Previously onSupergirl...
Referrals for post-trauma psychologists.
Kelly, I said I'm fine.
Put this on first.
You really look exactly like her.
My fellow Americans,
the heart of our great nation was attacked...
Supergirl, you are now public enemy number one.
We know you didn't do this.
We're gonna find out the truth.
Together.
My fellow Americans,
it has been a day since Supergirl's attack on the White House.
In apparent retaliation
for our repeal of the Alien Amnesty Act.
While she and those with whom she conspired remain at large,
I have an obligation
to ensure the safety of all citizens.
So, at 1900 hours today,
I am imposing a sundown to sunup curfew.
They better catch her.
Supergirl did not do this.
Humans caught loitering will be cited.
Aliens will be stopped by any means necessary.
And to Supergirl, turn yourself in.
We do not want a war with you
but we vow to use every asset in our power
to see that justice is done.
Justice? What a crock!
Help! Somebody help! I'm trapped.
Someone's in trouble.
I have to go.
You heard the president, it isn't safe.
If the government wants to stop me from helping people,
let them try.
Here.
This is a citizen's arrest.
This man needs help. Put the gun--
Stop! What you saw in the news, that wasn't me.
We saw the footage.
You stay back, traitor.
I'm not going to hurt any--
You're gonna kill someone.
She's gonna kill us.
Not if I kill her first.
Are you okay?
Thank you.
But I don't get it.
You saved my life but you attacked the White House?
My daughter saw that.
You were her hero and you...
You crushed her.
I mean, people actually believe
that I attacked the White House.
They think I'm a terrorist.
Years of helping people just wiped away with one lie.
No, not one lie, it's lots of lies.
And Ben Lockwood has been telling whoppers for months.
He's just creating division.
And then most of the country is just terrified
and now they're looking for solutions to make any sense of it.
Shouldn't the truth matter more?
Not when Lex is involved.
He's an expert at perception. Consummate gaslighter.
He can make you doubt things that you know are true.
Listen, I really believe that
the three of us working together
is our best chance of vindicating you and catching him.
Okay, so how did he do it?
We know it wasn't Bizarro, I already checked.
Shapeshifter, hologram? Image inducer...
No, that can't be right. The heat signatures don't match.
I don't understand.
What is he up to?
I don't know. But we will find the truth
and we will bring him down.
All right, and to that end I've got a lead.
But it comes from my mother.
She said that Lex's escape from Stryker's Island prison wasn't his first.
That he's been coming and going as he pleases for months.
So someone's been helping him.
The warden.
Warden!
Sorry to interrupt.
Supergirl.
I assume you're here with Ms. Luthor
to turn yourself in.
You might want to rethink that.
Bribery and tax evasion are felonies.
So is helping a criminal like Lex Luthor.
Where is he?
Don't be ridiculous.
Account number 832591290
in the Cayman Islands.
Okay.
I may have taken some money.
But I don't know where he is.
You let him come and go.
He never told me where he went.
You never thought to ask?
All I did was turn a blind eye
and that was after he threatened to kill me.
Oh, please, he does that to everyone.
But there's nothing here. The FBI already checked his cell.
They also checked you.
So maybe they missed something else.
You expect me to march America's most wanted past my guards?
The DOD will be all over us in no time.
Well, then you can give them a distraction.
And while we search Lex's cell
you'll have time to call your husband
before you're both arrested.
My husband had nothing to do with this.
-He doesn't know anything about the account. - Fine.
So you give us access to Lex's cell,
and we'll leave your husband out of it when we contact the authorities.
I could clear the guards out of D block
for two hours.
Lex's cell is through that door.
Nice fireworks in DC, Supergirl.
That wasn't me.
This place is for criminals not terrorists.
Okay, keep walking. Stay strong.
Welcome to Stryker's, Supergirl.
Supergirl. Supergirl.
Wow.
It's Hannibal Crossing the Alps.
So pretentious.
It's so unnerving being around all Lex's stuff.
Brings back memories of my miserable childhood.
Even has the same chess board.
What are you doing?
I know it sounds silly but when we were little,
Lex and I used to leave notes for each other inside chess pieces.
Here it is.
Time of death 4:03 a.m.
What is it?
Nothing, it's just Lex trying to mess with my head.
And the number on the back?
-7/16/18. A date? -Yes, it's...
July 16, 1918.
It's the date that Romanovs were executed in Russia.
Lex used to call me the Lost Princess.
Just like Anastasia.
It's a checkmate pattern.
Anastasia's me.
Lex's diaries.
