"Let me out! Let me out!"
Livewire furiously unleashed bursts of electricity, attacking the walls of her cell, trying desperately to escape by transforming into pure energy. But no matter what she did, her efforts were futile, leaving her trapped and cursing her fate.
Meanwhile, Su Sheng stepped out of the prison area within the Discipleship and shrank it down to its compact size once again.
Poor Livewire—barely had she debuted with her new powers, and Su Sheng had already subdued her, turning her into nothing more than a backup battery. Power outages might be rare, but having a constant source of electricity is always useful. And besides, the application of electricity is vast—essential for any number of tasks, from mundane needs to the more extraordinary, like creating a Doomsday in the Origin Room, which would require a tremendous amount of energy.
Swish!
Activating the Speed Force, lightning surged as Su Sheng dashed back to National City. Arriving on the street, he deactivated his battle suit, glanced at the streetlights that had regained power, and had a sudden thought. Immediately, he transformed into electricity and entered the wiring system.
It was a fascinating sensation.
His consciousness remained sharp and clear, even as his body morphed into an energy form, allowing him to travel rapidly through the wiring and electronic circuits.
Zzzzt!
The chandelier in the apartment's living room suddenly grew brighter, and Jesse gasped as she watched a current rush in, materializing into Su Sheng before her eyes.
"This..." Jesse stared at him in shock, but Su Sheng just smiled, offering no explanation.
This new ability wasn't particularly crucial for Su Sheng. For speed, the Speed Force and shockwave abilities were far more effective. As for escaping like Livewire, he didn't foresee many situations where he'd actually need to use it. He couldn't imagine finding himself in a situation where escape was his only option!
Maybe it would come in handy when he wanted to show off or encountered someone with unique abilities—someone like Indigo, who could also transform into an energy form and move freely within networks.
The night passed quietly.
No one knew that the villain known as Livewire had already emerged, but the disappearance of Leslie Willis from her hospital room certainly caused a stir. The police and Supergirl searched relentlessly for her, but their efforts proved fruitless, forcing them to abandon the search. Supergirl, stretched thin, didn't have the luxury of focusing solely on Leslie. The DEO was in complete disarray after Hank Henshaw's true identity was exposed, and to make matters worse, the military had arrived, seeking to use Supergirl to test their newly developed robot.
The outcome?
The general took control of the DEO's operations directly!
"Sam Lane?" Su Sheng remarked during a conversation with Kara.
"Yes, Lois Lane's father. And with him is his younger daughter, Lucy Lane, the military's legal counsel—who also happens to be James Olsen's ex-fiancée." Kara's voice carried a hint of gossip over the phone.
James Olsen, often called "Jamie," was a close friend of Supergirl and a key member of her team. Originally a photographer for the Daily Planet, he had been sent by Superman to National City to start a new chapter in his life, while also keeping an eye on Kara. It was amusing how close their ties were—Superman was with Lois, and James had been with Lucy!
"What kind of robot is the military testing?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but I think it's called a Red Tornado? The testing hasn't started yet."
"Red Tornado, huh? Interesting name, but let's just call it Red Tornado." Su Sheng chuckled.
"General Sam Lane won't be happy about that! They're coming, I have to go!" Kara quickly ended the call.
Su Sheng laughed to himself. Red Tornado was a member of the Justice League in some timelines—a robot that eventually developed its own consciousness, often playing a caretaker role within the League. In a parallel world from the comics, Lois Lane even implanted her memories and emotions into Red Tornado after her death.
Su Sheng wasn't particularly interested in the Red Tornado and had no plans to get involved. But sometimes, plans change.
Not even an hour after his call with Kara, Su Sheng received an unexpected phone call.
"Hello?"
"It's Alex. I... I need your help." Alex's voice was tense.
"You need help? From me?" Su Sheng paused, then smiled. "Is there a problem with the military's robot? Can't you handle it with Supergirl?"
"My suit was taken away by you," Alex reminded him sternly.
"Ah, I almost forgot. And what about Supergirl?" Su Sheng asked, his tone playful.
"Just come over, we're right outside the DEO base," Alex replied before abruptly hanging up.
Su Sheng pondered for a moment. The Red Tornado alone wouldn't be enough to make Alex ask for his help—something else must be going on. Perhaps Astra? With the DEO in turmoil, Astra would likely seize the opportunity to strike. Deciding it was worth investigating, Su Sheng donned his battle suit and activated the Speed Force.
As soon as Alex put down the phone, a gust of wind signaled Su Sheng's arrival.
"So fast?" Alex was momentarily stunned, preparing to explain the situation when Su Sheng interrupted.
"I took a quick look—this level of destruction doesn't seem like it was caused by Supergirl or Red Tornado. And where's Sam Lane? Did they take him?"
"Yes!"
Alex quickly filled him in on the details.
Supergirl and Red Tornado had begun their test, and everything seemed fine at first. Supergirl managed to defeat the Red Tornado, but then it suddenly went rogue and fled. Right then, Astra and her fellow Kryptonians launched an attack. Supergirl was overpowered and nearly captured, but Martian Manhunter intervened, saving her. In the chaos, Astra kidnapped General Sam Lane!
"That's the situation. Supergirl and General Sam Lane are both missing. I need to rescue General Lane, but as for Supergirl..." Alex's voice dropped, her concern evident. "She's your girlfriend, and now she's been taken... You have to bring her back!"
Astra capturing Sam Lane and Martian Manhunter saving Kara—it was a significant deviation from the TV series. In the show, Astra orchestrated her own capture, which led to Martian Manhunter being seized by other Kryptonians. Sam Lane then took control of the DEO, but Supergirl and Alex managed to release Astra and exchange hostages to save Martian Manhunter.
But this... This was going to be fun!