitude]
- Manchester Black: Oh, I wager we can find whatever we want in here.
- Kara Danvers: You texted me. What was so important?
- Alex Danvers: I am going to kill Ben Lockwood.
- Kara Danvers: That... that was the emergency?
- Alex Danvers: Emotional emergency, yeah. I hate him.
- Kara Danvers: Well, you and a lot of people.
- Alex Danvers: Not "a lot of people" have just been put in charge of his security. I was.
- Kara Danvers: What?
- Alex Danvers: Yep. By order of the president.
- Hat: All we're saying is, if one of us is rottin' in a cell, it ought to be a priority to get her back.
- Manchester Black: And all I'm saying is we'll fetch Menagerie as soon as we find what lets us get around Supergirl, so we can snuff Benny boy. This is the belly of the beast, bound to be the seeds of her destruction somewhere.
- Hat: [holding up what resembles a Kryptonian stone] Or... we just use this. Taking down Supergirl and killing Lockwood don't win hearts and minds. But this... this'll let us activate all our alien brothers and sisters.
- [as the Morae chitters, he notices a pendant hanging nearby]
- Hat: Ooh. And we can do more with its little brother.
- Manchester Black: [indifferently] Meh.
- Hat: [the Morae chitters again] "Meh"? What about the revolution?
- Manchester Black: Killing Lockwood *is* the revolution. They take one of us, we take one of theirs.
- Manchester Black: You loved Fi like blood, right? Don't you wanna see her murderer go down?
- Hat: Yeah, but that isn't what we set out to do. We're supposed to be changing the world, not acting suicidal to settle old scores.
- Manchester Black: Back home, when the gang found out you and Fi were otherworldly, I stuck up for you at great peril. And you can't do the same for me?
- Hat: That's different, and you know it.
- Manchester Black: Nah, mate. The only one that's different now is you.
- [the Morae chitters]
- Manchester Black: Come on, Mo. We've lost this one.
- Hat: Well, I hope you find what you're looking for. And choke on it.
- J'onn J'onzz: I can feel the Morae, but I can't see her. Something's blocking me.
- Dreamer: I have an idea.
- [she uses her powers to amplify his; her essence follows Black in the Fortress]
- J'onn J'onzz: [to the invisible Morae] I don't quite get what you're saying, but I hear you about Hat. Too many cooks spoil the broth.
- [blowing dust off a utility belt]
- Manchester Black: Hmm.
- [as he puts it on and presses a button, a force field activates]
- Manchester Black: That's keen.
- Dreamer: [the dream ends] We need to get Supergirl now.
- Manchester Black: Something tells me the thing we're looking for is right around this corner.
- J'onn J'onzz: [entering behind him] Manchester! It's over!
- [they fly away in combat; elsewhere, Supergirl uses her freeze breath to render the Morae visible]
- Dreamer: [conjuring an energy ball] Yield or die.
- Supergirl: Just take it down to, like, a... a seven.
- Dreamer: Yield or else.
- Manchester Black: [J'onn phases so his blaster fire passes through him] That's new.
- [J'onn knocks him backwards]
- Manchester Black: Oof. Fun toys she's got here.
- J'onn J'onzz: This ends right now.
- Manchester Black: You got that right.
- J'onn J'onzz: [Black opens a nearby door, and a monster inside growls] Manchester, no!
- [Black runs inside, the door closing behind him]
- Colonel Lauren Haley: Any movement on our AmericanAlien or their website?
- Querl Dox: None. Their online fingerprint is generic at best. Unidentifiable at worst. Without knowing their key, accessing the message board is next to impossible.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: And the march's head count?
- Querl Dox: Hovering just over a thousand.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: We need to get agents on the ground for it.
- Querl Dox: Do we?
- J'onn J'onzz: Still can't believe it.
- [Kara hands him a cup of coffee]
- J'onn J'onzz: Thank you. He just ran straight into the room. He wouldn't stop.
- Dreamer: What was in there?
- Kara Danvers: A baby sun-eater. Kal's. It feeds on the chemical mass of small stars, so it's basically a living bomb.
- J'onn J'onzz: It's strange. I've always been able to sense Manchester, feel his rage, his anger, but... I can't anymore. It's almost like a weight has been lifted. I almost feel...
- Dreamer: Relieved?
