Thick as Thieves

Written by HikerAngel :: [Wednesday, 09 September 2020 01:35] Last updated by :: [Friday, 11 September 2020 21:35]

Thick as Thieves


This one was a commission from JBMMLJE, based on his wonderful concept. :) ~ HikerAngel


“So you find out I’m into girls, and you just think I’m going to go all gaga for you!?” Nora’s voice rose until it was loud enough for everyone in the school gym to hear.

Alyssa was mortified, stunned by Nora’s very public rejection right in the middle of prom. She had been so sure that Nora, the girl she’d furtively desired throughout high school, would accept her when she’d learned earlier in the night that the girl had experimented with several other girls at school. The timing had seemed perfect. It had been meant to be, movie-like. But this wasn’t how it turned out in the movies.

Unfortunately, the pretty, blonde class president didn’t end her humiliation of Alyssa there.

“Sorry, Alyssa, but I’m not attracted to people who look like…this!” Nora said as she ran her hands parallel in a straight line against the backdrop of Alyssa’s waifish frame.

“What do I look like?” Alyssa responded, genuinely confused.

“You look like Emma Watson, Alyssa!” Nora snorted. “But the Emma Watson from the first Harry Potter movie, not the last one!”

Alyssa looked around, taking in the shocked faces of her classmates, as the words stung tears into her eyes. Finally hanging her head, Alyssa’s gaze slid over the barely-there bumps on her chest, her narrow hips, her short little legs.

The words hurt most because they were true.

What had she been thinking? Why would the most beautiful girl in school be attracted to someone like her? Because she was smart? Because she also happened to be into girls? Looking back on it, the notion seemed absurd, but she’d been so sure!

Alyssa ran out of the gym as the snickers started. By the time she reached the exit, tears streaming down her burning cheeks, they had become deafening guffaws of laughter.

***

Alyssa fidgeted nervously with her favorite earrings, then tugged yet again at the sleeves of her new dress as she waited in line to meet Supergirl. Unaccustomed to wearing heels for any length of time, her lower back was beginning to ache. She had worn them because she wanted the extra height they gave to her barely five-foot frame, not to mention that she was determined to look her absolute best for the occasion. Her father, knowing how much she adored the blonde heroine, had given her tickets to the Girl of Steel’s meet-and-greet as a graduation gift. The thoughtful gift had been the only thing to lift her from the melancholic gloom of her final post-prom weeks of school.

Her father, however, hadn’t understood the true nature of Alyssa’s infatuation. Her romantic fantasies having been crushed violently by their original object, Nora, Alyssa had turned her attention to another, far more amazing blonde – Supergirl. She’d been aware of the Girl of Steel, of course, ever since the Kryptonian beauty had first made her presence on earth known publicly two years earlier. But in the aftermath of her public rejection by Nora, knowing that she was soon to meet the gorgeous blonde, her feelings had coalesced around the sexy superheroine.

Supergirl would never embarrass her as Nora had. Supergirl was as sweet and amicable as she was gorgeous. Alyssa began to fantasize about her, to pin all her hopes on the young blonde, until her feelings progressed beyond a mere crush and into an unhealthy obsession.

When she had torn the card from the envelope and first seen the tickets, Alyssa’s imagination had run wild. Her mind formed an image of the moment. When Supergirl’s eyes found her at the event, there was a magical connection. Supergirl would see something in Alyssa that no one else did. She would see Alyssa for the beautiful soul she truly was. They would look into each other’s eyes and know that they belonged together. Their meeting would spark a romance that Alyssa yearned for with every ounce of her being. In the back of her mind, she knew it was silly, but she couldn’t repress her fantasies. Somehow, her imagination propelled onward, feeding itself as it continued to build up her expectations for the moment in her nightly dreams. Alyssa was fueled by a certainty, bubbling deep in her gut, that she was destined to be with the most amazing woman on the planet. That Supergirl would instantly understand her as they gazed into each other’s eyes, would sense her feelings, and would naturally reciprocate them.

After two more hours of waiting, Alyssa stepped forward to the second place in the line, twirling a lock of her chocolate brown hair as butterflies attempted to escape into the sky with her stomach. Heartbeat quickening proportionate to the proximity of the Girl of Steel, her diminutive stature not allowing her to see anything, Alyssa was tempted to hop upward for a glimpse of the heroine that she knew was just past the small group ahead of her. She resisted the urge, however. She didn’t want to look silly, and she wasn’t at all sure she could land without falling in these shoes.

When the group in front of her finished their conversation with the Maid of Might and dispersed, Alyssa laid eyes on the object of her fantasies up close for the very first time. The Kryptonian teen was even more beautiful in person than in the posters that adorned Alyssa’s bedroom. Her golden hair seemed to shimmer in the sunlight that streamed through the window. The light cast a glowing silhouette around her perfect form. High, thin eyebrows crowned dazzling blue eyes. With regal cheekbones, a cute, pert nose, and full, pillowy lips, the gorgeous superheroine was, by far, the most beautiful woman Alyssa had ever seen.

The girl’s breasts were small but shapely and proud. Her tight blue costume gripped her athletic curves so tightly that it was as if the shiny material wanted to be as close to her perfect body as possible. Long, tanned thighs peeked out from the hem of the short, red skater skirt that fluttered around them.

Supergirl seemed amused by Alyssa’s wordless ogling, a hint of a smile forming on her perfect lips. She bent down and spoke to the not-so-young girl, “And how old are you, honey?”

How old am I? Does she think I’m a child?!  Alyssa knew she was small and that her body had never developed the sort of curves that Supergirl sported, but she certainly wasn’t a little girl!

“Um, actually, I’m eighteen, j-just like you,” she stammered, still shocked that her hero and secret crush had belittled her with the first words out of her mouth.

“Really?!” The words came out before Supergirl could stop them. Her eyes softened apologetically, her plump lips forming a small “o” of surprise, which her fingers quickly rose to cover. She was about to say something when a shout came from the crowd in line behind Alyssa.

“Get the hell outta here!  No way you’re 18!!” The sudden exclamation was followed by a few scattered chuckles from the rest of the line.

Alyssa looked down at her tiny body, swimming in the oversized sundress, feet wobbling in heels she clearly wasn’t accustomed to wearing. Did she look like a child?

“Holy shit!  I actually thought it was a boy!” came another shout. A low rumble of laughter rippled through the line this time.

Alyssa felt her cheeks go crimson. How could this be happening? This was supposed to be a magical moment – the moment when her eyes connected with Supergirl’s and… and…

“Look! She can’t even talk! She’s gonna cry!” A roar of laughter rolled through the crowd this time. Alyssa looked to Supergirl desperately, expecting the young heroine to stand up for her.

Supergirl was struggling to suppress a laugh.

Alyssa’s jaw dropped. She felt something dark begin to boil in the pit of her stomach.

“Waaaaa! Waaaa!” A mock-crying sound from a different voice launched the crowd into deafening laughter this time. Alyssa whirled to see the people behind her doubled over, their eyes squeezed shut, tears beginning to run down their cheeks as the room began to whirl into a blur around her.

The sight ignited the rage that had begun to simmer in the pit of Alyssa’s stomach. Her eyes narrowed. Her small hands clenched. She whirled back around to see that Supergirl could no longer contain her laughter.

“I’m so…” Supergirl chuckled, her eyes remorseful but unable to keep from laughing. “…sorry…” She laughed harder. “…about this…” She clutched the table before her for support as laughter took her over completely.

How could this, the day Alyssa had expected to be the best of her young life, be turning out so poorly? She had fantasized about meeting the most amazing woman on the planet, with hopes of something more. Instead, she was being mocked. Again!!!

As Alyssa ran off, Supergirl cringed. She hadn’t meant to insult the girl, the words had simply slipped out. It was unfortunate she hadn’t caught the girl’s name. She had no way to send the girl a note of apology for the unintended slights.

***

That bitch! thought Alyssa, pacing the sidewalk outside the convention hall in a rage. She was supposed to be the one. She was supposed to be kinder than Nora. Better than the girls at school who had always laughed at her. Instead, she was the same. Exactly the same. Tears of despair welled up inside her, and her chin rose, turning her face to the clouded sky. An agonized cry burst from the depths of her soul.

“FUCK!!!!”

She screamed into the uncaring sky until it felt as if everything inside her was gone. Finally, purged of all feeling, save a simmering rage, her head dropped, eyes finding the ground.

Supergirl was supposed to have seen something amazing in her. Even if the romance hadn’t sparked, which her brain had always known was a long shot, she had expected Supergirl to at least be encouraging.

Alyssa wiped away the tears, a cold rage burrowing into the hollow core of her stomach. Eyes turning hard, Alyssa locked away the anger that burned within her. If Supergirl’s encouragement would not be there to inspire her to show what she could do, then she would instead stoke the icy flames of hatred as motivation to someday be able to put the nasty Kryptonian in her place.

*** 4 YEARS LATER ***

Alyssa walked into the reception area of the world’s most prestigious research laboratory for her first day on the job. She knew she was smart; she knew she was motivated; yet she was still nervous. She had earned dual PhDs in Microbiology and Geology in the time it took most college students to achieve a single bachelor’s degree, but this was the “real world”, a new experience for her. Not to mention that everyone here was brilliant.

As she studied the portrait of Lex Luthor on the wall, noting the placard underneath with the dates of his birth and death, she heard the clack of heels approaching.

