Katana at Super Hero High

by Lisa Yee

  Copyright © 2017 DC Comics.

  DC SUPER HERO GIRLS and all related characters and elements

  © & TM DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

  WB SHIELD: TM & © WBEI. (s17)

  RHUS 37542

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York, and in Canada by Penguin Random House Canada Limited, Toronto. Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  ISBN 9781101940686 (hc) — ISBN 9781101940693 (lib. bdg.) ebook ISBN 9781101940709

  rhcbooks.com

  dcsuperherogirls.com

  dckids.com

  v4.1

  ep

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Prologue

  Part One

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Part Two

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Part Three

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  ’mon, Supers, let’s get this party started,” Harley Quinn cheered. Her blond pigtails bobbed up and down each time she landed a triple backflip. This was pretty amazing, considering she had a large mallet in one hand and her ever-present video camera in the other.

  Harley pivoted on her landing and then focused the camera on Batgirl, Super Hero High’s latest recipient of the Hero of the Month award. With so many of the universe’s top super students at Super Hero High, this was one of the highest honors a teen could be awarded.

  “I’d like to wait for Katana,” Batgirl said, glancing at her watch. She adjusted the yellow Utility Belt she always wore around her waist. One never knew when they might need a laser screwdriver to adjust Cyborg’s internal circuitry, a Batarang to thwart a criminal, or a Net Gun to pin an evil mutant against a wall.

  “Well, Batgirl, it is your party,” said the girl with the big S on her shirt. “Oops!”

  “Watch out!” Cheetah warned everyone when Supergirl tripped on her own shoelaces—a not-uncommon occurrence for the girl who was quite possibly the most powerful being on Earth. Supergirl stumbled into Raven, who knocked into Frost, who almost fell over as Star Sapphire nimbly stepped aside and smiled as she adjusted the purple power ring on her finger as though nothing had happened.

  Supergirl recovered and gracefully floated into a standing position. Her cheeks turned pink, and she smiled meekly as she made sure Raven and Frost were okay. The girls rolled their eyes good-naturedly. Luckily, Supergirl had gained more control over her powers during her time at Super Hero High, and her acts of random clumsiness were growing less frequent.

  Meanwhile, Wonder Woman and Bumblebee were at the table arranging the black paper plates and yellow cups into a Batgirl logo…though it looked more like a lumpy kitten than a bat. “I wish Katana were here,” Wonder Woman said. “She’s so much better at this than we are.”

  “Where’s the cake?” Big Barda asked as she barged into Batgirl’s room, aka the Bat-Bunker. Each super hero had her own dorm room, with a shared living space in the middle of each quad. However, Batgirl had turned her room into a dark high-tech headquarters.

  “Someone said there would be cake!” Barda said, looking at the empty plates. “Am I too late? Cake is my favorite food—well, after mashed potatoes, of course.”

  “Katana is picking up the cake from the Capes and Cowls Café,” Wonder Woman said. “I’ll go see if she needs help.” She handed her paper cups to Bumblebee. “Be right back!”

  —

  In less time than it took for Bumblebee to finish the Batgirl logo, Wonder Woman had flown to Capes & Cowls, stopping on the way to use her Lasso of Truth to corral a trio of tricksters who were trying to hijack an ice cream truck.

  “Hey, Steve!” Wonder Woman called. She pushed her thick black hair away from her face and adjusted her golden tiara with the red star emblazoned on the front.

  As always, the Capes & Cowls Café was bustling. A lanky boy with a pencil tucked behind his ear blushed. This happened whenever Wonder Woman was around.

  “Did she like it?” he asked.

  “Like what?” Wonder Woman said as she shook his hand vigorously, not wanting to let go. Though his grip was not as strong as hers, she liked the way his head bobbed up and down. It was as if he were agreeing with her over and over again.

  “Did Batgirl like the cake I made for her?” Steve said, flexing his hand until he had feeling in his fingers again. When Wonder Woman blinked blankly at him, he elaborated. “Seven layers? Purple and black buttercream frosting with lemon sugar piping? Big yellow Batgirl logo on the top? Katana did deliver it, right?”

  “Katana was here and left?” Wonder Woman asked.

  A look of concern crossed Steve’s face as he replied, “She left over an hour ago and said she was heading straight back to Super Hero High. Katana said she didn’t want to be late to the party, and we all know how punctual she always—”

  Before Steve could finish his sentence, Wonder Woman was gone.

  —

  Back at the party, everyone gathered around Wonder Woman. “I don’t know how to say this,” she began, “but…”

  “But what?” Supergirl pressed.

  “Katana,” Wonder Woman went on. “Steve said she picked up the cake over an hour ago and was heading right back here!”

  Batgirl gasped. Harley was speechless. Even Cheetah looked worried. Finally, Bumblebee stated the obvious.

  “This is totally unlike her,” she said. “Katana is never late. Something must be terribly wrong!”

  here was a party, all right. What was supposed to be a celebration party for Batgirl quickly turned into a search party.

