Supergirl

by Jo Whittemore

  He dropped her other foot and she scrambled away, turning over just as Supergirl flew down and slugged Bubbles. His head turned to one side, but the blow didn’t drop him. Supergirl’s eyes widened in surprise as he grabbed her by the throat and carried her, clawing and kicking, to the cell door.

  Now Alex understood.

  Bubbles had seen the DEO members use the hand scanner to exit the room, and now he wanted to do the same. He just needed someone’s hand.

  Alex chased after him and jumped on his back, digging her fingers into the arm holding Supergirl and hoping that sea monsters had pressure points, too. She squeezed his wrist with all her might, and felt Bubbles’s grip relax. With a greedy gasp for air, Supergirl dropped to the floor while Bubbles reached back for Alex and flung her up and over his head.

  This time, she didn’t catch herself.

  Alex struck the wall and then the floor, her right arm and back throbbing.

  But there was no rest for the wounded.

  Bubbles grabbed Alex’s left arm and dragged her toward the hand scanner by the door. Through her dim, star-scattered vision, Alex spotted the tablet computer in its holster.

  With a Herculean effort, she hauled herself to her feet and reached for the tablet with her injured arm, pain slicing through her. She whipped the tablet backward and caught Bubbles across the windpipe.

  He coughed and gasped, letting go of Alex and reaching for his throat.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Alex saw her sister shooting across the room and stepped aside, happy to let her finish the task.

  “Fish out of water!” Supergirl said, grabbing Bubbles under the arms and lifting him into the air.

  Alex placed her hand against the door scanner, and light from the hallway flooded the room. Several DEO agents stormed in, guns drawn.

  “You OK, Danvers?” one of them asked.

  Alex nodded and rested her back against the doorframe while Supergirl dropped Bubbles into his tank.

  “I know you can’t understand me,” Supergirl told him. “But I’ll bet you can figure out what they’ll do if you try to escape again.” She pointed to the DEO agents, and with an angry screech, Bubbles sank to the bottom of his tank.

  Supergirl zipped over to Alex and took her sister in her arms. “Are you OK?”

  Alex patted her on the back. “Nothing a hot bath and a new body won’t fix.”

  J’onn sprinted down the hall toward them. “Alex!”

  “I’m OK,” she said, waving him off. “But we need to keep a closer eye on Bubbles. He’s craftier—and a way better fighter—than we gave him credit for.”

  “I’m taking Alex home,” Supergirl told J’onn.

  He nodded. “Once you’re done, I’ll need you back so we can talk about the repercussions of your broadcast.”

  Supergirl shook her head. “Not now. We’ll deal with it when it happens. And it won’t be that bad.”

  “I hope you’re right,” he said as Supergirl and Alex walked away. “For the sake of everyone in National City.”

  8

  “Happy Tuesday, National City! Our top headline: Supergirl sucks!”

  Kara’s eyes shot open as she heard the radio coming from her neighbor’s apartment. She fumbled for her own clock radio and tuned to the same frequency.

  “. . . message found burned into the grass in Pineda Park this morning. After Supergirl begged supercitizens to stand down, the response has been less than cooperative and less than friendly. In addition to the lit-up lawn, supercitizens have created and destroyed an effigy of the Girl of Steel, skewered with no fewer than a dozen swords.”

  “Seriously?” Kara glared at her radio, searing it with her heat vision until it smoked and fell silent. With a grunt, she fluffed her pillow and pulled the covers over her head.

  While Kara silently fumed, someone knocked at her front door.

  “Kara?” Alex’s voice carried into the apartment.

  Kara wanted to ignore her sister, but with her X-ray vision, she could see that Alex had brought coffee and a box of doughnuts.

  “It’s not fair that you know all my weaknesses!” she informed Alex, trudging to the front door.

  “These are a thank-you for taking me home last night and not telling Maggie what happened,” said Alex, holding a cup of coffee out to her sister. “If she knew I let a prisoner trick me, I’d never hear the end of it.”

