Superwoman: For Tomorrow #3: The Gospel According To...

The crystal clear skies split open in a torrent of sparkle and shine and rainbows poured out of every cloud! Buildings shrugged off their foundations and thought ‘what if I went for a walk?’! Birds started to swim and fish began to fly and it was all because of one person, one mischievous imp of a being, who appeared from his fifth dimensional home with a puff of smoke and a dramatic bow--

Mr Mxyzptlk was back in Metropolis, and he was all business!

“WAHOO! What a time to be alive! What a time-- to--”

The imp glanced around at the disastrous mischief he’d caused, the screams of the men and women who suddenly found themselves playing bucking bronco in their own cars, and was confused.

“Huh? Where’s Superman? He’s usually here lickety-split!”

Mxy clicked his fingers and the mischief ended, leaving the small man in his purple suit utterly bemused by the lack of response from his best friend in the whole entire third dimension. Usually the big lug was here all quick-like, especially when his scheduled ninety day arrival was on the cards. Trouble in Metropolis meant the Man of Tomorrow would be hot on its heels.

That said, the imp had been experiencing trouble viewing the third dimension over the past few weeks. Some kind of dimensional fissure had caused a smog to spread over his usual means of checking in on the folks down below, so maybe Supes was busy with Luthor or something?

“My cousin is gone, Mr Mxyzptlk,” said Supergirl. The young hero floated toward the fifth dimensional being, a sad expression on her face. “He had to leave Earth. Now it’s just us.”

“What? WHAT?! The big palooka can’t be gone! What about all the fun I had planned? I haven’t even begun--” The small man blinked, and could see that Supergirl was red-eyed, tears still hanging on the edges of her face. “Oh, girly, don’t cry! That’s no fun!”

“I’m sorry,” said Supergirl, she rubbed her eyes, “I think I’m supposed to fly up to you, strike a defiant pose,” she straightened up and placed her fists on her hips, “and tell you that all this won’t do,” she shook her finger faux judgementally, but then shrugged the action away, “but my cousin is gone, and I don’t know when he’ll be back, and it hurts.”

Mr Mxyzptlk nodded sympathetically. “Ah, I understand, kiddo. My snookums Nyxlygsptlnz-- well, she,” he paused, “it’s a long story with plenty of punchlines, but I understand. Look, I’ll come back in ninety days, usual deal, and we can pick it up then. I’ll put a smile on your face! We’ll have fun!”

“Do you promise?” said Supergirl, managing a smile. “I could use a bit of fun.”

Mr Mxyzptlk grinned broadly. “Of course! I’ll say my name backwards-- which, I have to say, is much harder than it sounds-- and be gone like that,” he clicked his fingers, “back when the allotted time is up.”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I know you sometimes get a bit tricky with these deals. Is there some kind of, I don’t know, contract? Something I can just have a quick look over and make sure it’s in order? I don’t want to make a deal and it… oh, I’m sorry, I’m being rude, but it’s all just…”

Mr Mxyzptlk shook his head, “don’t you even worry about it,” he conjured up an elaborate scroll that filled the sky, “standard return clause, you see?” the imp pointed to a number of lines in the contract and Supergirl looked it over intently, her back to Mxyzptlk. “I’ll even sign it. Did Superman ever tell you about the time with the giant typewriter-- oh, no, there’ll be a better time.” His hand enlarged and he pulled a pen from his pocket and went about signing the contract. “There we go! And now, I’ll be off! I hope you feel better! See you in ninety days! Kltpzyxm!”

The imp vanished, leaving Supergirl smiling to herself as the smoke cleared. She wiped away her tears and shook her head, quietly amused. “Well, that was easier than I thought it would be.”


“All right, Nyxlkins, I’m just going to pop down to the third dimension! Shouldn’t be long!” said Mr Mxyzptlk as he flamboyantly flipped his bowler hat onto his head and left the picturesque house of his in the fifth dimension. As he walked down the drive, he closed his eyes, wiggled his nose, but nothing happened. He stopped in his tracks, confused. “Gee, I must be rusty. Been a while since I mischief-ed, guess I have to--”

“Mxy! Your sock drawer is glowing!” rang the voice of Nyxlygsptlnz from inside.

The imp turned around and scratched his nose. “My sock drawer? Why would--? Ooh! My contracts!”

Mxyzptlk hopped back into his house, up the stairs, and planted a kiss on the nose of his beautiful wife. Then he opened his sock drawer and pulled out the last contract he’d signed.

“Ah, 21st century, third dimension, Supergirl, why oh-why would you--” The contract’s return clause was glowing because he’d attempted to return there before his allotted time. “What? What?” He enlarged the document and his eye then leaned in close to the page. “What are these holes?” He waved his hand and the dots became words-- in braille, replacing ‘ninety days’ was ‘nine years’. “She… the little minx… she…”

“Oh, she got you, she got you good!” said Nyxlygsptlnz, laughing. “Now what are you going to do with your time?”

Mxyzptlk was shocked. He’d been tricked. He’d signed away his ability to return to the third dimension for years. Superman’s cousin was a smart cookie, that was sure, but she was cheeky too. She could have written anything-- decades, centuries, whatever it was that would have kept Mxyzptlk out of her hair for however long she wanted, but she chose a small amount of time, less than an eye-blink to fifth dimension beings.

“I guess I’m going to start planning some fun,” said Mxyzptlk, a smile growing on his face. “Because my next trick is going to be the greatest of them all.”

NEARLY NINE YEARS LATER; DUBROVNIK, ON THE COAST OF CROATIA:

“What is that thing?” asked Green Lantern. Kyle Rayner, the man with the infinite imagination, couldn’t believe his eyes as he saw events from his own immediate past repeat themselves in front of him. He saw himself ask a question, but what was the question? “What is that thing?”

High above the 16th century wall that encircled Dubrovnik’s Old Town, Doctor Fate raised her hand, an ankh shaped sigil forming in the air in front of her. “I’m growing bored of that question, but my magicks have finally discerned it’s true name-- the Vrijeme Izjelica, long imprisoned, recently released. A time eater memetically charged by a local myth. Probably reverberated backwards to establish it’s own legend. They have a tendency to do that…”

High above, on a platform holding four people-- himself, Blue Beetle, Doctor Light and the Flash-- the Atom looked down, analysing the situation. “Okay, finally got the readings we needed. We know Lantern’s repeating himself, so he must be caught in the thing’s sphere of influence. We need to get him out before we have any hope of shutting it down.”

“I can do that,” said Starwoman, gripping her cosmic rod tightly as she floated beside the platform. “The rod interferes with time-travelly-wibbly-wobbly nonsense, I can swoop in, pull him out. Can I get a speed burst, Flash?”

The Flash nodded. “Exhale. Don’t want to super charge the oxygen in your lungs.” As he touched her shoulder she blurred for a split second, before vanishing and returning with Kyle Rayner.

“What is that thing?” asked Green Lantern, shaking. “Oh, crap, I said that like three hundred times, didn’t I?” He wants his hands through his hair and tried to steady his crackling nerves. “That smarts.”

