[Mark Newman]

There is another enjoyable forum at Superwoman Mania, with good chat about females with superpowers, threads about which female celeb you would make super and some stories and story competitions. There are also quite a few threads for commenting on Conceptfan’s stories and supergirls in movies, books, etc.

Lfan has just posted my new Brandi story in the current competition there. I will post it here in a few days but you can read it now by following the link below. If you like my story best, you can even vote for it in the poll. (You might have to register there, but hey, if you could manage it here you can do it there too.)

http://www.superwomenmania.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=32&sid=2df598d80121c67c4f73cbb1f0d09afc

[Axel3.14]

Is this the same Brandi who repeatedly torments a guy named Mark?

[Mark Newman]

The very one!

[avburns]

Great work as usual, Mark! I was shocked by Supergirl’s fate, though. Don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil it for those who haven’t read it yet, but if I recall correctly, this is the first time that anything like that has happened in one of your stories. You’ve had enhanced females lose their powers or not become as empowered as others on various occasions ("JillyMilly" and "Transfer Student" come to mind), but Dynamitum-enhanced nerds!?! Wow! I thought enhancing guys went against your basic philosphy?

But suprises like the above, combined with how 3.5 was inserted so nicely in your "Brandi" series made for a great read.

Keep up the great work,

Adrian Burns

[Mark Newman]

Brandi 3.5

by Marknew

Supergirl meets Brandi

(The events in the story occur after Brandi 3 and before those described

in Brandi 4, available at http://www.thevalkyrie.com/stories/marknew/index.htm and on the She Grew FMG Fiction Forum. But you figured that out for yourselves from the title, didn’t you!)

Mark is hard at work, as usual, seeking to gain an upper hand over his

perpetual nemisis, Brandi, and her new sidekicks, Mandi and Randi. Brandi

has become nearly all powerful and has subjugated the entire world to her

evil and selfish whims. Protected by his force field, Mark has escaped her

rule, for now, but he is a prisoner in his secret laboratory, not daring

to leave his protected abode.

An unusual disturbance in the force field catches his attention. Has

Brandi discovered him? He arms himself with a few weapons he has

developed, but he knows they will prove hopelessly inadequate against

Brandi’s vast powers — powers she gained only by stealing Mark’s own

brilliant inventions. If only he had more time. The fluctuations in the

field are becoming more coherent. Something is vibrating at great speed,

duplicating the frequencies in the field. No! He’s doomed!

“So THIS is where you’ve been hiding, you fiend!”

In an instant, strong hands grip Mark and lift him to the air. He

cringes. “Don’t kill me Brandi. Please!” he cries out.

“Brandi!? I’m not Brandi!” she replies.

Mark turns his head. “Supergirl! Thank heavens!”

She smiles. “You won’t be so happy when I bring you in to justice — as

an accessory to the destruction of Superman by your partner in crime,

Brandi!”

“My partner! She’s not my partner. She’s a thief, an evil vixen. She

stole everything I’ve ever made, everything I had.”

“Do you deny that you gave her the powers that enabled her to destroy my

cousin and enslave billions?”

“It was my work, my genius, yes, that empowered her. But I never intended

to do that!" Mark thought quickly. "I sought power, yes, but for myself,

so that I could help the forces of good to fight against evildoers!

Really!"

Supergirl lifts him around to face her and searches his face. "Hmmmm.

You may be telling the truth. But I doubt it. Your heartbeat is

elevated. Look at you sweat!" She wrinkles her nose.

"Oh I am telling the truth. I am! You must believe me."

"I’ll think about it." She puts him back on the ground and looks deep

into his eyes, then around at his lab. "What are you doing here?"

"Why, this is the only way I can continue my work, so that I can develop

a weapon that will defeat Brandi. My force field shields me from her

super-vision, and should have kept me invisible to yours too. I’m amazed

you found me."

"It was pure happenstance. I found you only because I had been hiding in

the Phantom Zone. Your force field has no effect on the inhabitants of

that zone. A supernova disrupted the zone and I had to escape; otherwise

I would have been trapped forever. I could not bear to live on a world

where a one-armed Superman (see Brandi 2) lived only to serve Brandi until

a careless squeeze of her legs crushed him — poor man." She stifled a

sob. "Now that I have returned I have no choice but defeat Brandi and her

evil cronies, otherwise I will be enslaved by her myself."

Mark nods sagely. "Yes, but she is far more powerful than you. She

defeated Superman with no effort at all. And as a girl …

"I am much more powerful than Superman!" she says defiantly, then in a

softer voice. "That was not widely known. He wanted it that way."

"Of course," Mark says. "But may I ask, how —

"From my years on Argos, of course. Having lived under a yellow sun from

the time he was a baby, Superman’s muscles never truly developed beyond

the strength of a Kryptonian infant. I, on the other hand, was a teenaged

girl before I gained super-powers. My muscles were many times stronger

than his, as a young woman’s are compared with a tot’s."

"How interesting! And yet his muscles seemed very impressive."

Supergirl sighs. "I feel really guilty giving away his secrets –"

"I am a scientist. I must know this if I am to help you."

"Help me? What help can YOU give ME? I am Supergirl."

"And your powers are far inferior to Brandi’s. You won’t last five

minutes against her without my assistance." Mark looks at her closely,

his eyes lingering greedily at her prominent bust. "I must know

everything about you — and Superman — if I am to help you defeat her."

Supergirl’s mouth tightens with displeasure at Mark’s evident interest in

the non-muscular portion of her anatomy. But did she have a choice?

"Implants," she said, simply, then clarifying slightly, "Superman’s, of

course."

"So, yours are completely natural?" Mark asks, still staring.

"What, exactly, ARE you talking about?" Supergirl replies crossly.

Mark blinks. "Your muscles. Naturally."

