Power Woman, An Origin by Zip_Q, zip_q@yahoo.com Supergirl was standing in for her cousin Superman, as lay in a coma, recovering from terrible injuries. Whilst on a routine day, saving the world, she encountered a woman who seemed to be as powerful as she was – Power Woman. Furthermore this woman claimed responsibility for Superman’s current plight. Only if Supergirl agreed to fight, would Power Woman agree to tell Supergirl how her cousin could be cured. Chapter 2 “Very well,” said Supergirl, with a shrug. “If it’s a fight you want. So be it. You’ll find that I’m much more powerful than my cousin.” She advanced on Power Woman. “Not here,” chided Power Woman, “Too much collateral damage. Follow me!” With that she launched herself in the air, arm stretched out in front of her in a parody of Superman’s “Up, up and away!” Supergirl was caught flatfooted, and quickly set off in pursuit, Power Woman, was already just a dot in the distance. “Damn, she’s fast,” thought Supergirl. Already Power Woman was out of sight. Luckily Supergirl was able to follow her by using her x-ray vision to scan the vortices in the air from her wake. Soon she was hovering over a valley somewhere in the Mountains of Colorado. Power Woman waited below, hands on hips, with a big smile on her face. “What took you?” Asked Power Girl, “I was beginning to think you’d got lost. Well, there’s no time like the present. I’ll give you first shot,” she declared confidently. “Nobody plays with me! I’m Supergirl” The self proclaimed, Maid of Might launched herself at Power Woman, delivering a flurry of punches to her face. Power Woman staggering back under the ferocious onslaught, until a final uppercut knocked her sprawling to the floor. Supergirl stood, hovering a few inches off the ground, breathing hard, catching her breath. She’d put everything she had into that attack, but she had finally put Power Woman down. Her hands felt sore, where they had impacted Power Woman’s face. “Not bad, Supergirl, you are indeed much more powerful than your cousin.” Supergirl looked in amazement as Power Woman, got to her feet, costume a bit dusty, but otherwise no worse for wear. “But, if that was the best you’ve got, then you won’t be much of a challenge at all!” At blistering speed, Power Woman, suddenly closed with her opponent, and unleashed a thundering punch to the face. Supergirl was sent sprawling, crashing into the side of a nearby mountain. The sound of her impact, only surpassed by the sonic boom she made as she briefly broke the sound barrier. Power Woman, flew over to her fallen opponent, who slowly began to rise. She grabs Supergirl by the neck, and hauls her up, Supergirl’s legs dangling weakly on the ground. “Supergirl!” SMACK!, “You’re no match for me!” SMACK! “I strongly suggest you stay down!” CRACK! “Or I might do permanent damage to you.” Power Woman punctuates each sentence with a sharp backhand to Supergirl’s face further stunning her groggy opponent. Seeing she is out on her feet, Power Woman grabs Supergirl, placing one hand between her legs and the other on her neck and lifts her overhead. She then hurls Supergirl into the entrance of an old mine shaft. The force of the impact causes the mineshaft to collapse, and a huge cloud of dust is thrown into the air. Power Woman, smiling, looks on waiting for the dust to settle. “If she knows what’s good for her, she’ll stay down,” she thought. After several minutes, the pile of rubble that was the mineshaft began to stir. The ground itself seemed to be moving. Slowly Supergirl emerged from the rubble. Seeing Power Woman, some distance away, Supergirl grabbed for the nearest object, a huge boulder. She lifted the massive boulder over her head. It must weigh nearly 500 tons. She hurled the boulder at Power Woman. Just as it is about to impact her, Power Woman extended her hands, and caught the boulder intact. Smiling, she lifted the boulder overhead with one hand, and hurled it back at Supergirl, twice as fast. Supergirl attempted to catch it, but the force of the impact was too great. She is knocked back 50 ft. The force of the impact broke the boulder into four pieces. Supergirl picked up the largest, weighing about 200 tons, and hurled it back at Power Woman, with all her strength. The rock struck Power Woman directly on the chest, impacting her huge, firm, breasts, and literally exploded from the impact. As the dust cleared, Power Woman can be seen completely unhurt, brushing debris from her costume. The Girl of Steel seeing her opponent, completely unaffected, grabbed a nearby steel support strut from the mine shaft and charged the still preening Power Woman. Supergirl used the steel beam as a baseball bat to hit out at Power Woman. At super speed Power Woman’s hand reached up and grabbed the end of the steel beam. She stopped it dead instantly. Caught out by the sudden halt to her swing, Supergirl staggers. Power Girl pulled the beam from the startled Supergirl’s hands, walks up to her, and wrapped it around her chest, pinning her arms to her sides. Supergirl strained, using all her strength to loosen the steel beam sufficiently to get free. Supergirl punched Power Woman in the stomach – no effect. She then punched her in the chest, socking her large breasts. Power Woman’s breast deformed, slightly, but other than that – nothing. She punched