The smell of coffee and baked goods filled the air, making the bitterly cold morning at least a little more bearable. Standing in line, waiting her turn, Karen Starr wished she had worn a heavier jacket this morning. If she were in San Francisco, her leather jacket would have been sufficient this morning. But, she reminded herself, she wasn't in San Francisco anymore. She was in Century City and obviously a Fall morning here meant Winter-like temperatures. Sighing, Karen wondered if this had been the great idea it had sounded like at the board meeting last year when it had been proposed and approved.

Standing in line, Karen's blue eyes drifted to the news stand directly next to the coffee stand. On the cover of the Brave and the Bold Magazine (one of the less offensive and slanderous superhero tabloids out there) in big block letters the question was posed WHO IS POWER GIRL? A huge full color photo of Power Girl in all of her glory was beneath the headline, while sidebars advertised such salacious stories as WHY WE LOVE TO HATE GUY GARDNER, WONDER WOMAN AND HER MESSAGE OF PEACE, and AMBUSH BUG: REAL OR URBAN LEGEND? Karen frowned, wondering why they were doing yet another Who Is Power Girl? Story. They did one every couple of years and had every since Power Girl had first appeared eight years ago. Surely it was a topic no longer fit for discussion. Karen adjusted the wireless glasses on her face, suddenly self-conscious of them and her other hand nervously went to her hair, which was slicked back and pulled into a small but neat knot at the base of her neck. Her hair wasn't quite long enough for a bun, put she had perfected a small knot. Surely no one would notice the similarity between her and the picture on the magazine. Of course, it was doubtful anyone would think that Power Girl was standing in line for coffee and a muffin in the bitter cold morning in Century City. People didn't expect to find celebrities beside them, waiting in line, in Century City. This wasn't L.A., New York City, or Metropolis.

No one will connect the two, Karen told herself. Power Girl had been active for the past few weeks here. Karen Starr had only been in town for two days. Regardless, it was a slow week if they were trudging out the Who Is Power Girl? Story yet again. That one was nearly as tired as that oft run "Who Is Donna Troy?" Story.

Karen got to the coffee stand counter, ordered a 24 ounce café mocha double-shot no whipped cream and got a cranberry-orange muffin. Once she'd paid, Karen stopped at the news stand, picked up the local morning paper, Newsweek, the latest copy of Wired, Spin, Super-People Magazine, and the Brave and the Bold.

She hurried across the street, hailed a cab, and was taken to the new offices of Starrware Inc.

When the elevator opened on the sixth floor, Karen was greeted by pandemonium. There were unopened boxes everywhere and people busily working on boxes that were opened. The cubicles were all constructed and it looked like all of the computers were up and ready, they just needed to be filled and set up. Karen frowned, they'd lost about forty-five percent of their workers when they'd moved their offices here from San Francisco. She had offered everyone the opportunity to transfer, even offering to pay for the moves. But some people were just die-hard San Franciscans and not willing to leave the city-no matter how good the job and the benefits were. Karen herself would miss San Francisco, although she had never felt completely at home there.

"Good morning, Karen."

"Good morning, Beverly." Karen smiled.

Beverly Chaucer had been Karen's personal assistant from the first day of Starrware back when it was just an office in Chicago where they received calls, while Karen and her first two partners had worked out of their apartments. When the company had proposed this move, Karen feared that Beverly and her husband of thirty years would decide not to make the move with Starrware, after all Beverly was nearing retirement age and she and her husband were quite happy with their comfortable Northern Californian life. But, Beverly was the first person to accept the position in a new city. For that Karen was glad. The thought of finding and training a new assistant had filled her with terror. Beverly had long ago grown used to Karen's erratic schedule, her frequent missing of meetings, and her often unexplained disappearances and learned how to do damage control. Karen knew that her secret would have been exposed many years ago if not for Beverly and all of her hard work. And Beverly, bless her heart, had never questioned Karen about her private life. Only disapproved of her lack of serious boyfriend.

"Your messages are in on your desk, and I have all the information on your new neighborhood. Everything in there is located within walking distance of the city train which will make your commute easier." Beverly said, "And in fairly nice and trendy neighbors with decent shops and lots of restaurants that offer take-out and delivery."