She glares at him. What presumption! She could incinerate this putz

with a momentary flash of heat vision. But that would accomplish nothing.

Who cares if he survives? Brandi’s defeat is far more important.

"Completely," she says.

"I will have to run a few tests. It will take me some time to set up the

equipment. Please feel free to look at my laboratory while you wait, but

don’t touch anything. I’m afraid I’m not used to having visitors." He

looks around nervously at the array of pornographic images displayed on

his computer screens and the obvious stains on the furniture. He quickly

moves to shut down a couple of the nearer screens.

"Don’t bother. I’ve seen it all from the phantom zone. I’m NOT

impressed with you, Mark. Not with any part of you," Supergirl says

testily. "Just get to work."

Mark looks at her and sighs. "Right. I suppose you have. You know, a

man has needs and —

"Spare me. This is your TV?"

"Yes. I can observe Brandi’s edicts on that screen. There’s only one

channel: BNN, the Brandi News Network. An internet connection is too

risky but that’s unnecessary now. None of the independent sites are left."

"Fine. I will submit to any tests you require. Let me know when you’re

ready." Supergirl flies to the screen and sits in front of it, immobile,

while Mark assembles his equipment with fierce concentration.

Days later he is finally ready. His face is haggard from lack of sleep

and only hurried meals. Supergirl is as fresh as ever.

"You truly are a wonder," Mark says, his hands trembling in front of her,

his inhibitions lost. "I only wish —

"Forget it," she says coldly. "What do you have to give me?"

"I don’t know if it will work, but it’s the best I can do. Brandi has

your powers multiplied trillions of times, at least. If the elixir she

stole from me works on your body, you would leapfrog her in power, but

alas it will not, at least, not as you are currently. As Supergirl, you

are as invulnerable against its effects as you are to any other normal

substance. However, if you are exposed to a red sun and lose your powers,

then the elixir should have its intended effect and give you the same

powers it gave to her. And when you are under a yellow sun once again,

you will be as far superior to her as you are now to any earthling."

Supergirl nods. "That is a good plan. If it succeeds, Earth will be

greatly in your debt."

"And you?" Mark adds hopefully.

"I will let you live," she replies, reducing an empty glass beaker in

front of her to a puddle of molten glass.

"OK, OK. That will do," he replies quickly.

"One small problem. We are on Earth, light years from the nearest red

star. How will I be exposed to a red sun?"

"I can take care of that. I can simulate the necessary radiation

signature in this room. I have already made the necessary modifications

to the lighting."

"You work quickly," she says. "I am impressed — with your

inventiveness. It’s a good thing that technology never fell into the

hands of any of my enemies."

Mark grins. "Even Lex Luthor does not have my scientific genius." He

begins to laugh, then cuts himself off and adds quickly. "Or my

dedication to using my powers only for the good of mankind."

Supergirl raises an eyebrow skeptically. "Right."

"Now, when I activate this program, this room will be bathed in the

equivalent of sunlight from a red sun. You will lose your powers, only

temporarily of course."

"Don’t forget that," Supergirl warns.

Mark clears his throat. "Yes. Once we are sure you have lost all your

powers I will give you the elixir. It should work almost instantly to

multiply your powers, but to be sure you should remain under the red sun

influence for at least 24 hours so that your yellow sun invulnerability

does not purge your body of the effects. You will," he sighs, "be fully

super-powered during that whole time, thanks to my formula. When the

changes are fully incorporated into your system, I will restore the yellow

sun environment, and then you can leave, safely, and defeat Brandi."

"How do I know you won’t use the elixir on yourself and then, ahem, take

advantage of me?"

"If I could make myself super, don’t you think I would have done so

already?" Supergirl puts her hands on her hips, waiting for Mark’s

explanation. "My original formulation contained certain minerals I could

no longer procure — no doubt Brandi made sure of that — nor can I

replicate them in my laboratory. My male body cannot assimilate this

version, but it should work on you."

"So, then, when you escape, you intend to empower yourself?" Mark stares

at her. "I cannot allow that to happen, of course. Not to a man with

your … proclivities."

"What proclivities?! I am just a normal man!" Supergirl crosses her

arms in front of her chest and nodded. "So, you too will deny me the

fruits of my invention?" he says angrily.

"You are not meant for such power. You will only abuse it."

"You have no right to decide that!"

"The world out there as it is now is all the evidence of my ‘right’ that

any person should need. No. You can stay in this little room forever, or

entrust me with the future of Earth. The choice, Mark, is yours."

Mark glances at the TV screen. Brandi is announcing a new edict, a new

Thought for the Day. He shudders. As galling as Supergirl’s

paternalistic — or is it maternalistic? — superiority is, Brandi’s rule

is many times worse. "Very well. I will proceed when you’re ready."

"Then let’s begin."

Mark nods. He types several commands into a computer and the lighting

changes hue. Supergirl gives a slight cry and then her erect stance

slumps slightly, her breasts, unhelped by either super-strength or a

brassiere, suddenly sag within her costume. She blinks several times and

walks unsteadily, unused to the effect of gravity. Mark walks forward to

hold her so she doesn’t fall. Supergirl makes a quick move to push him

away, but with her normalized muscles it has little effect on Mark. Her

body is soft, girlish. He smiles, enjoying this little victory over his

Kryptonian visitor, the only one, it appears, she will allow him. "I

didn’t want you to hurt yourself," he says, explaining.

"Your consideration is noted," she replies, "and so is the location of

your hands. The formula, please."

"Not yet. We must make sure that your invulnerability is completely gone."

"I can assure you I have no superpowers. Your hands would be dust now if

I did."

Frightened, Mark lets go of her. Supergirl nearly falls, before catching

herself on a chair and sitting down. She is about to snap at him again

when she stops herself and says more gently. "All right. Maybe I

deserved that. I won’t hurt you." She closes her eyes. "Just, please,

give me the formula as soon as you can. I don’t like being … normal."

