Girl Power

CHAPTER ONE: GROWING PAINS


SUPERMAN couldn't put his finger on it but ever since Supergirl had returned from her mystery disappearance he was sure something about her had changed.
She'd refused to talk about where she'd been or what had happened to her - and would spend long periods out on her own without saying where she was going.
Her demeanour also seemed to be different. In conversation she would often be dismissive of Kal-El's comments and had openly derided their friend Batman on one occasion when the three had been chatting.
More worrying was her behaviour when Superman had faced a brutal showdown with Punisher some days ago. Instead of leaping to help she'd stood back watching - seeming to enjoy the sight of her cousin struggling to overcome one of his most potent foes.
At first he thought perhaps it was just the natural growing process. Kara was, after all, only 19 and had previously lacked the natural confidence her superpowers should have bestowed on her.
But it was an incident with Batman's young sidekick Robin that really made him worry.
Supergirl and the Boy Wonder had always been close - a friendship seemingly forged by their roles as teenage crimefighters learning from their older and wiser mentors.
Then one afternoon Superman walked in unannounced on the two after they'd been out on patrol together.
The Boy Wonder was cowering on all fours on the floor panting heavily with Kara standing imperiously above him her hands on her hips.
"You're pathetic Robin," she sneered kicking him in the side. "I had to rescue you again didn't I? I don't know why I bother giving you even a second of my time. Next time I think I'll just let you suffer. After all - you make quite an appealing victim."
She kicked him again and this time Robin cried out and rolled out onto his back in agony.
"Aw diddums," taunted Supergirl. "Did the little girl hurt Wobbiny? Well it's just what you deserve."
She moved to aim another kick at him but was stopped by Superman's shouted warning.
"Kara!" he shouted. ""Stop it! What are you doing?"
Supergirl turned to look at her cousin.
"Just teaching this pathetic excuse for a man a lesson," she said coldly. "Want to stop and watch? You might learn something."
Kara stomped her foot down on the helpless Boy Wonder's stomach.
"Uuuggggghhhhhhhh," he grunted as his upper body shot into the air before crashing back to the floor.
"KARA!" yelled Superman lunging forward and wrapping his muscular arms around her body. She struggled wildly as he pulled her away from Robin's stricken form.
"Get off me," she yelled. "I want to see him suffer."
She flung her elbow back into Superman's ribcage with all her might. The Man Of Steel winced as the blow connected. He knew Supergirl's strength would grow as she got older but he never imagined she would ever gain the ability to cause him any pain.
Kara hammered her elbow into him again and he almost lost his grip on the wriggling vixen but just about managed to hold her firm.
"Calm down," he commanded as he lifted her off the floor and carried her struggling form out of the room into an adjoining chamber.
Supergirl's legs thrashed wildly as the heels of her boots clattering against his thighs. Each blow sent a sharp pain up his legs and it was a relief when he managed to manhandle her into a large chair.
She stared at him angrily.
"Don't you ever, ever lay your hands on me again!" she snapped.
"Kara - what's got into you?" he almost barked. "Stop this stupidity."
Supergirl clenched her fists angrily and shifted in the seat as though she were about to rush at him but then let her body settle back - although her face still carried a look of barely-concealed fury.
"What's the matter Kara?" asked Superman attempting a sympathetic tone. "Why are you behaving like this? Robin's supposed to be your friend. You could have hurt him."
Kara laughed contemptuously.
"A friend?" she sneered. "That pathetic bastard? He's not fit to lick my feet."
"Kara!" scolded Superman again. "Don't talk like that! Now you're going to stay here until you calm down. Got it?"
He turned slamming the door behind him as he went to find the Boy Wonder.
Robin was sat up on the ground rocking gently back and forwards with his arms clasped tightly around his stomach. Both sides of his face sported ugly looking bruises and there was a cut over one eye.
"You OK?" asked Superman.
Robin nodded less than convincingly.
"What happened?"
"I don't know...it was weird," he said haltingly. "We were...we were out on the East Side and Kara was being really strange. Sort of laughing at me, making some nasty comments. Then she seem to disappear. Next thing I know she's at the other end of the street waving me to follow her. I don't know what happened then. Something hit me. Like a baseball bat or something. It smashed the back of my legs and then another caught me on the head. I just remember going down and being battered from all sides."
He paused for a second as though not wanting to recall the next part.
"And then...and then," he stuttered. "And then it was like I could see Kara watching it all. She was standing laughing with her arms folded. Just laughing.
"After that I don't know. I just remember waking up back here and Kara was yelling at me, hitting me. I don't know what's wrong with her."
Neither did Superman. He patted Robin on the shoulder and said: "Go and get yourself cleaned up. I'll sort this out."
He turned and headed to confront Kara. It was time he found out what was going on. But when he thrust open the door her chair was empty.