Karen smiled, noting the disapproval in Beverly's voice at the take-out and delivery. Beverly was still hoping that Karen would find a nice guy to date and fall in love with. Karen wished for that as well, but life was so busy and so complicated that finding a nice guy… well, it was next to impossible.

"Thanks Beverly, you're the greatest." Karen said, "Any idea when I'll be able to move in? My cat is hating hotel living."

Beverly crinkled her nose at the mention of Karen's cat. "The movers should have everything delivered by this afternoon. And everything should be unpacked by tomorrow. They said it should be ready by Wednesday morning."

"Good. My cat will be happy about that." Karen did not noticed the look of disgust and horror crossing Beverly's face at the second mention of her cat. Karen went into her office, closing the door behind her.

Taking a seat at her desk, she went through the messages, setting aside the ones that could wait, and went directly to the fires that had to be put out first thing this morning.

She dialed the number and smiled as the other line picked up, "Hello, Karen Starr calling for Peter King."

The limo with dark windows prowled down Third Avenue, slowly moving toward the Bialyan Cultural Center.

"Ambassador Kirkarius, I wish you would reconsider. Our Intel has strong evidence supporting the fact that the rebels have hired an assassin to kill you during your visit to Century City."

Ambassador Kirkarius looked at his assistant Vir Parpados, a dark-skinned young man from the southern part of their country.

"I will not live in fear Vir." The Ambassador said dismissively, "The rebels are a temporary threat that will soon be crushed."

"I am not so sure Ambassador. They gain political power by the day, and the United Nations has sent a delegation to survey our country to see if any of the rebels' allegations are with merit." Vir said quietly.

"The United Nations will find nothing out of order." The Ambassador said, as the limo pulled to a stop in front of the Cultural Center.

"Regardless," Vir replied. "The rebels are fanatical. And assassinating you for your part in the Queen's Day executions last year would be a decisive blow for their cause and to the administration. And then there is the incident related to the village of Hileoise."

"Stop being such a mother hen." Ambassador Kirkarius said, adjusting his suit as the limo driver opened the door for him and Vir.

As they exited the limo, they were met by the director of the Cultural Museum.

"Ambassador Kirkarius! I'm so glad to see you here. It's such an honor for you to be here for the grand opening!" The short man gushed as the Ambassador, Vir, and the Ambassador's body guards followed the director into the building.

From the rooftop of the building across the street, a pair of enhanced eyes followed the Ambassador's every move through the scope and cross-hairs of an assault rifle.

Over lunch at her desk, Karen Starr flipped open the Brave and the Bold to the cover article.

Who Is Power Girl?
By Eve Pintaro

It's been eight years since blonde bombshell Power Girl first made the super-hero scene. Her first appearance was in Metropolis where she thwarted an attempt by the Parasite to destroy the Daily Planet. Exhibiting super-strength, super-speed, and the ability to fly Power Girl made short work of the Parasite and promptly disappeared. The words on everyone in Metropolis' lips was "Who is Power Girl?" For the next several weeks the citizens of Metropolis were treated to Power Girl saving them from muggings, stopping bank robberies, and preventing car accidents. Her exuberance and big heart had many comparing her to the guardian of Metropolis--Superman.

Several months after her first appearance in Metropolis, Superman and Power Girl teamed up for the first time to defeat a rampage by Metallo. It was around this time that the rumors began that Power Girl was Superman's cousin, rocketed to Earth from his home planet of Krypton. The fact that Power Girl continued to operate in Metropolis, working frequently alongside Superman only fueled these claims. Although neither Power Girl nor Superman officially confirmed or denied the rumors, Superman was quoted as saying, "There are a lot of similarities in our backgrounds and our powers. Anything is possible. And I would be honored if Power Girl is my cousin." Power Girl remained mum on the subject although after a battle with Brainiac she did comment to Daily Planet star-reporter Lois Lane, "There are some questions about my origins. But, whether or not I'm related to Superman-I'm afraid I have to say 'no comment'."