  Katana was missing! This was big. Of all the Supers, Katana had a reputation for being on time for everything. It was not unheard of for Katana to be extra early. But late? Never! Ever! Never ever!

  Batgirl sat at the controls of her elaborate computer system in the Bat-Bunker while the others looked on. “I’m going to try to get a lock on her location,” she explained as she addressed the keyboard with the speed, precision, and grace of a master pianist. Instantly, computer screens glowed blue, and images of the school grounds and the surrounding area appeared.

  By then, the Bat-Bunker was crowded with concerned students. News traveled fast at Super Hero High, and they were famous for banding together when one of their own was in danger.

  “Junior Detective Society, reporting!” Hawkgirl announced. In a nanosecond, The Flash was at her side, along with new member Poison Ivy, who was clutching an oversized basket of gorgeous tulips, daisies, and roses. She had been in charge of the flowers for the party and, after delivering the first batch, had left to get more. Half of her red hair was festooned with daisies. When she heard about Katana, Ivy had raced over without a thought to fixing the other half.


  Batgirl nodded to her fellow detectives, glad for their assistance. They were known for cracking mysteries that ranged from who had eaten the last chocolate tart (Beast Boy) to knowing where an evil villain resided (the planet Xolnar). Just recently, the Junior Detective Society had helped Batgirl identify and capture the Calculator, a teen tech villain who sought to bring down the World Wide Web and control the world.

  Instantly, the Junior Detective Society began interviewing everyone who might have a clue about Katana’s whereabouts. The room was buzzing with theories, rumors, and an abundance of false leads.

  “She probably dropped the cake and is too embarrassed to admit it,” Cheetah said to The Flash.

  “Maybe she was kidnapped by Croc,” Big Barda told Poison Ivy as she swung her Mega Rod around, causing several Supers to duck or leap. “I heard he’s on the loose again.”

  “It’s possible she got sidetracked at the Metropolis Art Museum,” Arrowette said to Hawkgirl. “They have a new Art of Archery exhibit.”

  “She’s here,” Miss Martian said so softly that only Supergirl could hear. “Katana is close.”

  “Where?” Supergirl asked. “Everyone, please! Miss Martian has detected something.”

  All talking stopped as Supers pressed in around the shy green alien from Mars. Supergirl could see Miss Martian starting to turn invisible, as she was apt to do when embarrassed, which was most of the time.

  “Stay with us,” Supergirl pleaded. “We need you! What do you know?”

  Miss Martian shut her eyes to block out everyone who was staring at her. Though she had the ability to read minds, Miss Martian was never comfortable with the attention it brought her.

  Batgirl took Miss Martian’s hand and gently squeezed it. “It’s okay,” she assured her friend. “Pretend we’re not here. Think about Katana.”

  Wonder Woman observed everyone looking at Miss Martian, who had started fading again. “Please clear the room!” Wonder Woman yelled. “Let’s give Miss Martian some space.”

  As teens began walking, flying, and tumbling out of the Bat-Bunker, Miss Martian began to appear again. Her forehead was furrowed as she concentrated. “I’m getting a signal from Katana,” she said. “But it’s weak.”

  Batgirl heaved a sigh of relief. “She’s alive!” she said, stating what everyone else had been hoping. In this business of being a super hero, danger often lurked. Lives were saved, but lives were also often in jeopardy.

  “Katana is in the building,” Miss Martian added. Her delicate features were scrunched up as she tried to concentrate.

  Batgirl leaned forward so that they were face to face. “Miss Martian,” she said patiently, “are you getting a message? What can you tell us?”

  “It doesn’t make sense,” Miss Martian said, shaking her head. “She’s near, but she’s far. Is she underneath us?” Suddenly, Miss Martian’s eyes flew open. She began to tremble. “Katana’s in danger!”

  Batgirl gasped. “Underneath us? It must be the secret tunnels!”

  “The what?” Supergirl asked as she flew in nervous circles around the room.

  “I thought they were just an old Super Hero High urban legend,” Poison Ivy said quizzically.

  “Sometimes legends are based on fact,” Wonder Woman noted. “Batgirl, since you have some knowledge of the tunnels, you look for Katana below. I’ll round up the other Junior Detective Society members and go back to Capes and Cowls and try to see if I can come up with more clues.”

  “Sounds like a great plan,” Batgirl said. But Wonder Woman had already left.

  As the rest of the Supers began to fan out, four remained. Batgirl turned around to discover Miss Martian looking exhausted. Supergirl gave the green girl a warm smile and a hug, careful not to crush her. Poison Ivy handed her a flower.

  Batgirl got on her computer and began referencing maps of catacombs and strange winding pathways. Using a special Bat-program, she was able to merge the documents; then she hit “Save” and downloaded the compilation onto her wrist computer.

  “I’m trying to access the Metropolis building-code files. They go back over a hundred years, but only some of them have been digitized,” Batgirl explained. “I can get us underground, but, Miss Martian, I’m going to need your help to find Katana. Are you up for this?”