“Yeah, but we stopped listening the hundredth,” replied the Flash.

“I hate you, Wally,” said Kyle. “What’s the plan?”

The Atom shook his head. “The localised time events are increasing, we’re having to keep our distance but the sphere of influence is expanding. If we get caught in it, we might not end up as lucky as Kyle and just repeating ourselves. The time anomalies are unpredictable--”

“Oh, we might be all right,” said Starwoman, looking up in the sky as a shadow crossed that platform.

Descending toward the platform, Superwoman arrived. “Sorry I’m late. That said, I could just blame it on a rogue time anomaly, couldn’t I?”

“Ha ha,” said the Atom. “From what we’ve been able to figure out, someone unearthed the prison holding this thing, and it’s been growing in strength for a week. I don’t know how to put it back in its cage.”

“When did it first manifest?” asked Superwoman. “I can see where it emerged from-- there’s a corpse there, I recognise the DNA strands from somewhere… someone released it but paid the price…”

“Time skips, loops, rewinds and all sorts of hellaciousness has been reported over the last week,” said Blue Beetle. He looked over at Doctor Light. “Honey, when was the first tachyon cascade detected?”

“The satellites have it marked as Wednesday 20th January,” said Doctor Light. “What are you thinking, Kara?”

“We go back and make sure it never gets unearthed. We turn back the clock,” said Superwoman. “You three can imagine a machine that can do that, right?”

“Fringe science is quite literally our family business,” said Beetle. “But we’d need a fuel source--”

“What about the chronal energy being generated by the Vrijeme Izjelica?” offered Doctor Light. “Did I pronounce that right?”

“Close enough,” said Doctor Fate. “I have a spell that can mitigate any temporal aftershocks.”

“Start weaving, Traci,” said Superwoman. “Kyle, you need to take whatever the brain trust come up with and build it with your ring. Is your head on straight after getting caught in that time loop?”

“What is that thing?” asked Kyle. He cracked a smile. “Nah, yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry about it.”

“And Flash, Wally, you’re the most experienced time traveller of us, the one who isn’t affected by timeline changes, so if things start going wrong, you need to start running, okay?” said Superwoman. “SW, can you take him to that island over there?” She pointed toward the sea. “Lokrum, I think it’s called?”

“Yeah, of course,” said Starwoman. “I love it when she’s chairwoman, have I said?”

“You have, you have,” said the Flash. “Court, let’s get clear.”

“Right! I think we have it,” said Blue Beetle, as Starwoman carried the Flash away. “My darling wife focused on momentum, I focused on direction and Ray did consolidation. Kyle, you ready for an upload?”

Green Lantern held out his ring. “When you are.”

The Atom, Blue Beetle and Doctor Light placed their hands on Green Lantern’s ring and a construct immediately began to grow over the city of Dubrovnik where the Vrijeme Izjelica was influencing the localised time-space-continuum.

If you were familiar with the scientific creations of the trio behind its imagining, you would see their unique signatures coming together like a work of art, all stemming from their brains through Kyle Rayner’s hand. Doctor Light’s spell reinforced the construct, lining it with mystical energy that caused the emerald projection to intensify.

When the temporal energy of the Vrijeme Izjelica brushed up against the skin of the construct it retracted immediately, and the Justice League watched as day turned back to night and time began to spin backwards.

“Whoaaaaaly crap,” hissed Green Lantern, gripping his wrist. “We’re turning back time, folks!”

“Focus on containing that thing,” said the Atom. “The machine should theoretically--”

“No theory about it,” interrupted Green Lantern. “You told me it works I believe it and you. You know the drill: what I believe and know is true becomes reality. This is working and the clock is turning back and I’m talking because this is going to give me a tequila headache when all is said and doooooneeee--”

Behind the team, they could see their future selves vanishing from this place, then their past selves arriving in their stead so that everyone was where they needed to be. Fate’s spell had done it’s job, and now they were present in their past bodies, a simple bit of chronal magic done right.

Doctor Light grabbed Superwoman’s shoulder. “It’s Wednesday 20th January, the entity will return to its cage in 5, 4…”

Kara focused on the location the Vrijeme Izjelica had initially emerged from with her super-vision and recognised the figure prying away at a panel buried deep in the ground. When Kimiyo Kord reached zero in her countdown, Superwoman was gone, pulling Doctor Thaddeus Sivana Jr out of the hole in the earth next to Dubrovnik’s four hundred year old wall and wrenching him up into the sky.

“Thad, I thought I warned you about following in your father’s footsteps,” said Superwoman.

Thaddeus shook his head in shock. “Superwoman! How did you know? Damn you and your Justice League! If I had managed to harness the power of the temporal anomaly buried here, I’d have been able to go back and save my father from--” He cursed. “Bah! Lock me up! I won’t beg for freedom!”

“Thad, I’m sorry for what happened to your father, but you can’t continue on like this,” said Superwoman. She landed away from the wall and released him. “I know you’re hurting after his loss, but your wife and children miss you and you’re going to run yourself ragged living his life. And miss theirs.”

Sivana Jr reached into his coat and went to pull something out, but he looked surprised when nothing was in his hand.

Superwoman shook her head, crushing whatever it was the young mad scientist had gone for but that she’d got to first. “Thad, please. I’ve burnt the teleport circuitry out of your coat with my heat vision. All your devices?” She gestured toward the pile that had appeared nearby without warning, and froze them with a blast of intense arctic breath. “Gone. It’s just you and me. So, shall we talk?”

Overhead, the Justice League watched as Thaddeus Sivana Jr leaped at Superwoman and started to frantically punch her ineffectually. Starwoman went to head down, her hands moving down her cosmic rod, but Green Lantern touched her on the shoulder. He spoke slowly. “It’s okay, Courtney. She’s got this.”

“That’s Thad Sivana isn’t it?” said Doctor Fate. She was maintaining the sanctity of the spell. When she eased off, time would snap back to the present, instead of this short stop in the past.

“Yup,” said Blue Beetle. “Oof, my aching back!”

Courtney remembered the case file. “Didn’t his dad slam him with a brain-whammy?”

“He got away from his dad’s machinations but it caught up with him. Before he died, Sivana Snr filled him up with artificial hate for superheroes, namely Big Red. His own personal time loop, all in his head, hardest thing to escape.”

After a few moments had passed, the Justice League watched as Sivana Jr broke down in tears, sobbing as Superwoman embraced him.

“God, she’s amazing,” said Courtney.

“Yeah,” agreed the Flash. “When I grow up I want to be just like her.”

Green Lantern punched him in the arm. “Nerd.”

Superwoman waved up at the others and Doctor Fate relinquished the control sigil she had summoned. The timeline snapped back to the present day, and none of the destruction performed by the Vrijeme Izjelica had happened. The thing was locked back up, and now the Justice League would make sure it stayed that way.

“Uh, this is strange,” said Doctor Light. She held out the device she’d used to track back to when the Vrijeme Izjelica was released. “We seem to have lost a day on our way back. It’s Thursday.”

“Could be worse,” said Blue Beetle. “Remember when we lost the colour red that one time?”