Nearly a year after her first appearance, Power Girl left Metropolis and moved to New York City, joining the Justice Society of America. When questioned by a reporter about this, why she had left Metropolis, she stated a need for more training so she could be a better hero and that being a member of the Justice Society was the best way to improve her experience while having access to some of the greatest mentors possible in the meta-human community. During this time, Power Girl was frequently seen with the Star-Spangled Kid and had several adventures with Gotham City's Dominoed Dare-doll Batgirl. These friendships led to frequent team-ups, once even going up against the Clown Prince of Crime the Joker with Batgirl. Power Girl's experience grew, pushing her from the shadow of the Man of Steel. Dubbed the Maid of Might, Power Girl forged a career uniquely her own, having several solo adventures in Brooklyn, New York where she was rumored to live.

Chicago, the Windy City, became Power Girl's new home. While there, the Maid of Might finally came into her own. Although still working along side the Justice Society of America and Superman on many cases, she established a solo carrer--defeating super-villains like Psi, the super-villain team known only as the Gang along with their robotic menace Matrix-Prime, faced Reactron, preventing a Neo-Nazi group linked to the cosmic villainess Blackstarr from destroying Shoreside University in Chicago. Power Girl stayed in Chicago for a total of three years, forging a life independent of her mentors while occasionally working as a member of Infinity Inc, a team of youthful super-heroes based in Los Angeles all of whom were the offspring or protégés of her own teammates in the Justice Society of America.

Then came the Crisis of the Anti-Monitor. During this time, while the skies were red and everyone in the world wondered if the end had finally come, Power Girl stood tall and proud beside the Earth's greatest heroes fighting to save existence, proving herself through each and every battle to be her own hero--regardless if she was Superman's cousin or a member of the Justice Society. During the seven day seige of Earth, rumors surfaced that Power Girl had been killed by the Anti-Monitor, but those rumors proved to be false. While wounded during a battle, Power Girl's death was greatly exaggerated. It was after this wound sustained during the Crisis that Power Girl experienced her first documented power fluctuation. Once able to fly, Power Girl suddenly could only leap a tall building in a single-bound and no longer had the super-strength or super-speed levels she'd previously exhibited. It was also during this time, the truth that Power Girl was in fact not Superman's cousin surfaced. Not long after the resolution of the Crisis, Power Girl appeared in San Francisco and on her belt was a mysterious star symbol Meta-Human scholars associate with Arion, Mage of Atlantis, who is a mystery man who appeared a few times before the Crisis and once during the time of the Anti-Monitor's Crisis. When asked about the symbol, Power Girl would only remark, "My heritage is Atlantean." Was there a connection to Aquaman? Neither the King of the Seven Seas, nor the Maid of Might were willing to comment.

After the Crisis, Power Girl made her home in San Francisco, although prior to the Alien Invasion, she was sighted in Kansas City fighting along the Doom Patrol-a team she had adventures alongside at least twice previously. She also spent time battling alongside Firestorm and Starman as well as the other heroes of Earth during the Alien Invasion. Immediately after the Invasion, Power Girl joined the Justice League International, serving in their European branch and dividing time between Europe and San Francisco, where she remained a strong force during her time away from the League.

Eventually Power Girl took a leave from the Justice League, returning to San Francisco where she faced many menaces ranging from power-mad mages claiming to be from her Atlantean background to villains as odd as Fire Drake, Vortex, and Dr. Tzin-Tzin, even thwarting an invasion of alien Mer-Men. Romantically linked to Daily Globe Reporter Andrew Vinson, formerly of Gotham City and Metropolis dating back to her early days with the Justice Society, the romance seemed to be over during Power Girl's days in San Francisco-chiefly due to Andrew Vinson's marriage to movie actress Gabrielle Cabrini. Power Girl has not been romantically linked to any man since this break-up, although rumors of relationships with Green Lantern and Aquaman have circulated. Hero Gossip Columnist Rova Barrett is quoted as saying, "Power Girl is still recovering from the on-again off-again relationship with Andrew Vinson and from the tragic death of the former Star-Spangled Kid Skyman."