- [J'onn is surprised]
- Dreamer: Sometimes we don't realize the impact people have had on us until they're gone, for good or bad.
- J'onn J'onzz: Thank you. Both of you. Maybe now he can find some peace. Still, the Hat's out there, and we have a job to do. I may not have a totem, but I can still try searching for him psychically.
- Dreamer: What about us?
- Kara Danvers: We monitor the news and see if anything pops up.
- J'onn J'onzz: I have nothing. Hat must be hiding in the Fifth Dimension. The energy there makes him untraceable.
- Querl Dox: Uh, yes, I heard about Manchester's passing. Um, the Legion ring he... he took, my ring, was it...
- [from the awkward silence, he realizes the answer is no]
- Querl Dox: Oh. Well. That's put to bed now.
- Querl Dox: It's the march today, isn't it? Will you all be joining?
- J'onn J'onzz: You know, I think we could all use some peaceful protest today. Yeah, I'll be there.
- Querl Dox: Wonderful. Kara? Nia? Uh, Dreamer?
- Kara Danvers: Uh, yes, I think we should definitely be there.
- Querl Dox: Huzzah!
- Kara Danvers: To patrol.
- Querl Dox: What?
- Dreamer: [he turns to look at her] Dreamer stands with Supergirl. Just gotta stretch first.
- Querl Dox: I think it would mean a lot to have Supergirl march today.
- Kara Danvers: I wish I could, Brainy, but I think it's more important for me to patrol in case anything gets out of hand.
- Querl Dox: They won't. I am AmericanAlien. Hashtag AmericanAlien.
- Kara Danvers: You... you organized it?
- Querl Dox: When I lost my Legion ring, I realized how much I depended on it for strength and confidence. I thought it's what made me a hero. But not having it these past few days has made me see it wasn't my ring that gave me strength. It was fighting alongside all of you, helping to make the Earth a better place. In times like this, change won't come from someone with a ring or a cape. It'll only come when each one of us answers the call to stand up and be heard. El mayarah. Stronger together.
- [glancing at Nia stretching]
- Querl Dox: Just because we're superheroes doesn't mean we forget who we are.
- Kara Danvers: I'm sorry, Brainy. The risk is too great.
- Dreamer: Ready.
- Querl Dox: Supergirl may be a symbol, but more importantly, she's a citizen of Earth, like the rest of us. Remember that.
- Colonel Lauren Haley: Agent Dox, sitrep.
- Querl Dox: [marching with J'onn] I have the team running perimeter checks. And I am in a prime location to run interference.
- Supergirl: What are you doing here?
- Quentin: We're here to show our support for the repeal of Alien Amnesty.
- Supergirl: But that amnesty is what gives these aliens their rights.
- Quentin: Why should they get any rights? They're just here to hurt us.
- Supergirl: They're not... look at them. They're not here to hurt anyone. They... most of them are fleeing war and violence, just like I did when I first came to Earth.
- Quentin: They're not like you. You're a superhero.
- Supergirl: No, you're wrong. I am just like them.
- Ben Lockwood: Amnesty is not the same thing as empathy. Allowing these aliens to come to our world is not an act of kindness. It is an act of species-wide self-sabotage. If we do not repeal the Alien Amnesty Act, they will not be our undoing. We will have done that to ourselves!
- [seeing the alien protestors approaching]
- Ben Lockwood: You see? Right there. Us or them!
- [the crowd starts chanting "us or them"]
- Ben Lockwood: What are they doing? They have come to take your planet from you. Well, today... today we say no! Today, we take our planet back from them!
- Querl Dox: [a bottle is thrown at the protestors] Stay peaceful.
- Supergirl: Don't stoop to his level.
- Ben Lockwood: Us or them!
- Alex Danvers: [ushering him away] We need to get you off the stage now.
- Ben Lockwood: Where's the threat?
- Alex Danvers: You are the threat.
- [first lines]
- Manchester Black: Clear eyes, full tums, can't lose.
- Hat: Just so long as after this hater goes down, we get back to the real task at hand.
- Manchester Black: This is the real task at hand.
- Hat: Real small task is right.
- Manchester Black: Friends, I promise tonight's job will be very much in the spirit of our revolutionary mission. Right, now let's synch our watches, so we can meet up you know where, you know when.
- [cocking his gun]
- Manchester Black: See you on the other side.