“That was a fun June,” said the Flash. “Well, you guys are going to keep an eye on that, and I’m going to run home. Superwoman’s got this, and with us rewinding back and forth a week, there’s no clean up. Call me if you need me!”


Kara closed the curtains after a hard day’s work and exhaled. After a long conversation, she’d dropped Thad off at a clinic in Switzerland, away from extradition law and smack dab in the place he needed to be to get better. The Justice League said they’d debrief tomorrow, which suited Kara just fine. The counsellors at the Swiss clinic would help Thad with the problems caused by his father, she was sure, and Kara refused to simply punch him out and defer the problem to a later date. Better to address the issue rather than encourage it with super-fights across the globe.

“What day…?” Kara checked her calendar and nodded to herself. In two days’ time-- the coming Friday-- she’d have to deal with Mr Mxyzptlk. It was a moment she’d kept in mind ever since she’d tricked him out of coming back for nine years. So tomorrow she’d brief the Justice League, the Titans, every superhero in the world. If the fifth dimensional imp was returning, he’d be back with a vengeance, and they needed their mystics, their super scientists-- their very best, to make sure the wrath of a pan-dimensional being wouldn’t ruin the Earth. She nearly cracked a smile. She hoped it didn’t come to that. “Just how bad could Mxyzptlk get?”


“Honey, wake up.”

Kara stirred and rolled over in her bed, where her husband, James Olsen, lay smiling. She blinked awake and then brushed her fingers across his face. “Hey, you.”

“You slept like the dead, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said James. “I’ll go make breakfast. You fancy anything in particular?”

“Oooh, your pancakes, that’d be fantastic,” said Kara. She watched him go and felt something turn in her stomach. What was that, she wondered? No matter. She headed into the bathroom and ran the shower, the warm cascade of water jolting her back to the land of the awake. With a quick spin she was dry, and ready to get dressed.

“Busy day ahead?” asked Richard from the kitchen.

Kara pulled on a shirt and sighed as she browsed through her skirts. “Oh, the usual. I need to check on the moon colony. Karen thinks the terraforming project has actually created a new strand of grass in the Flammarion crater. That’s way beyond expectation.”

Kara wandered into the kitchenette and smiled as Thomas dished up the omelette. She was confused by this, but didn’t question it. Thomas made the best omelettes and she had no doubt this would be another stellar dish.

“What about you?” she asked.

Querl considered the question carefully. “My attentions may be required in the 31st century. I’ll check in with Rond at the Time Institute. Barring that, I may join you on the moon, if you’ll have me?”

“Oh, of course, husband of mine,” said Kara. “Say, does anything about this feel weird?”

James Richard Thomas Querl shrugged. “What do you mean?”

“Rao!” Kara jumped backwards at the sight of our men shimmering into one body. “This isn’t real!”

“Of course it’s real,” said James Richard Thomas Querl, speaking in unison. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Kara blinked and she was floating above Metropolis, in her Supergirl costume.

Superman floated nearby, smiling at the sight of his cousin. “Kara, what a wonderful surprise!”

She shook her head. “Kal, something’s wrong. I’m experiencing hallucinations… of…” The shock of the situation began to dawn on her. “Oh, Rao… no.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Superman.

“You’re-- you’re not here,” whispered Supergirl. “I made a terrible mistake.”

“Kara, if you’re experiencing hallucinations, we should get you to the Fortress, away from--”

“Kltpzyxm--!” shouted Kara. None of this could be possible. It was horrible to consider, and seeing her cousin there, nine years since he’d last been spotted on Earth, and her, reduced to being Supergirl once more, it was a trick, and tricks on this scale only meant one thing in Metropolis. “C’mon, Mxyzptlk! Come on out!”

Superman reached out to his cousin, concern in his unearthly blue eyes. “Kara…”

“This is too far! You shouldn’t--” Before Kara could finish her sentence, a small man, dressed immaculately in purple, appeared in a puff of smoke, a broad grin on his face.

“Hello, Super-snookums,” said Mr Mxyzptlk. “You clearly didn’t miss me, did you?”

With a punch that shredded the slight reality-change that had dressed her in the image of her old self, Superwoman punched Mxyzptlk’s jaw so hard that his head shot like a rocket across the skies of the city, his large skull tethered to his shoulders by his rubberband-like neck. After a comically loud BOING sound, his headphone popped back into place. He rubbed his chin and pouted.

“You monster,” said Superwoman. “Why would you do that?” She hadn’t felt this angry since her cousin Kru had died on New Krypton a few years prior. That kind of anger stayed with you, and the sight of her other cousin, Kal, back on Earth after vanishing nearly ten years ago now, hurt her like a knife in the heart. Combining all the emotion was like a punch thrown by a heavyweight right to the stomach. “And how is this possible? I fixed the contract-- you couldn’t come back for nine years! You’re a day early!”

The skies behind Mxyzptlk darkened as the expression on the face of the fifth-dimensional imp twisted into anger. “You should be careful how you speak to me, little two-dimensional girl. I’m leagues ahead of you and I’m not exactly expected to be pleased with your actions, am I?”

What had Bruce always told her, back when he was dolling out advice to any young hero deserving of his time? Never pick fights with reality warpers. You’ll forget you were ever born.


Lena Luthor stood in front of the team of scientists who were currently working on a top secret project. Need-to-know only. They had something for her, and she was eager to see what they’d achieved.

“Firstly, can ask why you’ve funnelled so much money into this project?” said Sarah Henderson. “Your father--”

Lena held up her hand abruptly, cutting her off. “No.”

Henderson shook her head. “No? What do you mean?”

“No, as in, you do not talk about my father in the context of this company. No, as in, you do not question my decision-making, and no, as in, you will have no job here if you speak out of turn again. I like free-thinkers but I also don’t appreciate people who bite the hand that feeds,” she pointed at her hand, still raised, “i.e, this one.”

“Shut the hell up, Sarah,” said another one of the scientists. Henderson’s mouth opened and closed uselessly, but she said nothing else. Meanwhile, the woman who shut her down smiled warmly then stepped forward. “I’m Amee--”

“Amee Fletcher-Khan, I know who you are,” said Lena. “Your work on genetic encoding is the reason you’re in this science stack today. What do you have for me today?”

“Reconstructing the Xa-Du strain is a monumental task,” said Fletcher-Khan, “but I think we’ve made great progress. Unfortunately, we only have the red variant to work from, which we know is different from the green.”

“Kryptonite is very hard to get a hold of in this day and age,” said Lena. “We have to make do with what we can get.”

“And whose fault is that?” mumbled Henderson.

Lena rolled her eyes. A signal was sent via the implant in her brain wired to the communication band on her wrist that summoned a small security team, and the four men instantly surrounded Sarah Henderson.

“Okay, look,” said Lena. “I hired you out of respect for your father, because he was a hard worker and did what he was asked to do, and even though that meant he tended toward the mad science, I thought, not everything my father touched could lead to something bad. But you are just rude, Sarah, and I don’t know why you’ve decided to take it out on me today. So you’re fired. My boys here will take you through the process.”

Henderson was shocked. “Wh-what?”

