Karen Starr could hear the roaring flames before the sirens of the fire trucks even started up. The fire was halfway across town easily five miles away but she could hear it and when she turned her attention towards it she could see through the concrete jungle between herself and it. After watching it for a moment she was content that the fire department would be able to put the blaze down without too much effort and she returned her attention to the crossword puzzle and an over priced latte.
Just as she was trying to figure out what a seven letter word for chest a massive explosion rocked through the city. This time everybody turned towards the fire even though most of them could only see the smoke rising up over the buildings. Only Karen could see the source of the blast.
"And I thought today was gonna be a day off." She grumbled. Karen subtly rose from her seat in front of the Hallowed Grounds coffee shop and walked into the Jill's Sandwiches next door. After a quick, a literal blink of a human eye, check to be sure she was alone Karen changed from her civilian clothing into her uniform.
There was no good reason why Karen bothered with a uniform, she didn't bother with a mask and even if she did any man would have recognized her anyway. It wasn't like many of them had ever noticed she had a head and it was difficult to disguise a pair of gravity defying triple D's. Karen didn't even try; the white long sleeve one piece swimsuit she wore had a window cut over her breasts where most super heroes wore some kind of emblem or shield. The rest of her outfit was made up of blue gloves and matching boots that came just past her wrists and ankles respectively and a waist length red cape. The cape ended just above the womanly swell of her hips drawing attention to the heart shaped rump that was only barely contained by her outfit.
Nobody saw the six foot blonde with her bob cut hair leave the bathroom. It was a benefit of being able to move faster than a speeding bullet. She had time to carefully close the door behind her and still be gone faster than the humans around her could recognize what was happening. By the time anybody even thought of looking for Karen Starr in the bathroom Power Girl would already be across town standing face to face with somebody else's problem.
"Come out come out Superman!" The taunting voice belonged to one of the few beings physically able to manhandle the Man of Steel. Kalibak, son of Darkseid. He was eight feet tall and nearly six across at the shoulders with a head easily a size too large for his body. What hair had was concentrated a thick black mane that encircled his entire skull. He was wearing his standard green and yellow battle armor and matching boots that accentuated his two toed feet. He was already tough but the armor made him very nearly godlike and to add that extra challenge he was wielding his Beta Club. The Beta Club in addition to being nearly half of ton it was crackling with Apokoliptan technology that instantly activated pain receptors on contact. Power Girl had never fought him before but she'd heard the stories from Superman, even if Kalibak only grazed you with the weapon it would hurt as much as if he'd gotten you clean.
Normally Power Girl adhered to Superman, and the Justice League's, policy of attempting to diffuse a situation first and then slowly escalating the amount of force used until the target was subdued. As much as she felt the rule was stupid she normally obeyed it. Today she decided that nothing says hello quite like an SUV being slammed repeatedly on your head until it disintegrates. Once that was done she took a step back from the impact crater she'd created with the alien. "Superman is not here. Now we can either do this the easy way of the fun way."
Kalibak groaned and forced himself back to his feet searching for the voice's source for a moment. Then he saw her starting at her boots that ended just above her ankles and followed them slowly upward. His eyes paused slightly at the swell of her hips where the fabric was strained into an outline of her intimate female parts. After an impolite amount of lingering his gaze continued upward pausing twice for her nipples and again for the window cut over her breasts until Power Girl noisily cleared her throat drawing his attention up to her face. "What's the fun way?" The alien sneered.
"You've got to be kidding me! I hit you with an SUV and you're still. . ." Power Girl sighed as she Kalibak forced her to fly a little closer to the ground to keep his eyes on hers.
"Where is Superman? He is the one I am here to challenge." Kalibak growled. Most men would have made some effort to conceal himself but Kalibak made no effort. It wouldn't have mattered; Karen was Kryptonian which meant that on Earth and any other place with a yellow sun she had x-ray vision which wasn't required to see the alien erection.
"Superman is gone. On another planet thousands of miles away saving them from an impending black hole." Power Girl again had fly lower so he'd keep his attention on her face. "If he's the one you're here to fight you've wasted your time."
"Hardly." Kalibak took a step towards the Kryptonian beauty cracking the asphalt beneath him. "Return home. I'll tell Superman you were looking for him when he gets back." Power Girl sneered. She was used to normal men staring at her with that hunger in their eyes. It was funny in standard Homo Sapiens. They were weak both of mind and body and would take what she gave them and not a single inch more. There was a different quality to it when a being who could be called her equal stared at her the same way.
She no longer felt like she was empowered over a weak man who was allowing his baser instincts to drive him. Power Girl felt small and for the first time in her life weak. It has never occurred to her why women would so often try to cover their bodies but it made perfect sense as Kalibak stalked closer to her. He didn't think of her as the invincible, unapproachable heroine who could crush him at a whim. Kalibak looked at her and saw and woman and nothing more. Suddenly the leotard was too small and Karen was aware of how exposed she was in it.