"Neither do I," he replies, seeking her understanding. She meets his

look but says no more. "Perhaps a glass or two of wine would be a good

test."

"Wine?" She thinks a moment. "Why not?" she replies, as he pours a

large glass. "I thought you were going to prick me with something. No,

just a little." She takes a few sips, then, at his urging, drinks more.

"This is good," she says, smiling.

"It’s one of my last bottles of Cabernet. I’m glad you like it." He

joins her with a glass and refills hers. "It’s a bit dry, but not at all

presumptuous. Can you taste the blackberry, with just a touch of oak?"

"Yes!" she giggles. "I LIKE this!" She finishes the glass fairly

quickly and he refills it. "NO! I really shouldn’t. I’m not used to it."

"Oh why not! It’ll be your only chance, you know. You don’t have to be

a superhero tonight."

"Ha ha! No, I guess I can’t be!" she laughs and drinks it down. She

puts her hand on his knee to steady herself. "You know, Mark, it was so

funny watching you from the Phantom Zone, you know. Here you are,

thinking you’re so isolated, so protected by your little force field, and

all of us, heroes, criminals, random people caught up in the zone by

chance, all of us able to watch you whenever we wanted! It’s like the

whole world was our TV screen, the whole universe! Ha ha ha! Nobody had

any privacy from us! Even now they’re watching. Watching me get drunk.

Me, Supergirl! Ha ha ha. With my sagging tits! Ha ha! But who cares.

I mean, they see us, but they can’t do anything. They’re stuck there.

And you see me, but you won’t do anything. You won’t dare, ’cause you’re

totally scared of me. Aren’t you Mark? Ha ha ha! I’ve scared the SHIT

out of you, haven’t I?"

Mark frowned.

"Awww, poor Mark. Such a frightened little bunny rabbit! Ha ha ha.

Working away, fiddling with your little machines, your computers. And it

NEVER works! And meanwhile you just make OTHER people more and more

powerful. Brandi, your little friends Sandi and Candi. Your little

‘enemies’ Mandi and Randi. And now I’m next! You poor boy! Poor little

boy."

"I am not a poor little boy. I am a great inventor. A brilliant

inventor!"

"You’re a man sitting in a little prison cell, that’s what you are. You

can’t go anywhere. You can’t do anything. You’re all alone here!"

Mark stares at her. She stares back. "Awww, that’s kind of sad, isn’t

it?" A tear drops down her cheek. "I’m so mean. Come here. Let me give

you a hug." Mark stays put. "Awww, come on, Mark. I’d come over there,

but I’d probably just fall on my face! C’mere! I mean it!" Mark stands

up tentatively. "That’s it. I won’t hurt you! I need a hug too! Nobody

ever gives Supergirl a hug. Supergirl’s much too scary!" Mark bends down

and hugs her. "That’s right. Awww, that’s nice. Yeah, put your head

right here. Poor baby." Supergirl wraps her arms around Mark and slides

off the chair and Mark follows her down to the floor. "Hee-hee. It’s

more comfortable down here, isn’t it?"

"Yeah," he says, holding her more tightly.

"You know, my dress — I mean my suit — is feeling a little tight, and

the cape is all wrapped around me. Can you help? Yeah. OK. Heh-heh.

Yeah, right there. Oooops. Mmmmmmm…."

Many hours pass.

There is a loud groan and then a soft whimper. “Oh, my head!!”

“Huh?” Mark walks over to her.

“My head. It’s pounding! I’m dying.”

“You’re not dying. You’re hung over.”

“Hung — Shit!”

“Um … well.”

“What happened last night? Where’s my suit?”

“Over there. You took it off.”

“This cape. It’s all twisted around me.” She stands up awkwardly,

holding her cape around her body. It covers from the top of her breasts

to just below her hips.

“I put it there. You were cold.” Mark points it out. He is wearing just

his briefs.

“You — turn around!”

“But I —

“Turn around — ow, my head! Too loud!” She speaks more softly. “I can’t

remember anything. Did we do … anything last night?”

“Yeah, we — I … don’t remember either.”

“Right." Supergirl looks at him carefully. "Well now, Mark. If I got

drunk last night, and I’m hung over now, I think it’s safe to say I’m not

super right now. Hmmmm?”

Mark looks at her, then looks away. “Well, perhaps. But we can’t be too

sure. If we wait another 24 hours ….”

“NO! This is long enough!" She covers her eyes. "Does it have to be so

bright here? Oh, my head! I need that elixir now." She grabs Mark and

becomes frustrated when she can’t even budge him. Her cape flops down

leaving one breast bare. "Damn this!"

Mark glances at the sight of her bare nipple, then gently removes her

fingers from his arms, looking down at the marks her nails made on his

skin. "Easy, please." She covers herself and he continues to look at her

body, its pleasing shape still readily apparent through the outline of her

red cape. He knew it couldn’t last. At least she seems not to remember

anything. He sighs. "I have it right here. It won’t taste very good.

Perhaps some breakfast first?"

"JUST … GIVE … IT … TO … ME!" she yells, then holds both hands to

her forehead and sways, moaning in pain.

Wordlessly he retrieves a glass filled with a lime-colored liquid and

hands it to Supergirl, who eagerly takes it with both hands. Mark looks

longingly as she raises it to her lips and drinks it down, not even

pausing for a breath until she finishes. Then she takes a deep breath.

"I don’t feel anything!" she says crossly.

A thrill courses through Mark’s veins. Could he have been wrong?