“As per your contract,” said Lena, as Henderson was led away, “all IP you’ve developed while part of the L-Corp science stacks is my IP, so I hope you’re happy with your decision making abilities.”

Henderson cursed and spat as she was dragged out of the lab, and then Lena switched from stern boss to excited client. “Okay! So, you had progress? Let’s see, shall we?”

Fletcher-Khan led the procession of scientists into the Kryptonite chamber, where L-Corp kept the last remaining samples of the deadly alien mineral for testing and experimentation. On arrival, after all the sealed vault doors had opened and closed behind them, Lena’s expression shifted into one of utter confusion.

All the scientists who’d been in there were unconscious, and every sample of Kryptonite was gone.

“Oh, no,” whispered Lena. “Not now.”


Breaking the tension suddenly, Mxyzptlk chuckled. “Oh, deary, coming back a day early? That was thanks to you and the Justice League! Do you remember the week you folded back on itself to trap the Vrijeme Izjelica? That little chronal gnat meant time accelerated down here, meaning the contract expired a tiny bit earlier than you might think! But that poses the question.. you could have sealed me away up in my dimension forever, if you wanted... but nine years? Why so short a sentence?“

Superwoman looked around, trying to find the right words. “Because... honestly... Kal-El always liked you. You caused all kinds of trouble but you never hurt anybody. Fifth dimensional magic didn't leave lasting damage. It didn't seem fair to trick you like that.“

“But all I do is trick!“ laughed Mxyzptlk. “After I got over my initial shock, I couldn’t have been prouder!”

Kara’s jaw nearly dropped. “Excuse me what?” There was a moment of silence between the two of them as Mxy considered his answer, and then a series of explosions echoed out from the streets below. Superwoman looked over at the imp. “Is this you?”

“Explosions? C’mon, you know me better than that,” he said. “No, but it looks like someone’s playing a game of oneupimpship in quaint little Metropolis. Shall we take a look?”

The imp clicked his fingers before Kara could argue they were smack dab in the middle of Metropolis’ Main Street, heading down toward Centennial Park. Thousands of plastic balls were falling from gaps in the sky to the street below, creating an immense tableau that made Metropolis look like a children’s ball pit.

Superwoman went into action immediately, gathering up Metropolis’ citizens in bundles of two or three, zipping back and forth before the balls could bury them alive. X-Ray vision revealed that the balls were lead-lined, so she held back from immediately vaporising them with a short burst of heat vision. She wasn’t sure what they contained, and that’s what kept her from acting in that instance.

“GATHER ‘ROUND EVERYBODY AND PREPARE FOR THE ULTIMATE FUN!”

A distorted voice boomed across their heads. Superwoman scanned the immediate area for the source of the speaker, but found that balls lining the streets were now reverberating at a frequency that caused the voice to fill the air, like some massive collective transmitter.

“Oh, no,” said Kara. She recognised the MO.

Mxy looked around passively. “You recognise the voice?”

“I recognise their signature,” said Superwoman. “If it’s not you… then it could be one of two people.”

“HOW ABOUT BOTH, SUPERGIRLY?”

Four of the multi-coloured balls sprang up into the air and sparks of electricity connected them to one another as they created a massive, holographic screen that projected the image of two old faces, familiar to the protector of Metropolis.

“Prankster and Toyman,” grimaced Kara. “A team-up for the ages.”

“I think I like them already,” replied Mxyzptlk.

“WE HAVE SUCH FUN PLANNED FOR YOU TODAY, GIRL OF STEEL,” said Prankster. He was an older man, dressed much younger, his crisp emerald suit and golden shirt punctuated by his scarlet tie with a small ‘OHL’ pendant pinned midway down.

“SUCH. FUN,” said Toyman, the large, bulbous doll-mask he wore obscuring his features. His voice was synthesised, modulated. He sounded like a large child, and the clash between sugar-sweet lolling vocals and his-or-her’s terrorising nature always made Kara’s skin crawl.

Winslow Schott had, of course, died over ten years ago, or so they thought. Whoever wore the mask now, whoever bore the mantle of the Toyman, could have been anyone.

“YUP, WE ARE FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS, BALLS TO THE WALL ACTION, YES INDEED,” said Prankster, grinning. “THE PRANKSTER-TOYMAN ALLIANCE RIDES ONCE MORE!”

“TOYMAN-PRANKSTER,” corrected the former. “ANYWAY. THIS HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING, SUPERGIRLY. IT’S GOING TO BE A GOOD ONE, SO ARE YOU READY TO PLAY A GAME?”

Superwoman glanced over at Mxyzptlk. “Can we put our tete-a-tete on hold?”

“Be my guest,” said Mxyzptlk, drinking from a margarita glass he’d conjured. “I’m fascinated.”


“Hey, Kat, have you seen the news?” Natasha Irons asked Katherine ‘Kitty’ Faulkner, not noticing she was busy working away on something else entirely. After not receiving an answer, Natasha continued. “Someone dropped a ballpark on Main Street. Man, I wish my armour wasn’t out of commission…”

“You shouldn't have taken on the UnBizarro Legion by yourself then, should you?” said John Henry Irons, strolling into the lab carrying a tray of drinks. “Kat, you’re going to wear yourself out keeping up like that. Here, I got you some Earl Grey.”

“Nat won though, didn’t she?” said Faulkner, pushing her glasses up over her fringe and off her face. “Oooph. I am drained. Yeah, she saved the day at the end of it all. I think you’re bitter because she blew up your armour during the process.”

“I don’t get bitter,” said John Henry. “Besides, I’m out of the superhero game. I’m content to let the kids run around saving the day.” He looked at the TV footage. “Speaking of…”

“Prankster and Trickster,” said Natasha. “But who’s that?” She pointed at the floating form of Mxyzptlk.

“Good god,” said John Henry. “He’s back?”

“Excuse me?” The three of them turned as a lanky, puppet-like figure, nine feet tall, bent over to get into the lab. “I’m here to collect a package?”

John Henry took a step back and reached for a wielding laser at the sight of the marionette version of Toyman, while Kitty Faulkner pushed the button on her wrist watch that triggered her transformation into the indestructible being known as Rampage. Natasha slipped on the Steel-gauntlet she’d been working on, but it was too little too late. Toyman’s chest opened up and a cloud of noxious green smoke flooded out of his body, knocking everyone out immediately.

Content, Toyman strolled into the high security vault in a secret compartment at the back of the lab, and located the two containment tubes that held the packages he'd been sent to collect. “Well, aren’t you two beauties a sight for sore eyes?”


“What do you want?” Kara asked the holographic projection.

Toyman and Prankster looked at each other, then the latter shrugged, answering with a dismissive, “WELL, I JUST WANT TO HAVE A BIT OF A LAUGH AT YOUR EXPENSE.”

“REGARDLESS,” Toyman leaned forward, “ONE IN TEN OF EACH OF THESE BALLS IS A HIGH EXPLOSIVE. YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS--”

Superwoman whipped off her cape and used her X-Ray vision to gauge the weight of the balls against each other. Some were content to rest next to one another, but others were pushed against the plastic surfaces, an additional weight suggesting that there was something extra hidden beneath the surface. Within a few moments, her cape was bulging, full of every single explosive ball in the city, with none others in sight.