“Hello there!” said the tall, pudgy blonde woman who emerged from the hallway with a radiant smile. Her buoyant expression  seemed to falter for an instant as her eyes passed over the portrait Alyssa had been examining. But the fall of the corners of her lips was fleeting, gone so quickly that Alyssa wondered if she’d actually seen it.

“Welcome to Luthor Labs! I’m Lorelei! It’s very nice to meet you.”

Alyssa studied the woman’s appearance as she offered her hand. Her vibrant platinum blonde hair was pulled back in a tight bun. Dark framed glasses rimmed large blue eyes. She wore no jewelry but had on a bulky sweater and loose-fitting slacks, a worn, bleached lab coat over both. Alyssa shook Lorelei’s hand enthusiastically.

At the conclusion of their hand shake, Lorelei handed Alyssa a folder, then motioned for her to follow. “I’ve been assigned as your mentor here. I requested the role after I saw your dissertation research. Your work on alien DNA is absolutely groundbreaking.”

Alyssa smiled. “Thank you. I’m glad someone found it interesting. My PhD advisor seemed pretty turned off by the fact that I was studying alien genetics rather than human.”

“Pfft. College professors,” said Lorelei dismissively. “They get into their own little bubble of research sometimes and don’t properly appreciate the students with the greatest potential. That’s why I’m so glad you applied to work here. We’re the leading research institution on Kryptonian physiology. You’ve come to the right place.”

Lorelei spent the rest of the day giving Alyssa a tour of the complex as well as reviewing the company’s policies and procedures.

“Are you new to National City?” Lorelei asked as Alyssa’s first day wound to a close.

“I am. It’s a little overwhelming, honestly. I’m from a little town not too far from Smallville.”

Lorelei smiled warmly. “Yeah, this place can be a little overwhelming for the uninitiated. How about I show you my favorite spot to chill after a long day?”

“Would you? That would be awesome!”

The pair entered a swanky modern-looking bar and took a seat in a back corner table after  Lorelei gave the bartender a curt nod. After a few drinks and a bit of light, casual conversation, Lorelei’s eyes turned more serious. “Alyssa, why did you decide to study the Kryptonian genome and the radioactive properties of kryptonite? Then you take a job in National City…”

Lorelei gave her a level stare. “Are you one of those Supergirl fangirls or something?”

“I used to be,” said Alyssa dryly, her lips pursing as if she’d just eaten something bitter.

“Used to be? As in: you’re not anymore?” asked Lorelei, brows furrowing.

“Nope.”

Lorelei raised an eyebrow. “Why do I get the feeling that there’s more to that story?”

Alyssa sighed, head beginning to spin from the alcohol. No wonder Lorelei liked this place. They certainly didn’t water down the drinks! She thought about giving the unrevealing, banal answers that she usually gave to the question of what had motivated her line of study, but Lorelei seemed like a great mentor. She’d even gone out of her way to help Alyssa feel comfortable in her new city. Maybe the inhibition-loosening effects of the alcohol had a little to do with it as well. In any case, Alyssa decided to tell Lorelei the unvarnished truth.

“I hate her. I can’t stand that nasty blonde bitch.”

Lorelei blinked in surprise, spine straightening in response to Alyssa’s directness. She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Did she do something to you?”

“Kind of…” Alyssa began, the painful memories washing into her consciousness like an unwanted splash of cold water. She shivered, pushing them to the back of her mind. “But it’s not important.” Alyssa said, waiving away Lorelei’s question with her hand. “What is important is that I learn how her powers work.”

“And why is that so important?” asked Lorelei, leaning forward conspiratorially, blue eyes gleaming in the dim light.

“So I can gain her powers for myself.” Alyssa picked up her drink and downed the rest in one swallow. As she set the glass down, feeling the comforting burn of alcohol sliding down her throat, she gauged Lorelei’s reaction. Her new friend seemed surprised – shocked even – but not horrified. There was no trace of judgment in the tall blonde’s eyes.

“Do you really think that’s possible?” Lorelei whispered quietly, as if not wanting to be overheard discussing the subject in a public place like this.

“I’m certain of it,” Alyssa shot back, her speech slightly slurred now. Her eyes narrowed as she studied Lorelei’s face. “Does that freak you out?”

Lorelei leaned back and seemed to consider the question before looking Alyssa directly in the eye. “No, it doesn’t.”

A smile slowly stretched across Alyssa’s lips, thinning them. “Think Luthor Labs will be interested in paying me to do that kind of research?”

Lorelei didn’t hesitate this time, the corners of her lips turning upward in a faint smile, her eyes becoming distant. “Yes. They absolutely will be.”

“Well, then I’ve come to the right place.” Alyssa grinned.

“Indeed you have,” replied Lorelei before she downed her own drink. “Indeed you have…”

*** THREE MONTHS LATER ***

“So the cell walls are more durable than normal, and the nucleus has this different type of structure here.” Alyssa used the laser pointer to highlight the dark blob on the screen with a shaky red dot.

“It has a plant-like ability to absorb sunlight and use it for energy. The process isn’t unlike earth plants’ photosynthesis. It’s just far more efficient and far more powerful,” Alyssa explained to Lorelei.

“But there’s more to it than just that. I’ve been able to clone Supergirl’s cells from the hair sample we have. The DNA is the same, but the sunlight absorption just doesn’t happen on its own.” Alyssa’s jaw tightened, and Lorelei could see that the small woman’s inability to duplicate Supergirl’s powers was bothering her.

“There’s got to be more to it than just the genome. Maybe the cells have to develop under a red sun rather than a yellow one initially? I don’t know. It’s so frustrating!” Alyssa’s knuckles went white as she gripped the laser pointer more tightly.

“So all we need to do is find a red sun and see, right?” said Lorelei, grinning. The comment seemed to relax Alyssa slightly.

“Har har. Yeah, let me just pop into my faster-than-light spaceship and do a little experiment…” said Alyssa wryly.

“Do you have any other ideas?” asked Lorelei, with the strange glint in her eye that she always seemed to have when working on the Kryptonian genome duplication project with Alyssa.

“Like what?” asked Alyssa, raising an eyebrow..

“Like putting your kryptonite research to work.” Lorelei leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

“I don’t follow,” said Alyssa, setting down the laser pointer and rubbing the back of her neck. Her cheeks looked gaunt, tired from the long hours at the lab these last few months.

“Well, we know that kryptonite can draw the energy temporarily from a Kryptonian’s cells, right?” confirmed Lorelei, picking up a beaker and pouring the liquid down the drain to illustrate her concept.

“Yeah…” replied Alyssa, wondering where her friend was going with this.

“And normally the energy returns when the kryptonite is withdrawn, right?” Lorelei filled the beaker with water once more.

“Yeah,” Alyssa repeated, beginning to see what Lorelei was getting at.

“So maybe the radiation from a particular type of kryptonite can draw the energy from the cells of a real Kryptonian to be absorbed into the cloned Kryptonian cells rather than going back to the original host?” Lorelei picked up a second beaker and poured the water from one to the other.

Alyssa thought about it for a moment, then a smile slowly formed on her face. “You know? That just might work!”

Lorelei smiled back, tipping the beaker full of liquid back and forth, staring at it. Then the two began to work frantically to plan the experiment.

***

“Oh my God! It works!!!” shrieked Alyssa, jumping up and down and hugging Lorelei. “By focusing the kryptonite’s radiation in a single direction using lead shielding on the other sides, we can direct it from the original hair sample to the cloned cell sample. The cloned hair cells then display all the properties of the original sample when the kryptonite is removed!”

“So what happens with the original sample?” asked Lorelei.

“It’s de-powered. Basically, it ends up like the cloned cell started. It has different biology, but it’s not really all that different, functionally, from a normal human cell.”

“So the Kryptonian powers are essentially transferred to the new cells?” Lorelei placed a finger on her lips thoughtfully.

“Basically, yeah,” said Alyssa with a satisfied smile.

“So that’s phase 2. How about phase 1? How’s the gene therapy coming along?”

“Almost ready. I have the retrovirus prepared to give my cells the Kryptonian characteristics necessary to absorb the power from the directed kryptonite radiation.”

“I swear you’re the smartest person here,” said Lorelei, beaming. “You did all of this in six months?”

Alyssa blushed at the taller blonde’s compliment. “Well, I’ve been thinking about it for years. I just needed Luthor Labs’ resources to make it a reality.”

Cheeks still flushed, Alyssa looked her friend right in the eye. “Now I need you to give me the retrovirus.”

“I don’t know, Alyssa.” Lorelei’s eyes met Alyssa’s. There was worry behind her brilliant blue irises. “Are you certain it’s safe?”

“Nothing in science is certain. Nothing in life is certain, Lorelei,” said Alyssa, her voice becoming more passionate with each word.

“Just…” she seemed to search for the right words to convince her friend for a moment, then shrugged, eyes aglow with a strange intensity. “…give it to me!”

Sensing that her goal was now in reach, Alyssa abandoned all pretense of patience, her eyes now dancing with manic energy.

“Alright already. But if you grow horns and a tail, it’s not my fault.” Lorelei’s words made Alyssa smile. Lorelei always seemed to know how to make her feel more… balanced.

Lorelei took the syringe, rolled up Alyssa’s sleeve, brushed a place on the smaller girl’s arm with her soft fingertips, and gave her the injection.

