Supergirl: Alien Invasion

She wanted to help. Every instinct told her to.

But she couldn't. Not yet.

Jacob was still infected. He needed an antidote. And if the green vial was as dangerous as they claimed…

She had to find out if the cure even existed—and where it was being kept.

Janet and Jake both looked away, eyes shut tight.

Even if it was alien… it was still alive.

It was hurting—screaming in pain as its body twisted, mutated, and reshaped itself beneath the red gas. Muscles tore and regrew. Its skin thickened. Bones cracked and reformed into something jagged, monstrous. It wasn't just being studied—it was being tortured.

Kara didn't move. She couldn't.

Adam stood still too—but his expression flickered, just for a second. Not quite fear… not quite shock. Something harder to place. His jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

Then the gas hissed to a stop. The chamber sealed. The screaming died out.

"That's enough for today," the scientist said casually, turning away like it was nothing more than flipping off a switch.

Kara swallowed hard, trying to calm her breath. "Wait—if those red and green vials are that dangerous… is there some kind of antidote?"

The scientist looked over his shoulder, eyeing her with mild curiosity. "For the green one? Yeah, there's a neutralizing compound. Won't save you instantly, but it'll stop the worst effects."

He paused.

"The red one? No. No antidote. You get exposed to that… you'd wish you were dead."

Kara leaned in. "Where's the green antidote stored?"

Jake jumped in quickly. "Just in case. You know. If something goes wrong—if someone gets accidentally injected."

The scientist shrugged. "Vault 55. But good luck getting inside without clearance."

Then he turned to Adam.

"You. Come with me. I need help with something in Lab 3," he said, already walking toward a side corridor.

Adam hesitated only briefly—just long enough for Kara to notice. Then he followed.

He didn't say a word. But as he walked away, he looked back once—just a glance—and then disappeared around the corner with the scientist.

The rest of them stood in silence, still shaken.

They weren't sure what disturbed them more:

The tortured screams of the alien—

Or how normal it all seemed to the people who worked here.

"That alien…" Kara whispered, her voice trembling. "It was just an alien. Like me."

Jake nodded quietly. "Yeah. What they did is unbelievable."

Janet stepped forward and pulled Kara into a hug. Kara didn't resist. She leaned into it, needing it more than she thought. Jake moved in too, wrapping a gentle arm around her back.

Kara exhaled shakily.

"You know why I joined you guys?" she said, her voice soft but heavy. "Because if there were any other aliens out there—anyone like me—I wanted to help them. Because I know what it's like. To land on a new planet. To feel completely alone."

Janet's voice was quiet but firm. "You're not alone, Kara."

"I know," Kara said, her eyes welling. "But they are. The ones locked in here… experimented on, tortured like animals."

She looked back at the chamber, her voice cracking as she continued.

"I was six—maybe seven—when I was sent to Earth. My parents… they sent me to protect my baby cousin, Kal. But something went wrong. My pod drifted off-course—got caught in some kind of time stasis. I didn't age. Time didn't move for me."

Her gaze dropped.

"And when I finally made it here… Kal was already like 9 years old. Way older than me. He didn't need protecting anymore. He didn't need me."

Kara's breath hitched. "I watched my planet die. I saw Krypton explode from space, and I could do nothing. It took years just to stop seeing it every time I closed my eyes. Years to stop waking up screaming. To stop being afraid. To feel like I belonged here at all."

She blinked, steadying herself.

"And just when I thought I'd moved on… I see this."

She nodded toward the chamber—toward the cage, the red gas, the creature still curled up inside.

"That thing didn't do anything wrong. It's just a baby. And they're turning it into a monster."

Janet sighed softly and nodded. She didn't have the words—but she didn't need them. She understood what Kara was going through, maybe not as an alien, but as someone who'd seen people suffer… and couldn't stop it.

She rubbed Kara's shoulder gently.

But Kara's expression suddenly tensed.

Her head turned slightly—just a fraction. Her eyes narrowed in focus.

