[3 months later] [August] [Supergirl set]
The destroyed city set looked like something pulled straight out of a war zone.
Half-collapsed buildings leaned dangerously against steel support rigs while smoke machines filled the streets with drifting gray haze. Burned-out cars littered the cracked asphalt, broken glass covered sections of the ground, and sparks burst intermittently from damaged electrical panels hidden inside the set pieces.
Above everything, giant LED screens wrapped around the soundstage walls displayed a dark storm-filled sky moving slowly over the ruined city.
Alex stood near the main monitor station, a headset around his neck, reviewing camera placements on three separate screens at once. Crew members rushed around him carrying cables, resetting debris, checking wire systems, and coordinating practical explosions with the FX team.
The final battle sequence had taken almost two weeks alone to prepare.
And today was the hardest part of it.
A few feet away, Alexis stood in full Supergirl costume beside the stunt coordinator while one of the wire technicians adjusted the harness hidden beneath the suit.
Liev Schreiber already stood near the center of the ruined street in full Reactron armor, while Thomas Jane sat nearby wearing the partially mechanical Metallo chest rig with the glowing kryptonite core embedded into it.
Even resting, the green light from the prop pulsed ominously through the cracked metal plates.
Alex walked toward them while holding the updated shot list in one hand.
"Alright," he said calmly while glancing between the actors. "This section starts after Kara realizes she can't overpower them directly anymore. She's exhausted, poisoned by the kryptonite exposure and radiation, and she's barely staying on her feet."
Alexis nodded while stretching her shoulders carefully beneath the suit.
Alex looked toward Thomas. "Metallo stays aggressive the whole time. You know she's weakening, so you keep pushing forward without giving her space to recover."
Thomas smirked faintly. "So basically be an asshole."
"Exactly."
Liev crossed his arms inside the heavy armor suit. "And Reactron?"
Alex pointed toward the collapsed building behind him. "You're the hammer. Metallo weakens her while you keep overwhelming her physically and with your radiation. Kara should feel trapped between both of you."
Liev nodded once. "Got it."
Nearby, the safety coordinator raised a hand. "Wire team ready."
The FX supervisor checked his tablet quickly. "Controlled blasts are armed for section B."
Alex glanced around once more before stepping back toward the monitor station.
"Alright, everyone," he called out loudly. "Let's bring Krypton's last daughter to hell."
That earned a few laughs from the crew before everyone moved quickly into position.
The city set quiet almost instantly.
Alex sat behind the monitors and adjusted the headset over one ear.
"Camera."
"Rolling."
"Scene 89A, take one."
A beat passed.
"Action."
The fight exploded immediately.
Reactron charged first through the smoke while sparks burst violently from his armor. Alexis flew backward across the ruined street on the wire rig before slamming hard into the side of a wrecked bus.
Metal crunched loudly on impact.
Thomas rushed in right afterward as the kryptonite core glowed brighter across his chest.
Alexis dropped to one knee while visibly struggling to breathe, exactly like they rehearsed earlier.
"How does it feel to be so powerless?" Thomas shouted before throwing a heavy punch toward her face.
Alexis blocked it barely in time before the force launched her backward across the asphalt.
Liev followed immediately after and grabbed her by the throat before driving her through a concrete wall section rigged with breakaway material.
The wall exploded apart beautifully.
Dust filled the entire street.
Alex leaned forward slightly while watching the monitor closely.
Alexis crawled out of the rubble, coughing weakly while the green kryptonite glow reflected across her face.
Then she accidentally looked directly into the wrong camera.
"Cut."
The tension broke instantly.
Alexis groaned loudly while still lying inside the debris. "I knew it. I felt it happen."
Alex laughed quietly behind the monitor. "Everything was perfect until you stared directly into camera two."
Even Thomas started laughing while helping her up.
"Sorry," Alexis muttered while brushing dust off the cape. "The explosion distracted me."
Alex stood up and pointed toward the monitors. "The destruction looked great though. Let's reset from the choke slam."
Crew members immediately moved back into position while prop teams rebuilt sections of the breakaway wall.
Nearby, the medic checked Alexis's shoulder harness quickly after the impact.
"You good?" the medic asked.
Alexis rolled her shoulder once. "Yeah. Just sore."
Alex walked over personally and adjusted part of the harness connection near her back.
"As I've said before," he said quietly while tightening one of the hidden clips, "If you feel like hurting, let us know. There's no need to push yourself too much. We can always reschedule. So, don't take unnecessary pressure."
Alexis nodded immediately. "I know. I'm good."
"Okay. Let's keep going then," Alex said with a pat on her back.
Ten minutes later, the set was ready again.
"Scene 89A, take two."
"Action."
