by Lisa Yee
Supergirl rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Before her, Granny Goodness stood tall with her shoulders back. Her kind eyes narrowed and grew ice cold as her warm voice transformed into a cackle.
“Supergirl, meet my five Female Furies!”
Granny turned toward the tall, fierce-looking warrior whose high yellow boots matched the yellow of her battle armor. “Big Barda,” she said, pointing to Supergirl, “Kryptonite this one.”
As Speed Queen balanced on her skates and looked on, a slow, sinister smile crossed Barda’s face. Their leader pushed her way to the front and pulled out a green-glowing Kryptonite-laced Mega Rod. Supergirl was so shocked at the sight she couldn’t move. Big Barda raised the rod like a baseball bat and—
WHACK!
The Kryptonite rod struck Supergirl against the shield on her chest. She fell to the ground. Her powers failed her. She was so weak she couldn’t even use her arms. Big Barda laughed. She raised the club high over her head to finish Supergirl off—but hesitated as she glanced at Granny for approval.
“Leave her,” Granny ordered. “She’ll be an excellent addition to our army. So gullible and eager to please!”
Carelessly, Big Barda dropped the club next to Supergirl, just beyond her reach. Supergirl struggled to get up and push it away, but the Kryptonite was too powerful. Helpless, she crumpled back down in defeat.
Energized, Granny marshaled the Furies into formation. Like the good soldiers they were, their precision was impressive. “Furies, initiate phase two!” Granny cried in a loud, strong voice. It was clear she had done this before. “Attack!”
The Furies, led by the mighty Big Barda, marched out of the Boom Tubes room.
Granny laughed with glee. “Perry? Perry! Perry, get over here and do your job!”
Perry fetched a polished wooden chest from Artemiz the archer, whose bow and arrows were designed for deadly aim. Mad Harriet threw back her massive mess of green hair and cackled. Then, like a squire attending to his queen, the monster helped Granny strap on her armor. Before Supergirl’s eyes, the transformation from a dotty old woman to the strong leader of an evil army was now complete.
“Hurry!” Granny said. “My Furies won’t be able to keep the rest of them off school grounds for long. We must set the trap before those obnoxious do-gooders return.”
As Perry adjusted her weapon-proof shoulder pads, Granny gazed at her reflection in one of the portals. “There’s something so flattering about Apokoliptian fashion,” she said coyly. “It really brings out my eyes.” She glanced at Supergirl, who was still unable to respond. “Too many youngsters dismiss old people,” Granny said bitterly. “People can’t see past their age. But I’m a perfect example of what patience, wisdom, and a good dose of evil can accomplish!”
As if on cue, Stompa stomped to attention with her lemon-colored boots as she bowed and presented Granny with a small cube. Laced with alien technology, its lights and speakers blinked and pinged. Then she quickly backed away.
“Ah,” Granny said lovingly. “My Mother Box.” She cradled the box as if it were a baby. “How I’ve missed you!”
PING! PING! PING!
“Mother Box?” Supergirl recalled Barbara telling her about this tiny supercomputer with endless abilities…including its ability to power the Boom Tubes. “Mother Box? Barbara. Furies. Portal. Evil. Granny…,” Supergirl murmured.
The device and Granny’s eyes both glowed yellow. Supergirl gasped in horror as her mind began to clear and the reality of the situation came into focus.
Granny? Granny Goodness? How could she have fooled all the students, the teachers, Waller…and her? Weakened by the Kryptonite, Supergirl didn’t have the strength to fight, much less warn anyone. As she began to lose consciousness, the severity of Granny’s deception became startlingly clear. The Boom Tubes had been activated. Granny’s Furies were dispatched to invade Earth. The world was in danger, and there was nothing Supergirl could do about it.
Everything went dark.
Where was she?
What happened?
How much time had passed?
Supergirl lay on the ground and struggled to open her eyes. She could hear someone yelling.
Barbara?
Supergirl was confused. “Barbara? Babs, are you here? I…I…can’t see you!”
“Supergirl,” Barbara said, her voice coming in more clearly. “I’m talking to you via our com bracelets. I saw there was trouble at Super Hero High and I’ve been trying to get ahold of you. What’s happening? Are you okay?”