“Now it’s going to take approximately two months for this retrovirus to finish its work on my body, so that gives us some time to figure out how to lure Supergirl here,” said Alyssa, gaze becoming calculating even as she stared into Lorelei’s eyes.

Lorelei shook her head nervously. “I can’t believe you’re actually going to try to do this.”

“Why not?” Alyssa shot back angrily, causing Lorelei to take a step back. “I can make a far better superhero than that overhyped bimbo. I’ll treat people with dignity and respect. I’ll be more interested in helping people than putting them down.”

Lorelei set her jaw, then took a seat next to Alyssa. The two young women began to work out a plan for the most daring heist ever undertaken – the theft of Supergirl’s powers.

*** TWO MONTHS LATER ***

Supergirl descended gracefully from the sky to land in front of a darkened Luthor Labs late in the evening. Striding confidently toward the entrance, she saw a tall, pudgy figure through the glass wall of the state-of-the art building.

Lorelei opened the glass door as the girl of steel approached, holding it open for the gorgeous heroine.

Supergirl glanced around at the darkened interior of the building. “Superman messaged me to meet him here. What’s going on?”

Lorelei barely suppressed a smile, pleased that she and Alyssa had managed to hack through the Justice League’s encryption and successfully deliver a fake message to Supergirl.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Supergirl. Let me show you. This way…”

Lorelei led her through the dimly lit corridors to Alyssa’s lab. As Supergirl followed her in, Supergirl suddenly stopped, swaying on her suddenly jellylike legs.

“Something’s wrong!” Supergirl exclaimed, voice tense and urgent. “What are you—?” The young blonde glanced to her right to see a block of kryptonite encased in a thick lead cube on all sides but one.

“Surprise!” came a voice from her other side.

Supergirl’s head swiveled to find it’s source. Next to her stood a gorgeous woman with a body that looked every bit a match for her own, save for the brown hair and green eyes.

Supergirl’s knees wobbled as she felt the enervating effects of the kryptonite taking their toll. “Who are you? What are you doing with kryptonite? If you’re trying to hurt me, it won’t work. Superman is on his way here right now…”

Alyssa laughed and took a step toward Supergirl, her muscles tightening delightful by the second as Supergirl’s magnificent strength seeped into them. . The plan was working! Supergirl’s power was flooding into her now-Kryptonian cells. And it felt soooooo wonderful! Her breasts tingled as she felt power rippling through her body. Her abs clenched as her womb fluttered with burgeoning arousal.

Alyssa closed her eyes, breathing deeply, gaining control over the overwhelming sensations flowing through her improved form. When her long eyelashes fluttered back open, her green irises shone with barely contained energy.

“Superman isn’t on the way. He wasn’t the one who messaged you. I was.” Alyssa slowly clenched her fingers into a fist, feeling the strength in them rise as she watched the wheels turn in Supergirl’s mind.

A look of terror washed over the blonde girl’s face. Her lips began to tremble. “B-But why are you doing this? I’ve done nothing to you!”

“You have done something, Supergirl. You showed me what a bitch you really are.” Alyssa’s eyes, full of wonder from the sensation of her rising power, hardened.

Feeling unimaginable strength crackling through every part of her gorgeous body, she reached out to grab Supergirl’s shoulder and squeezed, delighting in the look of pain that twisted the girl’s perfect features. Supergirl dropped to her knees.

“This kind of power belongs with someone who will empower people, not belittle them. It belongs with someone who has earned it, not with someone who was just born into it. This kind of power belongs with me!”

At the conclusion of her sentence, she placed her other hand on Supergirl’s other shoulder, holding the rapidly weakening girl down as the kryptonite robbed her of the last of her strength. When the girl of steel collapsed the rest of the way to the floor, Alyssa took a step back. She raised her chin and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of strength that now coursed through her incredible body.

Lorelei, behind the shielded side of the kryptonite, slid a lead panel over the single uncovered side, then gave Alyssa a quick nod.

Alyssa balled a fist, raised it to chest-level, then launched it at hypersonic speed into the concrete wall of the lab. It impacted the smooth surface, and the concrete exploded, dust and jagged chunks rocketing across the room. One small piece impacted Supergirl’s cheek. The young blonde flinched and touched a hand to her face, pulling it away with blood on her fingertips.

Lorelei pulled the young blonde to her feet as Alyssa watched Supergirl’s horrified reaction with dark glee. “What’s the matter, Supergirl? Never bled before?”

Alysa strode over to Supergirl, grabbed the front of her costume and hauled her upward, off her feet, with one absurdly powerful arm. She hissed her next words directly into Supergirl’s terrified face. “Get used to it.”

Alyssa launched the girl across the room with a quick movement from the arm that had held her. Supergirl impacted the far wall of the lab with a soft *thud* and crumpled to the ground.

Lorelei gaped at Alyssa, a mixture of confusion and fear on her face.

“What?” Alyssa demanded of her friend, then shrugged. “She had it coming.”

“There’s no need to hurt her! You said you were going to use your powers to help people!”

“And so I will. Just had to get even with Supergirl here. Don’t worry. She’ll be fine. I didn’t throw her that hard.”

Lorelei gave her friend a dirty look, then rushed over to check on Supergirl. Alyssa walked over to a lab table, took both ends of a ring stand and tied the thin metal object into a bow. “So cool…” she muttered, mostly to herself.

Lorelei sat Supergirl up, lightly touching the back of her blonde hair, which was soaked with blood. She lifted up her hand to show Alyssa. “Look what you did, ‘Lyss. You hurt her!”

Alyssa rolled her eyes. “Whatever! Look, I’m sorry alright! I didn’t mean to throw her that hard. But she’ll be fine. Kryptonian cells are slightly tougher than human cells even without their solar power-up.”

Suddenly, Alyssa cocked her head to the side, appearing distracted. “I hear someone calling for help! Superhearing! So awesome!”

Alyssa crouched down, as if preparing to launch herself into the air for the first time, then aborted the attempt, seeming to think better of it. Straightening, gaze dropping to Supergirl once again, she began to walk toward the injured girl of steel.

“Gonna need your costume, Supergirl!”

Supergirl’s head lolled to the side, her expression dazed.

“I don’t think she’s too with it right now,” Lorelei said, kneeling by Supergirl’s side and looking up at Alyssa.

“No matter,” said Alyssa, using a burst of superspeed to strip the girl of steel of her uniform and put it on. Lorelei, seeing the young blonde naked on the floor, removed her lab coat and draped it over her.

Alyssa walked over to the mirror along the wall of the lab and admired herself. Her eyes grew glassy as she took in the view of herself in full costume. Her legs were far longer than they had been, adding six inches to her height over the past two months with her genetic transformation into a Kryptonian. Her thighs, smooth and firm as they emerged from the tops of her red boots, showed briefs pops of definition as she shifted her weight. Their long, lean expanse the only flesh of her body that showed below the high hem of her thin red skirt.

Alyssa smiled, drawing her own eyes upward to her gorgeous face and the twinkle of excitement in her viridian eyes. She brushed back her thick mane of brown hair and dabbed a finger under her eye to wipe away the tear that had been threatening to fall as she continued to marvel at her newly costumed appearance.

The definition of her stomach rippled the blue fabric of the top into cobbles of toned perfection. Her breasts were proud and full, their graceful swells filling out the shield of the girl of steel’s costume at least as well as Supergirl herself had. Alyssa smiled as she considered the pleasantly rounded bulges of the red and yellow symbol. Probably better, actually.

Her arms were slim but looked strong, the toned swells in the blue fabric of her uniform making it look as if she worked out for hours each day rather than spending every waking hour in the lab.

Eyes rising once again to meet their identical counterparts in the mirror, the realization of what she’d accomplished truly sunk in. A lump formed in her throat. “I-I did it,” she rasped, her voice a whisper. “I really did it.”

“Yes, you did,” said Lorelei from a few paces away, eyes softening in appreciation for her friend’s emotional moment, even as she attended to Supergirl. As she looked up at the young brunette tearing up before the mirror, she forgave Alyssa the harm she’d done to the former girl of steel.

After giving her a moment, Lorelei spoke in a quiet but firm voice. “Now go. Help those people.”

Alyssa hesitated, glancing to Lorelei, then to Supergirl, who lay under the lab coat on the floor. The sight of the wounded, unmoving former object of her fantasies suddenly filled her heart with guilt. Lorelei followed her friend’s eyes to the girl of steel. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her.”

Alyssa returned her gaze to her friend and pressed her lips together. Her eyes welled again, this time out of remorse rather than pride this time, and gave her friend a curt nod. Leaping upward, she burst through the ceiling, rocketing upward to save whoever it was she had heard in distress.

Lorelei stared at the ceiling for a moment, then shook her head, a faint, conflicted smile pulling at her lips. She turned to the still-dazed Supergirl.

“Come on,” the tall blonde said, hauling the de-powered girl to her feet and draping the blonde’s limp arm over her shoulder. “I’m going to take you to my place so we can get you bandaged up.”

Supergirl mustered the energy to turn her sagging head to the taller woman and nodded her acquiescence, then Lorelei helped the dazed young woman out of the lab to her car.

***

Alyssa smiled broadly as she sailed through the sky, accelerating until the wind pounded against her cheeks. She was flying! She was free from gravity itself! She could do anything now. Whatever she wanted. Enjoying the blur of the landscape below her as she continued to accelerate, she made her way toward the voice she had heard crying out, able to pinpoint the source instinctively with a new sense of geography that she’d never had before.