This time, the sequence flowed perfectly. Reactron slammed her through the wall, and Metallo stalked toward her through the smoke. Kara tried standing again despite visibly shaking from the kryptonite exposure.
Thomas grabbed her by the cape and threw her across the street hard enough to send her rolling across the pavement.
Alex watched every movement carefully.
"Good," he murmured quietly.
After the scene was done.
"Cut. That was a great shot," Alex said with a thumbs up.
[40 minutes later]
Then came the next section.
The rooftop launch.
The giant wire rig extended high above the ruined city, while wind machines roared around Alexis as she stood near the edge of a destroyed building.
Below her, Reactron and Metallo approached slowly through the smoke.
Alex stepped directly onto the set this time while demonstrating the movement physically.
"You're desperate here," he explained while pointing upward toward the LED sky screens. "Kara knows the longer this fight goes on, the more damage the city will suffer, and more civilians will get caught. So, she needs to end it as fast as possible. But she's weak and needs a power boost. The atmosphere jump is basically her gambling everything. She'll fly into space and absorb the solar radiation before returning."
Alexis listened carefully.
Alex continued, "When you take off, I want that angry expression. Kara is really angry as she looks at the destruction around her. It's her new home, and they destroyed it. So, it's time for her to unleash everything."
She nodded once. "Got it."
The FX crew prepared the wire launch system.
One technician raised a thumb. "Tension stable."
Another checked the emergency release. "Safety green."
Alex stepped back again.
"Rolling."
"Action."
Alexis staggered toward the rooftop edge while holding her side in pain.
Below her, Thomas shouted, "This is the end of the road!"
The kryptonite glow intensified.
Alexis looked upward at the storm clouds with an angry expression as she launched upward.
The wire rig ripped her into the air at insane speed while massive wind cannons blasted her cape violently behind her.
The camera crane followed perfectly.
Alex watched the monitor intensely.
Then, suddenly, Alexis spun slightly wrong mid-launch because one of the side wires lost tension for a second.
"Cut! Cut! Cut!"
The rig stopped immediately.
Alex was already moving before the platform fully lowered. "Stop all movement," he ordered sharply. "Check on her, now!"
The safety crew rushed in instantly while Alexis was carefully brought back down.
"You okay?" Alex asked immediately once she reached the platform.
Alexis nodded quickly despite breathing hard. "Yeah. Just twisted weird."
The wire supervisor looked frustrated already. "Left stabilizer slipped tension."
Alex's expression stayed calm, though his eyes sharpened immediately. "Fix it before we run another take. And what the hell is going on lately? I thought I told everyone to check the safety wires multiple times and test them before every take." He raised his voice a bit for the first time. "I don't need slackers on my set who put others' lives in danger. If something like this happens again, the entire FX and safety team will be fired and replaced. Now, move..."
The entire crew moved faster after that. Nobody wanted accidents on Alex's sets. Especially not during wire launches. And getting fired at this point means zero money according to their contracts, not to mention someone on the team didn't do their job right, so it might also result in a lawsuit.
About twenty minutes later, the issue was fully corrected.
Alex checked the harness himself this time.
"You comfortable?" he asked Alexis quietly.
She smirked faintly. "You ask that every stunt."
"Because concussions ruin shooting schedules."
That made her laugh softly. "I'm good. I'll let you know if I feel uncomfortable or hurt."
Then Alex stepped back.
"Let's fly."
The next take was flawless.
Kara shot upward into the sky like a missile.
The camera followed her through storm clouds while sunlight exploded across the screen overhead.
Even the crew watched the monitor quietly while the shot played out.
Alex smiled faintly.
"That's the one."
A little later, they moved into the solar absorption sequence.
Alexis now floated high above Earth against a massive LED volume displaying space itself behind her.
The lighting rigs shifted slowly brighter around her body to simulate solar energy intensifying.
Alex stood beside the cinematographer while watching the frame carefully.
The cameras rolled again.
Alexis floated silently above Earth while sunlight reflected across her suit. Her breathing steadied and the pain faded slowly from her expression. Then her eyes opened again, glowing faintly red.
"Cut," Alex said softly.
The cinematographer looked impressed already. "That looked gorgeous."
Alex nodded slightly. "Yeah."
Then came the final attack sequence.
Back on the ruined city set, Thomas stood ready as Metallo while frost rigs were attached around parts of his armor for the ice breath effect.
Alex explained the timing carefully.
"Kara comes down angry this time," he said. "She's focused, faster, and stronger."
Alexis stretched her neck once while listening.
Alex demonstrated the action sequence and body movements while explaining the next scene, "She freezes Metallo for just enough time to destroy the kryptonite core using her heat vision. Everything after that becomes pure survival for him."