“-- OH,” said Prankster. “SHE’S GOOD.”

“SHE’S NEVER BEEN THAT GOOD, ALWAYS A DISAPPOINTMENT TO THOSE WHO PLACE THEIR TRUST IN HER,” said Toyman. He pushed a lever and the explosives went off, the concussive blast sending Superwoman shooting into the street below, the other plastic balls flying up in the air as she impacted.

“That’s gotta smart,” said Mxyzptlk.

Superwoman pulled herself up, her costume singed but intact. Her cape was red shreds though, and she promised herself she’d make the criminals pay for damaging something she’d enjoyed sewing with Ma back in Smallville.

“You need a hand?” asked Mxyzptlk, nonchalantly.

“OH, NO, NO, NO,” said Toyman. “NOBODY GETS TO HELP SUPERGIRLY. IF YOU RECEIVE ANY HELP FROM YOUR FELLOW SUPERHEROES THEN WE’LL MOVE ON TO FINAL JEOPARDY. BESIDES. YOU WOULD LET THEM ALL DOWN IN THE END.”

“I’m… fine…” ssaid Superwoman, except her head ached and her vision was blurring. She felt weak, and at the moment, with the three-front-threat of Mxyzptlk, Prankster and Toyman at her door, she couldn’t afford weakness. She’d never heard Toyman so angry, so spiteful, and Prankster was neverthis level of pain in the backside. But Mxy was a wildcard and she couldn’t--

“NOW SEE HERE, YOU’RE NOT ‘FINE’,” said Prankster. “EACH EXPLOSIVE CONTAINED SHARDS OF SUPER-CHARGED DIELECTRIC PHOTONIC CRYSTALS. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT DOES?”

Superwoman looked up, her enhanced vision faltering. “It absorbs solar energy.”

“YOUR SPECIAL BAND OF SOLAR ENERGY, MORE SPECIFICALLY,” said Prankster. “GOSH, I AM PROUD TO MESS YOU AROUND LIKE THIS. IT TOOK A SMALL FORTUNE OR TWO, BUT WHEN YOU’RE THAT GOOD AT STEALING IT DOESN’T MATTER.”

“AND WITH YOU WEAKENED, YOUR DEATH WILL COME SOON ENOUGH,” said Toyman.

“YOU WHAT NOW?” said Prankster. “YOU SAID WE WEREN’T GOING TO KILL HER--”

“--AND I CHANGED MY MIND,” said Toyman, quickly. “ANYWAY. ARE YOU READY FOR THE NEXT CHALLENGE?”

The plastic balls began to rise back up into the air. They coalesced, spun together, until they constructed three giant figures, made up entirely of the plastic balls that had been dropped on Metroplis.

“SAY HELLO TO THE BALLENSTEINS,” said Toyman. “THEY’RE GOING TO CRUSH YOU NOW. CRUSH YOU TO DEATH!”

Superwoman was stood, defiant, but she couldn’t feel the sun-charge that ran through her veins. She tried a short burst of heat vision but it was no use. She had powers a few minutes ago, but now there was something in the air keeping her grounded.

“Okay, okay, I won’t help you,” said Mxyzptlk. “But, but, but, maybe you can help yourself.”

With a click of his fingers, Superwoman let out a cry of shock. It was a familiar kind of pain, not a bad kind, but one that she’d felt a few years ago that left her changed for nearly twelve months. Crackling with electricity, Superwoman looked down at her hands, her costume transformed into the old containment suit Lena designed for her when her Kryptonian physiology was converted to pure energy.

“You made me Electric-Superwoman,” whispered Kara.

“Well, you don’t need the sun when you’re like this, do you?” asked Mxyzptlk. “Now, help yourself.”

Superwoman smiled and transformed into a crackling bolt that shot upward. The powerset was familiar, like muscle memory, and she exactly what she needed to do. There was a signal in the air-- one she could hear with her new senses-- that was controlling the plastic balls that the villains had deposited over Metropolis. If she could disrupt it--

One of the giants swung a fist at her, but she passed through it, settling into her old powers like it was only yesterday she’d been the Electric-Superwoman. You’re going too slow, she thought, and she picked up the pace, darting through the bodies of each of the three giants and causing the signal holding them together to disperse, rendering them inanimate. She then proceeded to send a positive charge through every single trace of lead in the balls, then another charge through the Superman statue at the centre of Centennial Park. The balls shot across the street and clung to the monument, away from the danger zone.

“Sorted,” said Superwoman, recorporealising next to Mxyzptlk, who was now drinking a Long Island Iced Tea. “Thanks for that.”

“Pleasure,” said Mxyzptlk.

“THAT’S CHEATING, YOU’RE TEACHING,” declared Toyman.

“I MEAN, IT’S KINDA NOT,” replied Prankster. “YOU NEED TO TAKE IT DOWN A NOTCH, DUDE. WE WERE JUST GOING TO DISTRACT HER WITH THIS, WHILE WE BROKE INTO EVERY BANK IN THE CITY AT ONCE. THE ULTIMATE PRANK. YOU’RE BEING A BIT--”

Toyman brandished a pop-gun and waved it Prankster. “I AM SICK OF YOUR WHINING. I AM NOT HERE TO PLAY A PRANK. I AM HERE--”

Superwoman shot through the holographic portal and followed the signal that was beaming the transmission to the streets above Metropolis. She suddenly arrived in a building that was making electrical sounds in Russian, and realised she’d travelled half way across the world.

“Oh, balls,” mumbled Toyman as he looked over at Superwoman, then back to Prankster, before slumping over.

Prankster wiped his brow, and slapped the pop-gun out of his former partner’s hand. “Look, I get it,” he said, holding his hands up, “I’m under arrest. I never wanted to kill you. I’m sorry.”

Kara was about to say something, but then her body reverted back to normal, a solar charge slowly building back up in her cells, her cape returned to un-tattered completion. Thanks, Mxy.

Smiling, she scanned Toyman-- he was a robot. Diverting her attention to Prankster, she nodded. “I understand what you’re saying, Oswald. But you’re still going to have to face the courts.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Prankster. “I mean, Jeez, maybe it’s time for me to retire. I’m in my forties and I’m wasting my money with this stuff…”

“I think that would be a great idea,” said Kara. “Do you know where Toyman went?”

“No clue,” he leaned forward, “I don’t even know if it’s a guy or a gal. Just know it hops bodies and gets where I wanna go before me. Frustrating really.”

“I’ll find him, or her,” said Kara. “We need to get back to Metropolis. There are bigger issues than the two of you right now.” She picked him up and a few minutes later and now flying at her top speed, she was back home.

Mxyzptlk was drinking a whiskey sour, checking his fingernails for dirt, when Superwoman finally arrived back next to him after dropping Prankster off with the Metropolis PD. “Good work, kiddo. We make a dynamic duo.”

“You saved my life, Mxyzptlk. Does that mean you’ve saved killing me for yourself?”