Perhaps they could —

Suddenly her face relaxes. A long, happy sigh emerges and her posture

improves, the muscles in her legs and shoulders subtly change shape and

her breasts rise miraculously, lifting the cape wrapped around her higher,

all the way to the level of her hips. Mark stares as her body evolves

from attractive to stunning, from well-shaped to voluptuous, from heart-

pounding to heart-stopping. She raises her hands in the air and leans

backwards, stretching in pure pleasure, her breasts pointing in the air

like missiles, her cape molded to her form. Mark’s eyes goggle at the

sight. Supergirl opens one eye to look at him. An instant later, she is

in her suit once again, every seam, every fold perfect, every hair in

place, eyes fresh, bright and flashing with anger. She turns to face him,

her hands on her hips, one foot slightly forward. "Now I remember

everything, Mark. Everything."

"Y-you do?" he says nervously. "W-wasn’t it nice? The nicest evening

I’ve had in … that I’ve had." Her eyes narrow. "N-now be careful. Y-

your powers are f-far greater th-than ever before. Y-you may not b-be

able control everything at f-first."

"Oh really?" She spots a microwave oven with lead shielding and focuses

her eyes on it. A purple beam shoots from her eyes and instantly

vaporizes the entire oven. The air around it glows with the brightness of

the sun and then a wave of heat passes through the laboratory. Mark

staggers in the shimmering air and nearly faints before the air

conditioning cools it. She purses her lips into a kiss and gently sucks,

drawing Mark to her through the air. He crashes against her unyielding

body, stuck to her like a fly to flypaper, his features contorted in pain.

She closes her lips and he falls to her feet. "Yes, perfect control!

Much better than yours last night, Mark." She lifts him up effortlessly

and holds him with one hand, her arm outstretched. "And this is under the

equivalent of a RED sun! Wonderful! She will never defeat me!"

"I hope you appreciate what I’ve done," Mark says.

"Oh yes! I won’t forget ANYTHING you’ve done," she responds quickly.

“Now, turn off the red sun. I want to see what my FULL powers will do.”

“But Supergirl, we really should wait. At least 24 hours.”

“I don’t know what other clever scheme you may have, Mark, but I’m not

taking ANY chances with you. The sooner I leave here, the safer I’ll be.

These powers are amazing, and they’re mine now. No ‘yellow sun’ will take

them away. I see you as the threat — you and that Brandi. No one else can

harm me now. You are fortunate that I’ve taken an oath not to kill.

Otherwise you would a small pile of cinders already.”

“Supergirl, please. I’m warning you. If you’d only —

“You know, Mark, I don’t need your permission, or ‘your’ yellow sun.

There’s a great big one right outside. I’m out of here.”

She turns and bursts through the walls of Mark’s laboratory but even with

all her power, Mark’s force field stops her. She sighs, vibrates her body

at the proper frequency and disappears.

Mark takes a deep breath. He hurries to the force field generator to

readjust the settings to a continually changing random frequency and then

works on other controls, setting up a distortion field to mask his

location even further. If Supergirl prevails she must never find him again.

And now, all he can do is watch. He turns his attention to BNN. “All

Brandi, All the Time” For once, it is exactly what he wants to watch. But

who will he root for? Brandi is evil, whimsical, mysterious and exciting.

She always takes advantage of him, always frustrates him. But she

fascinates him too, thrills him, both for the challenge of defeating her

and the danger of losing. And then there’s Supergirl — beautiful, sexy

and good. So good. Although not THAT good in bed.

Mark pulls out a bag of popping corn, then stares at the charred spot of

the table where his microwave oven used to be. He sighs. He’ll have to

build another one. For now, it will have to be TV without the popcorn.

Part II

Supergirl emerges suddenly into sunlight, deep in the Rocky Mountains.

She spreads her body out in the clear mountain air and quickly feels the

power building in her, more power than she could have ever imagined. She

scans the world and in less than a second finds her target. She streaks

eastwards through the sky to confront her, but then pauses. The sun is

still working its magic. It will be another 15 minutes until she reaches

her full strength. She should wait so that she is fully prepared for any

eventuality. But there is one way to accelerate the process. She flies to

the top of the Earth’s atmosphere and bathes directly in the sun’s rays,

unfiltered. Yes! Oh yes!

Meanwhile, at the BBC (Brandi’s Broadcasting Corporation), a bored

technician notices a sensor indicating a flying woman. He quickly adjusts

the nearest camera to begin filming her so that the footage will be

available for "Brandi Today" and then returns to his magazine until he

notices, out of the corner of his eye, that the flying woman is not the

raven-haired Goddess, but a blonde supergirl. He panics. BBC rules

require that he report this unauthorized use of a Brandicam to capture

pictures of other beings immediately, the penalty for which might be

death. More worrisome is that Brandi herself announced that all

superheroes were no more months ago and he has just filmed evidence that

She was wrong. And worst of all, he knows it. He thinks quickly. He

moves the camera back to his original position and then deletes the

recorded images. He counts to ten. Has he done it? Is he safe?

"Technician 10742, will you explain yourself?"

He whirls around. It is the dreaded Mandi. "Mistress!" He stands and

bows as low as he can without falling over.

"The title is Your Very Most Excellent Mistress. Another grave

infraction!" she says sternly and then giggles. "You will have to be

punished MOST severely indeed." She lifts the technician into the air by

his chin. "Why have you deleted Brandicam imagery?"

He struggles to speak. "De pikshus wah no of de godss," he says, barely

coherent.

Mandi releases him and he falls to the floor. "What?"

He falls to his knees and says. "Your very most excellent mistress, it

wasn’t Goddess Brandi. It was Supergirl."

Mandi explodes with anger. "Supergirl is dead, you nitwit." She brings

her fist down on his head, collapsing his skull and splattering brains,

blood and bits of bone everywhere. "Ewwww!" She finds the cameraman’s

jacket and wipes off her bloody hand. "Disgusting. But I DO love my

Dynamitam muscles!" She walks out of the room and instructs an orderly to

clean the mess, then tells another to bring a phone and connect her with

the Goddess.

