Countdown (10 page)

“Hello?” Her voice echoed in the empty catacomb. “Is anyone here?”

A deep baritone answered her from the far end of the tunnel. “Just you and me, Mary.”

“Billy! Cap!” Her heart leapt at the sound of that familiar baritone. She rushed down the corridor past a row of grotesque stone idols representing the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man: Pride, Avarice, Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, Envy, and Sloth. The leering gargoyles were not just statues, but the actual Sins, trapped in stone by the wizard’s magic, but Mary was too excited to give the looming idols even a passing glance; after all, she had seen them many times before. Knowing exactly where she was now, she dashed through a framed archway into the cavernous throne room beyond. Jagged stalactites hung from the ceiling. A fuming brazier filled the grotto with the smell of incense. Magic mirrors, mounted upon the limestone walls, faced an imposing marble throne. Mary scarcely noticed any of these details, her attention riveted by the solitary figure standing beside the glowing brazier.

Her brother was waiting for her.

At least she
thought
it was her brother.

“Billy? Is that really you?”

She barely recognized him at first. Instead of his cheerful red and yellow uniform, Captain Marvel now wore a spotless white version of his traditional costume. Only the golden thunderbolt and trimmings remained the same. His revised garb was as chastely white as her own new look was black as night. And, like her, not only his apparel had changed. His short black hair had also turned snow-white and was now several inches longer. There was something different about his manner too. Even though her twin brother turned into an adult whenever he said the magic word, he had always kept his youthful exuberance and sunny disposition. But now the weight of the world seemed to rest heavily upon his broad shoulders. His wide face was etched with worry lines that Mary was certain she had never seen before. In a way, his austere, authoritative mien reminded her of the ageless wizard who had once presided over the throne room. The legacy of Shazam was stamped upon his features.

“It’s me, Mary,” he assured her. “After a fashion.”
What did he mean by that?
She longed to rush over and hug her brother, yet something held her back. He seemed so different, so reserved.

“Oh, Billy, what’s happened to you?”

He came forward to greet her. “It’s complicated, Mary. .After Shazam died, the world of magic was thrown into flux. All the power he controlled, all the dark forces he held at bay, ran amok. The old rules were rewritten. Malevolent entities, long barred from the mortal plane, began to find their way back into the world.”

“Like Pharyngula?” She glanced back at the Seven Deadly Sins, half expecting to see the baby-snatching demon petrified alongside them. “What happened to him anyway?”

“You needn’t worry about him any longer,” Captain Marvel assured her. “He’s been banished back to the netherworld.”

And good riddance,
Mary thought. She tried to make sense of what she had just heard. “Does all this have something to do with why I lost my powers?”

Her brother nodded. “In order to heal itself, the power of Shazam drew upon the Marvels, taking back the gifts it had bestowed on us before. You and Freddy both lost your powers, while as for me ... Well, the power needed a new vessel here at the Rock of Eternity.
Someone
had to fill the void left by the wizard’s absence.”

“You?” Mary guessed.

“Me.” He smiled sadly, and for a moment, Mary thought

she spied a trace of the boyish hero she remembered. “Unlike before, when I would wield the power of the gods, now I am the keeper of that power.”

Just like the wizard used to be,
Mary realized. “But you’re still Billy in there, right?” She contemplated his snowy locks and grave demeanor. “You seem ... different, like you’ve changed somehow. What’s this power done to you?”    "    
¹

“I grew up,” he said.

Something about that simple declaration struck her as immeasurably sad. “And Freddy?” she asked.

“The power still needs a champion on Earth,” Marvel explained. “Freddy is on a quest to prove himself worthy of that mantle. If he passes his trials, if he survives, he will become the World’s Mightiest Mortal.” He looked somberly into Mary’s eyes. “It may be some time before you see him again, if ever.”

Mary was shocked by her brother’s ominous prediction.
How can he say that so calmly?
she thought in dismay.
The Marvel Family always sticks together!

Or we used to.

“What about me?” she asked, feeling a lump in her throat. “Where do I fit into all these changes?”

“That’s why I brought you here.” He sat down upon the marble throne. “I’m afraid we have a problem. A big one.”

Mary tensed. She didn’t like the sound of this. “I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

“I watched your battle against Pharyngula,” he informed her solemnly. “Frankly, it left me concerned.”

“Why? I was just doing what I used to do. I was fighting evil.”
And doing a pretty kick-ass job of it,
she recalled with pride.
What’s Billy’s problem?