Why would he leave them?
Because he knew I'd come looking for him.
And he loves to torment me.
He knew the last thing I'd wanna do
would be to go swimming in his memories.
He's sick, and he's twisted but at least he's consistent.
Lockwood.
Secretary Lockwood now
of the cabinet-level Department of Alien Affairs.
Should be inmate 42053 of the National City prison.
So good to see you, too.
Mr. Secretary, how can we help you?
I am here to requisition any alien technology
or weapons that may assist in containing Supergirl.
And then you'll summon Supergirl
here.
So you can ambush her?
So we can serve justice.
Even if we could summon Supergirl,
I would need a presidential order to comply
with your request, as per paragraph four subsection A
of the DEO charter.
Isn't that correct, Colonel?
That is the protocol.
Then we'd be happy to comply.
Okay, let me ask you a question.
Are you absolutely certain that you want to waste my time?
We may not know each other well, Mr. Lockwood,
but I do things by the book, even for secretaries.
Alpha team, to the armory now.
Colonel, why are you capitulating?
We just got him to back off.
If the president sent him, he'll be back with the order in no time.
We both know that Supergirl is innocent.
It's not our job to question, Director,
which is why I need you to hand over the signal watch
Supergirl gave you.
If we are in possession of a way to summon Supergirl,
we have to use it.
Orders are orders.
Press it twice, she gets the alert.
Hello.
I'll be right there.
You told Colonel Haley to press the signal watch twice.
Yes. You know the code.
Push it once she comes, push it twice,
it's a trap, don't come.
Thus keeping her safe.
Brilliant.
Yet Supergirl isn't the only one at risk.
Since Benjamin Lockwood has come for her today,
there is a high probability
that next week he'll come for the entire alien registry.
-Yeah. -After which he'll start rounding up aliens
without discrimination, ergo I propose
we scrub the alien registry from our database.
If that's what you think,
and until I can get Haley to listen to reason,
then we need to do whatever we can.
But please, Agent Dox,
be clandestine.
Of course.
As you well know, no one is more clandestine than I.
No one.
Nervous?
Not at all.
I've just canceled three times in my head already today,
so there's that.
Doctor Park is the best trauma therapist in National City.
She practically wrote the book on PTSD.
Still it's hard, I know.
I have seen soldiers
paralyzed over what you're about to do.
I am so proud of you.
And Dad would be, too.
Thank you.
Alex, hi.
Of course.
I'll see you then.
Thank you for meeting me.
Any time.
So what's up?
I wanted to get your advice on something, being a therapist.
I'm sorry, I hope that's not weird that I asked.
I can make a one-time exception for a friend.
Okay.
My commanding officer and I
both agree that we think that something suspicious
is going on at the Department of Alien Affairs,
and I am trying to tell her
that we can't just follow their every order
but she insists on the chain of command.
And I don't know how to reach her.
Well, can I take a stab?
Please.
You need to stop getting angry
and get smart.
Okay, now, I had a real jerk of a CO.
We were stationed at a checkpoint
on the outskirts of Bashur.
And one day, a man pulled up
in this decrepit pickup,
his pregnant wife in the back,
and he's just trying to get to the only midwife in the region.
Just half a mile across town.
And the CO doesn't care.
Rules are rules and he doesn't have the right papers.
So what did you do?
I yelled and screamed about doing the right thing
and got nowhere.
But my sergeant convinced the CO
that it would be safer for his unit
not to risk the life of the man's wife and child.
He knew what the CO cared most about.
His men.
Hmm.
You can't change people.
But you can appeal to who they are.
Even the toughest COs care about something.
Let me guess, right now you're wishing that you never called me.
Actually, it's quite the opposite.
I'm really glad you didn't leave.
The root server containing the alien registry
is located in a vault on sub-level five.
Authorized personnel have to pass through a series of security checks.
First, a voiceprint identification.
Thankfully Colonel Haley is good at talking, and I am good at recording.
Colonel Haley.
Next, a retinal scan.
I can scramble the pattern of the retina
in my image inducer to confuse the gateway computer.
Then the most challenging step.
The guarded elevator.
From studying Ethan Hunt, master of the impossible mission,
the obvious answer to bypass the guards would be subterfuge.
Yes, Colonel Haley, I'm hurrying there as we speak.
Colonel Haley, she's very impatient.
Need something. Sub-level five.
What if my actions are discovered?
And the powers that be retaliate by coming down even harder on the aliens.
Then again, if I don't delete it,
Alien Affairs will immediately target my friends
for deportation.
