just waiting to erupt. An aggrieved inner voice egged her on. “I couldn’t find Freddy; I couldn’t find you.... What else was I to do?”
“Start a brand-new life?” her brother suggested gently. Overcoming his initial shock and outrage, he adopted a milder tone. He stepped forward and laid a comforting hand upon her shoulder. His icy blue eyes regarded her with compassion ... or was it just pity? “Mary, did you ever think that maybe it was destiny that you lost your powers? That you weren’t meant to have them forever?” Mary couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You don’t know that,” she whispered hoarsely, getting more worked up by the moment. Her face flushed with emotion. “Did you ever think that perhaps my getting Black Adam’s power was precisely what was supposed to happen?” Raising her voice, she slapped his hand away from her shoulder. He staggered backward, blindsided by the rebuff. “You don’t know what it was like for me before, after you abandoned me in that miserable hospital.” Painful memories stoked the seething resentment growing inside her. “I have power again, Billy. And I’m going to use it for good, just like before!”
She clenched her fists. First Madame Xanadu, she thought furiously. Now my own brother! They seemed determined to keep her weak and helpless, like she was still just a child who couldn’t be trusted to fight evil on her own. Well, I’ll show them,
* % She launched herself toward the ceiling. Shattered stalactites rained down onto the throne room as she smashed through solid rock like a human missile. Falling rubble knocked over the flaming brazier, spilling burning coals onto the floor. The shock wave generated by her blastoff cracked the magic mirrors, and the Seven Deadly Sins grinned evilly. Pride and Wrath looked particularly pleased. “And if you can’t approve of that, then I’ll pursue my destiny alone!”
“Mary! Wait!” her brother called, but Mary wasn’t listening anymore. She was her own woman now, not just Captain Marvel’s perky teenage sister. With the awesome powers at her disposal, she could easily find her own way back to the mortal plane. Her fists drilled a brand-new tunnel through the Rock of Eternity until she burst out into the timeless ether outside, leaving behind a gaping cavity in the floating stone spire. Spectral shapes and apparitions drifted like cloud formations through an empty gray void. Her brother’s voice receded into the distance until it vanished altogether. “Maryyyyyyyy ..
She was alone again, but that didn’t seem quite so bad anymore.
Look out, world. Here I come!
SAN FRANCISCO.
Titans Tower occupied an island in the harbor, not far from the Golden Gate Bridge. Jimmy could see the famous bridge from the top floor of the gleaming, T-shaped high-rise that served as the headquarters for the youthful champions known as the Teen Titans. One-way bulletproof windows offered a spectacular view of the misty bay below.
“Is this your idea of a joke, Olsen?” Robin asked. Batman’s sidekick eyed “Mr. Action” dubiously. An ebony cloak was draped over Robin’s dark red uniform. A few years younger than Jimmy, the slim, athletic teenager already had an impressive reputation as a crime fighter. His black domino mask failed to conceal his skepticism.
“Um, no?” Jimmy replied, slightly taken aback by the Boy Wonder’s reaction. He had caught a red-eye flight from Metropolis just to make this appointment with Robin, who currently served as the leader of the Titans. To Jimmy’s disappointment, none of the other Titans seemed to be around. Guess they had other plans for the weekend.
Robin still seemed unconvinced. He glanced around the high-tech conference room. A chrome silver round table held seats for the team’s shifting membership, including a reinforced steel chair for Cyborg. A flat-screen monitor covered the far wall. “Seriously, is Lois Lane hiding with a video camera
“Start a brand-new life?” her brother suggested gently. Overcoming his initial shock and outrage, he adopted a milder tone. He stepped forward and laid a comforting hand upon her shoulder. His icy blue eyes regarded her with compassion ... or was it just pity? “Mary, did you ever think that maybe it was destiny that you lost your powers? That you weren’t meant to have them forever?” Mary couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You don’t know that,” she whispered hoarsely, getting more worked up by the moment. Her face flushed with emotion. “Did you ever think that perhaps my getting Black Adam’s power was precisely what was supposed to happen?” Raising her voice, she slapped his hand away from her shoulder. He staggered backward, blindsided by the rebuff. “You don’t know what it was like for me before, after you abandoned me in that miserable hospital.” Painful memories stoked the seething resentment growing inside her. “I have power again, Billy. And I’m going to use it for good, just like before!”
She clenched her fists. First Madame Xanadu, she thought furiously. Now my own brother! They seemed determined to keep her weak and helpless, like she was still just a child who couldn’t be trusted to fight evil on her own. Well, I’ll show them,
* % She launched herself toward the ceiling. Shattered stalactites rained down onto the throne room as she smashed through solid rock like a human missile. Falling rubble knocked over the flaming brazier, spilling burning coals onto the floor. The shock wave generated by her blastoff cracked the magic mirrors, and the Seven Deadly Sins grinned evilly. Pride and Wrath looked particularly pleased. “And if you can’t approve of that, then I’ll pursue my destiny alone!”
“Mary! Wait!” her brother called, but Mary wasn’t listening anymore. She was her own woman now, not just Captain Marvel’s perky teenage sister. With the awesome powers at her disposal, she could easily find her own way back to the mortal plane. Her fists drilled a brand-new tunnel through the Rock of Eternity until she burst out into the timeless ether outside, leaving behind a gaping cavity in the floating stone spire. Spectral shapes and apparitions drifted like cloud formations through an empty gray void. Her brother’s voice receded into the distance until it vanished altogether. “Maryyyyyyyy ..
She was alone again, but that didn’t seem quite so bad anymore.
Look out, world. Here I come!
SAN FRANCISCO.
Titans Tower occupied an island in the harbor, not far from the Golden Gate Bridge. Jimmy could see the famous bridge from the top floor of the gleaming, T-shaped high-rise that served as the headquarters for the youthful champions known as the Teen Titans. One-way bulletproof windows offered a spectacular view of the misty bay below.
“Is this your idea of a joke, Olsen?” Robin asked. Batman’s sidekick eyed “Mr. Action” dubiously. An ebony cloak was draped over Robin’s dark red uniform. A few years younger than Jimmy, the slim, athletic teenager already had an impressive reputation as a crime fighter. His black domino mask failed to conceal his skepticism.
“Um, no?” Jimmy replied, slightly taken aback by the Boy Wonder’s reaction. He had caught a red-eye flight from Metropolis just to make this appointment with Robin, who currently served as the leader of the Titans. To Jimmy’s disappointment, none of the other Titans seemed to be around. Guess they had other plans for the weekend.
Robin still seemed unconvinced. He glanced around the high-tech conference room. A chrome silver round table held seats for the team’s shifting membership, including a reinforced steel chair for Cyborg. A flat-screen monitor covered the far wall. “Seriously, is Lois Lane hiding with a video camera
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