"Yes, Mandikins?"

"Goddess Brandi, I just killed someone for erasing your images from one

of the sky cameras. I thought you’d want to know."

"Good work, Sweetie. Did you find out what heresy it was working for?"

"Um, no. All he said, uh, was that it was images of Supergirl, not you.

Which is impossible, because you killed her. Right?"

Brandi’s voice turns cold. "I never said I killed her." In an instant

she is standing beside Mandi, who is momentarily unnerved. Mandi curtsies

and kisses Brandi’s hand. "I said the so-called superheroes were gone. I

only killed some of them. Supergirl just disappeared."

"Oh. Then, uh, maybe he was telling the truth?" she asks tentatively.

Brandi sighs and vaporises the bloody body with her heat vision. "Maybe

it was. So, the recording was from Brandicam S-369814." She turns her

head slightly and looks up through the building’s walls in the air. "Why

there she is, sunning herself in orbit. Well, I’ll have to ruin her

little vacation. We’ll show this one live, Mandikins. Keep the cameras

on me so that the world can see me destroy another one of its false ‘gods’."

"Yes, Goddess. I’ll call a Tech right away." She looks at Brandi and

smiles.

Brandi taps her foot. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

"I, uh …."

"This will be over in a flash, Mandi. So get your Tech, make sure it

positions the camera, and THEN I’ll take care of her. If you wait until I

leave it will be too late and I will be VERY upset, even with you,

Sweetie." She pats Mandi’s cheek.

"Y-YES, Goddess," Mandi says, terror suddenly in her eyes. "TECH," she

yells at ear-splitting volume. Twenty-seven nerdy men and women run to

the room, filling it to capacity, their hands covering their ears. Mandi

picks the least ugly of the group, explains the job and dismisses the

rest. After bowing to Mandi and kissing Brandi’s foot, he crawls to the

control station and maneuvers the camera.

"All RIGHT, then!" Brandi says, and streaks into the sky to confront her

foe.

Supergirl watches Brandi streak toward her. It’s a bit soon, five

minutes still until she reaches her full power. But she must be strong

enough already — assuming that dreadful Mark hasn’t botched it. Already

her enhanced super-duper-vision can see right through his pathetic

defenses. His punishment will be next, once Brandi is history.

"So, you’re back!" Brandi says, already in front of Supergirl. "I never

thought you’d dare."

"Oh I do dare, you little witch!" the blonde superhero replies, her hands

on her hips, her chest thrust forward proudly. "And I’m here on behalf of

all of us, dead or alive, that fought to make justice prevail."

"Spare me," Brandi says, rolling her eyes and then grabs Supergirl’s

wrists, preparing to twist her arms into a pretzel before carrying her off

triumphantly back to the Earth’s surface to humiliate her in front of the

entire, watching planet. But something is wrong. She struggles to turn

Supergirl’s wrists, but they remain immobile.

"What’s the matter, evil vixen?" Supergirl says, grinning. She twists

out of Brandi’s grasp and turns the tables on her, easily bending Brandi’s

arm behind her back.

"Ow!" Brandi exclaims, equally in pain and shock. "How did you — ugh!"

Brandi groans as Supergirl drives her fist into Brandi’s neck, then hurls

her into outer space at near light speed, spinning chaotically at the rate

of billions of times per second.

"That should take the edge off," Supergirl says, happily, and flies

straight to Brandi’s headquarters, where she addresses the planet’s

citizens. "People of Earth. Your nightmare is over. I, Supergirl, have

come to free you from your servitude to the evil Brandi and her —

Before she can finish, Brandi has righted herself and is streaking back

to Supergirl to rejoin the battle. She drives herself at ultra-speed into

her foe’s body, but nanoseconds before she collides, Supergirl catches her

and holds her fast like a fly in amber.

— henchwomen, Mandi and Randi." She holds Brandi up to the camera. The

raven haired girl pushes against Supergirl’s hold but is as helpless as a

fly in amber. "This is your so-called ‘Goddess’, or, in truth, your

oppressor. Murderer of millions, enslaver of billions. Would any

punishment be too great for her?" Supergirl cocks her head. "What? You

are silent? Has she so cowed the human race that even now, when I hold

her helpless you still fear her. What do I have to do?" She glares at

the camera. "Watch this, then, you frightened Earthlings!"

Supergirl lets go of Brandi and stands back, arms clasped behind her

back, daring Brandi to make the next move. “What’s the matter? Has the

‘goddess’ lost her so-called divinity?”

“You’re nothing but an insolent, empty-headed blonde slut!” Brandi

shouts, and slaps the waiting Supergirl. The loud clap of Brandi’s palm on

Supergirl’s face shatters the glass windows of the studio but does nothing

to Supergirl’s face, which does not even redden. Brandi follows the slap

with blow after blow from her closed fists, summoned up in murderous rage

at an ever increasing tempo. With each one, Supergirl remains completely

still, not crying out in pain, not even blinking, until Brandi’s rampage

ends abruptly with her staring at her foe in disbelief.

“Weakling! I have the same powers as you now, PLUS my own!” Supergirl

says simply, scornfully and loudly enough for the Brandi News Network

microphones nearby to transmit all over the world. She grabs Brandi by

the ear and yanks her head down, then up, then left and right and then

lifts her off the ground, her pincer-like grip immune to Brandi’s attempts

to remove it. Supergirl pulls off Brandi’s white “goddess” dress, baring

her round, upturned breasts to the amazed audience. “Here is your goddess!

Laugh at her. Mock her. You’re free!” she calls out to the watching

billions. “Free.”