  “Glad to help.” Kara took the coffee and stepped aside so her sister could enter. “How’s Mon-El doing?”

  J’onn had wanted to keep him and James overnight for observation, which had been a relief to Kara. She couldn’t have imagined spending an evening with Mon-El while he looked like her.

  “He’s looking like himself again,” said Alex. “It happened after he fell asleep. His powers must be controlled at the conscious level.”

  “Oh, thank Rao!” Kara praised the Kryptonian diety while taking the lid off her coffee cup. “I love the smell of caffeine in the morning.”

  “It’s definitely better than whatever you’ve been cooking in here,” said Alex, wrinkling her nose.

  Kara swallowed a mouthful of coffee. “My radio. It gave me bad news, so I killed it.”

  Alex raised an eyebrow. “Then you might not want to check your phone. Or your television. Or any newsstands.”

  “What?” Despite her sister’s warning, Kara turned on the television.

  A news broadcast showed footage of a boy and girl who looked almost identical sitting on the back of an unconscious man in a ski mask. These “wonder twins,” as the newscaster called them, were holding a sign that read, WHO NEEDS SUPERGIRL?

  “Oh, come on!” Kara dropped onto her sofa. “Why are people being such jerks about this? I was trying to do a good thing, Alex.”

  “I know you were, sweetie.” Alex sat beside her. “But remember when you first became Supergirl? I told you never to use your powers, and you did anyway.”

  Kara narrowed her eyes at her sister. “If you’re trying to compare me to the supercitizens, this is worlds different. For starters, I never wrote ‘Alex sucks’ on the lawn at the park!”

  “No, but you probably thought it,” Alex said with a smirk.

  Kara sighed and pulled a cruller from the box of doughnuts, cramming it in her mouth. “J’onn knows about all this, doesn’t he?” she mumbled around a mouthful of cruller.

  Alex sucked in her breath. “That’s why I’m here. He wanted to make sure you wouldn’t take any action against the supercitizens.”

  Kara snorted and swallowed. “Any action? What, like sue them?”

  Alex tilted her hand from side to side. “That, or fly them to your family’s Fortress of Solitude and leave them for dead.”

  Kara shook her head. “I’ve got bigger things to worry about.” She reached down and picked up her cell phone, which vibrated with a text from Snapper Carr. “Like not losing my job again.” She polished off her coffee and grabbed one last doughnut. “Thank you for breakfast, and tell J’onn he has nothing to worry about.”

  “Isn’t that what you told him last night?” Alex called as Kara walked to her bedroom.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” Kara retorted. She zipped into a gray sheath dress and pink cardigan, hopping back to the living room as she pulled on a pair of flats.

  “I’m always on your side,” Alex assured her, handing Kara her phone while she grabbed her purse. “See you at the DEO later?”

  Kara nodded and followed her out the front door. “Make sure J’onn gets all his gloating done before I show up.”

  •••

  Kara shouldn’t have been surprised that James was back behind his desk at CatCo, but she froze when she saw him anyway. She knew how much James had wanted a feature on up-and-coming superheroes, and now, thanks to what J’onn had called “repercussions,” supercitizens were all over every form of media. If CatCo didn’t jump on board, it’d be the only major news brand left behind.

  Kara joined the other journali
sts gathered in James’s office, all of whom were watching him argue with Snapper.

  “. . . a fad,” Snapper was saying. “And a ridiculous one at that.”

  “Well, it’s all anyone can talk about right now,” said James. “And if we don’t, we lose. So we need to be all over this.” He raised his voice so everyone could hear him. “Tribune reporters, I want you listening in on police scanners. If anything sounds even remotely supercitizen related, we should be the first on the scene.”

  Half the gathered group murmured their assent and left.

  “Magazine journos, Snapper has a bunch of new features for you to work on. If we hurry, we can have them online tonight!” James clapped his hands. “Let’s get moving, people!”

  Snapper pushed his way through the crowd, but when he tried to shoulder past Kara, she didn’t budge. Snapper stumbled back a few paces.

  “Jeez, Ponytail!” He rubbed his shoulder. “You practicing to be a roadblock?”