All of this begs the question what of Power Girl's personal life? Her public persona and identity is well-known. But who is she behind the cape? Once the white and blue spandex are on the hanger and closed up in the closet--who is Power Girl? Rumors that Power Girl has a secret identity are rampant, but there is no clear indication that this is the case. We do know that her real name is Kara, and she has frequently been addressed by this name by her compatriots. Whether she has a last name or not is unknown, although our knowledge of Atlantean society and customs seem to indicate that she would have only one name. It is a well-known fact that Aquaman's name is Orin while his protégé's Aqualad and the late Aquagirl are Garth and Tula. However, Kara is not believed to be from the underwater civilizations of Atlantis that survive under our oceans. Little is known of any survivors of Atlantis who remain on land. Rumors persist of a secret world called Skartakis forged by refuges of sunken Atlantis and of power-mad Queen Clea, a foe of the Wonder Woman of World War II, who claimed to come from a Altantean colony hidden within a volcano beneath the surface of the earth-although no trace of this colony has been found despite published reports by several branches of the military involved in skirmishes and assaults with Queen Clea's people. Power Girl has been scant with information on her background. When she's not in costume fighting crime or spending time at a Justice League embassy, does she return to her home in a hidden city? Or is she married, living in the suburbs, unassuming and unknown as the brash powerful super-heroine the world has come to know? Several requests by this magazine to the Justice League Europe's main headquarters for an interview with Power Girl went unanswered.

What does the future hold for Power Girl now that she's rejoined the Justice League's recently reformed European branch? Will she finally find true love? Or is she destined to remain single while defending this planet from the worst threats it has to offer?

Karen shook her head, finishing her wonton soup, sipping her diet soda.

"And the reason for this article is?" She asked aloud. It wasn't as though any new information had been revealed through the article. She suspected that the main reason for the article was to have a reason to publish photos of Power Girl in her various slinky low cut costumes. The cover photo bordered on cheesecake.

"I must reconsider that costume." Karen groaned, wondering why every time some one snapped a picture of it, there seemed to be some bit of flesh hanging out making Power Girl look like some floozy. There had never been that problem with the hideous yellow and white jumpsuit she'd worn during her association with the original Justice League Europe.

Karen shut the magazine just as Beverly came into the office.

"I have your mail Karen." Beverly smiled, carrying over a stack of envelopes. Her eyes caught the magazine on her desk. "Ah, Power Girl again. You seem to be rather fond of her."

Karen smiled at Beverly, "Yeah, she's one of my favorites. Always has been. Since college. Although my favorite hero will always be Superman. Followed by Aquaman."

"I like Wonder Woman." Beverly smiled, "She seems like she's really nice."

"She-" Karen opened her mouth then stopped, "Yeah, she seems like it. But, I bet that she probably spends a lot of time worrying about how to make the world a more peaceful place and not much time enjoying life."

"Maybe." Beverly said, "I read the article in there about her and the Amazons and their message of peace."

"Yeah." Karen nodded, "It's pretty admirable."

"I also like Supergirl." Beverly smiled, "It's good for the young girls to have someone to look up to."

"Supergirl is overrated." Karen replied at bit sharply.

Beverly looked at Karen, "I suppose."

She set Karen's mail down on her desk and then turned and left, closing the door behind her.

After Beverly left, Karen shook her head, "Real smart. I'm such a jerk sometimes."

Karen stood, walking over to her office window looking out over the city. She could see the blue of the Atlantic in the distance. To be back on the East Coast after all these years on the West Coast… she shook her head. Life was faster out here. People on the West Coast took it a little easier than people here did. And of course, this put her much closer to Metropolis.

Frowning, Karen wished there had been a good reason to reject relocating to Century City. Anything. She'd been pushing for Gateway City, which was just further down the West Coast. Even Midway City would have been better, even if Supergirl was calling it home these days.

The alarm on her desk went off, letting her know her lunch break was over. Karen went back over to her desk, getting to work on her reports for the board meeting tomorrow.

"We have reason to believe that Power Girl is in Century City." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Tabitha Kane regretted them.

"Do you have anything concrete?" The blistering voice asked from the highly ornate chair behind the wide conference table.

"Two nights ago, a blonde woman matching her general description was seen flying through the South Side." Tabitha cleared her throat, unable to look away from the horrible gold eyes that were focused intently on her, trapping her in their gaze.