Thomas grinned. "So this is where I start regretting my life choices."
"Pretty much."
The cameras rolled again.
A sonic boom erupted overhead.
Then Supergirl crashed into the street hard enough to blast debris everywhere. The impact looked incredible on camera.
Metallo barely turned before Kara inhaled sharply.
The ice breath hit him instantly. Frost exploded across his armor while the practical freezing rigs activated perfectly. Thomas locked himself into position while fake ice rapidly spread over the chest piece.
Then Alexis stepped forward slowly while her eyes glowed bright red.
Alex leaned forward behind the monitor.
"Hold…" he whispered quietly.
Heat vision erupted.
The kryptonite core exploded in a shower of sparks and green light.
Thomas screamed and flew backward on the stunt rig while pieces of armor blasted apart around him.
Silence hit the set afterward.
Then Alex stood slowly.
A grin spread across his face.
"Oh, that looked sick."
...
[Five days later]
The massive final battle set was finally wrapped after weeks of explosions, wire work, bruises, smoke, broken props, and enough fake debris to bury half of Manhattan. Crew members moved through the soundstages with noticeably lighter energy now that the hardest action sequences were finished.
Alexis looked exhausted by the end of it all, though the grin on her face after the final Kara vs Reactron shot made it obvious she loved every second of the chaos.
Now the production has shifted toward something important that will set up the future DC movies.
The cameos.
Inside another soundstage at Titan Studios, Gotham's greenhouse had been recreated in eerie detail. Thick vines crawled across cracked stone walls while oversized exotic plants filled the humid air with deep greens and reds. Soft artificial mist drifted near the ground beneath dim amber lighting.
At the center of it all, Kate Winslet sat comfortably on a curved wooden chair wrapped in living ivy. Green body paint covered most of her exposed skin while intricate vines curled around her arms and shoulders naturally enough to look real under the lights.
Nearby, Margot Robbie paced around in a full Harley Quinn costume while spinning a baseball bat lazily against her shoulder.
Alex stood behind the monitor with Zack Snyder beside him this time. The cameras were rolling, and the shoot was on...
Margot stopped pacing and pointed the bat toward Kate dramatically. "C'mon, Red. You owe me one tiny little favor."
Kate slowly lifted her eyes from the mutated plant beside her. "Breaking the Joker out of Arkham is your version of tiny?"
Margot flashed a huge grin. "Technically, it's more of a surprise relocation."
Kate sighed softly and leaned back into the vines surrounding her chair. "Harley, every time I help you, Gotham somehow ends up on fire with Batman after us. Now, a new female sups is flying around. Things are not what they used to be."
"Yeah, but emotionally speaking, we have fun together."
That made a few crew members laugh quietly behind the cameras.
Kate glanced toward her with visible amusement before speaking again. "You realize your boyfriend is a homicidal maniac, right?"
Margot twirled the bat once before resting it across her shoulders casually. "Aww, see, that's why I like you. You always say romantic things."
Alex lowered his headset slightly and smirked. "That chemistry's working."
Zack nodded beside him. "Yeah. They already feel established."
On set, Kate stood slowly from the chair while vines shifted subtly around her bare feet. The lighting caught the green paint across her skin perfectly, making her look almost unreal against the greenhouse backdrop.
"You're impossible," Ivy muttered while stepping closer to Harley. "And one day, you're going to drag me into something that gets us both killed."
Harley's grin widened immediately. "So that's a yes?"
Ivy stared at her for a second longer before rolling her eyes. "I hate that you already know the answer. But in return, you have to do something for me too." She stood up and began to walk toward Harley with that seductive grace.
'Fucking hell! She's hot!' Alex thought.
"Break into LexCorps and bring me what's in vault 12. After that, I'll help you."
Harley pumped one fist into the air excitedly. "Alrighty!"
Then she leaned forward and lowered her voice slightly. "Also, hypothetically speaking... if a cute clown accidentally blew up part of Blackgate last week, how illegal is that exactly?"
Ivy froze for a moment.
"...What did you do now?"
Just at the exact moment, a batarang shot out of a rig and slammed onto Ivy's chair.
"And... Cut!" Alex said.
The entire set burst into laughter.
Alex leaned back in his chair, clearly satisfied already. "Perfect."
---[Spoilers. Upcoming chs names. Click to read][1]
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[5 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers]
[1] Ch: 303 [Maleficent trailer & Supergirl wrap-up party] Ch: 304 [Long drive with Scarlett] Ch: 305 [Pleasure, marriage wish & money power] Ch: 306 [Interlude- Disney's move] Ch: 307 [Iron Man Pre-Production & A Recession Bonus]