“Oh, Babs.” Supergirl mustered her strength to try to speak. “I really messed up….” Her voice weakened to a whisper.
“Just stay put,” Barbara ordered. “Save your energy. Don’t try to talk. I’ve detected your location. I’ll be right there.”
Supergirl attempted to laugh, but nothing came out. She wanted to tell her friend that she definitely was not going anywhere, but she passed out before she could say another word.
Kara was in her room on Krypton making a birthday card for her mother. She was happy. Her mother was saying something to her.
“You’re in bad shape, but you’ll survive.”
“Mom?”
“No, it’s me. Barbara. Your best friend. Remember?”
“Where’s my mom?” Supergirl asked. Why did her head hurt so much?
Barbara knelt beside Supergirl. She couldn’t hide the worry on her face. “You’re safe now,” Babs told her. “But you’re weak. Don’t push it.”
Barbara picked up the Kryptonite rod that Big Barda had used on Supergirl and hurled it through the Florida Boom Tubes portal. A blue-haired retiree looked up when it landed near her bingo card. She glanced to her left, then right, before sneaking it into her purse and yelling, “BINGO!”
Barbara slung Supergirl’s arm over her shoulder and led her out of the Boom Tubes room. “You once took me for a ride,” she said. “Now it’s my turn to return the favor. Let’s go. What were you doing here?”
Supergirl struggled to regain her memory. Slowly, the horrible truth materialized. “I…I was trying to get to Korugar Academy,” she admitted. Her cheeks flushed with shame. “Leave me and warn the others,” Supergirl insisted. “I’ve already made a mess of everything. It’s my fault Earth is being invaded. Has anyone alerted the super heroes?”
“It’s not just here and it’s not just you,” Babs said. “The evil alien Massacre has invaded Switzerland and is intent on taking over the country. He’s the worst kind of villain—he uses his speed and strength to hurt and destroy just for the fun of it. The Swiss don’t have an army, so the adult Supers have come to their rescue. It’s a battleground over there. That means we’re on our own to fight Granny and the Furies.”
“Let go of me!” Supergirl protested. “Go save yourself! I’m just a nobody, a troublemaker. I don’t belong here. I never did!”
“Supergirl,” Barbara said, trying to keep her temper in check. “Listen to me. You’re my best friend and I need you. The world needs you. Metropolis is under siege and a huge battle is taking place. Lives are in danger. Do you understand what’s happening out there?!”
Barbara stopped in front of a portal and let go of Supergirl. She took a deep breath. “If you really want to leave, then go. Look. There’s Korugar Academy. Is that what you want?”
Supergirl looked at the students eating frosted cupcakes and watching movies at Korugar. They looked so happy. And why shouldn’t they be? Korugar Academy wasn’t being invaded by furious Furies intent on bringing them down. Then Supergirl thought about the deception of Granny Goodness, how Big Barda had knocked her out, and how the Furies seemed so angry and eager to fight to take over Earth.
“Well?” Barbara pressed. “Do you still want to go? Because if you do, I won’t stop you.”
Supergirl didn’t answer.
“Babs,” Supergirl said in a whisper. “Please help me to the Korugar Academy portal.”
Barbara flinched as if she had been punched in the stomach. “If that
’s what you really want,” she said without emotion.
Supergirl put her arm around Barbara and hobbled over to the portal. She stared into it for a long time, imagining herself there. Then she shut the portal and bolted it tight.
Barbara broke into a smile as she blinked back tears of relief. “That’s the Supergirl I know and love,” she said, hugging her best friend.
“Okay, tell me what’s happening,” Supergirl said, sitting down. She was still wobbly. “Tell me everything you know.”
Barbara’s smile disappeared. “Wonder Woman and Big Barda are in the midst of a colossal battle downtown. Look.” She pulled out her B.A.T. computer and by keying in a few codes she accessed the security cameras on the street.
Supergirl’s eyes widened. On-screen, Barda was thrashing her Mega Rod at Wonder Woman, who was expertly diving out of the way. In an effort to snare her in her lariat, Wonder Woman threw her Lasso of Truth at Big Barda, who somersaulted backward to evade its grip.