her in the face, but before her fist can land, Power Woman grabbed her fist in her hand and began to squeeze. The pressure on her fist forced Supergirl to one knee. Power Girl increased the force of her grip, inevitably, Supergirl is forced down on both knees. Power Woman released the Supergirl’s fist, and instead grabs hold of one of Supergirl’s firm breasts. Power Woman’s fingers penetrated several inches into Supergirl’s ‘tits of steel’, she Hulk howls in pain. “How can this be?” Wondered Supergirl. “My breasts can deflect tank shells without harm, yet she can crush them with ease!” Power Woman lifted the battered Girl of Steel to her feet by her breast, and began to work her over with her other fist. Blow after blow slammed into poor Supergirl. Her once incredible abdominal muscles, the envy of the world, are now useless rolls of blubber, completely distended, and weak. Growing bored and knowing, Supergirl is at her complete mercy, Power Woman grabs Supergirl’s biceps in her hands, and proceeded to increase the pressure. Supergirl’s 20” biceps, renowned throughout the world as being harder than diamond are no match for the crushing grip of Power Woman, and she looked on in agony as her once proud biceps are crushed before her eyes. When Power Woman released them, her biceps looked as if someone had taken a giant bite out of them. Supergirl’s arms hung by her sides, completely useless. “Well Supergirl, do you admit defeat?” The stunned Girl of Steel, can only nod meekly as she sunk to her knees. Never had she known such a crushing defeat. Her proud super body destroyed, by her superior opponent. “How?” Is the only word that escaped the stunned Maid of Might’s lips. Power Woman, opened her mouth, as if to reply, but then paused in mid thought. “Well I guess there’s no harm,” she said, more to herself than to her beaten opponent. “Isn’t it obvious Supergirl? I’m a Kryptonian too!” Supergirl looked on stunned, as the full impact of her words sunk in. “But… but, that doesn’t explain how you can be so powerful, I didn’t think anyone could be as powerful as you are.” “Ah! Well, that’s a long story in and of itself. You see, my father was a scientist on Krypton, a peer and rival to Jor-El. Whereas Jor-El excelled in the physical sciences, such as constructing a spaceship that could transport his only son to Earth as Krypton exploded. My father, excelled in biology and genetics, specifically the genetic enhancement of the Kryptonian genome. “Unfortunately the other scientists disapproved of his work, something about playing God, and banned him from further experimentation. Desperate, my father turned his skills to the only willing subject available - me! Of course I was still an unborn child at the time. “My birth was a traumatic experience, and my poor mother did not survive. My father was arrested by the council and accused of being culpable for her death. They banished him to the Phantom Zone! “I grew up in the years just before the end of Krypton. The scientists, who raised me, realized there was something different about me. You see, my father’s genetic modifications had worked. I was developing powers far beyond any normal Kryptonian - strength, invulnerability, speed. “It was the invulnerability that saved me, when Krypton exploded. As our world perished, my incredible invulnerability protected me… just. I was in a coma for years, drifting through space, propelled forth from our solar system as Krypton exploded. “Luckily for me, I entered another solar system with a yellow sun, and then for the first time, my true powers manifested. I realised that my previously incredible physical powers were magnified a billion fold in the presence of a yellow sun. I set about wandering the galaxy, looking for other survivors of Krypton. “That’s when I heard about Earth, and the legends of Superman… intrigued I came here. The rest you know. “Well I promised you a cure for Superman, if you fought me, and I’m a woman of my word. Superman’s recovery can be greatly speeded up, if he drinks my breast milk.” Supergirl listened with awe, as Power Woman recounted her tale. “It all makes sense,” she thought. “If she was super already, that would explain why she is so much more powerful than me on Earth under the influence of a yellow sun.” Despite herself, Supergirl felt a wave of envy pass through her. She had prided herself on being the most powerful person, man or woman, on Earth, now she realised that she faced someone who she could never hope to match, no matter how hard she trained herself. The thought was depressing. She was not used to being second best; it would be a difficult pill to swallow. But wallowing in self-pity would not do her cousin any good. Supergirl pulled herself together, and stood up once more. Her body was nearly fully healed, but she would have some nasty bruises for the next few days. “Well, what are we waiting for, let’s head over to Star Labs, and see about curing Superman!” “Not so fast Supergirl. You will recall, I only agreed to tell you how to cure Superman, not to actually perform the deed!” “What!?” Supergirl looked on stunned. All that effort all that struggle, only to have the prize snatched away from her at the last moment.” “Don’t worry, I will heal Superman, but first, there’s one more thing I need you to do for me….” To be continued...