"Blonde flying girls are no longer the rarity they once were Ms. Kane." The voice said. "It could the new Wonder Girl. It could be Supergirl. It could be Century City's first super-heroine."

"There are photos." Tabitha mumbled, dropping the file on the conference table, glossy photos and several typed reports sliding out.

The photos were perused.

"These are blurry. It is possible it is her." The voice filled with scorn.

"Who else could it be?" Tabitha asked, her finger pointing to the star symbol on the belt buckled, that showed up brightly despite the blurry quality of the photos. "How many blonde girls wear red, white, and blue, with the symbol of Arion on their belt?"

"If she is here, it means that our destiny draws near."

Tabitha watched as ancient weathered fingers tipped by jagged yellowing nails traced the form of the blurred woman in the photos.

"It's her." The voice in the chair sighed. "After all of these years… I always thought I would be relieved when she finally arrived here in Century City. But, instead I feel fear."

"You'll have no problem dealing with her." Tabitha said, clearing her throat again. "Our reports indicate her powers are still fluctuating wildly. You have nothing to fear. You are all-powerful. She is merely girl."

"I will not underestimate her Ms. Kane." The voice chuckled humorlessly, "She may call herself Girl, but this woman has survived threats that have killed even the greatest of heroes. She is from a land time has forgotten and her destiny is legend. She will not be easily destroyed… no matter how her powers fluctuate. No matter what insecurities plague her. Her true powers have yet to be unlocked. Once she realizes her full potential and her true destiny... Power Girl will be the death of me."

"We'll get her first." Ms. Kane said, her voice filled with bravado she didn't necessarily feel. "The prophecy can be avoided."

"Perhaps." The voice said, "Leave me to think this through."

"Yes, Master." Tabitha said, leaving the room.

Those horrible gold eyes remained trained on the blurry photos of a blonde woman with a billowing red cape and white body suit, the emotions in them unreadable even as they focused upon the star symbol upon her belt.

"Granddaughter of Arion, daughter of Zarion and Kara, sister of Khater.... Our time approaches. Will you truly be the slayer of Adramelek the Terrible?"

As she pushed the door open to suite #413, Gertrude Wurpen felt the weight of her day upon her shoulders. She pushed the cart in, loaded with cleaning supplies and fresh linens, her back aching. It had been a rough day, and the other girl who worked this shift with her had called out for the third time this week. The Housekeeping Manager Lucille had sworn to Gertrude that the girl would be fired, and while that gave Gertrude some sense of justice, it did not help her get these rooms clean.

Gertrude looked around the room, it had was relatively clean. It shouldn't take too long. Thank God. There had been some awful rock band staying at the end of the hall who checked out earlier, and Lucille said they had left a mess. It would take the rest of her shift for sure to get that clean.

Heading straight for the bathroom, Gertrude gathered the used towels noting that the guest in this room was relatively neat with all her toiletries lined up neatly in front of the large mirror. Lucille had told Gertrude that the guest, a Ms. Karen Starr had brought her cat with her, and that she was not to let the cat out of the room under any circumstances.

While going out to get cleaner from the cart to do the toilet and shower, Gertrude saw the cat stretched out on the window sill, basking in the tepid sunlight pouring through the parted drapes. The gold cat regarded her with it's one good eye.

What a miserable beast, Gertrude thought.

The cat meowed plaintively at her, a questioning tone to the sound.

"Hey kitty. I'm just here to clean up for you guys. Is your mamma at work?"

Gertrude noticed the cat's tail lift and fall, quickly in rapid succession. It seemed to be glaring at Gertrude.

"You look like a sweet guy." Gertrude said, without an ounce of conviction.

"Rrr-eow?" The cat's tail rose and fell quickly again and again, and Gertrude wondered why she suddenly had the theme song to "Jaws" stuck in her head.

"It's OK, kitty." Gertrude crossed the room, perhaps if she gave the kitty a scratch on the head it would stop looking at her and talking to her. Lucille had told Gertrude something about the cat, but Gertrude had tuned her out after hearing "cat". She had still been too angry about Jackie calling out again.