  “We’re not doing an entire magazine issue on the supercitizens, are we?” she asked in response.

  Snapper’s scowl lightened to an expression of surprise. “I would’ve pegged you to be on Olsen’s side. But yeah, it’s starting to look that way.” He glanced back at James and glowered. “I have half a mind to write another opinion piece in the Tribune,” he muttered.

  It was Kara’s turn to be surprised. “You wrote an op-ed for the Tribune?”

  Snapper’s face was back to its usual dark expression. “You don’t think I should have an opinion?”

  Kara shook her head. “It’s not that. I just . . . what was the op-ed about?”

  “How print isn’t dead,” said Snapper, walking to his desk. “The public library near my house is closing down, and I wanted to save it.” He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Investigative journos at my desk!”

  Kara didn’t joke about being the first one there again. She was too busy thinking about Snapper’s op-ed on the library. It reminded her of something . . .

  “Danvers, you’re covering superdrugs.” Snapper’s voice cut into her thoughts.

  “Sorry, superdrugs?” Kara pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “As in antibiotics?”

  Snapper stared at her unblinkingly. “Superdrugs, as in drugs that give people superpowers. Ever since Supergirl’s speech last night, half the city wants them.”

  “I’m all over it.” She gave him a thumbs-up.

  “Start at Hillside Pharmacy,” he told her. “I’ve heard through the grapevine that the pharmacist there has a connection.”

  “Got it!” she said and headed for James’s office.

  “Ponytail, the exit’s that way,” said Snapper, pointing to the elevator.

  Kara laughed nervously. “Oh yeah, I know. I just need to ask James something, uh, personal.”

  Snapper rolled his eyes and went back to addressing the rest of his team. Luckily, they were too wrapped up to see Kara punch James in the arm.

  “Ow! You’re not supposed to superpunch the good guys!” he whispered harshly, rubbing his injury. “What was that for?”

  “If I’m trying to keep the supercitizens from using their powers, why are you trying to draw attention to them?” she asked.

  James sighed and sat on the edge of his desk. “Look, Kara, you know I respect your opinions, but you’re not the only hero around here.” He gestured to the television screens behind him, most of which featured a supercitizen report. “I just want to give recognition where it’s due.”

  Kara shook her head. “You should not be encouraging this. I had to repair the city’s plumbing last night because of a supercitizen. And there were lions roaming the streets because of another one!”

  “Funny.” James crossed his arms. “I seem to recall you causing an oil spill when you first started saving this city.”

  Kara felt her cheeks warm. “That’s . . . I . . .”

  He pointed at her. “And didn’t you also turn Leslie Willis into Livewire while trying to save her traffic chopper?”

  Kara clenched her fists at her side. “Both of those were accidents!”

  James chuckled. “And you think these supercitizens are screwing up on purpose?”

  Kara set her jaw and adjusted her glasses. “You know what? I can’t have this conversation right now. I have a pharmacist to stop.”

  She turned on her heel and stormed away, with James calling after her, “Think about it, Kara!”

  Not bothering with the elevator, she pushed open the door to the fire stairs and flew up to the roof and across town to Hillside Pharmacy. She didn’t even care if anyone saw.

  But while she’d been quick to arrive, now that she was in front of the building, Kara took her time walking in. Hillside Pharmacy wasn’t quite what she expected.

  Instead of a brick-and-mortar building, the pharmacy was a mobile trailer hitched to a truck, as if it were prepared to leave town at a moment’s notice. The outside was painted green with peeling red letters that read ILLSIDE PHARMAC.

  “Who’d buy medicine here?” she wondered aloud. “Who’d buy anything here?”

  The trailer door stuck when she opened it, and she pulled hard enough to shake the entire structure. A bell jangled above the door, but it wasn’t necessary. She could see from one end of the trailer to the other, where the pharmacist sat. He was an older man with a bowed back and more hair coming from his ears than the top of his head.

  “Can I help you, miss?” he asked.

