by Lisa Yee
Supergirl’s head and heart were ready for battle, but her body wasn’t. She began to think about her planet exploding and the loss of her parents. She thought about the Kents taking her in, and about the betrayal by Granny Goodness, and let out a small sob.
As if reading her mind, Barbara said, “She fooled us all, Supergirl, not just you. Don’t blame yourself.”
Supergirl let this sink in. It was true. Granny had tricked everyone, beginning with Principal Waller, who had hired her. But now that the real Granny was revealed, something had to be done.
The more Supergirl thought about it, the angrier she got. Feeling her strength returning in full force, she put her hands on her hips and announced, “We have to stop Granny Goodness and save the world!”
Barbara nodded, laughing. “Well, yeah,” she said. “That’s the goal.”
Once in the IT Annex, Barbara set to work.
“How can I help?” Supergirl asked.
“I’ve got this,” Babs said. “I’ve calculated the frequency of Granny’s device and created a de-trancer. There’s only one problem.”
On Barbara’s massive bank of computer screens, Supergirl could see more and more of her friends falling under Granny’s control. The Furies were gleefully rounding them up.
“I need a solidified igneous rock formed by molten magma to counteract the power and range of the Amethyst,” Barbara said.
“You need a what?” Supergirl asked.
“I need a crystal,” said Barbara. “One that can conduct energy. But where can I find one now?”
Without hesitation, Supergirl removed the crystal from her necklace.
“Would this work?” she asked, handing it to Barbara.
Her friend looked at her, surprised. “This is from your mother?”
Supergirl nodded. “Take it,” she insisted, putting the crystal in Barbara’s hand. Supergirl stood tall and said, “The world needs it more than I do.”
Barbara smiled as she inserted Supergirl’s crystal into the device.
“POW! De-trancing on!” Babs declared. Then she clipped a small pair of earrings to Supergirl’s ears. “These will keep you safe from Granny’s trance. To release a Super from the trance, just point this at them and push the button.” She handed the device to Supergirl, adding, “You can fly and get to places and people I can’t. I’m counting on you, Supergirl. We all are.”
“What was that?” Supergirl asked, jumping up.
“I don’t hear anything,” Barbara said. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. It had been a long day and there was no end in sight.
Supergirl tilted her head to listen. “It’s Granny. They’re heading this way!”
“We can bolt the IT Annex doors from the inside,” Barbara said, quickly reprogramming the security code.
“Barda’s strong. So are the rest of the Furies,” Supergirl noted. “They’re going to get in here to bypass all the security systems you’ve put in place.”
Barbara shook her head. “All this tech equipment is useless if you don’t know what to do with it—and because I created most of it myself, I’m the only one who knows how it works. C’mon, we can get out this way.”
Crawling through the school’s massive air vents, Supergirl and Barbara were able to spy on Granny marching triumphantly down the hall, Perry trotting by her side. The Furies all followed in formation behind her—all but one, who slipped out of line.
Big Barda paused to stare at a display case featuring paintings and art created by the students. She raised her Mega Rod in the air, about to smash it to pieces, but then stopped herself. Gently setting it down, she examined a cherry blossom tree that Katana had painted, the Tamaran flowers lovingly shaded by Starfire, and Star Sapphire’s Cupid surrounded by glittery diamond hearts.
Granny snapped her fingers in front of Barda’s face. “Apokolips to Barda. Are those paint splatters more interesting than me?”
Barda blubbered, “No, it’s just—the Supers who go to school here, in their studies, they get to make beautiful things like this?”
Granny laughed like she’d just heard the funniest joke in the universe. “Silly girl. Who needs art when you can have power? Let’s go! We have work to do if we’re going to rule the world.”
With a last longing look at the showcase, Barda let out a sigh, then rushed to catch up with the others.
With Granny and her five fierce Furies storming the school, Barbara was able to track their whereabouts on her computer watch, and Supergirl was able to listen in on them. As they trailed behind them, Supergirl de-tranced several Supers. Still, there were many more she needed to get to.