Jake noticed. "What is it?"

Kara held up a hand. "Shh…"

Her superhearing kicked in, zeroing in on a voice not far down the corridor. It echoed faintly, but clear enough for her to catch the words:

"Do you see a group of soldiers down here? Acting suspicious. One male, two female?"

Kara's eyes widened.

"They're looking for us," she whispered.

Jake's posture straightened. "Already?"

"Must've figured out we don't belong down here," Janet muttered.

"But how?" Jake asked, his voice low and urgent.

No one answered.

It didn't matter.

They needed to move—now.

Without another word, they turned and headed in the opposite direction of the approaching voices, slipping quickly down a side corridor that curved into another long hall of steel and flickering lights.

"Okay," Janet whispered as they jogged quietly. "We need to find Vault 55. Fast."

Jake glanced around, then pointed. "How about we ask him?"

A lone scientist in a white coat walked briskly a few yards ahead, holding a clipboard and muttering to himself.

They rushed up to him. Kara stepped forward, trying to stay calm.

"Hey—sorry—do you know where Vault 55 is?"

The scientist slowed, turned to face them… and squinted.

"Wait a second," he said slowly. "One male, two female… I know you. You're the intrud—"

Thud.

Before he could finish, Kara surged forward and shoved him against the wall, her hand flat against his chest—just hard enough to pin him but not break anything. The clipboard clattered to the floor.

"Tell us where Vault 55 is," she said through clenched teeth, her eyes glowing just faintly.

The scientist froze, heart racing. "Okay, okay! It's down the west wing, two levels below. Take the side stairwell behind Lab 4, past the decontamination hall. Vault 55's at the far end."

Kara narrowed her eyes.

He wasn't lying.

She stepped back, letting him drop to his feet.

Janet leaned in close, her voice sharp. "Tell anyone we were here… and you'll wish we were the least of your problems."

The scientist nodded frantically.

They took off, slipping back into the hallway, now with a direction—and very little time.

They followed the scientist's directions through a maze of reinforced corridors, finally reaching a wide steel-plated hall that stretched deep into the underground facility.

A sign overhead read:

"VAULT SECTOR — CONTAINMENT WING: 1–60"

Before they could step into the open, the group ducked behind one of the thick metal pillars at the corridor's edge.

Just ahead were six armed guards, stationed in front of a massive security gate that sealed off access to the entire vault sector. Red biometric panels glowed faintly beside the blast-proof door.

Janet whispered, "This looks serious."

Jake muttered, "How do we get past that?"

Kara narrowed her eyes, breathing steady.

"Leave it to me."

With a sudden gust of wind, she vanished from behind the pillar.

The soldiers didn't even have time to react.

BAM!—CLANG!—THUD!

In a flash, she disarmed the first guard, sent the second flying into the wall, spun low to trip a third, and landed a punch that knocked out the fourth before he could even lift his weapon.

Seconds later, all six were down— completely unconscious.

Kara stood, catching her breath.

"Come on!" she called over her shoulder, signaling the others forward—

But then—

Her whole body spasmed.

Her breath caught. Her knees gave out beneath her.

She stumbled forward and collapsed to one knee, clutching her chest. Her skin began to pale. A sickly green glow shimmered across her face.

Jake froze. "Kara?"

From behind her, a new soldier stepped out of the shadows—heavily armored, helmeted, and holding something horrifying in his hands.

A medium-sized Kryptonite spear. Not crude—purposefully crafted. Military grade.

Not enough to kill her from a distance—but enough to weaken her.

Janet frozed. "Oh shit."

The closer he moved, the more Kara felt it—her strength leaking out of her limbs. Her heart raced. Her muscles burned with effort just to stay upright.

The soldier stepped forward slowly, raising a hand to his comm.

"I found the Kryptonian," he said through his helmet, voice flat and mechanical.

Kara's legs buckled slightly. The green glow from the spear cut deeper with every step he took.

Then he paused.

Tilted his head.

And said, almost casually:

"Nice to meet you, Kara…"