“This is your first offense on Earth,” Wonder Woman warned. “Give yourself up right now, Barda, and your punishment won’t be harsh. It’s not just me you’re fighting, it’s all of Super Hero High—and the whole world of super heroes!”
Just then Miss Martian materialized next to Wonder Woman. She spoke so softly that Supergirl had to use her super-hearing. “What do we do?” Miss Martian was saying. “It’s just us here to battle the Furies! There’s some sort of situation in Switzerland and all the adult Supers are over there!”
Big Barda let go a loud long laugh. “So much for your backup!” she yelled. Just as she lunged toward Wonder Woman, the B.A.T. screen got fuzzy and then went black. Frantically, Barbara tapped it a few times. When the picture came back on, it was from another security camera, this time near Centennial Park. Supergirl was shocked to see the reptilian villain Killer Croc taking advantage of the Furies’ distraction to tear apart everything in his path. There was a 5K race in progress and, in an effort to flee from the evil reptile’s clutches, all the runners were breaking personal-best records.
Just as Killer Croc reached for a runner, Cheetah stepped between them. When he grabbed her instead, Katana appeared from behind a tree and threw her sword. It sliced the air and bounced off Killer Croc’s hard scaly skin. This gave Cheetah enough time to retreat and distract him while Hawkgirl flew into position. With precision, Hawkgirl swooped down, catching Croc off guard. Then she pulled him up and flew off-screen. When she returned, she told Katana, “I dropped him off at the top of the tallest building in Metropolis. He can’t hurt anyone up there.”
Barbara’s B.A.T. screen got fuzzy once more. When it cleared, Big Barda was in focus again. By now she was on the edge of another skyscraper roof and there was no place for her to go but down. “Give up!” Wonder Woman cried as she circled above her.
“Never!” Barda shouted. With a smile, she leapt off the edge of the building and in midair pulled out a pair of aero-disks to give her the power of flight.
With increasing speed, the B.A.T. computer began to broadcast scenes from all over Metropolis. Supergirl and Barbara couldn’t believe the mayhem. On the ground, on rooftops—Supers and Furies were battling everywhere. Katana was employing her patented roundhouse K-kick to knock over Speed Queen. Beast Boy morphed lightning fast into several creatures big and small to confuse Stompa. Harley was getting it all on video, but was stunned when she came across a Female Fury who was doing the same thing.
“Hey! What kind of camera are you using?” Harley asked.
When Mad Harriet checked her camera, Harley pushed her into Poison Ivy, who wrapped a sturdy flex vine around her, disabling the camera and the Fury.
As it became clear that the Supers knew what they were doing, Barda called out, “Furies! Retreat!” At her signal, the army of invaders ceased their fighting and ran. Although Granny was first in command, it seemed that Big Barda was second.
Wonder Woman yelled to Poison Ivy, “It’s not the citizens the Furies want. It’s the Supers. Let’s give them what they’re asking for!”
Just then the B.A.T. screen went blank. Barbara tapped it, but nothing happened. She hit it repeatedly with the palm of her hand.
“Argggh!” she groaned. “What a time for my battery to go dead!”
“What do you think is happening?” Supergirl yelled, unsure why she was yelling. Her head was still throbbing and her body was in pain. Still, she found herself wishing she were with the rest of her peers.
“If my theory is correct,” Barbara answered, “Wonder Woman is planning to lure the Furies away from Metropolis and toward Super Hero High!”
Supergirl nodded. It made sense. Wondy was trying to save the citizens of Metropolis and the world. She knew that the Supers would have the advantage if the epic battle took place at Super Hero High.
“Wait, what are you doing?” Barbara asked.
“I’m getting up,” Supergirl said. “I can’t fight evil sitting down, can I?”
Supergirl felt her strength returning, thanks in part to Barbara’s constant encouragement. “Remember,” Barbara said as they made their way down the deserted corridor. It was eerily quiet. “Don’t rush. If you try to do too much too fast you can hurt yourself and others. Slow and steady, Supergirl. Slow and steady.” She stopped and looked her best friend in the eyes. “One more piece of advice,” she began. Supergirl nodded. “Double knots.”
“What?”
“Your shoes. Tie your shoelaces in double knots so you won’t trip and fall.”