“De-trancing one at a time will take too long,” Barbara whispered in a panic. “Your crystal is working great, but I wish we had something even more powerful.”
“Wait!” Supergirl exclaimed. “What about the Amethyst?”
Barbara thought about it, then nodded. “Yes! If Granny can use the Amethyst to amplify her powers, I can use it too. I’ll just need to plug the de-trancer into it! But I need to get there without Granny and her Furies trying to stop me.”
Supergirl raised her hand. “I can create a distraction,” she said, bending down to double-knot her shoelaces and adding a third knot for good measure.
“You might not be ready yet,” Barbara warned. “We don’t know if you have your full powers….”
Before she could finish her sentence, Supergirl was gone.
With laser focus, Supergirl zipped toward the Furies, angering Granny and startling Big Barda. They were now outside in the courtyard, where they were amassing the Supers, lined up in tidy rows with blank looks on their faces. Never had Supergirl seen Beast Boy so still, or Harley not talking—and there were teachers, too. Crazy Quilt, Liberty Belle, and Mr. Fox were among them.
Supergirl flew around the scene, swooping lower with each pass. “Are you looking for something to do?” she called out, taunting Granny and her army. “Because I’m bored.”
Granny’s steely eyes narrowed. “Power of Apokolips!” she shouted, raising her arms high in the air. “Control this annoying gnat of a girl!”
The yellow light washed over Supergirl. She gasped. Her body jerked, and suddenly she dropped to the ground, her face blank like the others’.
Granny Goodness’s laugh echoed between the buildings. “Oh, that was just too easy,” she said, scratching Perry behind the ears. “Come on, Furies, let’s finish this school off. We’ll merge the Super Hero High teens with our Furies and then attack Metropolis from all sides. Then it’s on to every major city in the world, ending in Switzerland to take care of that clod Massacre. What a dupe! By then our army will be so big we can rule the world!”
Barda smiled and nodded. Perry drooled, and the Furies lifted their heads in triumph as they surveyed the Supers standing before them at attention.
“Not so fast, Granny!”
Granny whipped around. “You?!” she cried.
“Yes, me,” Supergirl said calmly. She was holding a car above her head.
A swath of yellow light hit Supergirl, but she didn’t flinch. Her de-trancing earrings were doing their job. “I was never under your power,” Supergirl explained. “But I needed to know your plans.” With that, she tossed the car at Granny, but Big Barda stepped in and batted it away.
“GET HER!” Granny cried.
Big Barda led the charge, with her compatriots following close behind. Soon the Furies were all in pursuit of Supergirl. As she led them away from the Amethyst Tower, Barbara began her ascent toward the gem.
Though they were fast and cunning and strong, the Furies were no match for Supergirl. Any self-doubt she once had was now gone, and it showed. For the first time in her life, Supergirl felt in full control of her powers. Without hesitation, she flew with lightning speed around the Furies, causing massive confusion among the ranks as their weapons shot at one another and they yelled in anger and frustration.
At the same time, Supergirl kept a watchful eye on her
best friend, who was nearing the top of the tower. Barbara replaced her grappling hook with the B.A.T. grappling gun calibrated for distance and strength. With expert precision, she aimed and fired it upward toward the massive prongs that secured the Amethyst. The hook caught the metal with a loud clang that rang across the school. Alerted, Artemiz, who was about to shoot Supergirl with her bow and arrow, stopped and grinned. Then she turned and instead aimed at Barbara Gordon.
Before Supergirl could respond, she saw Gorilla Grodd exit a terrace door, grab a rope from one of the school flags, and swing across the building, letting out a fierce gorilla yell.
Her jaw dropped when Grodd positioned himself between Artemiz’s arrow and Barbara.
“Noooooo!” Barbara shouted, horrified, when the arrow meant for her struck the former vice principal. He plummeted, landing with a thud that shook the ground.
Artemiz readied another arrow and took aim at Barbara. Supergirl raised her com bracelet. “Barbara,” she yelled. “Watch out! Another arrow is headed your way!”