Alyssa reoriented in the air until her feet were below her as she descended gracefully to the balcony of the high end apartment where the cries she’d heard had originated.

Landing on soft knees on the large terrace balcony, she extended straightened arms before her. She strode directly into the French doors, crashing through them into the apartment with a crackling shower of splintered wood.

Seeing a large man holding a beautiful black woman down with one hand pinning her wrists above her head and his muscled body weighing hers to the bed, fumbling at his belt, Alyssa scowled. The man turned to her, eyes zeroing in on the shield of her uniform, transforming his determined features into a look of sheer terror.

He jumped up off the woman, spinning to sprint toward the door, but Alyssa let loose a blast of super breath, pinning him to the door. Firing her heat vision at the doorknob, she concentrated on it for a moment until a drop of molten metal dropped, searing the carpet. The man, freed from the gale of wind from her lungs, peeled himself from the door and eyed the superheated doorknob as if weighing how much damage touching it would do to his fingers.

Alyssa took aim at his belt buckle, the intruder’s eyes widening as he traced her gaze downward toward his crotch. Alyssa let loose with another round of laser vision, superheating his belt buckle until it softened as well. As the man’s tensed shoulders dropped in relief, she gave a quick puff from her lungs to his left side, spinning him around until the soft metal of the doorknob met that of his belt buckle. Another blast of air from her full lips cooled the molten metal to the point where the man was trapped, attached to the doorknob at his hips..

Realizing his predicament, the large man began to struggle, fingers fumbling at his leather belt, but it was no use. His belt buckle had warped around the leather, and he couldn’t get free himself. Alyssa smirked, enjoying her first test of two more powers, before turning her attention to the woman on the bed.

“Are you hurt?” she asked, even as she began to recognize the woman’s famous face. It was Laura Bancroft, one of the most sought after – and beautiful – actresses in Hollywood. As her eyes traveled the woman’s body, she suddenly realized something that gave her a strange queasiness in her stomach.

Alyssa’s eyes darted to the floor-length mirror in the room to take in her own form. Her smirk blossomed into a beatific smile as she realized that even one of the world’s most gorgeous actresses couldn’t compete with her in the looks department.

The notion continued to sink in as she stared at the mirror. She was prettier, fitter, and sexier than the hottest actress in Hollywood!

 

“I-I think I’m okay,” said the actress, shaking Alyssa from her reverie, reminding her that the other woman in the room had just been traumatized by a near sexual assault. This wasn’t the time to gawk at herself in the mirror.

Alyssa walked over and offered Laura a hand, which she took. The new girl of steel pulled her to her feet.

Laura looked Alyssa over. “You’re not Supergirl, are you? You’re wearing her costume, but your hair…”

“I am Supergirl. At least, I am now,” Alyssa replied with an enigmatic smile. “The old Supergirl gave me her powers.”

***

Supergirl awoke on the sofa in Lorelei’s apartment and shot up with the sudden realization that she was in a strange place. A hand instantly shot to her lower back as she felt a sharp sensation lancing through her from that spot. What was that feeling emanating from just above her hips back there. Was she… sore? Was that pain? Was that what this feeling was?

The pretty young blonde looked down at herself. She was wearing an oversized blue cotton t-shirt that came down to mid-thigh.

Rubbing her back, she rose quickly to her feet. Her vision dimmed and swirled, and she staggered backward, shapely calves hitting the front of the sofa, sending her firm, curvaceous backside back to its cushions with a soft *whump*.

Supergirl heard laughter coming from across the room, and her eyes quickly zeroed in on the source.

“You!” she said, crystal blue eyes narrowing. “You’re the woman from Luthor Labs!”

Supergirl struggled to her feet, more slowly this time, lowering a hand to arm of the sofa to help her maintain her balance. Despite her throbbing head and back, she managed to stare daggers at the tall, heavyset blonde across the room.

“Yes, Supergirl. My name’s Lorelei,” the woman said, leaning against the doorway to the kitchen, still smiling. She straightened, then walked toward Supergirl.

The girl of steel tensed as Lorelei approached, dropping into a fighting stance, despite the protests of her battered body.

Lorelei’s eyes flickered with amusement as she neared Supergirl. “You’re in no condition to be fighting right now.”

Supergirl frowned, then launched a jab at Lorelei’s face as soon as she came into range.

Lorelei moved her head to the side, easily dodging the slow, telegraphed blow, then shoved Supergirl backward with both hands, sending her to the couch cushions once more with a harmless bounce.

Supergirl grunted as pain lanced through her back once more, her head swimming. She looked up at the woman who had so easily overpowered her. Lorelei seemed to loom over her, cover-up slathered all over her face. She must have bad skin. Too bad. The tall woman’s face seemed to have nice bone structure.

Lorelei turned her back to the young blonde, clearly unconcerned about another clumsy attack, and reached for the remote, turning the television on. The morning news blared to life.

“…’new’ Supergirl rescued Hollywood starlet Laura Bancroft last night from an attempted sexual assault.”

The picture jumped from the news anchor to a video feed of Alyssa speaking directly into the camera. “It was the least I could do with the gifts I’ve been given. Supergirl chose me to receive her powers, after all. I intend to show the world how deserving of them I really am.”

At the end of the clip as the picture froze briefly, Alyssa gave a smile that looked almost predatory.

Supergirl’s jaw dropped. “Chose her?” she whispered.

The young blonde blinked, then repeated her incredulous words, louder this time. “Chose her?”

Lorelei turned back to Supergirl, arching an eyebrow and sighing. “Yeah. That’s what she’s telling everyone.”

The taller girl circled the coffee table and took a seat in the chair across from Supergirl’s sofa. “And it’s true. In a way…”

Supergirl scoffed incredulously. “Hardly.”

“Well you must have done something to get her riled up enough to spend the last few years of her life wanting to get even. By motivating her like that, you basically chose her,” said Lorelei, crossing her long legs, easing into the chair.

The girl of steel turned her gaze from the TV to meet Lorelei’s achingly blue eyes. The tall girl’s mesmerizing irises stole Supergirl’s thoughts momentarily, leaving her blinking in astonishment at their beauty.

It was really too bad that she was a bit overweight, thought Supergirl. And the bad skin. If it weren’t for that, she would truly be stunning. Maybe even as pretty as me!

Supergirl sat up as she tried to remember what she had originally wanted to say. She was forced to wait a moment for her dizziness to subside before it came to her. When it did, she looked up at Lorelei once more. “Why did you help that other girl do this to me?”

Supergirl raised a hand to feel the bandage wrapped around her head at the temple, the suspicious edge to her expression softening. “And why did you bring me here and take care of me?”

Lorelei leaned back in her chair. “I helped her because she’s brilliant, and I wanted to know if she could actually activate Kryptonian powers in herself.”

The tall blonde paused for a moment, seeming to consider her next words carefully. “Look, Alyssa is not entirely stable. She’s been obsessing over getting even with you for so long that I worry that now that she has what she wants, she might not be the hero she thinks she is.”

“She’s been obsessing over getting even with me?” asked Supergirl, processing Lorelei’s words. “Why? I haven’t done anything to her. I don’t even know her! It’s not like I would forget someone who looks like that!”

Lorelei pulled out her phone, made a few swipes, then handed it to Supergirl. “That’s what she looked like when I first met her.”

Supergirl looked at the photo. The girl’s face looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. As her eyes drifted to the young brunette’s shapeless, tiny body, however, her memory suddenly sparked.

Lorelei picked up on Supergirl’s reaction. “So something did happen. What did you do? Alyssa would never give me any of the details.”

“I, um, kind of humiliated her. In public,” Supergirl said, not meeting Lorelei’s eyes. “Well, not me exactly. The audience at my meet and greet.”

She seemed to think about those words further. “Well, I did too, I guess. I mistook her for a little girl, then people started making jokes. And it was funny! I shouldn’t have, but I laughed. I didn’t mean to, and I always felt bad about it, but I never knew her name to contact her and apologize.”

Supergirl returned the phone to Lorelei.

Lorelei accepted the phone, appearing to be lost in thought. It wasn’t until a loud rumble in Supergirl’s stomach broke the silence that her attention snapped back to the girl before her.

Startled, Lorelei dropped her eyes to Supergirl’s slim stomach. “Hungry?”

Supergirl looked sheepish, unused to her body making unexpected sounds. “Yeah, I think so.”

Lorelei disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Supergirl to stew over the news – which was almost entirely focused on the girl who had stolen her powers. Twenty minutes later, the taller girl came back out to the living room, setting a tray with two plates of eggs, bacon, and toast on the coffee table.

Supergirl caught Lorelei’s eye. Receiving a faint smile and a nod, she dove into the food, scarfing it down as if she hadn’t eaten in weeks. She’d never felt so hungry before. She must have been unconscious on the couch for quite some time.

She began to slow as she finished off the second plate, and Lorelei gave her a wry smile.

“You keep eating like that, and you won’t have that flat tummy for long! That was actually supposed to be breakfast for both of us.”

Supergirl paused mid-chew, slender fingers dropping to feel her stomach. It felt a bit softer than normal already, lacking the usual steely rigidity in her abs.

“Oh,” she said, voice muffled by the food in her mouth, a blush blossoming on her cheeks. “Sorry.”