“Slow and steady. Double knots. Slow and steady,” Supergirl repeated. From the window, she could see someone or something climbing up the tower toward the Amethyst. She squinted but couldn’t make out what it was. Concentrating, Supergirl focused, then homed in on the figure. Slowly, things started coming into focus.
“Barbara!” she yelled. “It’s Granny Goodness!”
“Well, I see your vocal cords are at full strength,” Barbara said, rubbing her ear. “I’ll alert the other Supers. Don’t go anywhere. You’re not one hundred percent back yet!”
Supergirl watched Babs run down the hallway. She wanted to be out there, stopping Granny, but instead she had to wait for her full powers to return—if they ever would. Funny, Supergirl used to wish she’d never had super powers. Now she would have given anything to have them back.
She was heartened to find her super-vision getting stronger. Perry and Granny were now visible and she could see that Perry was clutching an Apokoliptian tech device—the Mother Box!
Supergirl shut her eyes and struggled to hear what they were saying. At first everything was jumbled. She tried to clear her head. “Slow and steady,” she could hear Barbara reminding her. Then she heard another voice….
“Hurry, you little monster!” Granny growled as she continued her climb. “Perry, don’t you dare drop that. It’s our key to controlling those pesky teen super heroes, and claiming Super Hero High as ours!”
Supergirl’s eyes fluttered open just in time to see the two place the device on the top of the tower. Instantly, the Amethyst began to glow with a strange, sickly yellow light. Supergirl couldn’t take her eyes off it.
The glow slowly began to spread outward as Granny raised her arms in triumph. Supergirl could hear her chant, “Force of Apokolips! Power of Gemworld’s Amethyst! Be mine, all mine!”
With a lightning bolt flash, the glow from the Amethyst radiated to Granny Goodness, causing her whole body to emanate a bright yellow light. Supergirl cringed as Granny cackled with delight.
There was a rustling sound and then over the school’s PA system, a voice blasted. “Is this on? Can you hear me? Can you hear me now?” Supergirl could hear Granny laughing, then cooing gleefully, “Congratulations, students! You’re currently coming under the control of a good ole Granny brainwashing!”
“Supergirl!” Barbara was out of breath as she rushed toward her. “It’s horrible out there. The Furies and Big Barda are battling the Supers. They’ve had multiple injuries
…but so have we. Super Hero High’s emergency room is overflowing. And now Granny has taken over the Amethyst and is transmitting a mind-control device over the school.
“The timing is terrible—Wonder Woman and the Supers are headed back here, trying to lure the Furies away from Metropolis!”
Supergirl was stunned. It was worse than she had thought possible.
“My mini-computer,” Barbara groaned. “It’s dead, and I can’t monitor how close the Supers are to arriving.”
“The library!” Supergirl cried. “There are computers in the library.”
With each step they took, Supergirl felt herself getting stronger. By the time they reached the library she was able to walk normally. Barbara ran up to the checkout desk’s computer. Bypassing the password, she began to type furiously. Within seconds Barbara had accessed the secret numbers embedded in the Dewey decimal classification system that only librarians were privy to. Using those, she was able to hack into the Super Hero High security cameras.
Supergirl shook her head in disbelief. By now most of the Supers were back at the school. What she saw was a nightmare as the screen filled with scenes from around campus. Everywhere, students were succumbing to Granny’s trance as the old lady broadcast over the loudspeaker, “My darlings, as part of my army, you’ll pave the way for our supreme ruler, Darkseid of Apokolips, to conquer Earth!”
There were several clicking noises as the computer screen showed other security-camera areas. Supergirl gasped when she saw a beam of light wash over Harley. “Don’t look at it,” she called out even though she knew her friend couldn’t hear her. “Don’t look at it, Harley! Don’t look!”
Harley looked up at the light and was instantly brought under a trance, her eyes glowing yellow. Supergirl witnessed Bumblebee staggering backward to avoid the light, but she couldn’t get far enough away fast enough. In scene after scene, the yellow light rolled over Super Hero High like a tidal wave. No one was immune.
“We’ll be safe in the IT Annex,” Barbara said as they ran from the library, where the yellow light was beginning to seep in. “I’ve made sure that its walls are quadruple quintillion reinforced. If I can get there, I may be able to help shut down Granny’s mind-control light.”