Furies descended upon Supergirl as she looked over at the tower in time to see Barbara thrust herself over the side of the building onto the roof. With gymnastic skills worthy of Harley Quinn, Barbara flipped up to the Amethyst and in a single motion plugged her de-trancer into it.
A loud BOOM! could be heard throughout the city as the de-trancer began to emit a blue light that overtook Granny’s yellow light, bathing Super Hero High in hope.
All was good! Or was it?
Bumblebee was at Grodd’s side, trying to revive him. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you!” she cried when he didn’t move. The Flash and Hawkgirl looked stricken, too, but their battle was not over yet.
As the soothing blue light blanketed the Supers, they came out of their trances. Some were angry, some were confused, some were tired. All were ready to fight back.
Granny’s face contorted at the sight of her evil plan unraveling. She raised her fists in the air and yelled, “FURIES! ATTACK!”
The Furies turned away from Supergirl and before she could stop them, they spread out, each taking on a Super or two. They were well trained. Supergirl knew this, having observed them via the Boom Tubes portals. Yet her fellow Super Hero High students had studied under Wildcat and Mr. Fox, and the other distinguished teachers, all heroes themselves. And they were led by none other than Amanda “The Wall” Waller, who was a force to be reckoned with in any universe.
Supergirl watched with amazement as Miss Martian—normally so shy that it made others uncomfortable—called out in a voice loud and clear, “Don’t mess with Super Hero High, you horrible Furies!” as she charged into battle.
Speed Queen, who had been running head-on toward The Flash, suddenly fell sprawling to the ground when the invisible Miss Martian inserted herself between the two, tripping her.
Humiliated, an angry Speed Queen got up and fled. “Good riddance!” Miss Martian called after her. Giddy, she hugged The Flash, but after a second he was hugging himself with Miss Martian nowhere to be seen.
Beast Boy had turned into a snake to get close to Stompa. Just as she was about to crush him, he became a fire-breathing dragon.
“Excuse me, but who were you planning to stomp?” he roared, fire blazing from his mouth as Stompa backed away.
Meanwhile, Artemiz and Katana were slowly circling each other at a distance, getting closer with each step. Artemiz had her bow and arrows at the ready and trained on Katana. Katana had one hand out toward her opponent, beckoning her, and held her sword aloft with the other.
“Give me what you’ve got,” Katana taunted. “I’m not afraid of you.”
Artemiz’s eyes narrowed. “Well, you should be,” she said, releasing several arrows at once.
“Katana, watch out!” Beast Boy yelled as he battled Stompa.
“I got this!” Katana assured him.
She spun, ducking some arrows while slashing others to bits with her sword, then finally grabbing one with her free hand.
“I think this belongs to you?” Katana said, pinning Artemiz to the ground with an arrow through her tunic.
In another corner of the campus, Supergirl could see Harley doing whip-fast backflips and then hitting a surprised Mad Harriet with her mega mallet in one hand while taking a video with her other. But with each hit, Mad Harriet merely laughed and bounced back up. Then she lunged toward Harley.
Before she made contact, Cheetah leapt in and growled, “Harley, you’re gonna want to get this on video!”
“You got it!” Harley called out as Mad Harriet released razor-sharp claws and went after Cheetah. But Cheetah was too fast. “Is that the best you’ve got?” she sneered as she climbed up a trellis wall.
In a blind rage, Mad Harriet screamed and chased her up the trellis, unaware that Poison Ivy was nearby. The girl with the green thumb had mutated the vines to grow spikes and capture the next person who touched them.
“Get off me!” Mad Harriet growled as the vines twisted tight around her, pinning her down. “Leave me alone!”
“Yes!” Cheetah and Poison Ivy yelled as they high-fived.
“You get that?” Cheetah asked Harley as Mad Harriet stewed, all wrapped up with nowhere to go.
“Got it!” Harley yelled back.
Supergirl looked up to see Bumblebee flying circles above them, letting out her most powerful bee sting ever. It was so powerful that she flew backward, knocking over Speed Queen, who had rejoined the fight and had Frost cornered. From behind a row of trash cans, Parasite appeared carrying a bucket and armed with brooms and mops he had turned into offensive weapons. But try as he might to land a blow, Speed Queen was too quick for him.