Supergirl listens with her super-hearing. There is hardly a sound in

reply. No cheers, no applause. Not even a sigh of relief. The entire

world just watches, silently. “What’s wrong with you people? What do I

hear? You think this is a trick? That Brandi is putting this on to test

your loyalty? I am Supergirl! You are free! You’re safe now!” She

punches Brandi in the stomach, the "goddess’s" face erupting in pain.

“This is no joke, people. Look!”. Supergirl hits her again and again.

“See? See? She’s history. Don’t you understand that? I’M the powerful

one here, not her!”.

Brandi laughs between groans of pain. “My people are very well-trained.

Except for you, Mr. Collins. Yeah, you in Topeka. I heard you laugh!”

Mr. Collins shudders in horror at the mention of his name and immediately

shuts his mouth. He drops to his knees and begs forgiveness. "Too late,

Collins!" she says, and before Supergirl can stop her, Brandi vaporizes

him with a long distance blast of heat vision.

"Noooooo!" Supergirl grabs Brandi’s dark hair and begins to twirl her

around by the hair, faster and faster. "You devil! You mustn’t be

allowed to continue!" Supergirl lets go and Brandi rockets through the

ceiling into the open air. Supergirl flies after her and overtakes her,

stopping her with her body. The camera follows until another camera

located just outside takes over. Supergirl holds Brandi’s torso in her

hands, one on each side of her body. "You’re too powerful to imprison,

and the phantom zone is unstable. My only alternative is to kill you, to

crush you to the size of a pin."

"So the mighty Supergirl will break her oath never to kill?"

Supergirl closes her eyes. Can she do it? She must. She has no choice

but to destroy her. "Yes. If this is my destiny, then may the gods

forgive me!"

Perhaps in answer to her prayer a cloud passes and the sun breaks

through, drenching Supergirl with even more energy, more strength. She

closes her eyes. She has never been so powerful. It will be so easy to

destroy her evil foe. But she feels no pleasure. In fact, she feels

almost sick. A strange feeling passes through her.

Brandi watches impassively, waiting. "Well, Supergirl? Having second

thoughts?"

"No … I –" She presses in on Brandi’s body, feeling its hardness, its

invulnerability.

"You can’t do it! Your silly moral code stops you?" Brandi says,

taunting her foe gleefully, even now, in her last moments.

Supergirl frowns, her arms shaking with the effort. Then she pauses.

"No, wait! that’s not it.” A smile slowly spreads across Brandi’s face.

"Your hands feel different. Lighter." She smiles more broadly.

"Weaker." She reaches down and puts her thumb and forefinger on the back

of Supergirl’s hand and pinches … hard.

"Oww!" Supergirl cries. She looks down at her hand. Bright red beads of

blood well up and then drip down, falling four hundred feet to the ground.

The wound heals almost instantly.

"Still super, I see," Brandi observes and pinches Supergirl again,

opening another wound. Supergirl gasps and looks at her in shock. “Oh

yes, still super, but not as super as me!" She squeezes Supergirl’s wrist

with the same two fingers and Supergirl cries out again in pain. "Not

even close!" Brandi easily twists out of Supergirl’s failing hold and

disappears for a moment, only to return in a new white dress. She pins

both of her adversary’s wrists with one hand and looks into the camera.

"Supergirl said I was history. Oh yes, I am! I AM history. Your

history. And your future." She looks at Supergirl. "Oh just listen to

her whimper. What a little baby you are!"

"What are you going to do to me?" Supergirl asks, her voice suddenly

small and quivering.

Brandi smiles broadly. "Listen to your pathetic champion! All she cares

about is herself. None of YOU matter to her! Get it? Well, you you know

what? You don’t matter to ME either! But I matter to YOU! Yes. Things

are going to be a little different around here! I’ve been too easy on

you. There wasn’t NEARLY enough wailing and mourning from you when you

thought little blondie was going to destroy me. So there’s going to be a

little ceremony. Blondie is going to declare me Goddess over Earth and

tell you all EXACTLY what she thinks of you. And then you’re going to

start praying. To me! You’re going to learn lots of prayers to me.

Hundreds! By heart! And some of them will be very, very long.

Understand? Anyone makes a mistake, that’s death, instantly. When I say

something, I want the ENTIRE planet to say "YES GODDESS BRANDI!" Very

loudly. If you don’t, that’s death." She raises an eyebrow. A faint cry

of "YES GODDESS BRANDI!" permeates the land. "That’s right. Again. And

again."

Supergirl starts to cry. "What’s happened to me?"

"Hmmmm. I can guess. You got your powers from Mark, didn’t you?"

Supergirl says nothing. "ANSWER ME!" Brandi squeezes her wrist and

crushes it.

"Aaaaghhh!"

"That sounds good."

"Fr-from Mark!" Supergirl says, looking down at her flattened wrist. It

heals quickly. Brandi crushes both wrists, even more firmly and Supergirl

cries out again more loudly.

"You’re forgetting something important, Supergirl." Brandi mouths the

words, "Yes Goddess Brandi!"

"YES GODDESS BRANDI!" Supergirl says, her wrists still in agony as Brandi

keeps up the pressure.

"Louder," Brandi says casually.

"YES GODDESS BRANDI!!!" Supergirl shouts.

"Better. Now, his little serums don’t work on me anymore, because I’m

already invulnerable. So my guess is he only got it to work on you by

putting you under a red sun environment, right?"

Supergirl nods, then, too late, shouts, "YES GODDESS BRANDI!" while

Brandi crushes Supergirl’s fingers together. She starts crying until

Brandi lets go.

"And everything worked fine, until that last burst of sunshine. When it

hit you and your full powers returned, they nullified the effect of Mark’s

serum. Very naughty of him not to warn you."

Supergirl sniffles while her fingers return to normal. "He DID warn me,

G-GODDESS BRANDI," she adds, unsure of the correct protocol, "but I didn’t

listen."