“Oh, no, nothing of the sort--” Mxyzptlk glanced over Superwoman’s shoulder and sighed. “Day’s not over yet.”

“What do you--?” Superwoman turned. The plastic balls attached to the Superman statue had shifted in colour, until they resembled a giant version of Toyman’s doll-face mask. “Oh, that’s creepy.”

The two of them headed over to Centennial Park. Toyman’s face glared at them, as best an inanimate, unmoving face glares. “FINAL JEAPORDY, THEN.”

“Give this up, Toyman. We have Prankster, you need to end this.”

“IT’LL END WHEN YOU’RE DEAD,” growled the voice. “TWO LOCATIONS. TWO BOMBS. AS SOON AS YOU ARRIVE AT ONE LOCATION, THE BOMB AT THE OTHER SITE WILL TRIGGER. SIMPLE. MAKE A DECISION--”

“What-- kind of--” Started Superwoman. “Toyman, why do you hate so much?”

“--AND IF ANYONE BUT YOU ARRIVES AT THE SCENE, BOOM ANYWAY. SO FIGURE OUT WHERE THEY ARE AND LET HUNDREDS DIE. THANKS BYE.”

The balls suddenly de-magnetised and fell away from the statue. Superwoman melted them into nothingness with a broad beam of heat vision, before looking back at her fifth-dimensional Jiminy Cricket, who simply nodded in understanding. “That is one tough break.”

“You could end this with a wiggle of your nose,” said Kara. “Why don’t you?”

“I play by the rules,” said Mxyzptlk. “You’re in this by yourself. Or beside yourself.” He raised his hand, and clicked his fingers dramatically.

Superwoman cried out as she was suddenly split in two, one version of her dressed in blue, the other in red. She was younger, too, her powers shared equally between the two of her.

“What did--” started Supergirl-Blue.

“--You do?” finished Supergirl-Red.

“C’mon, you know I’m in this for the fun,” said Mxyzptlk. “Two bombs. Two of you. Up, up and away!”

The two Supergirls looked at each other. Red spoke quickly, talking through the issue with immediacy. “We know the transmission signal Toyman broadcasts on, we heard it when the holographic projection ran, we heard it when he put this Ballensteins together.”

“Good thinking,” said Blue, calmly. She opened her senses and listened carefully. “Hob’s Bay. And another…”

“The old McMurray Quarry,” finished Red, impatiently. “I’ll take that one. I think you’ll fair better by the sea.”

“Thank you, I guess?” said Blue. “Good luck.”

“Nah,” said Red. “I got this.”

The two Supergirls departed, leaving Mxyzptlk to drink his White Russian in peace.


Supergirl-Blue landed in front of the explosive device at the same time that Red located hers at the quarry. Both locations were empty, no sign of civilians anywhere. She had scanned under the ground, in the buildings, found no trace of lead, no indication that Toyman might have secreted people away to cause her trouble during the defusing attempt.

“I can deal with a bomb,” said Blue, calmly. She scanned the device. There were so many wires, but she could trace the electricity that would trigger the detonation simply. So all she had to do was--

Fists ploughed into Blue’s back, sending her into the bomb and causing it to topple over. She caught it awkwardly, before it could fall on its side, but another barrage of blows followed soon after, bloodying her lip and spinning her head.

Crackling with atomic energy, long finger nails razor sharp and capable of piercing Kryptonian flesh, the deadly and sociopathic Nuclear Woman growled as she attacked. No quips during the throwing of punches, just hisses and grunts, until Supergirl-Blue, already weakened by the splitting of her powers between two bodies, wheezed, her body battered blue and black by her old nemesis.

Nuclear Woman finally spoke in her short, terse manner. Each sentence crawled out of her mouth like an act of aggression, and her grim expression didn’t change as she talked. “I asked him where the woman was. He told me. This time I didn’t need to hurt people. Now all I need do is hurt you.”

Nuclear Woman snarled. She was one of Lex Luthor’s old doomsday experiments. He’d scrapped up some of Kara Zor-El’s DNA up after a fight in Metropolis one time, combined it with a nuclear-fuelled genetic matrix then tricked her cousin into throwing it into the sun. The monstrous being was born, programmed only to hate and only to destroy, and it had taken both Lena and Kara teaming up to take her down the first time, back before… they’d stopped talking. And now she was back? And Kara was at half-strength?”

“Oh, I never liked you,” said Blue. She raised her fists. “But I see we aren’t going to talk this one out, are we?”


“I can deal with a bomb,” said Red, confidently, examining the device. Before she could scan the device, figure out which would carry the charge to the detonation switch, a woman’s voice emerged behind her, tinny like it was being used at the end of a tunnel.

“Isn’t this a bit too much for a little girl like you?”

Supergirl-Red turned, ready to warn the speaker to get away, but it was too late-- Reactron, the deadly Kryptonite-hearted villain, laughed as the lead lined compartment in her chest sprung open and Supergirl screamed, staggering back as the scarlet rays of the exposed Red Kryptonite struck her body.

“You made me a monster, Kryptonian,” hissed Reactron. “Mutated me into this green-skinned freak. Left me in a hospital with a battery in my chest! The only thing that makes me feel alive is my Red Kryptonite heart, and thanks to Toyman, I’m back to mess you up!”

“N-no,” cried Supergirl-Red, but it was too late. Her body twisted and contorted, and as if encouraged by Mxyzptlk’s earlier magic, additional versions of herself pulled themselves out of her body--

Tiger-Headed-Superwoman! Big-Brained-Superwoman! Devil-Superwoman! Insect-Superwoman! Baby-Head-Superwoman! Future-Superwoman! Power-Superwoman!

Supergirl-Red gasped for breath as a dozen or so duplicates towered over her. She looked at them all, at Reactron, at the bomb, then shook her head. “I don’t want to fight you.”

“That’s a damn shame,” spat Devil-Superwoman, “because I--” A hand landed on each of Devil-Superwoman’s shoulders. --“What?”

Tiger-headed-Superwoman and Insect-Superwoman shook their respective anthropomorphic heads. The former growled and the latter clicked, then Baby-head-Superwoman punched Devil-Superwoman so hard it knocked her out immediately.

“You weren’t supposed to help her!” cried Reactron.

“We’ll always help those in need, you silly idiot,” said Power-Superwoman, her costume lead-lined, as she yanked the Red Kryptonite heart out of Reactron’s chest and wrapped it in her cape, wrapping it up in a bow to keep the radiation out of Supergirl’s way. Reactron immediately powered down, her body unable to function at peak efficiency with a radioactive power source.

“Coo!” said Baby-Head-Superwoman, excitedly.

“What she said,” replied Power-Superwoman, her face obscured by the mask she wore.

“What an odd plan,” mused Big-Brained-Superwoman. “Just because Red Kryptonite has a transformative effect on Kryptonian genetics, does not mean there was a guarantee that the resulting mutation would be evil. There was no guarantee we’d take Reactron’s side.”

“I think our guardian angel might have helped out with that,” replied Supergirl-Red. She gestured toward the devil-horned version of her older self. “Are you all right to keep an eye on ol’ hornhead over there while I deal with this?”