“Ready?” Parasite called out to Frost.
“Ready!” Frost replied as the janitor emptied a bucket of dirty mop water at Speed Queen’s feet.
“I’m not afraid of a little water,” Speed Queen laughed, narrowing her eyes and getting into position to race toward Frost.
“You may not be afraid of water, but what about a little ice?” Frost asked, freezing the water and causing Speed Queen to slip and fall. She fell again and again, unable to get up from the slick ice.
As Green Lantern and Star Sapphire moved in to help secure Speed Queen, Harley got it all on video.
Hovering behind the Statue of Justice, Supergirl watched the fight unfold. She reached for her necklace, but it wasn’t there. Panic overcame her until she remembered that she had given it to Barbara to fuel the de-trancer. As proud as she was about how well the Supers were doing, Supergirl knew that it was because of her that there was a battle in the first place. If she hadn’t tried to access the forbidden Boom Tubes, none of this would have happened.
It looked like the Supers were doing just fine without her.
“Supergirl?”
A familiar friendly voice called out to her. Supergirl looked up to see Granny Goodness standing atop the Tower. She was no longer wearing her battle armor and her evil face had softened. She smoothed out a crease in her old-fashioned skirt. Granny was holding her cookie jar.
“Supergirl, so glad you’re safe,” she said. “You look like you could use a cookie. Dear, why don’t you come with me and make something of yourself. Join the family….”
“Family?” Supergirl said, thinking of her mother and father. Suddenly, she was no longer Supergirl, super hero. She was Kara from Krypton, wondering what she was doing in the middle of an epic battle and wishing she were anywhere else.
As the battle raged around them, Granny Goodness and Supergirl almost didn’t notice that they could no longer hear the cries of victory or the pain of defeat. Instead, it was as if the world had stopped and it was just the two of them: a fierce old woman and a fearful teen.
“We’re the same, us orphans,” Granny reminded her. “Join me, Supergirl, and you too can be in Darkseid’s army. You can command the Furies with me! Your parents never wanted you to be alone and lonely.”
It was true—Supergirl’s parents hadn’t
wanted her to be alone or lonely. That was why they’d sent her to Earth. In that moment, all Supergirl had been through flashed before her. What she had lost…and what she’d gained. Perhaps she couldn’t trust Granny Goodness, but there were others who she believed in, and who believed in her.
Suddenly, Supergirl knew what she must do. Her mother’s voice echoed in her mind: “Always do your best, Kara, and you’ll be fine. I promise. You have the heart of a hero. ”
She heard Barbara saying, “Gut-check it. What does your heart say?”
Any doubt Kara Zor-El had harbored disappeared. Supergirl nodded at Granny. “You’re right,” she said. “I don’t want to be alone.”
Granny smiled and offered her a cookie.
“But I don’t want to be with you, or the Furies, or Darkseid,” Supergirl said confidently with a smile.
In an instant, Granny’s own sweet smile turned sinister. She whipped around and was suddenly dressed as Darkseid’s loyal warrior once more. Catching Supergirl off guard, Granny put her into a headlock. “How dare you speak of Darkseid like that?” she demanded. “You’re too weak to be one of my Furies anyway. I may as well just get rid of you right now!”
Supergirl gasped. “Oooh, look at Perry, so cute!” she wheezed.
When Granny turned, Supergirl twisted out of her grasp. The two stood facing each other, their jaws tight and their fists clenched, both in a fighting stance.
“Let’s not argue,” Granny said, slipping into her sweet voice once more. “I wasn’t really going to hurt you. I’m just doing my job.”
“Really?” Supergirl said sarcastically.
“Yes, really,” Granny said. “Before Waller had the Boom Tubes sealed off, I could come and go as I pleased, recruiting young Supers to be in Darkseid’s army. I was especially fond of lonely, naive orphans who were trying to find their place in the world. Poor dears lost their family and friends. But then, you know what that’s like, don’t you, Kara Zor-El of the doomed planet Krypton?