When she reached the cat, it began purring and rolled on to it's back, offering it's flurry belly.

"Aren't you a fat healthy little thing." Gertrude said.

"Mmmm-eoew." The cat replied, it's good eye suddenly regarding her with a sweetness Gertrude had never seen in an animal's eyes before.

Gertrude scratched the cat on it's chin and then moved to it's belly, the cat's purring growing louder.

Several seconds later, Gertrude looked away, her eyes going out the window to the cloudy afternoon. She slipped into a daze, her thoughts turning to her good-for-nothing ex-husband and worries about money--and her bad seed son who couldn't stay out of trouble. She was completely unaware of the fact the cat had stopped purring.

A hiss sliced through the stillness of the hotel suite. But, it was a warning that came too little too late to prevent razor sharp claws from sinking into the flesh of Gertrude's wrist.

Gertrude's blood-curdling scream echoed through the fourth floor of the Century City Plaza Hotel.

Dark gray clouds were shifting in, blotting out the blue skies above Century City as Ambassador Kirkarius and Vir came out of the Cultural Center with the Ambassador's guards.

"This center will do much for our country's visibility." The Ambassador said, "One of the biggest populations of Bialyan immigrants live in this city. It's important for us to have good relations with them."

"Especially since most of the them fled the reign of the former Queen." Vir replied.

"Do not speak of her. When our good General ascended to the throne and became King, the blight of the Queen Bee's reign was erased." The Ambassador scoffed, "And she has fled into hiding after staging her death and will never leave for fear of being killed by those loyal to our King. As it should be."

Vir did not reply, he glanced up at the building above them, convinced he saw someone up there.

Just then there was the sound of something whistling through the air, and one of the body guards behind him collapsed, falling forward and landing with a thud on the pavement in front of the Cultural Center. Pandemonium exploded as the other body guards sprang into action to get the Ambassador into the limo. Several more bullets whistled by, one of them clipping another body guard's elbow, although none of the bullets made their target.

Something big flung through the air, dropping down toward them, spiraling end over end. Just before it struck the limo, resulting in an explosion that sent them all falling, Vir thought it looked like a big silver pineapple. But the thoughts were washed away as the resulting explosion knocked him off of his feet. He landed awkwardly on his side, his vision looking up to the building top where he saw a dark figure, slight and blotted out by the rapidly disappearing sunlight.

Another figure came into view, a billowy cloud of red dancing around it.

"I'll be taking that." Power Girl said, pulling the heavily modified black assault rifle from the hands of the assassin.

The assassin looked at Power Girl wordlessly, her dark goggled eyes reflecting Power Girl's own image back at her.

Power Girl twisted the rifled into a pretzel shape, tossing it aside. It landed on the building's rooftop and skidded away.

"This does not concern you." The assassin said in an oddly calm voice, her voluptuous lips heavily lacquered in dark maroon.

"I'm sorry to say that it does." Power Girl replied, "Anyone shooting at people and blowing limos up in my city does concern me. I'm civically minded that way."

"This is no matter for the American people or the heroes of America." The assassin said, "This is a matter of justice. Justice for the people of Bialya."

"Justice does not mean blowing people up and shooting at them." Power Girl said, "Justice is going through the appropriate channels. So, to remedy that, I'm taking you to jail and you can find out about justice."

"That man down there is an evil man. He is responsible for killing over a thousand Bialyan people. Policies he has enforced and helped create keep women in Bialya second-class citizens, treated worse than wild dogs. But, of course, I don't know how I could expect someone who calls herself Power Girl to understand female empowerment." The assassin hissed, the gray light from the darkening skies reflecting of her sleek dark suit.

"That's just rude." Power Girl said, "I'm not insulting your name. Of course, I don't know who you are. Because honestly villains, super and non-super alike, are a dime a dozen."

"I heard that you thought you were clever." The woman dropped her hand to a holster at her hip, removing a small silver gun and pointing it at Power Girl.

"I'm bullet-proof." Power Girl said, "That isn't going to work on me. My skin is tough enough for bullets to bounce off it. Surely you assassin types study up on us heroes and our weaknesses."