“Goo,” said Baby-Head-Superwoman, nodding.

“That’s my girls,” said Supergirl-Red, grabbing the bomb and heading over to Hob’s Bay.


“We’re not on the moon anymore, little girl,” said Nuclear Woman.

“And your costume still looks highly inappropriate,” replied Blue.

Nuclear Woman send a force blast at Blue, but before it could hit, Red scooped up her other self and threw her into the air, away from the attack. She then grabbed the two bombs and threw them at the atomic-charged villain, and without thinking she blasted the two devices only to be caught in the resulting explosion. Red and Blue looked at each, nodded and flew around the explosion at superspeed, causing a vortex that shot the fiery onslaught upwards out of the atmosphere, away from Metropolis.

When they were done, and all that was left was the smoke, Red flew over to the exhausted Blue and smiled as she caught her. “You look like crap.”

“I look like you,” said Blue.

“Yeah, well--” There was a flash and suddenly Blue and Red were combined once more into Superwoman. “Wow, that was crazy weird.”

Below, Nuclear Woman, her body charred and her hair burned away, looked up at Superwoman with a frenzied look in her eyes. “I-- will-- never-- stop--!”

Superwoman unhooked her cape and nodded in understanding. “You can’t help yourself, I understand that. I know that you’re made from my genetics, but that doesn’t mean I can let you run wild.” She shot down toward Nuclear Woman and threw a forearm in her face that sent the villain staggering back. In retaliation, razor sharp nails streaked across Kara’s face, cutting her cheek and lip. Superwoman wasn’t having any of that. They exchanged blows, but Nuclear Woman was fuelled more by anger than finesse, and she was outsmarted by a few choice martial arts moves taught to Kara by Wonder Woman herself. Exerting little energy, Superwoman managed to wrap her cape around one of Nuclear Woman’s hands, then another, and then kneed her hard in the back to keep her off balance.

With both of the Nuclear Woman’s arms caught, Kara managed to enshroud her enemy completely in her cape, so that she was cut off from the world. Without wasting any time, she shot up into space and to the other side of the Earth, where, without direct sunlight fuelling her and the cape keeping her contained, Nuclear Woman quickly faded, what little power left inside her after that minor explosion gone within seconds.

Taking the long way round, Kara flew to the dark side of the moon, where one of the Justice League’s minor satellite bunkers was located. The onboard scans recognised her, powered down the defenses, and she quickly put Nuclear Woman in one of the stasis tubes located in the back. Content that one more threat was over, she headed back to Metropolis, found that the Red Kryptonite-birthed Superwoman variants had now vanished, and took Reactron into custody.

“You’re having a hell of a day, kid,” said Mxyzptlk, finishing off his Whiskey Sour.

“It could be worse,” said Superwoman. “Thanks for the help.”

“You’re not done yet though,” said Mxyzptlk. “If there’s one thing I know about you Super-folks…”

Superwoman nodded. “I’ve been listening out for the source of all these transmissions Toyman is sending. I know he’s able to port his consciousness into robot bodies, but I think there’s a physical body somewhere, human, and I think I know how to find it.”

“Colour me interested,” said Mxyzptlk.

Superwoman smiled as she floated up above the city of Metropolis, Mxyzptlk following. “If I was trying to kill me, I wouldn’t do it from afar. Sure, he was operating with Prankster out of Russia, and that’s fine, but he’d want to be close if he thought he was close to finishing the job.”

“I’m not your sidekick, Superwoman, you don’t have to explain everything to me,” said Mxyzptlk.

Superwoman nearly laughed, but instead she focused on finding the vocal range available to her Kryptonian voice, and sent out a command across all electronics in the city: “Disable all devices that can receive transmissions on this bandwidth!”

Across the city, Toyman bodies, all in different shapes and sizes, were rendered useless. There was one place, an old apartment in an old building, where the sudden shift of power caused a man to yell in surprise, and Superwoman darted through the skies until she was in front of the man who went by the name of Toyman, the man who engineered all this trouble in the first place.

“Hello, Winn.”

Winn Schott, son of the original Toyman, looked absolutely shocked at Superwoman’s arrival. He had always kept himself so insulated, so far away from the schemes he undertook as his own version of the Toyman, that to physically be in the presence of the woman he hated more than anybody made him shake.

“K-Kara,” he managed.

“It’s over. All this is over, forever,” said Superwoman. He looked so small and sad to her. They’d known each other, once, over ten years ago, but he’d betrayed her trust and she’d cut him out of her life. Another lifetime. Had that caused this resentment? Spurred this madness he exhibited?

Winn slapped his arm, hitting some hidden switch, and Green Kryptonite lamps powered on through the apartment building, but Kara was too fast for him. She grabbed him by the lapel of his shirt and dragged him outside, short bursts of heat vision disabling the lamps. He then slipped a hand in his pocket and revealed a small shard of Gold Kryptonite, capable of temporarily removing her powers, and the two tumbled to the rooftop across the way.

Superwoman was powerless for the second time today, and the impact hurt more than she expected it to. The effects were temporary, she knew that, but if Winn had more tricks up his sleeves she might not last long enough for her powers to come back.

“Oh, this is, this is perfect,” said Winn. “Got you right where--”

No hesitation slowing her down, Kara crossed the distance between them and punched him in the jaw, knocking him on his backside. He cried out as she went behind him, wrapped an arm around his throat and locked her legs around his sides, leaning back to cinch in the chokehold that caused him to flail, try to escape, but she had him tight, and even powerless Superwoman wasn’t about to be a pushover. The light faded from his eyes and he blacked out, leaving Kara alone on the rooftop until Mxyzptlk floated overhead. She looked at the slither of Gold Kryptonite and tossed it to him.

“Can you get rid of this for me?”

“That’s very trusting of you,” said Mxyzptlk as he caught it. With a showman’s flourish, his palms open and sleeves clear, he performed a sleight of hand trick that left Superwoman smiling. The Kryptonite was gone, and in a few minutes her powers would be back. She took a small pair of expanding cord handcuffs from the lining of her cape and shackled Winn, then took a seat opposite him. He’d be awake in a moment of two, and the sun was shining bright overhead.

Mxyzptlk said nothing, content to wait along with her.

A few minutes after Superwoman’s powers returned, Winn Schott awoke. “Hello,” she said.

“Oh, you think you’ve got one over on me, don’t you? But let me assure you, I’m not done yet.”

“You are, Winn. You really are,” said Kara. “And I just want to apologise for the way I treated you when we were kids. I shouldn’t have cut you out the way you did. It was wrong of me. That’s not me now, and I look back and it’s shameful.”

“I-- you-- you what?” Winn was shocked. “You’re sorry? What good does that do me? I lost my dad to this stupid life and he couldn’t even do it right!”

“I just now that it’s hard to live up to the examples of those who raised us,” said Kara. “And I did a disservice to you when I learned who you were. I have excuses, no reasons.”

“I-- I don’t care,” stuttered Winn. “You forgot about me! Checked in when you thought I was Toyman back when I resurfaced with the identity, but all the toys my dad left over meant I was free and clear.”