And if I do delete it,
well, then what's to stop the government
from finding a new way to target them?
Ah, spruck!
There is a perfect 50/50 chance
that what I am about to do
is absolutely wrong.
Well...
If there is no mathematical solution
then perhaps I should find a more...
creative one.
These are just monthly expenses.
Payoffs to half the guards and all of the inmates.
This one's all about Superman and his supposed failings.
It's infuriating.
What is it?
It's from my childhood.
It's an inventory
of all the faults and mistakes I've made since I was four.
This is how he operates.
I get flooded with emotion and he wins.
I don't think I can do this.
Uh...
We have a peeping Tom across the way.
You think he knows anything?
I get that I should be grateful.
And I am.
But?
But I'm pissed.
I know I need to be here
but this just feels...
I'm Guardian
and I protect people.
And people look up to me when...
Do you feel like you don't deserve help?
I feel like I shouldn't need help.
I feel like I should be strong enough to just get over this.
Of course if you have a magic pill I'll take it.
Sadly, this process takes time.
For today, I can give you a starting point to deal with anxiety
or any negative feelings that may come up.
A calming tool.
Okay, sure.
It's called bilateral stimulation.
So if you start experiencing symptoms, it can help pull you back.
Cross your arms and interlock your fingers.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Tap.
Now, if you're comfortable,
think of a place where you feel safe.
Use the tool, James.
Cross your arms,
interlock your fingers, breathe in.
Tap.
This is part of the process.
It takes patience
but it does work.
I know it will.
Hey, there.
Neighbor to the infamous Lex Luthor, huh?
Oh, yeah, it was a true privilege.
I mean, you have a great view.
See anything suspicious the last few weeks?
Everything Lex did was suspicious.
And let me guess, now you want me to rat him out
to his archnemesis?
Think of how good that will feel.
To help finally bring him to justice.
You expect me to trust you?
You are literally a traitor.
But what do you care, right?
Waltzing in here and putting a target on all our backs.
-Excuse me? -The entire country
is itching to nuke you.
And when they do,
guess who else gets nuked?
No, they wouldn't do that.
They want to.
Nobody cares about the little people.
Even if we're fighting for justice by say,
releasing classified documents about illegal drone warfare.
Wait. You're Steve Lomeli.
You stole all that data from the DOD.
I exposed the truth.
And I paid for it with my freedom.
Because, unlike you,
I'm not above the law.
That's ridiculous. I...
Oh, really? How many times has your
unilateral bull-in-a-china-shop approach
destroyed exculpatory evidence?
The term for someone like you
is malignant narcissist.
I help people.
Oh, no, you don't.
Everything you touch, you ruin.
Nia Nal, I understand this interaction might be difficult for you
given that we haven't spoken since our incredible
yet devastating romantic encounter at the hospital.
Yeah, I've barely been able to eat.
Yes, well, I too have been caught in quite a conundrum.
Ben Lockwood is trying to trap Supergirl.
His next step will be obtaining the alien registry.
We could delete it right now,
avoid that possibility,
but that could backfire and bring the government down twice as hard.
The odds are a perfect 50/50.
What does your gut tell you?
That decisions should be made based on facts and not
intestinal inclinations. Now, please tell me,
what do I do?
If you want my opinion--
No, I do not,
I want you to literally tell me what I do.
Dream the future of the registry.
Does it exist? Does it not?
If you tell me that, then you tell me what I did
so that I could do it.
So when I want to know about my descendant's superpowers
it's all "You'll destroy the fabric of space and time."
But when you want to know the future it's--
There is no other way.
Fine.
You don't destroy the registry.
That's ridiculous.
Of course I have to destroy it.
Exactly.
-What? -That's the answer.
You have to destroy the registry.
But you just dreamt the opposite.
I didn't dream anything.
Sometimes hearing the wrong answer
shows you what the right one is.
Intestinal inclination.
Not so bad, is it?
Well, thank you, Ms. Kim.
I appreciate it.
What is it, Director Danvers?
Colonel.
You've spent your life in service.
Everything you do is for the good of our country.
You see that as a moral imperative.
But some orders are immoral.
And following them does not make you a good soldier,
it makes you complicit.
That is enough, Director Danvers.
Ben Lockwood wants to ambush Supergirl.
He wants to execute her.
While you and I both know that she's been falsely accused.
Look, I know that it's risky to defy orders
but you have much more to consider than just yourself here.
What about your daughter?
You leave my daughter out of this.
In all my months here I've revealed to you
exactly one piece of personal information.
