Kestrel had to smile, holding on to Steel's back as they soared across the city. "You handled yourself well against them," she said to B- ko, adding much more softly, "and you certainly fill out that uniform well." B-ko tried to see if she was being serious, but she couldn't get a good look at the woman's face. "Thank you," she managed. "I like a woman who takes charge," Kestrel mused, adding impishly "it makes for a nice change of pace." Before B-ko could even try to form a response to that, Oracle's voice came over the communicators. "The situation is as bad as Chief Sawyer said," she reported. The Lexcorp tower loomed above them, and the four of them set down in front of it. "You can't get in at all?" A-ko asked Oracle. "Oh, I can get in," Oracle said, "but the AI keeps rerouting me and hitting me with firewalls and anti-viral measures." "So we take out the AI," Kestrel said. "Once it's out, I'm sure Oracle can shut the security systems down easily." "I won't be able to contact you once you're inside the building," Oracle noted, "but D-ko can help you in there." "Mecha," D-ko corrected her. "Nice code name," Oracle noted. "If Mecha connects to the computer systems through non-essential systems, she should be able to call up schematics and other data for you." "There's also people in there," A-ko noted. "What do we want to do about them?" she asked. "We'll do it JLA style," Kestrel smiled, "we'll break into teams. Mecha, Supergirl, you go after the AI. You two are best equipped to handle it, I think. Steel and I will try to track down and civilians and get them out." B-ko loaded a single missile into her gauntlet launcher, and fired it straight up. If flew a few moments, then concealed laser cannons cut it to ribbons. "There goes the easy way," Steel shrugged. She loaded another missile, aimed it at the front doors, and blew them away. The four charged inside, Mecha quickly spotting a computer terminal. She popped an adapter cable from her hand, plugged in and began to scroll through the sub-directories. "The AI is three levels underground," she reported, "and surrounded by battledroids. The only people are on the executive level, the top floors. More battledroids are roaming the various levels." A-ko walked over to a staircase marked 'down' and pushed the door open. Supergirl nodded to Mecha, "Let's go." "A-ko?" B-ko called out, and the redhead turned to look at her. "Don't get yourself killed," Steel smiled, "I haven't beaten you yet." Supergirl gave her a cheerful wave, and was gone. Kestrel walked to the 'up' stairway, but B-ko shook her head. "So what's your plan?" Kestrel asked her. Steel walked over to the elevator shaft and blew the doors off. "Going up?" B-ko asked Kestrel with a little smile. "You've got style, I'll give you that," Kestrel grinned. B-ko helped Kestrel up on her back again, and they flew up the elevator shaft. Laser cannons popped up from the walls, but Kestrel had throwing disks ready, and whatever she missed Steel finished off. The rose swiftly, the levels flying by them. "Did you mean what you said, when we were flying here?" B-ko asked her quietly. "Of course," Kestrel smiled. "So you're a .." B-ko trailed off nervously. Kestrel laughed softly, "Yes. Didn't Oracle tell you two?" "She must have forgotten," B-ko said dryly. Far bellow them, A-ko was laughing as she charged another swarm of battledroids. Mecha winced as she watched her easily tear the robots apart, arms and legs flying by her. "Are you finished playing yet?" D-ko asked dryly. Supergirl dusted her hands off, "You know, you even sound like your creator." Deciding to just ignore that comment, Mecha stepped forward and opened up the large, electronic keyed door in front of them before A-ko could just break it down. She took a peek inside, "There's more battledroids." "Fun," Supergirl cracked her knuckles eagerly. Mecha sighed, and despite being a robot, she sweatdropped. Back upstairs, and Steel was scanning the hallway ahead of them. Kestrel looked at the pile of destroyed battledroids, shaking her head, "Who designed this security system, a psychopath?" "Lex Luthor," B-ko said coolly, "so you're probably right." A moment, "There's more droids ahead of us, and a cluster of human lifesigns." Kestrel began to pull a few larger disk shaped devices from her belt, "I'm glad to see you aren't running away from me, after what I told you." Am odd little smile tugged at B-ko's lips, "Remind me to tell you about the girl that A-ko and I've spent the last few years fighting over." "Ah," Kestrel nodded. She and Steel turned a corner and saw the cluster of battledroids. Without even thinking about it, they charged right into the middle of them. Kestrel slapped a disk on one's chest, then jumped away, "Three... two.. one!" Ka-boom! The chest plate blew right out the back of the robot's trunk, and it collapsed to the floor in a smoking heap. "Shaped charges, right?" B-ko asked her as she cut one droid down, and missile shot another right in the head. "Always be prepared," a smiling Kestrel shrugged. She punched another droid, and B-ko blinked in surprise. 'She dented steel?' B-ko thought. Her moment's distraction cost her, as a battledroid hammered Steel's faceplate. The dense plastic shattered, pieces falling to the floor. She staggered backwards, and cut the droid down with a single blow. They heard the sound of a door opening, even as Kestrel quickly tried to reach the shaken B-ko's side. There was a loud buzzing noise, and a droid was cut down by a laser bolt! Then another and another one fell. They turned to see a redheaded business woman leading a group of employees down the hallway, comfortably carrying a very big gun. "Are you two all right?" Lena Luthor asked, then she froze upon seeing B-ko's exposed face. B-ko quickly scooped up the broken pieces of her faceplate and pressed them back into place. A burst of electricity, and the plastics had bonded with the rest of the helmet. "We're fine," Steel said quietly, "though I thought we were supposed to be rescuing you." "I've never been one to wait to be rescued," Lena was still looking at B-ko oddly. "More battledroids," Kestrel said calmly, tossing a pair of throwing disks into the two droids optic ports. They dropped, but more came up behind them. 'Just too many of them," B-ko thought even as she lay down a wave of missile fire to keep them back. 'What are you doing down there, A-ko?" she wondered. Down in the main computer room, A-ko hammered another droid away from her. Her costume was singed, and soot smudged her face. Mecha trailed along beside her, one arm hanging limp, completely inoperative. "Where do I hit?" Supergirl asked, looking around her wildly at all the banks and consoles. "They're interlinked," Mecha scanned quickly, "hit any of them." A-ko grinned, and promptly began smashing computer banks. Upstairs, Lena brought her cannon up to fire again, when the robots slowed, then came to a sudden stop. "Looks like Supergirl made it," Kestrel casually kicked a droid's arm aside. "Indeed," Lena nodded. She looked searchingly at the helmeted Steel for a moment, then turned to her staff, "Let's get out of here." Not long afterward, and the four were preparing to leave when a hand gently rested on Steel's shoulder. B-ko turned to see who it belonged to, and Lena smiled tentatively. "Could I talk to you a moment?" she asked quietly. B-ko turned to Supergirl, Kestrel, and Mecha, "I'll meet you up on the Watchtower." Kestrel, especially, looked like she wanted to argue that, but the three of them soon had disappeared, teleported away from there. Steel and Lena walked over to what was left of the building's front doors, standing in the shade. "Is that you, Alexis?" Lena asked her quietly. "Father changed it," B-ko didn't even deny it, "I'm B-ko now." "If my father could see you now, he'd be spinning in his grave," Lena smiled wryly. Dryly, B-ko answered, "I'm so glad." "It wasn't that I didn't want to see you," Lena burst out, "but your Father made it a condition of the divorce settlement." "Maybe so," B-ko answered quietly, "but why haven't you tried to see me now that I've grown up a bit, Mom?" Lena hesitated, finally admitting, "I was afraid." B-ko looked in her Mother's eyes trying to read the sincerity there. Finally she said, "Call me, I keep my number listed." She took a few steps, and teleported away.
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