“It’s the way you went about it.” He shook his head in disapproval. “I’ve never seen you so brutal, so savage. Even after Pharyngula had no more fight left in him, you didn’t let up. You looked like you were on the verge of killing him.”

So?
she thought indignantly.
He was a flesh-eating demon, wasn’t he?

“Look at you, Mary,” Captain Marvel said severely. “Even your uniform is darker than before.” He eyed her new wardrobe with obvious concern. “What’s happened to you?”

I could ask you the same thing,
she thought.
In fact, I did.

Still, she figured he deserved an explanation. “The power I have now came from Black Adam.” She wondered briefly how Adam had managed to retain his powers after she and Freddy had lost theirs. Perhaps it was because he derived his strength from an entirely different pantheon of gods? “He surrendered it to me willingly.”

“You
whatV
Captain Marvel lurched to his feet, clearly appalled by her revelation. Apparently his magic mirrors had missed that particular development. “Are you out of your mind? You have no idea what that tainted power could do to you!”

Mary bristled at his tone. This was
not
the joyful family reunion she had been praying for. She hadn’t spent so much time searching for Billy just to be lectured to. “What was I supposed to do?” she shot back. “I woke up from a coma, I had no powers, and I was totally alone.” An anger she had never dared acknowledge came pouring out of her. It was like it had been simmering inside her all this time, 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 somewhere?”

“Listen to me,” Jimmy insisted. “I’m not here for the
Planet.
I want to join the Teen Titans.”

He had given the matter plenty of thought. As promising as his solo career as a super hero looked to be, he could only imagine the awesomeness he’d bring to a group dynamic. The only question had been figuring out what team would be right for him. The Outsiders were too angsty, the Doom Patrol was too weird, and as for the Justice League... Well, Jimmy was humble enough to realize that he probably needed to start out in the minors before working his way up to the majors. The Teen Titans, which had started out as a team composed entirely of the Justice League’s youthful sidekicks, had struck him as the perfect place for Mr. Action.

Robin, on the other hand, seemed to have his doubts. “Jimmy, no offense, but—”

“I know,” Jimmy interrupted him. “I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t believe me either. But give me a chance and I’ll show you what I can do.” He put up his dukes. “I’m not just ‘Jimmy Olsen, cub reporter’ anymore. I’m Mr. Action.” “Mr. Action?” Robin echoed. “Wow. I guess all the good names really are taken.”

At least I’m not named after a bird,
Jimmy thought. “Attack me,” he challenged Robin. “Don’t be afraid. I want you to attack me so I can show you my powers.”

Besides, that’s the only way they work.

But instead of testing him, Robin just sighed. “Okay, let’s talk about what’s going on here, Jimmy.”

“I need you to take me seriously,” Jimmy complained. What was Robin’s problem anyway?
I bet he never treats Beast Boy like this!

“I know you’re tight with Superman,” Robin said patiently. “Sometimes, when we have a close relationship with, say, a father figure who also happens to be famous...” Jimmy saw where he was going with this. “This isn’t about Superman!” Or Batman, for that matter. “I have powers. I don’t know why or how, but I have them and I want to use them to help people!”

His sincerity seemed to convince Robin. “All right,” the costumed youth conceded reluctantly. “I’ll... attack you.”

“Great!” Jimmy enthused. He adopted a martial arts pose he’d seen in a movie once. “Let’s do thi—”

Robin’s heel shot past his defenses, nailing him in the chin. The powerful kick knocked Jimmy backward onto his butt. The hard tile floor made Jimmy wish that they had sparred on a mat instead.
I didn’t even see that coming!

“I’m sorry!” Robin said, sounding even more mortified than Jimmy. “I thought you’d duck!”

Jimmy massaged his aching chin. “I don’t understand. I should’ve stretched or something....”

“I didn’t hit you
that
hard,” Robin said, not quite getting it. He reached down and helped Jimmy to his feet. “Are you okay? Do you need to visit the infirmary?”

Jimmy tried to make sense of what had just occurred. “Wait... this happened before in Metropolis. These guys in Suicide Slum attacked me, but it wasn’t until my life was in danger...” A sudden realization dawned in his eyes. “Wait a minute,” he accused Robin. “You held back.” “Of course I did,” Robin admitted. “You think I want Superman pissed off at me when I send his pal back to Metropolis in a neck brace?”

Jimmy realized that he was fighting a losing battle. “There’s no chance I can get you to attack me for real, is there?”    "

Robin shook his head. “I’m sorry, Jimmy. If it makes you feel any better, we’re not really looking for any more Titans right now. We’re cramped enough as it is.”