One piece--
And now you wanna use that as leverage against me?
-Colonel-- -Not to mention lying
about the signal watch.
Yes, I know more than you think. One click, she comes.
Two clicks, she stays away.
You're pushing your luck here, Danvers,
and one day you're going to push it too far.
Dismissed.
Hey, there, Warden.
Is Warden your first name or your last?
What are you doing here?
Got an alert.
Kryptonian in the boss' cell.
Well, people who used to admire me
now think I am an American traitor.
And the people that hate me
are reveling in my downfall.
Okay, this is not your downfall, Supergirl, it's a glitch.
You didn't do it.
We both know Lex is behind this,
and soon everyone else will, too.
Okay, I know better than anyone what it's like
to be falsely accused of a crime you didn't commit, okay?
It's not fun.
No, it's not.
But neither is reading through your murderous brother's journals
and reliving traumatic memories.
Just looking at Lex's handwriting
is like needles in my eyes.
Maybe this is a wild-goose chase.
Maybe there's no clue trail,
just Lex torturing me like he always does.
Let's just get out of here.
No. No, Lena, wait.
People like you and me, we don't give up.
So we will find something
and we're going to stop him.
Good morning, Cell Block D.
-Is that-- -Otis Graves.
Coming to you live from WLEX.
We have a giveaway for one lucky caller.
First person to apprehend Supergirl
gets a lifetime of not being in prison anymore.
Good luck. Lines are opening now.
We've got about 30 seconds before there's a riot.
-I'm gonna find Otis. -Wait, I'm coming with you.
No, no, the whole cell block was just set free, it's too dangerous.
But that numskull's our best hope of finding Lex.
Which is why I will go.
You need to find out what Lex is hiding.
I'm gonna weld that outside door
so Otis can't get in.
Before you go... It's a Kryptonite shield.
If Lex did bring Otis back as Metallo, you're gonna need it.
Thanks.
-Good luck. -You too.
As the nation enters the second day of martial law,
food shortages and an uptick in violent crime
has been reported across the country.
Adding to this tension is the escape of Lex Luthor,
brother of L-Corp CEO, Lena Luthor.
Warden, we don't have much time.
I need you to help me find a--
psychopath.
You bastard.
"Father lost his temper again..."
Lena.
Get back here now!
"Lena stole his prized fountain pen for me.
The one presented to him by the King of Jordan.
Lena craves my attention.
Pathetic.
If she knew how brilliant she was, she wouldn't need it."
What if he finds us?
Don't worry, he can't climb when he's drunk.
When I grow up,
I'm gonna have all the money in the world.
And I'm gonna build a house
and I'm gonna keep us safe forever.
I'll build it right there.
Those aren't the Alps.
What are you playing at, brother?
Where's Otis Graves?
Well, well, well.
If it isn't Lee Harvey Supergirl.
Turns out it's easy being green.
You're not the only one who's friends with a Luthor.
My heart's grown three sizes in here.
President's orders, boys.
If Supergirl's in there, she is not coming out.
They don't call it the slammer for nothing.
Aah!
Supergirl!
Here's Otis!
Where'd Supergirl go?
I don't know but I...
I saw a red blur go through that door.
Wait a minute.
D block's for guys only, what are you doing here?
I, uh...
I'm a reporter.
I was doing an interview in the dining hall
when the guards rushed us out.
The article's on prison reform, maybe you'd care to comment?
I don't trust the press.
They always parachute into crises like this
without any context for the larger systemic issues at play.
Sun.
What? What?
-Don't move. -I'm just a reporter.
-Really, for whom? -For CatComagazine.
Wait, my name is Kara Danvers.
Kara Danvers?
What are you doing?
This is Kara Danvers, the journalist.
The one who writes
that Aliens of National City column that I read to you.
And most of the other good stuff in CatCo,too.
Oh, thanks.
Sorry about the shiv.
But when a riot breaks out in the block,
you never know who you're gonna run into.
Steve Lomeli.
Editor of Stryker's one and only newsletter.
The not-so-free press.
It's nice to meet another member of the fourth estate.
Pleasure's mine.
So tell us, what brings you to Stryker's?
Off the record, of course.
Uh...
I'm actually... I'm writing a piece about Lex Luthor.
You wouldn't happen to know anything about him, would you?
You know, you're the second person today
to ask me about that psycho.
Huh.
Truth is, my cell is right across from his.
I could tell you some things.
-Deep background, of course. -Of course.
Supergirl, this is the National Guard.
Come out or we're coming in.
Anyone in our way will be shot.