***

Alyssa grinned as she floated into view from behind the curtain in a sexy red cocktail dress and the latest Jimmy Choo shoes. Fingering diamond earrings that matched her sparkling shoes, delighting in the feeling of every eye in the studio audience on her, she made a show of floating across the stage. The cheers from the audience were deafening as she landed in her seat without her feet ever touching the ground, crossing her bare, shapely legs upon arrival.

When the noise finally died down, Helen, the show’s host, shook Alyssa’s hand vigorously.

“Nice dress!” said Helen with a forced smile.

“Thanks, Helen. One of the best perks about being the new Supergirl is that fashion designers are all clamoring to get me to show off their latest creations. They pay pretty well for Instagram influence too!” Alyssa laughed lightly, the audience taking the cue and following suit.

When the sound of the audience’s laughter died down, Helen continued, fake smile plastered to her face. “So what’s it like to have superpowers?”

“It’s incredible, Helen. Completely amazing. I mean, I can fire lasers from my eyes! I mean, how cool is that!” Alyssa said with a warm smile. The audience applauded.

“So Supergirl just up and gave you her powers, eh?” asked Helen casually. She was smiling that insincere smile still, her eyes holding a hint of suspicion.

Alyssa frowned for a moment, detecting Helen’s skepticism, but she quickly hid it under a faux smile of her own. “Yes, she did. I think that she wanted to try life as a regular person. I wanted to try life as a super. It worked out.”

“It’s funny that she didn’t announce the change beforehand,” Helen continued to press. “You just sort of showed up, and she just vanished. Some people are saying that she might not have given up her powers voluntarily.”

Alyssa’s eyes narrowed, glowing briefly red as she stared directly at Helen. “Well maybe those people shouldn’t be saying things like that. Things that they know nothing about. Other people may not take too kindly to words like that.”

Helen’s eyes widened, and she swallowed hard. “Now to a commercial break…”

***

Back at Lorelei’s apartment, Supergirl blew a stray lock of blonde hair away from her face as she studied the recipe again. Suddenly, the smoke alarm went off. She glanced around the kitchen frantically, then zeroed in on a plume of smoke coming from the toaster. Sucking in a lungful of air, she blasted it out at the small machine.

Nothing happened.

Supergirl gave an exasperated growl, then ran over to the overheating machine and pulled out the plug. As she considered how to get the burned bread out of the slots, she heard a hiss coming from the stove. Whirling, she saw white water bubbling over the edge of her pot of rice and bursting into steam as it hit the burner of the stove, the lid on the pot dancing above its rim before sliding down the side to let a large billow of steam escape.

“Oh no!” she cried, then hustled back to the stove, grabbing the pot with an ungloved hand.

“Ahhhhh!” she shrieked, yanking her scalded fingers away and dashing to the sink to run them under cold water.

As she breathed a sigh of relief, she heard an amused voice from the entrance to the kitchen. “Need some help?”

“Sure!” replied Supergirl, a bit too eagerly, relieved that she didn’t have to handle the series of minor catastrophes by herself. Lorelei laughed as she found the oven mitts and moved the pot of rice from the stove’s burner for a moment.

“You didn’t cook before?” asked Lorelei, lowering the heat on the burner before placing the pot of rice back on top.

“Well, I did, but I usually just used my heat vision. I could just imagine the temperature that I wanted something to be, and *poof*. It was suddenly just as I wanted it.”

The young blonde turned off the faucet and reached for a towel to dry her stinging fingers. “Besides, with superspeed, I could always be on top of everything that was going on. I don’t know how regular people like you do it!”

“Regular people like me?” Lorelei raised an eyebrow as she reached up to turn off the smoke alarm. “You mean regular people like you too, right?”

Supergirl frowned, realizing the truth of Lorelei’s words. “Yeah. About that…”

Lorelei turned to the shorter blonde, curiosity pursing her lips. “Yes?”

Supergirl seemed to consider telling her something but thought better of it. Instead, she changed the subject. “Have you seen what Alyssa announced yesterday? It’s all over the news.”

“No, what is it?” asked Lorelei, frowning.

Supergirl picked up Lorelei’s tablet from the counter, swiped a few times, then handed it to her. Lorelei read for a moment, then looked up in surprise.

“Seriously? She’s charging a fee for rescues now?”

“Yeah. Apparently, she doesn’t want to work another job. She views this as more beneficial for everyone, since she will be able to save people full time this way.”

“Well, she’ll be able to save more rich people anyway…” muttered Lorelei, frowning.

“Exactly,” said Supergirl hopefully, encouraged to ask the question that was really on her mind by Lorelei’s reaction.

Supergirl steeled herself and let out a breath. Here goes, she thought. “I appreciate you helping take care of me while I healed from my injuries, but I need you to help me with something else too.”

Lorelei looked at her, a hint of fear in her eyes. “Yes?” she said, echoing her question from a few minutes earlier.

Supergirl noticed Lorelei’s fear and debated whether to defer her question again. She thought of the article she had just shown Lorelei, however, and decided to ask it this time. “I need you to help me get my powers back.”

Lorelei avoided her gaze, set the tablet back on the counter, and tapped it with her finger for a few moments as she thought about Supergirl’s statement. Finally, her eyes rose to meet Supergirl’s eager expression. “So what’s your plan?”

***

When Lorelei walked into the lab the next morning, she found Alyssa there, talking on the phone.

“Don’t be cheap, Simon. $1 million is a drop in the bucket for you. I saved you and your company ten times that in property damage alone.”

There was a moment of silence, then she continued. “Well, it’s your call. I can return that fire to its previous location with one little twinkle from my pretty little eyes.”

She pulled the phone away from her ear, and Lorelei could hear the loud cursing faintly through the phone’s tinny speaker.

When it died down, Alyssa placed the phone back to her ear. “I expect to hear back from you before the end of the day.” She hung up with an exasperated exhale, turning her attention to Lorelei.

“Billionaires! I tell ya,” she huffed exaggeratedly. “Hi, Lorelei.”

“Alyssa,” acknowledged Lorelei, setting her bag down on the counter.

“Sorry I haven’t been in touch much lately. People to save and all that, you know?” Alyssa leaned on the counter, tapping the side of her cheek.

“Rich people, anyway,” Lorelei shot back.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Alyssa defensively, her gorgeous body stiffening.

“Well, if you’re charging a million dollars per rescue, I doubt too many regular people can afford you.”

Alyssa snorted, and she raised her voice. “Well, I can’t save everyone anyway. Instead of saving people at random and trying to hold down a regular job, I figured I could save more people in total if I made it my entire job. And it’s working. I’m saving 31% more lives than Supergirl EVER did.”

“And does that job need to pay a million dollars a day?”

“Pfft. He can afford it. He’s a freaking billionaire, Lore! Besides, he’s kind of a slimeball. It’s not like he deserves that money more than I do.”

Alyssa shook her head. “Would it be better if I donated the money to charity? I’ll do that. For all the rescues after this one. This one’s got to pay the down payment on my new house. I mean, Supergirl shouldn’t be stuck in a lousy apartment, should she?”

Averting her eyes from Lorelei’s judgmental gaze, she changed the subject.

“Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about. Look, I’m constantly being harassed about this whole Supergirl power gift thing. I need her to tell the world that she gave her powers to me voluntarily.”

“But that’s not true, ‘Lyss! Why would she agree to say that?” asked Lorelei, brows rising.

Alyssa’s eyes darkened. “Because I’ll freaking hurt her if she doesn’t! Geez! What is it with the third degree here!”

Lorelei took a step back. “Do you hear yourself, Alyssa? I thought you wanted Supergirl’s powers because you thought you would do a better job with them. I thought you wanted powers because you wanted to be kinder than she was!”

Alyssa’s lips twisted in rage. “And I am! So what if I’m making a little money out of the deal. I’m saving more people each day than she ever did!”

She took a step toward Lorelei, eyes shining with anger. “Have you been talking to that little bitch? Is she manipulating you now or something? She is, isn’t she?”

Lorelei took another step backward. “She’s been staying with me while she recovers--from the injuries you gave her.”

Alyssa rolled her eyes. “She’s lucky that I didn’t do worse. After what she did to me…”

“What she did? You mean laugh at you in public?” Lorelei stared daggers at Alyssa.

Alyssa’s eyes widened. “She told you?” she whispered.

“She did tell me. And it sounds like the punishment is a lot worse than the crime,” Lorelei straightened, amplifying her height advantage over her friend.

Alyssa turned away. “You just don’t understand.”

“Then explain it to me!” Lorelei demanded, stepping forward.

Alyssa found the taller girl’s eyes once more. Tears glistened in her own. “Forget it,” she said, seeming to shrink from Lorelei, her voice thick with emotion. “Just forget it!”

Lorelei felt a sudden breeze flutter her hair and clothes, and Alyssa was gone.

As Lorelei let out a frustrated breath, releasing the tension from her argument with Alyssa, she heard a deep voice from the entrance to the lab.

“Excuse me, miss?”

Lorelei whirled to find a well-built man in a tight blue costume standing just inside the doorway. “S-Superman?” she stammered in surprise.

He smiled, then strode casually into the lab, red cape drifting behind him. “So you know where Kara is?”

“Kara?” asked Lorelei, confused.

“Sorry… Supergirl.” Superman stopped before her, crossing his arms over his bulging chest and leaning back on his heels.

Lorelei considered what to say carefully, then let out a breath, deciding to lay her cards on the table. “I do. She’s been staying with me.”

“And you’ve been taking care of her?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Lorelei shifted her head back in surprise. “How did you—?”