“And you didn’t leave any physical evidence at the scene because you were never there, just acting through the bodies he left behind,” said Kara. “I never forgot about you, Winn. I just moved on. Maybe you should have too.” She stood, brushed the gravel off her legs and walked over to the captured villain. “But you didn’t deserve me cutting you out. The rest of it? What happened after? That’s entirely you.”

“Don’t you want to know where I got all that Kryptonite from?” asked Winn Schott.

“L-Corp’s Kryptonite lab, more than likely,” said Superwoman.

Winn blinked. “You-- you knew about that?”

Superwoman smiled gently. “Winn, who do you think gave it to Luthor in the first place?”

“But you hate her!” cried Winn.

“I-- I don’t hate Lena Luthor,” said Superwoman. It was true. They’d been through so much together. There was… a distance between them. And that distance was entirely Kara’s doing. “I trust her with my life. That’s kind of the point.” She paused. “I’m going to speak to the District Attorney. You may have disrupted downtown traffic today, but you didn’t hurt anybody. For all your talk of thousands dying, I know it was only me. And I think… I think we need to address that, Winn.”

“You have no idea what I’ve been through,” said Schott. “No idea! And I will never stop!”

“Yes, you will,” said Superwoman. “It stops here. And tomorrow, we’ll talk about how.”

Winn looked at her, red-eyed and caught up in his mania, completely confused by her words. How could she be so understanding? After everything he’d tried to do… “Oh, God.”

Police sirens filled the streets below. They were here to take him into custody. When the police finally arrived on the roof, she gave them a brief statement to catch them up, and then looked up at Mxyzptlk, who tapped his watch.

“Everything going to be okay with him?” asked Jose Delgado, the recently-promoted head of the MCU’s Special Crimes Unit. “I remember that imp from back in the day. Nothing but trouble.”

“Everything’s fine,” said Superwoman, ignoring Mxy as he blew a raspberry at Delgado. “Thank you.”

Kara Zor-El headed back up to meet Mr Mxyzptlk in the skies, and the two floated out over the sea, chatting casually. “This morning… what was that all about?”

“I gave you a perfect world,” replied Mxyzptlk, as if that was enough to explain everything away.

“But why? That doesn’t make sense to me. And besides, it wasn’t perfect. I tricked you nine years ago, and you came back the first time to be nice?”

“Look, all I wanted was Big Blue to loosen up! And then you come along, doing him proud, and tricked me, the king of tricks?” Mxyzptlk smiled. “Anyway, I kept an eye on you over the last nine years. I saw everything you went through, and instead of being mean when I got back, I thought I’d be nice. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings anymore than they were from the loss of… everything. After everything you went through! But I think that’s because I’m so old-fashioned. So what better trick… than…”

Kara interrupted. “So before the Prankster and Toyman made their move, you just gave me a perfect world.” She paused and thought for a moment. “I don’t… understand… I saw through it, didn’t I? It couldn’t have been perfect if I saw through it…”

“Yes, but it wasn’t though, was it? It wasn’t your perfect imperfect world,” said Mr Mxyzptlk. “You see that now, don’t you? Your perfection isn’t an utopia, it’s something else entirely. So instead of wasting your time striving for something you don’t want, how about you live a little? Loosen up? And remember that every now and then… maybe every ninety days… to be a bit mischievous? Anyway, you know what you have to do, kid. Why don’t you go sort it out, okay? Kltpzyxm!”

And that was it. Mr Mxyzptlk had returned, performed a good deed, and in ninety days (to the second), he’d be back. And maybe they’d play a game of mischief, or share an adventure, but that was that.

“What do you mean, go sort it out?” thought Superwoman, waving away the puff of smoke that appeared in Mxyzptlk’s wake.

Kara cast an eye over to L-Towers, the home and office of Lena Luthor. Ever since their fall out-- no, correct Kara, ever since I made a terrible decision regarding my relationship with Lena-- they hadn’t spoken. And now she saw what happened after. The aftermath of cutting people out of her life.

Winn was just a guy, ten years ago, that she’d trusted. But he’d spoken to the wrong people about her, and the media had outed her first civilian identity. She had tried being one person, Kara Danvers, but Winn had accidentally taken that from her. Years later, she’d tried again, become Linda Starr at Power Girl’s recommendation, and everything had worked out. The only thing that was missing… was her best friend.

A few years ago, Lena had allowed Kru-El, Kara’s beloved cousin, to sacrifice himself for the greater good of New Krypton. Kru was lost in the darkest depths of the Phantom Zone, Kara had been powerless to save him, and Lena had-- no, no, it wasn’t that, it was never that, Kara was blaming Lena for something she’d failed to do, she’d failed to save her cousin-- another cousin-- after getting him back after years of distance caused by General Zod’s brainwashing. How could she have held onto that hurt for so long, and directed it at Lena? How could she have let it ruin everything they’d done together?

Kara knew that Lena kept up appearances, she kept doing good, refusing to be caught in the shadow of her father, but when Superwoman checked in on her from afar-- casually, like an old friend typing a name absent-mindedly into a social media page-- Kara could see a sadness behind the mogul’s eyes.

Superwoman, full of the realisations and wisdom that come with pushing your best friend away, landed on the rooftop of L-Towers, Lena Luthor’s home in the centre of Metropolis.

Lex always had a showman streak in him, and so when he returned to the city he was born in after his father exiled him to Smallville for all those years, he purchased all the properties in the centre of the city, and built a monument to his ego, piercing at the sky with his initials.

Toppled by giants, reduced to rubble by gods, turned into horror machines by ultra-scientists from beyond, no matter what happened, Luthor always rebuilt his monument. Lena took that and twisted it. One tower was now affordable housing. She didn’t need all the space her father insisted he did for his work. A couple of folded tesseract hyper-dimensions here and there gave her workforce all the space they needed to do their good work in the other, in the numerous science stacks in the other tower.

Superwoman landed on the roof of her best friend’s home and found that her genetic scan still allowed her entrance. Could she have come back whenever she wanted? The feeling filled her with even more sadness than she thought possible. It was, after all, Kara’s decision to end their friendship. She descended the short stairwell one step at a time until she came to the door leading to Lena’s office. Her receptionist wasn’t on duty, so Kara knocked on the door, and a voice replied, “Come in.”

Kara entered and saw Lena standing by the window, her back to her. Luthor spoke slowly. “I didn’t expect to see you back here.”

“I… I went through something today, something… that made me realise that I made a terrible mistake. I should never have pushed you away. I blamed you for something you had no real say in… and I…” Kara’s brow furrowed as her super-hearing picked up something odd in the room. She felt weak, like she was coming down with a stiff cold. “Lena, what’s that noise? Under your skin?”

Lena Luthor turned, rage blazing in her eyes. Bulging up from her skull and pulsing up into her forehead were three circular disks. Her skin was beginning to take on a greenish tinge. “I guess we have some catching up to do,” she said, her hand crackling with Kryptonite energy as she raised it in Superwoman’s direction. “Pull up a pew, Kara. Let me introduce you to the Brainiac/Luthor Team 2.0.”