Chapter Text
Gravesfield, Connecticut.
"RUN, WORKER ANTS! YOUR LORD AND MASTER HAS RETURNED!"
Standing a solid fifty feet tall, the jester-like mecha stood above the majority of the building in the town. That wasn't hard to do of course; the town of Gravesfield had been founded literally centuries ago by the Wittebane brothers, and despite increases in population and technology it hadn't changed much. It still retained much of its old-school American style, for better or worse.
The giant robot piloted by a toy themed madman was an exception, not the rule.
"YOU THOUGHT YOU SAW THE LAST OF ME?" The mecha's speakers roared as it marched towards the Town Square. With every step the yellow and black titan took, the ground beneath it shook and the streets cracked. "PITIFUL FOOLS! I AM THE TOYMAN! BE HONORED; YOUR TOWN WILL BE THE CAPITAL OF MY TOY KINGDOM!"
As the Toyman reached the center of the town, he noticed from within the center of his great masterpiece that a group of onlookers with neither running away nor bowing down to pledge their everlasting loyalty to him. That would not do; an example would need to be made. Scanning his surroundings, he found a mid-quality car that would do nicely. Leaning down, his mecha picked it up with one hand, partially crushing the vehicle in the process. Then, with the practiced easy of a baseball washout, he threw it right at the clump of fools.
The car hit something. It wasn't the Toyman's intended targets.
Rather, it would be more accurate to say that it had been caught by something.
The small figured hoisted the car above her head, allowing the Toyman to better see her. She was short, and young; maybe 14, 15 years old at his best guess. She was floating in the air as if to say gravity only applied to other people. She had short brown hair and light brown skin; the Toyman thought she looked Hispanic but his expertise lied in mechanics, not race. She wore a bright blue shirt and pants, with a red cape, red boots, and a red skirt held up by a yellow belt. On her chest was the red and yellow shield that the people of Gravesfield, the Toyman included, have gotten to know so well in last year since her first appearance.
"SUPERGIRL!!!"
The heroine in question blinked as she stared at the mechanical giant. "Schott? Is that you again?"
"I AM THE TOYMAN!!" He bellowed in incandescent fury.
"Yep, it's you." Supergirl shrugged as she shifted the weight of the car in her hands. "While the giant robot suit is pretty neat, this is what, the fourth time we've fought? You have got to let it go, buddy."
"NOT UNTIL YOU PAY FOR YOUR INSULTS AGAINST ME! MY GLORIOUS MEGA-TOY, WITH KUN-FU GRIP, WILL BE YOUR DOOM!"
Supergirl just grinned in the midday sun. "Do not underestimate me, Toyman. For I am Supergirl; the Girl of Steel, the Maid of Might, and protector of the innocent. . . NOW EAT THIS SUCKER!"
With no other warning, Supergirl chucked the car right into the robot's oversized head, cause it to explode in a truly awe-inspiring display of mechanical gore. The Toyman had put of his mecha's external sensors in the head, partly for ease of construction, but mostly because it seemed like a good idea at the time. Now he was piloting blind; he could not see as Supergirl tore the limbs off of his mecha one by one. He did, however, see it when she tore open the chest cockpit; tearing through five feet of reinforced steel like tissue paper and exposing him to the harsh light of day.
Now, with the machine wreaked beyond repair, Supergirl stood there starring at him, her hands on her hips and a smirk on her lips. "Soooo. . . did you want to go a round without the big, scary robot suit?"
Winslow Schott just whimpered.
It took about an hour to finish cleaning up Schott's mess. Thankful, the damaged was very minor. . . save for the car Luz blew up.
In retrospect, not her smartest move.
Thankful, the car was both paid off and fully insured. In fact, the owner was going to use the insurance money to buy a motorcycle. Not that that stopped her from guilt tripping Luz into taking a selfie with her.
"Oh no my poor, old, semi-useless car! If only I could take a picture with Gravesfield's one and only superhero! That would be totally worth her trashing it!"
The price of heroism, Luz supposed.
Still, destroyed transportation notwithstanding, Luz liked to think she was getting the hang of this. It had been a little over a year since she started now, and she had managed to take down a few bad guys and saved some people. Nothing compared to the stories about the Justice Society, but hey it was both fun and helpful.
Oh, she almost forgot; she'd have to grab a souvenir from her latest adventure! Maybe one of the robot eyes? No, wait, they blew up. How about-
"Luz! Dinner!"
On second thought, she could raid the dump anytime. Now was the time for food!
The Noceda house was over two miles away from where Luz hung in the air. At the speed she moved it might as well be two feet. Luz got home, changed into her normal clothes (glasses included), hid her Supergirl outfit, and sat at the kitchen table before her mother had even placed the plate down.
"You have fun?" Camila Noceda asked her daughter.
"Yep Mama!" Luz chirped. "I stopped Schott gain! Don't know how he got out of jail though."
"I heard on the news he dug his out by converting a bunch of plastic sporks into digging robots." Camila shook her head. "That man, I swear, something just isn't right with him."
"I know, right?!" Luz threw up her hands. "The first time, he built two dozen life-sized army men androids and took over a toy store while calling it his new fortress! And he has only gotten crazier from there!"
"I'm not arguing with you, Mija. I just hope he doesn't hurt you or anyone else."
Luz smiled at her mother. "Don't worry Mama, I won't let him hurt anyone. Besides, nothing can hurt me! You know that."
As Luz started to eat her dinner, she didn't notice her mother's smile grow just a bit brittle.