Superman’s eyes dropped, and he looked slightly embarrassed. “I eavesdropped on your last conversation. I’ve been secretly following… Alyssa, is it?”

Lorelei nodded hesitantly.

“…Alyssa. For the past few days, since she appeared in Kara’s uniform, I’ve been hoping that she would lead me to Kara. Er, Supergirl.” He gave Lorelei a reassuring look. “And it seems she finally has.”

He uncrossed his arms, spreading his hands, palms up. “I would appreciate it if you took me to see her.”

Lorelei gave him a faltering smile and nodded once more. She hefted her bag to her shoulder and walked back out the door, Superman in tow.

***

Alyssa floated above Nora as she lay asleep in bed next to another attractive girl, her eyes trembling with hatred, a dark smile playing across her full lips. Her viridian eyes squinted, glowing briefly red. Below, a coin-sized spot at the bottom edge of the bed darkened and began to sizzle.

Alyssa watched Nora stir, her nose crinkling as the scent of burning mattress wound over her nostrils. Her eyes, still closed, scrunched briefly as they moved under her eyelids before suddenly popping open. She sniffed again, brow furrowing, and sat up. Her eyes roamed the bed until they saw a plume of smoke from the licking flames, which had begun to spread along the base of the mattress.

Nora shrieked, rousing her friend. She threw the covers aside and jumped out of the bed, her girlfriend quickly doing the same. The other girl ran out of the room, perhaps to find help, while Nora backed away from the bed in fear, unsure what to do.

“Thought that might get your attention…” said Alyssa to Nora, still hovering near the room’s ceiling.

Nora looked up, and her eyes widened. “Supergirl?”

“In the flesh…” said Alyssa, eyes flashing with the flicker of the bed fire in the dark room, words dripping honey. “I’ve developed a bit since you last saw me, wouldn’t you say?”

“Since I last saw you?” Nora’s brows furrowed in confusion. “We’ve met?”

“Don’t you recognize me?” asked Alyssa sweetly, descending to land with a ballerina’s grace before Nora.

Alyssa twirled in place before Nora, giving a 360-degree view of her luscious figure in the glimmering firelight. Rich chocolate tresses tumbled over toned shoulders down full breasts. The thin red skirt of her costume flowed elegantly around her shapely ass and sleek thighs as she whirled to a stop facing Nora once more.

“Of course I do! You’re the new Supergirl…” breathed Nora, clearly awestruck by the nubile superheroine before her.

Alyssa could see rising desire in Nora’s eyes and felt her lips draw into a satisfied smirk. “And do you know who the new Supergirl really is?”

Alyssa reached out a willowy arm to run her fingers along the outside of Nora’s tricep, watching the young blonde shiver under her touch, eyes glowing in the dim light as they remained glued to her own.

“No,” answered Nora. Her gaze fell to Alyssa’s mouth, and she licked her lips. “But I’d love it if you told me.”

The girl seemed oblivious now to the crackling fire on the mattress next to them, distracted completely by the object of her desire, Alyssa’s ethereal form lit in dancing shimmers of amber light.

Alyssa’s fingers rose to Nora’s hair, just above her right ear. She tucked the girl’s blonde hair behind her ear, then leaned in. “I’m the girl you compared to a child at prom…” she whispered.

As she pulled back, she saw the wheels turning in Nora’s mind until her mouth dropped open. “Alyssa?” she said in an awed voice.

Alyssa smiled evilly. “So you do remember!”

Her hand moved from behind Nora’s ear to the back of her neck, and she tightened her grip.

Nora’s expression turned from one of awe to one of pain. “Alyssa? You’re hurting me!” she said, beginning to squirm in an attempt to free her neck from Alyssa’s painful grasp.

“Like you hurt me?” said Alyssa, eyes growing hard as the light in the room flickered red.

“I-I was in high school, Alyssa! You know how it is…” Nora laughed nervously, reaching a small hand behind her to try to pry off Alyssa’s iron fingers without success.

Alyssa released her grip and smiled cruelly, stepping into Nora until her breasts pressed into those of her high school crush. The powerful brunette took another step forward. Then another. Nora retreated as Alyssa advanced, walking the pajama-clad blonde toward the corner of the room until her back bumped against the wall. Beads of sweat from the radiant heat glimmered on Nora’s forehead as her curvy body pressed against the wall.

“When you ridiculed me in front of everyone, I bet you never thought I’d develop into this,” said Alyssa in a low voice, emphasizing the last syllable, pushing her impossibly firm body forcefully into Nora’s. Nora’s softer form yielded to Alyssa’s steel-hard curves, and the breath was squeezed from her lungs.

Nora took a shallow breath, pinned between the wall and Alyssa’s incredible body. “Of course I didn’t. If I had, I would have… have…”

As the girl searched for the right words, Alyssa took another step forward, pushing the firm orbs of her breasts deeper into Nora’s soft flesh, the blonde girl’s breasts bulging around Alyssa’s infinitely stronger curves.

Another burst of air erupted from Nora’s lungs. The blonde looked alarmed now.

“Would have… what?” asked Alyssa, her voice now a husky purr, her expression dark, eyes intense.

“Alyssa… can’t… breathe…” gasped Nora, barely able to suck in enough oxygen to whisper each word.

Alyssa’s hands slithered downward, tracing the hourglass-shaped sides of Nora’s body until they arrived at her rounded hips. She rotated her own hips into those of the mere human before her, tight abs pressing against Nora’s taut, but far softer, stomach.

The drywall behind Nora cracked from the intense pressure Alyssa was placing on her body as Alyssa tilted her head forward to plant a sumptuous kiss on Nora’s lips.

Nora’s tense body relaxed for a moment as she delighted in the kiss from the darkly erotic beauty before her. Quickly running out of air in her compressed lungs, however, Nora’s hands reached up to tap against Alyssa’s toned arms.

Alyssa continued the kiss, ignoring Nora’s nonverbal plea. Nora’s movements became more urgent. Her fingers tightening around the defined muscles of Alyssa’s arms, attempting to pull the young Supergirl away from her.

Still, Alyssa ignored her, kissing the young blonde passionately.

Nora’s hands movement desperately along Alyssa’s steel-hard body, her legs beginning to squirm as well. She tried to turn her face to the side, to free her mouth from Alyssa’s and suck in a vital breath of oxygen.

But Alyssa refused to release her kiss, pushing her body against Nora’s even more tightly, the buxom blonde’s ribs creaking as they bent inward. Alyssa continued until she heard more crackles from the compressed drywall behind the former prom queen.

Nora’s struggles intensified, but she could do nothing. Alyssa was immovable, a statue of warm steel. The young blonde’s body began to buck, her heart racing, the heat in the room continuing to rise as her wide blue eyes rolled upward and her eyelids fluttered closed.

After a few more seconds of frantic struggling, Nora’s body twitched twice, then went limp.

Alyssa finished her kiss and stepped back, allowing Nora’s lifeless body to drop to the floor before her.

Breathing heavily through moistened lips, Alyssa stared at the dead girl, a mix of revulsion and satisfaction swirling within her core. The conflicting emotions wrestled for dominance as her eyes grew unfocused. Twisted amber flames on the mattress next to her fluttered away until all that was left was the deep red glow of smoldering embers.

Hearing the rapidly approaching footsteps of Nora’s girlfriend outside the door, Alyssa was startled from her whirling thoughts. She rocketed out the window of Nora’s room, coming to a halt high in the sky above. Still unsure how she felt about what she’d done, she was startled from her thoughts a second time as a blue blur ripped through the night sky toward her.

“Superman!” Alyssa eyed the man of steel suspiciously as he decelerated to a sudden halt, floating before her after having rocketed to her location faster than a speeding bullet and all that.

“Yes. Look, I’ve been looking all over town for Supergirl, and I finally found her! She’s holding this tall, heavyset blonde girl hostage at Luthor Labs. She’s holding her at gunpoint!”

Alyssa’s eyes betrayed her alarm, but she didn’t move, remaining tensed for action, eyes trained on Superman. “And why did that stop you? You’re fast enough to rescue her before she can fire, now that she’s essentially just human.”

“She’s got kryptonite there. I’m not sure if I can get to the gun quickly enough with that nearby.”

Alyssa began to tremble as his words sunk in, her face reddening in anger. “Come on. I’m going to end that bitch once and for all. I’ll distract them from the front, while you get the gun from behind. With my distraction, it should give you enough time to get the gun away from her.”

“Just promise you won’t hurt her when this is over,” said Superman.

“Promise,” Alyssa lied, remembering how it had felt to crush Nora to death with her vastly superior body.

A moment later, they arrived at Luthor Labs. It was just as Superman had told her, Supergirl standing behind Lorelei with a gun to the back of her head. Alyssa eyed the kryptonite immediately before Lorelei as she walked into the room, feeling a wave of weakness roll over her as she did.

“Superbitch,” she sneered. “You really want to die, don’t you?”

Supergirl tightened her grip on Lorelei’s neck, shoving the barrel of the gun forward, forcing Lorelei’s chin to her chest.

“Not exactly. I just want my powers back.” Supergirl’s voice cracked nervously as she watched Alyssa carefully.

Alyssa stumbled, dropping to a knee. Something was wrong. She was still far enough from the kryptonite before her that it shouldn’t be affecting her so strongly. The glowing green meteorite had a very limited range.