"We do." The assassin said, "And you are bullet-proof, but this gun doesn't shoot bullets. You're weaknesses shift from day to day, from what I read. Sometimes kryptonite affects you, other times it does not. Magic has been known to stop you in your tracks, but not always. Not long ago you displayed a weakness to unprocessed materials in their natural states."

"It's always good to know who you're dealing with. Kudos for doing your homework. You should also know then, that none of those things affect me anymore." Power Girl said, "And I think we should wrap this up and get you to the police station."

"This gun shoots a finely tuned laser. And trust me, this is one shot-" The assassin pulled the trigger, "That even you will feel!"

The laser sped toward her. At the last moment Power Girl stepped aside. She felt the heat of the ray as it punched a hole through her cape.

"Yikes!" Power Girl lifted off from the building's roof, leaping through the air toward the assassin.

"Don't make me do it Power Girl! I have no desire to kill you!" The Assassin shouted.

"Then put the gun down and let's talk about this." Power Girl said.

"I cannot!" The assassin shrieked.

"Cannot and will not are two completely different things. I don't know what your beef is with those people down there are, and I don't care. Regardless of how dangerous they are, regardless of what crimes they have committed, it's not your place to play God and take their lives!" Power Girl replied, hovering several feet.

"And is it the job of the American government to make such decisions? Your people routinely sentence people to death in gas chambers and electric chairs. This is no different. The people of Bialya have spoken and Ambassador Kirkarius has been sentenced to death!"

"Let's not talk politics." Power Girl said, reaching for the gun in the Assassin's hand. In a move that left Power Girl stunned, the assassin moved out of the way so quickly that she blurred out of Power Girl's sight. The assassin quickly snapped the trigger.

A bright crimson laser beam burst from the barrel of the gun and slammed into Power Girl, striking her directly in the abdomen.

Power Girl screamed out in pain, the blast sending her flight spiraling out of control. Spinning end over end, she spiraled right over the edge of the building. Plummeting to the asphalt street below, Power Girl closed her eyes, her limbs feeling distinctly non-super.

Just before she slammed into the asphalt, she felt power course through her limbs. The impact of her striking the ground, cracked the ground all around her. Pulling herself from the crater, Power Girl's entire body throbbed with pain. She looked up at the building, the dark shape of the assassin was visible for just a moment, then she disappeared.

Power Girl prepared to push off from the ground, taking flight after the assassin. Three feet off the ground, her head began to spin and consciousness fled her. She landed with a solid thud back in the crater her crash-landing had created earlier.

A ground gathered around her, as others helped the Ambassador and his staff. The afternoon filled with smoke pouring from the blazing remains of the trashed limo.

"Is she dead?" A tall man asked, looking down at Power Girl. There was a small hole in her costume, just above her abdomen, showing an angry red welt where the laser had struck her.

"I don't know." A woman replied, her gray hair pinned back with sparkly barretts.

In the distance the sound of sirens could be heard approaching the site.

Several streets away, the Assassin spoke into a wristband she wore.

"The Ambassador survived the attack. Power Girl intervened."

"Power Girl? Excellent. Our intel had indicated that she had been sighted in Century City."

"Our intel was correct."

"Were you able to use the MS76?"

"Yes, Mistress. She took a shot directly to the lower stomach." The assassin replied.

"And it's effect?"

"I shot her and she fell twenty stories to the ground. She got up before I fled… but she has not come after me. So, it did not instantly kill her. Any other effects... well, I am unsure."

The voice replied, "I want you to fall back. The MS76's effects may take some time to assert themselves. We must give them time. The Ambassador will still die just as planned, but for now it's best we wait."

"Understood." The assassin said.

"Return to the safe house until I contact you again."

"Yes, mistress." The assassin said, ending the transmission through her wristband.

TO BE CONTINUED

Next Issue

While the mystery assassin and her equally mysterious mistress continue to plot the Ambassador's death, Power Girl has to deal with the startling effects of the assassin's laser blast--one that leaves her reflecting on her powers and her first days on Earth as Superman's cousin. All that and Power Girl's Cat meets his newest nemesis--the Vacuum Cleaner of Death.