  Kara smiled and strolled over shyly. “I’ve heard you carry . . . special supplies here.”

  The pharmacist frowned. “Special supplies?”

  Kara leaned forward and whispered. “Supplies that can make people super.”

  The pharmacist grinned. “Ahhh. You mean Power Powder.”

  He opened a cabinet mounted to the wall and pulled out a jar filled with purple powder.

  Purple.

  But the mysterious metal from Dr. Wanabi’s apartment was red.

  “Drink one spoonful of this mixed into a glass of water and you’ll be just like Supergirl,” said the pharmacist.

  Kara feigned fascination. “Really?”

  The pharmacist nodded. “Of course, the effects take a few days to kick in.”

  Of course they do, Kara thought. Long enough for you to collect your money and get out of town.

  “I recommend a minimum of four doses for full effect,” the pharmacist continued.

  Kara didn’t bat an eyelash. “How much does each dose cost?”

  “Thirty dollars.”

  “Wow!” Kara smiled at the pharmacist. “Who could pass that up?”

  The pharmacist chuckled. “Nobody has so far. And I’ve seen fifty people already today.”

  Kara chuckled, too. Then she grabbed the jar of powder from the pharmacist.

  “Hey! Give that—owww!” he cried as Kara twisted his arm with one hand.

  “What’s really in this jar?” she asked.

  “I told you!” the pharmacist gasped. “Power Powder!”

  “Which is actually . . . ?” she prompted, twisting his arm even further.

  “G-gelatin!” he shouted. “It’s grape gelatin!”

  Kara let the pharmacist go, and he collapsed on the floor, whimpering.

  “You’re going to start the truck attached to this trailer,” said Kara, kneeling beside him, “and you’re going to leave National City right now. Or I’ll show you what real power can do.” She crushed the jar of grape gelatin mix in one hand. “Understand?”

  The pharmacist nodded and scooted away from her.

  Kara straightened and opened the trailer door. “You should also fix your sign. You spelled ‘con artist’ wrong.”

  Slamming the door behind her, Kara stepped onto the sidewalk and headed for the nearest alley. She needed to fly back to the DEO straightaway.

  What if it hadn’t been grape gelatin people were drinking? What if it’d been rat poison? They were forking over their money just for a taste of power
—no matter the price. The worst part was that this “pharmacist” probably wasn’t the only one selling fake formulas.

  Kara paused. No, the worst part was knowing that J’onn was right.

  Her speech as Supergirl had brought chaos to National City before it was ready. Yes, people had been aware of supercitizens, but being publicized by Supergirl had made them famous. And others craved the same fame, which made them search for superpowers, turning to strangers who were eager to take advantage of them.

  Ducking between two Dumpsters, Kara leaped into the air and rocketed across the city. When she walked into the DEO control room, Alex, J’onn, and Winn all glanced at her.

  “Hey,” she said, clasping her hands in front of her. “You’ve probably noticed the damage a certain video has caused today.” She glanced at her feet before looking up at J’onn, who was studying her with arms crossed. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen. How do we fix it?”

  Instead of scolding Kara, J’onn turned back to the monitors. “We don’t know yet. The mutated cells we retrieved from James’s blood haven’t shown signs of weakening or changing, and when we quarantined the apartment building, Dr. Wanabi was nowhere to be found.”

  Winn raised a hand. “But we did uncover a clue using the camera cogitari.”

  “The what?” Kara asked.

  “It’s a helmet that turns thoughts into images,” explained Alex.

  “My thoughts, thank you very much,” said Mon-El from behind Kara.

  She steeled herself for whatever version of him she might face, but luckily, he looked like himself.

  “Mon-El! It’s so good to see you!” Kara threw her arms around him. “The real you, I mean.”

  Mon-El squeezed her tight and chuckled. “You didn’t like flirting with yourself yesterday?”

  “I did that enough in high school,” said Kara. At the strange looks from the other DEO agents, she hastily added, “In the mirror! I was practicing . . . You know what? It’s not important.” Kara cleared her throat and straightened her glasses. “What was the clue you found, Winn?”