Alyssa’s eyes narrowed as she realized that there must be a second chunk in the room, and she glanced around, searching for it. She didn’t see any other kryptonite… then her eyes rose toward the ceiling. She scanned the ceiling tiles, still on one knee, feeling weaker by the second. Behind her, above the door frame, a block of kryptonite was mounted with lead on every side but the side facing her… and Supergirl.

Supergirl had planned this! She was taking her powers back!

Alyssa attempted to rise, but her legs gave out from under her. She crumpled to the ground as the last of her strength ebbed away. Eyes brimming with hatred, cheek resting on the floor, she found Supergirl’s eyes.

Supergirl released Lorelei and pressed a button on the remote control she held in her left hand. The doors to the lead cases around both blocks of kryptonite slid to a close.

Superman approached Kara from behind and hugged her. “Our plan worked!” he said.

Kara’s eyes widened in pain. “Ouch! Not so tight!”

“But I’m barely using any of my strength!” he said, brow furrowing in confusion as he released the hug, holding her with outstretched arms, a hand on each shoulder.

Supergirl looked down at the remote control in her hand and squeezed, intending to crush it to dust. A pained expression scrunched her features, and she opened her hand once more, revealing dark red marks from the corners of the rectangular gadget carved into her soft flesh.

She looked into Superman’s eyes in horror. “It didn’t work!”

Superman frowned, and his eyes flashed to Alyssa lying on the ground near the entrance to the room. He moved in a blur, coming to a stop by Alyssa’s side, roughly hauling the young brunette to her feet. She yelped in pain.

Superman eyed her and gave the soft muscles of her arm another squeeze.

“Stop that!” said Alyssa angrily. “You’re hurting me!”

Superman’s eyes narrowed. “So you’re not super either?”

His voice dropped as he spoke his thoughts aloud. “But if your powers didn’t go to her, and they didn’t go to you, who did they…?”

A lilting chuckle arose from the back corner of the room.

Three pairs of eyes found Lorelei, tossing a ball of mangled metal and catching it in the same hand, like a baseball. She tossed the ball to the counter, and the three other people in the room stared at it. It appeared to be a mangled ring stand, the metal misshapen and crumpled into a spherical shape.

Lorelei reached into her bag, removing a makeup remover sponge, and began to scrub her face. When she was done, she picked up a paper towel and pressed it to her cheeks.

Supergirl, Alyssa, and Superman simply stared at her in confusion. What was Lorelei doing?

As she set the paper towel down, Alyssa sucked in a gasp, speaking before she realized words were coming out of her mouth. “You’re gorgeous! Even prettier than Supergirl.”

It was true. With the heavy makeup gone, her sculpted cheekbones, feminine jawline, and plump lips combined to give her the most exquisitely beautiful face any of the three had ever seen.

“Why were you using makeup to make yourself look worse?” asked Supergirl. Superman simply stared.

Lorelei didn’t answer. Instead, she pulled the pins away from the bun she always wore and shook out her light blonde hair. Alyssa hadn’t really noticed before, the tall woman’s hair always so tightly tucked and tied every time she’d seen her, but loose, it was impossible to miss. The thick, shimmering mane was breathtaking, flowing over her shoulders to mid-back like a platinum waterfall.

As Lorelei’s hair fanned out behind her, she smiled. “Because I couldn’t have everyone in on my little secret.”

Lorelei pulled off her trademark bulky sweater to reveal a padded suit underneath.

“Did you use the retrovirus?” breathed Alyssa in wonder, causing Supergirl and Superman to turn to her with puzzled glances.

Lorelei dropped her baggy pants, and as she stepped out of them, tore off the padded suit to reveal the most incredible body anyone had ever seen. Lorelei wore an exact replica of Supergirl’s costume, but it looked far better on her than on Supergirl herself.

Full breasts, easily half again as large as Supergirl’s, swelled dramatically from an impossibly tiny waist. Defined feminine muscles lined her toned arms and sumptuously carved abs, sculpting the sheer fabric of her costume into nubile, athletic perfection.

“No, Alyssa,” she said, taking a step forward, thin red skirt swishing over silky, tanned thighs. “I didn’t have to.”

Knee-high red boots flowed down sinuous, shapely calves as she approached the other three. “You see, my father, Lex Luthor, created me in a lab.”

Superman startled at the mention of the name.

Lorelei strolled over to the nearest lead box, sinking her long fingers into the soft metal and pulling it apart as if it were made of modeling clay. The glowing green meteorite came into view as a hole opened in the top of the cube, illuminating her face from beneath. Writhing viridian shadows slithered up her perfect features.

Superman shrank from the achingly gorgeous blonde as waves of enervating radiation reached out from the damaged box to lap hungrily at his muscled physique.

Lorelei smiled broadly, rising taller as he fell away, reaching into the mangled box to remove the kryptonite fully before she continued.

“You see, I was created to be a super-Kryptonian.”

The kryptonite’s visible green rays began to stream into Lorelei. She seemed to grow still taller, her cheekbones sculpting themselves from gorgeous to transcendent as she spoke. Lorelei seemed to feel something wonderful, letting out a small gasp.

The kryptonite flickered before her, it’s glowing rays bending toward her, licking the dramatic curves of her sensual body. 

She slowly lowered her insanely long lashes, letting out a soft purr of pleasure as she did. Those black, bold eyelashes seemed to extend even further as they rose a moment later, revealing mesmerizing blue oceans that held the other three people in the room transfixed.

Her eyes focused on Superman’s as he stumbled back.

“To be the most powerful being in the universe,” she breathed.

The muscles in her arms seemed to undulate into greater definition, carving into diamond-hard tendrils of slim, female sinew. Her abs rippled into chiseled perfection, their power evident from the deep grooves between every impossibly firm ridge.

Lorelei sucked in a breath, and she shuddered. Her long legs tensed, inconceivably powerful cables of muscle rising from their smooth, tanned surface. Then she breathed out, relaxing her shoulders. The tension flowed out of her phenomenal body, the hard lines disappearing from the silky skin of her thighs once more, submerging beneath perfect, invulnerable flesh.

She shifted her gaze to Supergirl.

“To be a vastly improved version of you!” she said pointing at the former Girl of Steel, her voice becoming husky now as the effects of the transformation magnified her arousal.

The delicate features of Lorelei’s face continued to transform as she spoke, growing more heartbreakingly feminine by the second. Her breasts swelled, the tight blue top of her costume creaking as it strained to contain their rising magnificence.

“To be the ultimate woman,” she whispered breathily, gaze turning now to Alyssa.

“Unghhhhh,” she groaned, ridiculously long eyelashes fluttering shut as her already impossibly seductive form rippled into something far beyond mere perfection. “So… much…” she whispered, perfect features crinkling with the effort of absorbing such power.

Her now earth-shakingly powerful form finished soaking in every last drop of energy from the alien crystal, marrying it to Supergirl’s already prodigious strength, multiplying it, filling her super-Kryptonian engineered cells with unspeakable power. The neon glow of the kryptonite faded completely, leaving it a dull, dark green rock.

“Ahhhhh,” breathed Lorelei shakily, eyes opening languidly, body straightening into a straighter, more regal posture, arms floating outward from the rest of her awesome body. She curled her fingers, and the kryptonite in her hands exploded into green powder and drifted to the floor.

Superman, seeing that the kryptonite was gone, shook himself free of the paralyzing trance that Lorelei’s hypnotic transformation had held him in, and leapt into action. Brows furrowing, he lunged forward, launching a fist at Lorelei’s face.

She caught it in the long, slender fingers of her right hand, with a soft *smack*. Superman attempted to pull it free, but couldn’t do it.

She looked down on him as he sank under the shocking pressure of her hand. “It’s no use, Superman.”

Her entrancing eyes found Alyssa’s. “My strength is as far beyond Superman’s here…” she nodded to the struggling, red-faced Man of Steel. “…as his is beyond that of a regular human.”

She began to squeeze Superman’s fist. He winced, his eyes closing in pain.

“But as I grew up – far faster than a normal girl – I never developed the kind of strength he had envisioned. When he died, he told me I was his biggest disappointment.” Lorelei’s expression darkened, tears welling in her eyes from the agony of the memory.

After a moment, a tear rolling down her impossibly perfect cheek, she returned her gaze to Superman. She squeezed his hand harder, and a series of pops echoed through the room. Superman dropped to one knee, giving a sharp shriek of agony.

“So when I took over Luthor Labs, I knew that I needed to find someone who could figure out why I was such a disappointment. I needed someone who could transform me into a success.”

Realizing her casual grip had caused damage to Superman’s hand, Lorelei released it. He pulled into his chest, cradling it. Ignoring him now, Lorelei stopped before a wide-eyed Alyssa, her eyes, still brimming with tears, warmed.

“And I found her.”

Lorelei snaked a hand behind Alyssa’s head, leaned in and gave her a passionate kiss. When she pulled back, Alyssa looked up at her, eyes wide, breathless.

“You’re the one who gave me the key to unlock the person I was always meant to be. You’re the one who did what my father never could. You’re the one that I’ve always been attracted to, with your gorgeous mind and indomitable spirit.”

Lorelei smiled, brilliant blue eyes warm. “You’re the one that transformed me from a failure to the ultimate success.”

Alyssa swallowed, the incredible aura of power emanating from the woman before her prickling her skin.

Lorelei’s long eyelashes trembled, and tears began to stream anew down her cheeks. “You’re the one that I love.”