That's crazy. They can't just come in here shooting
when there's practically a riot going on?
You think the National Guard gives a hoot about a bunch of convicts?
We are making our breach in five seconds.
Lay down flat on the floor...
-Come on, we better get down. -...hands behind your back.
Uh, I have to go.
- Five... -Go? Are you crazy?
Four...
Three...
Two...
One. Go!
Everybody, down!
Move, move, move.
Where is Supergirl?
Lena?
I'm here.
What is this place?
That's the DEO desert facility.
What are you up to, Lex?
Don't worry, Mr. L. I got it all under control.
Oh, no.
Otis.
Yes, I am in your cell.
And it looks great.
Stand in the middle? Yeah, sure.
We've got to get out of here.
We can't leave all this stuff. We need it to find Lex.
There's no time.
And by "This is what you get," you mean what?
-Nia-- - Brainy, I was wrong.
You can't delete the registry.
Oh. Uh...
-I didn't. -Thank God.
I had a dream they came for you.
I should clarify.
I did, in fact, erase the list
from the DEO servers. But seeing as how
there may come a time when we need it...
I downloaded a copy.
To my brain.
Why would you do that? Now you could be a target.
Well, that's just the cost of being a hero.
Oh, Brainy, that's...
That's actually very heroic.
-Hmm. -You were right.
I should've looked into the future like you'd asked.
I have evolved my views on this topic.
The consequences of seeing the future
under consideration,
doing the right thing
is an imperative.
Besides, the odds of my arrest are actually quite low
seeing as how you're not very good at interpreting your dreams.
I give it 40/60 at best.
Make that 60/40.
Brainy?
Your presidential order, Colonel.
This will suffice, Miss Walker.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. See if this won't work on Supergirl.
Good.
Don't be shy, gentlemen. This is the good stuff.
Nobody fires without my direct order.
And if she's smart,
she'll come quietly.
Okay.
Summon Supergirl.
So how long is this supposed to take?
Normally less than a minute.
But it would appear as though she has gone dark.
Okay.
What did you do?
I followed your orders.
Let's pack it up.
Come on, pack it up. All of it.
We'll just be taking the weapons with us.
You pressed twice.
I didn't do it for you.
My daughter
had a panic attack last night.
She is scared
of martial law and the curfew
and the fact that her favorite teacher has gone missing.
He's an alien.
And presumably in hiding.
But I can't promise her that, can I?
No, you can't.
I don't like being manipulated by you
or that power-hungry snake.
You made the right choice.
I prided myself on my loyalty to this country.
What I wanted didn't matter, it was about
serving the greater good.
Now, I wonder about
the few...
the ones left behind.
Will my daughter be one of them?
She is looking to me for help
and moral guidance but how can I protect her
if I am party to this?
Authorities have identified Supergirl as the attacker
in an attempt to free prisoners of Stryker's Island.
Attempt to free prisoners?
That's ridiculous.
It's always a joy to see the new and creative ways
people find to hate the good guys.
That prisoner, Steve,
he wasn't wrong.
I did make things worse.
How many prisoners almost died today because of me?
I put you in jeopardy at the prison.
And you were in jeopardy at the DEO.
It's clear I am doing
more harm than good right now.
So I think it's time Supergirl
lay low.
There are other ways to get to the truth.
James, I got your message.
It sounded urgent. What's up?
It happened again.
But this time I could see 500 feet.
Like it was right in front of me.
And I could hear things
that nobody should be able to hear.
It could be a hallucination.
Those are known symptoms.
I would love to believe that.
I would, but this was too real.
We have to talk to Lena.
This is more than PTSD.
She destroyed a prison.
She outsmarted the DEO.
Somehow she knew we were coming.
She always seems to be one step ahead of us.
I need people I can trust
if you want me to bring her down.
Go ahead.
Deputize the Children of Liberty.
-Oh! - Yes, you were detonated.
But we put you back together
again.
Thank you for meeting with me.
Ah! What an honor to be interviewed by Kara Danvers.
Just make sure it stays off the record, okay?
Oh, deep, deep background, I promise.
It's a shame
Lex's secret prison lab
was destroyed by that Otis Graves.
But since there's no such thing as a secure Wi-Fi network
with me in the building...
Lex's hard drive.
Everything that was on the computer in that secret room.
Thank you, Steve.
I'm just grateful you're bringing him to justice.
I'm grateful I have the tools to do it.
There's nothing more powerful in the pursuit of justice
than the power of the press.
What do they say?
The pen is mightier than the sword.
Maybe even mightier than a cape.