"What a shame. For you. For Earth. And for Mark. When I find him.

Where is he?"

Supergirl searches for him with her super-vision. "He’s … I can’t find

him. I thought I knew … but my vision can’t penetrate his defences.

GODDESS BRANDI."

"I LIKE the that sounds! Really? Too bad for you. If you could deliver

him to me then I was going to show you mercy. But now I won’t." Brandi

tows Supergirl back to the building where she left Mandi. "Mandikins.

Get Randi in here. We’re going on a little trip."

"A trip? Where?" Mandi replies, then her face freezes. "YES GODDESS

BRANDI!"

Brandi chuckles. "Very GOOD! Get her!" Mandi runs out. "They’re VERY

obedient. Not very bright, but quite handy." She looks at Supergirl.

"YES GODDESS BRANDI!"

"That’s right. I hope all of you out there are enjoying seeing this

little blonde superhero doing EXACTLY what I say! She’ll be leaving now,

but your Goddess, Mandi and Randi will return very soon. And then you can

start learning your prayers. You’ll have to drop EVERYTHING to learn them

quickly. But I’m sure that going hungry is MUCH better than the

alternative of immediate painful death. Yes, I’ve got LOTS of changes

planned. SEE how well you’ve succeeded, Supergirl, in making their

miserable lives better?" Mandi comes in, with a frightened Randi. "Ah,

good. Let’s go!" She puts her arms around the three of them and launches

herself into the air at trans-light speed, disappearing from the camera’s

view….

…. and reappearing 4 billion years in the future. Earth is desolate.

A mammoth red sun shines on the horizon. Brandi releases Supergirl.

"Here we are! Planet Earth. Everybody off! You’re free now, Supergirl!"

Supergirl staggers around. She makes a feeble attempt to fly but can’t

get more than three inches off the ground. "My powers! I have no powers

here!"

"Yes! It’s not just sunset, Supergirl. That’s the sun’s color now ALL

the time! It must remind you of your original home!"

"I’ll be marooned here!" she cries mournfully.

"For a little while. Until the sun expands and swallows up the earth.

That’ll be about eight weeks or so. So you won’t have that long to wait.

Pity!"

"You monster!" Supergirl cries out and hurls herself against Brandi and

beats her fists against her. "Owww!" Mandi and Randi look on, shocked.

Brandi grabs Supergirl’s hand, more gently this time. "Oh my! Would

look at that! You’ve broken your pinky. And without your superpowers it

won’t heal now for weeks! You really must be more careful." She places

the broken finger between two of her fingers as if to crush it further and

then lets it slide out. Supergirl backs away, shaking with fear.

"You mean, Goddess Brandi, Supergirl has NO superpowers at all?" Randi

says, looking down at the trembling Supergirl. "She looks so small and

weak. And so helpless!"

"That’s right sweetie. With your dynamitam-enhanced muscles, you two are

now FAR stronger than Supergirl! Go ahead and see!"

Randi approaches Supergirl, who tries to run away, but Randi’s longer,

stronger legs quickly overtake Supergirl. She wraps an arm around her

waist and drags her to the ground. "She IS weak! She’s hitting me, but

it’s like nothing!"

"That’s right. And now it’s time for my final surprise!" Brandi flies

off back into Earth’s present and then returns carrying three young men,

all thin, wearing thick glasses and with poor complexions.

"Harry, Clem, Martin, welcome to the Year 4 Billion!"

Martin squints. "Four billion? Is that A.D or B.C.?"

Clem rolls his eyes. "A.D., numb nuts! We’d ‘a choked from methane gas

if it was B.C.!"

"Oh yeah!"

Harry stares at Supergirl. "Hey, that’s Supergirl!" The other boys turn

and stare.

Brandi puts her hand on Supergirl’s back and guides her closer to them.

"Harry, Clem and Martin work at the computer help desk of the Brandi News

Network. Before that they were the founding members of the Screw the

Superheroines Club. Of course, that club doesn’t exist anymore. I don’t

allow clubs. They distract people from ME. And all the superheroines and

heroes are gone too, thanks to me. But you know that already, don’t you

Supergirl? Boys, tell Supergirl about your little club."

"Well, we would do drawings, stories, or even plays using action figures,

that have one or more of us members … um … actually, you know, fucking

superheroines. Especially you, Supergirl," Martin says. “You were always

our favorite.”

"We had almost 250 members before Brandi stopped us," Clem adds.

"It was so cool. It almost seemed real,” Harry concludes.

“Well, boys. This is your chance. Supergirl’s right here. She has no

powers. I’m sure not going to stop you now.” She looks over at Mandi and

Randi. They say nothing until Brandi gestures with her hands.

“Oh yeah. We won’t stop you either!”

The boys’ mouths drop open. “Y-ya mean it?” Martin asks. Brandi rolls

her eyes and looks at the sky. Martin nods and goes up to Supergirl.

“Well, uh, you heard the uh Goddess!” He puts his hand on Supergirl’s neck

and tugs slightly. She whirls around and kicks him in the groin. Martin

cries out and falls to the ground screaming in pain. Clem and Harry avert

their eyes and move slightly further away from Supergirl.

Brandi sighs. “Earth will be destroyed in eight weeks, but I will rescue

any of you who manages to ‘do’ Supergirl more than one hundred times

before it does.”

Harry and Clem look at each other. Together they advance on Supergirl.

Slowly. Carefully. She positions herself alertly and kicks out at them

several times as a warning. They keep their distance. Martin groans again.

“We’d have to do it almost twice a day with her to get saved, Harry? I’m

not sure I can do it.”

“She’s a good fighter, even without her powers,” Harry says.

“And we’re not,” Clem replies.

“Except with action figures,” Martin reminds him from the ground.

“Yeah,” Harry agrees.

Supergirl breathes a small sigh of relief but keeps her guard up.