Alyssa’s breath caught. She thought of Nora at prom, who had so publicly rejected her.

She turned to look at Supergirl, who had humiliated her when she had been in such need of having her affections returned.

Then, she returned her gaze to Lorelei.

Alyssa shivered as her eyes explored her friend’s impossibly perfect face, remembering how supportive she’d always been. Alyssa had only ever wanted to be desired by the women she herself had most desired. She had only ever wanted to be loved.

Reaching out, she ran her fingers along the strong, healthy tresses of Lorelei’s silvery blonde hair. Her eyes focused on Lorelei’s naturally scarlet lips. Alyssa leaned in, pushed up onto her toes, and touched her lips to Lorelei’s. The kiss was light at first, but grew more passionate. Alyssa poured all of her pent-up frustrations, all of her years of unrequited desire, all of her passion into the kiss.

Lorelei took a step backward, caught off guard by the sudden ferocity of Alyssa’s action, then returned it, channeling her gratitude into the young brunette’s lips. She was no longer a disappointment. Her father would be proud of her now. Alyssa’s arms slipped around the taller, fitter, more voluptuous girl – the goddess who made Supergirl look absolutely plain in comparison – and nestled her body against her. Alyssa’s heart fluttered as the aura of Lorelei’s earth-shakingly powerful body enveloped her, her fingertips gliding along the gorgeous girl’s sculpted muscles.

“I love you too,” she whispered, panting as their lips finally parted.

Lorelei smiled, lifted Alyssa from her feet, and effortlessly twirled her in a circle.

Hearing a sound from behind her, Lorelei’s eyes shifted away from Alyssa’s for a moment, and she glanced at Superman, now on his feet, though still cradling his injured hand.

Her face turned back to Alyssa’s, and she directed her thumb to point behind her. “What should I do with him?”

Alyssa considered, eyes darting momentarily to the lead box on the counter beside her. A mischievous smile blossomed over her lips as her eyes returned to Lorelei’s. “I might have an idea…”

Lorelei returned her smile, eyes twinkling with delight.

Alyssa’s smile faltered as she saw a red glow emanating from Lorelei’s back. “Lore? I think Superman is trying to light your costume on fire.”

Lorelei whirled to find Superman’s heat vision trained at her breasts. The sensation was pleasantly warm. She smiled, stretched out her arms and basked in the comfortable feeling.

Superman’s eyes squinted, and his twin beams surged still hotter.

Annoyance flashed across Lorelei’s staggeringly beautiful features. Was he really trying to hurt her? Didn’t he know that was hopeless after she had crushed his hand with a fraction of her strength? She flashed across the room faster than even Superman’s eyes could follow, and he was instantly dangling, feet about the ground. Heat vision petering out, his hands rose to clutch at Lorelei’s impossibly strong fingers as they began to deprive him of oxygen.

Lorelei cocked her head to the side, waves of silver-gold hair glimmering as they shifted. “Don’t you see that it’s pointless to fight against me? I was going to leave you alone!”

Her sapphire irises rolled upward in a circular path before dropping to study his frightened features once more. “Well, that’s not entirely true. I was going to leave you alone after I stripped your powers and gave them to Alyssa.”

Superman’s eyes widened, and he began to squirm in her grasp.

Something metallic bounced off Lorelei’s back, and she turned to find Supergirl there, breathing heavily from the exertion of lifting and throwing a lab stool at her.

“Seriously?” Lorelei asked her, incredulous. “Did you really think that would hurt me?”

Pursing her lips, the heartbreakingly gorgeous woman gave a sharp burst of breath, and Supergirl lifted from the ground and flew back into the wall, ricocheting from it to land face-first on the floor.

“I don’t want to hurt you, sister! Stop doing such stupid things! Someone is bound to get hurt!”

Alyssa walked up to Lorelei from behind, turned her head toward her with one hand, and gave her a passionate kiss. “It’s almost like they’re asking for punishment! Like they know they need it.”

Lorelei frowned as Alyssa broke the kiss. She pressed her lips together as she examined Superman’s straining, beet-red face, the heavily muscled hero’s fingers still frantically attempting to pry her fingers from his throat.

With a flick of her wrist, she flung earth’s mightiest hero to the floor, his shoulder cratering into it with a chorus of crackling floor tiles. Then, she was instantly above him, so fast that it was as if she had teleported, her scarlet-clad foot pressing into his neck.

Alyssa smiled at Lorelei, then picked up the remote control from the counter, and pressed a button. As one side of the lead box slid open, Alyssa strode toward it. She raised her chin and pushed her chest proudly upward as she sauntered into range of the glowing meteorite’s delicious radiation.

She purred in delight as she felt her muscles begin to tighten with limitless strength once more, gorging themselves on the succulent solar energy that Superman had been hoarding as his own. Alyssa’s body shuddered in ecstasy as it drank in planet-shaking levels of power.

When the process was finished, Alyssa trembling as she gulped deep swallows of air in an effort to regain control of herself, Superman whimpered from under Lorelei’s boot.

Lorelei looked down at the pitiful remnants of the once powerful man beneath her foot, lifting it from below his masculine jaw to stand tall and turn to Alyssa. “How do you feel, love?”

“Like a million bucks,” she said with a gorgeous smile. “Speaking of which, I’ve got a billionaire to visit. I’m thinking that cursing me out may have made the price go up by a few hundred million.” Alyssa watched Lorelei expectantly, carefully gauging her reaction.

Lorelei’s jaw tightened. Despite her feelings, she still wasn’t on board with Alyssa’s less-than-heroic approach to superheroing.

“Lorelei, let me show you something your father wrote. I found it in the file room of the lab when I was looking for all the material on the Kryptonian genome that I could find in the lab records.”

Alyssa smirked as she walked over to her desk in the corner of the lab and pulled open a drawer. “I didn’t fully understand it until now, but somehow I think you’ll find it interesting…”

Alyssa extracted a sheet of paper and held it up. Lorelei used her X-ray vision to read it from the other side of the room.


September 1, 2002

The experiment was a complete success. I was not only able to clone Supergirl’s tissue but to improve its capacity to store energy by several orders of magnitude. I’ve grown a full embryo in the lab, and she’s nearly to birthing size after just four months.

I think that I’ve finally done it. I think that I finally have the tool to bring about the super cousins’ death.


Lorelei dropped her gaze from the paper and blinked several times. When her eyes rose to meet Alyssa’s, they were glassy, clouded in darkness.

“So that’s what my dad wanted from me. That is my purpose. That is what would make him proud of me.” Lorelei’s quavering voice was raw with emotion, her full lips trembling.

“I always thought of Supergirl as my older sister. My only family. But I’m supposed to kill—” Lorelei choked up, unable to finish the sentence. Tears glistened at the bottom of her eyes. Alyssa’s face softened in sympathy, and she walked to her friend to rub comforting circles into her back.

Lorelei reached around Alyssa’s thin waist, pulling the brunette against her, shivering as she felt the warmth of Alyssa’s firm flesh against her. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she gazed into Alyssa’s green eyes.

Searching her friend’s face, Alyssa sensed the turmoil within her. Green eyes glimmering, the young brunette let out a slow breath, the image of Nora’s splayed, lifeless body playing across her mind’s eye. She searched her heart to understand her own feelings, knowing that she needed to find her own answers to help her friend.

“You can do this,” Alyssa said in a low voice, tears of her own welling as the answers she’d been seeking finally came to her. “Sometimes, to build a future that you can be proud of, you need to destroy the parts of your past that shame you. You need to free yourself from that shame to move forward.”

The words brought with them a feeling of peace. Alyssa felt… content. For the first time in her life, she had a sense of closure. She felt free, as if a weight she’d been carrying for years was finally lifted from her shoulders. She now knew why Nora’s life had needed to end.

Alyssa understood that Supergirl’s needed to end as well. But Supergirl’s life wasn’t hers to take. It was Lorelei’s. Alyssa knew that Lorelei needed to be the one to do it. It was the only way for her friend to free herself from her own shame. It was the only way for Lorelei to make her father proud. For the first time in her life, Lorelei would not be her father’s greatest disappointment but his greatest triumph.

It was the only way for Lorelei to be proud of herself.

Once it was done, Alyssa could have what she always knew she was meant to have – the most beautiful and powerful woman ever to walk the face of the earth. She had earned Lorelei’s love. The two of them could move on with their lives together freed from their deeply buried shame. They could be proud of themselves. Proud of each other. They would be united by the courage to conquer their pasts.

She locked gazes with Lorelei and lowered her chin in a brief nod, the brunette’s eyes filled with absolute certainty. Lorelei set her jaw and returned the nod, Alyssa’s confidence giving her the strength to go through with this.

Superman rose to his hands and knees and began to crawl over to Supergirl, who lay unmoving on the floor. When he reached her, he pulled her lolling head into his lap. Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled up at him, the tendons in her neck pulled taut by the pain that continued to radiate through her body.

Superman smoothed her golden hair comfortingly. “It’ll be okay, Kara,” he whispered, running his hand gently down her silky blonde hair.

He looked up to find Lorelei staring at him, cheeks wet with tears. Superman’s heart sank as he saw Lorelei’s brow furrow, the beginnings of a brilliant red glow forming deep within her pupils.

The Man of Steel looked down to his cousin once more. “It’ll be okay,” he whispered again.

As a flash of searing red enveloped them, Superman knew that they would be the last words either of them ever spoke.

THE END