  Everyone stared at Miss Martian, whose green-skinned cheeks were now as red as her hair. Batgirl couldn’t tell if she was scared, excited, or, more likely, both. “It’s okay,” Supergirl assured her. “We’re all in this together.”

  Poison Ivy handed her a hybrid orange-rose blossom to “make you feel better.” Miss Martian breathed its fragrant scent. “Okay,” she said with quiet determination. “I’m ready.”

  “Let’s go get Katana!” Supergirl said, already out the door and halfway down the hall.

  “Hello?” Batgirl called after her.

  “Hello!” Supergirl answered.

  “You’re going in the wrong direction,” Batgirl pointed out.

  “Oops! Maybe you should take the lead on this,” Supergirl suggested.

  “And Miss Martian, too,” Batgirl reminded everyone. “We can’t do it without her!”

  “Should we tell Principal Waller?” Poison Ivy asked.

  “No,” Miss Martian said with more force than usual.

  Everyone froze.

  “No,” she said again, turning to her friends. She looked scared. “We have to hurry. There’s no time to waste!”

  he map led the search party through the library, down the corridor, past Beast Boy’s messy room, around Ivy’s organic garden, over Mr. Lucius Fox’s Weaponomics blast test zone, and back inside.

  The rescue team of Batgirl, Supergirl, Poison Ivy, and Miss Martian stared at the small brown door near the cafeteria. It had been there forever, yet no one had ever really taken the time to notice. Most assumed it was where Parasite, the janitor, kept his cleaning supplies. There was a handwritten sign on the door in his distinctive scrawl.

  KEEP OUT. OR ELSE.

  THAT MEANS YOU. I AM SERIOUS.

  Supergirl reached for the doorknob, prepared to rip the door off its hinges if necessary. However, the knob turned easily and the door swung open, making a small creaking sound. Everyone hesitated for a heartbeat before following Batgirl as she plunged into the darkness.

  Always prepared, Batgirl lit up the maze of tunnels with her B.A.T.-light. Still, the light could not shine everywhere. It was cold and damp, and in spots water dripped from the low ceilings. The tunnels smelled like the bad parts of the beach.

  With Batgirl at the front, Miss Martian at her side, the Supers weaved through tunnels and caverns. They hit so many dead ends that Poison Ivy began leaving a trail of petals so they could find their way back.

  “A long time ago these tunnels were used to travel in and out of Metropolis unnoticed,” Batgirl said. “Some evidence shows that they were once used as aqueducts to get to the ocean, and other evidence suggests that Supers and spies, and the government, used these passageways to hide secrets, treasures, and even people.”

  “This place is creepy!” Ivy declared as they forged onward. “There are so many doors and tunnels leading in every direction! I’m not so sure I want to know what’s down here.” She was staring at yet another door that was bolted shut.

  The group paused as Batgirl asked Miss Martian, “Can you sense any thoughts from Katana in there?” They had been stopping at each door as Supergirl used her X-ray vision and Miss Martian tried to detect someone or something. So far, all the rooms had been empty.

  Miss Martian shook her head. “I’m not picking up a signal anymore,” she said. Her voice was filled with worry.

  “Do you hear that?” Supergirl asked, cocking her head.

  “I don’t hear anything,” Batgirl said.

  Poison Ivy shook her head. “Me neither.”

  “I must be imagining things,” Supergirl said. “For a moment I thought I heard a humming sound. A weird, creepy buzz like an out-of-tune r
adio.”

  “Supergirl, can you see what’s on the other side of this door?” Batgirl asked, bringing her back to the task at hand.

  All watched as Supergirl got into position and focused using her X-ray vision. “Let’s break the door down,” she said, not waiting for approval or help. “This room looks like it’s full of clues!”

  With ease, she lifted the worn wooden door off its hinges and leaned it against the wall. The Supers stood stunned at what lay before them. It was like a museum! There were shelves of memorabilia, old super hero costumes, a cache of ancient weapons, and grainy photos of some of their teachers when they were students at Super Hero High. A giant velvet painting of Crazy Quilt in a snazzy multicolored leisure suit was propped up against a pile of dusty capes with the initials RT on them.

  “They must have belonged to Red Tornado,” Supergirl said, talking about their flight instructor.

  As the girls looked through the crates and boxes, Supergirl called out, “What are you doing here?”

  Everyone faced the door.

  “What’s going on?” Beast Boy asked. He was munching on a piece of cake and humming a Pop 40 tune.

  “Purple and black!” Batgirl shouted, staring at the frosting on his face.

  “That’s the cake Katana picked up from Capes and Cowls,” Poison Ivy yelled, pointing to what Beast Boy was holding.

  “Beast Boy! Where did you get that?” Supergirl demanded.

  “Hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he said, pushing them away. “Get your own cake. There’s plenty for everyone!”

  “This is serious,” Batgirl said. “Katana picked up my celebration cake from Steve Trevor before she went missing. We think she might be in danger.”