“Well, I’m glad you’re all getting acquainted and working out your

differences so well," Brandi says. "And you’ll have lots more time to

spend talking and joking together before that big red sun burns you to a

crisp. Oh! I almost forgot. I brought some lunch for the four of you

before the three of us return to our present time. I’ve got three Big Macs

Super Sized Meals and one garden salad. Who wants what? Boys?”

Harry speaks right up. “We’ll all have the Big Mac’s. Hey, McDonald’s!

Wow! It’s been a year since I’ve had one.”

“Yeah, you can’t get them anymore unless you, uh, know somebody. Oooh!

Shakes too!"

Harry digs right into his, tossing the wrapping on the groun and stuffing

the thick sandwich into his mouth. Clem does the same, while Martin,

still in pain, unwraps his more carefully and takes smaller bites,

savoring each one. Supergirl takes her salad and retreats about twenty

feet away, then eats hers slowly with the plastic fork. After going

through about half of his burger in the time it takes Harry and Clem to

finish theirs, Martin looks at the paper wrapping and says, "Hey, this

says it’s a Big Mac-D, not a Big Mac. What’s the D mean?"

"Delicious!" says Clem.

"No, the "D" probably just stands for McDonald’s, right?" says Martin.

"It means dynamite food!" says Harry.

"Close," says Brandi. "It stands for Dynamitam!" Mandi and Randi start

to laugh. Supergirl and the boys just look confused.

"What’s that?" says Martin, taking another careful bite. "It doesn’t

taste any different." He feels his still sore groin.

Harry and Clem look around. "No, it doesn’t, but I feel a little funny,"

he says. Clem looks worried. "Not funny bad, Clem. Kinda good. But

funny."

"Me too, I guess," Clem says.

"Yeah," says Martin, slowly eating his last bite. "Hey guys, your acne’s

gone. And you look taller."

"My clothes feel tight. Except around my waist. Hey!" Harry says. "My

shirt’s ripping. That was my favorite!"

"Yeah, mine too. But look at you, Harry. You got muscles. Like a

fullback!" says Clem.

"My clothes are feeling tight too!" says Martin. "Hey, you guys are

getting as big as Mandi ‘n Randi. Bigger!"

Mandi and Randi start to pout. "Why are THEY getting so big? How come

they get to be bigger than us?"

"Because they’re men, sweeties. You don’t have to worry. Goddess Brandi

won’t let them hurt you. Now Supergirl, on the other hand …."

Supergirl looks at Brandi and then at the three men with increasing

panic. They range in height now from 6’4" to 6’10", with biceps that

would make any bodybuilder very, very proud. She starts backing away

further and then breaks into a run. Harry starts after her and even with

her 10 yard head start he catches her in fifty yards. He hoists her on

his shoulder and carries her, letting her bang her fists futilely against

his broad muscular back. "Now this is FUN!" he says enthusiastically. He

holds her in front of him, pinning her arms against her sides. "Don’t try

anything funny this time, little Supergirl. Don’t make this any worse for

yourself than it has to be." He looks down at his tool, which pulses

thick and hard and pushes above the loose waistband of his trousers. "And

it doesn’t have to be THAT bad, heh heh. Look at that monster thing!

Isn’t that what you girls dream of?"

Clem and Martin feel theirs and each chimes in, proudly, "Mine’s just as

big!"

Brandi smiles. "Well, I think my work here is done. Come on, sweeties.

Time to go back home." She gathers them together and flies back into the

present.

Mandi clears her throat. "Goddess Brandi, may I ask you something?"

Brandi nods. "Are you really going rescue those guys if they, you know,

‘do’ Supergirl more than a hundred times. You’re not actually going to

keep watch on them, are you?"

"Why, you don’t think I could?"

"Oh no, Goddess Brandi. Of course you could. I mean, you can do

anything."

Brandi smiles. "You’re such good girls. That’s right. Of course I

could. But I won’t. You think I want THEM and their little Dynamitam

dicks making trouble around here? Nope. They’re history. Or maybe, to

be more accurate, we’re history — to them."

Randi looks confused. "’Cause they’re in the future," Mandi explains.

"Is THAT where we were?" Randi says. "But if were just there, isn’t it

the past?"

"No, it hasn’t happened yet," Mandi replies. "It won’t happen until long

after all of us die."

"Even Brandi?" Randi asks.

Mandi, horrified, covers her sister’s mouth with her hand. "NO! Of

course not! I’m sorry, Goddess Brandi. Randi sometimes doesn’t know what

she’s saying."

"But where WAS Brandi — I mean in the future when we were there just

now, I mean a few minutes ago? Whatever. If that was the future, and she

wasn’t there — I mean, won’t be there — then —

"Silence you two! I’ve got more important things for you to do than

natter on. Supergirl might have gotten people’s hopes up. Well it’s time

to drive them right down. I’m not going ANYWHERE. Get fifty ministers

and preachers. Mostly ones who think they’re Baptists, I think, and a

couple of Episcopalians, just for variety. Tell them they have to write

300 prayers to me by tomorrow night. Then we’ll send them to everyone in

the world. EVERYONE. They’ll all have to learn them. Man woman boy

girl. Everyone! Whoever doesn’t know them by heart will die. They’ll be

tested ALL the time." She rubs her hands together. "Mark thought

Supergirl was going to save the world? Well let’s see how he likes this!"

Part III

Two days later, Mark watches the latest announcements on the Brandi News

Network. Somehow all the new prayers just appeared on his computer, even

without an internet connection. Does she know where he is? He shivers

with fear. He’d better learn them, just in case. And he’d better start to

work twice as hard on his new invention, substance K-773. Perhaps that

would be the one that works. Time to begin testing it. He’d start with

mice.

[What happens next is written in Brandi 4.]

[Author]

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