52 - The Novel

  "Thank you!" a joyful mother called out to her. She dipped her baby into the cool water, where it giggled happily. "Thank you so much!"

  "Thank him," Adrianna replied. She nodded at the sky, where Black Adam could now been seen descending from the heavens. His imposing shadow fell over the spontaneous celebration as he hovered in the air several meters above the newly created shore. He casually wiped the sand from his knuckles. His face maintained a stoic expression as he viewed the scene. Adrianna hoped he understood just how much he had truly done for these people.

  "It is he!" a wizened village elder cried out, pointing up at Black Adam. "Our leader ... our savior!" He dropped to his knees, and the rest of the villagers followed suit. They knelt upon the muddy shore, bowing to the darkly clad figure above them.

  Only Adrianna remained standing. "They worship you like a god," she chided him softly. "Is that why you do this?"

  Taking her words to heart, he touched down on the ground beside her. He took a kneeling supplicant by the arm and gently brought the man to his feet. "Please," he insisted, "I am not your leader. Not your ruler." He raised his voice to address all assembled. "I only do what I can to help." ■

  Confused but compliant, the other villagers gradually rose from the dirt. Although they continued to cast awestruck gazes in Black Adam's direction, they soon went back to enjoying the miraculous blessing of their new river. He observed the sheer elation with which the grateful citizens greeted the bountiful supply of fresh water. Heedless of their soggy clothes, they danced along the slope of the river. A grinning woman balanced a large, flat-bottomed water jug upon her head.

  "I had no idea this village was in such need," Black Adam admitted.

  "That's because you've spent all your time and power fighting American heroes and executing American villains." Only days ago, she knew, Black Adam had clashed with Green Lantern when the American hero's pursuit of some foe had carried them over the Sinai Canal, which Adam claimed jurisdiction over. In the end, Green Lantern had departed with his prisoner, but not before exchanging blows with Black Adam over the disposition of the villain. "And gathering allies like chess pieces to consolidate a power base that only serves to escalate global tensions."

  He refused to admit the error of his ways. "Do you deny the threats of misplaced power in the hands of those who might do harm to the world?"

  "Power doesn't have to corrupt," she insisted. "Look at what you've done these last few days. You changed the course of a mighty river and provided water for hundreds of people. You disarmed fields of mines across Kahndaq's highways. You've made your people's lives better."

  He shrugged. "All because you suggested it."

  "And that is all I can do," she said humbly. "But someone like you, Adam, you can help in so many ways because of what you can do." She searched his face for some sign that she was getting through to him. He had come so far since they had first met; if only she could convince him to abandon his vengeful crusade. "Why act out of anger when you can act in hope?"

  He turned and looked at her, a brooding look upon his face. She sensed the terrible fury lurking within him, never very far from the surface. "For a very good reason."

  Sweeping her up into his arms, he launched himself into the sky. She gasped and clung to him as Earth fell away beneath them. Although she was beginning to grow accustomed to this unorthodox mode of travel, she still found it a trifle alarming. Her heart pounded violently within her chest in a not entirely unpleasant way. Declining to look down, she concentrated on his chiseled yet saturnine features. I know there is a good man inside him, she thought. He just needs someone to show him the way.

  The speed of Heru carried them swiftly across the country, so that Shiruta— and the great gleaming dome of the royal palace—soon appeared below them. They descended through an open sunroof, landing nimbly upon the floor of Black Adam's office. She breathed a sigh of relief when her sandals touched the floor, yet felt oddly disappointed when he finally let go of her. The entire trip, a distance of several hundred miles, had lasted less than the time it took to brew a pot of tea.

  As usual, a horde of advisors and bureaucrats flocked to Adam upon his return. They came bustling up to him, anxiously clutching charts and reports to their chests. The hems of their formal robes brushed against the floor.

  "Mighty Adam." A gray-bearded functionary accosted him at once. "The Iranian, Super-Shaykh, has contacted us again. He needs your assistance against the meta-human terrorist group Dark Genesis. They just attempted another strike on Iran's nuclear weapons facility."

  "And were they stopped?" Black Adam asked curtly.

  "They fled, yes," the aged advisor divulged. "But Super-Shaykh is still in pursuit. He awaits your response."

  "Later," Black Adam decreed. Taking Adrianna by the arm, he briskly escorted her toward a nearby exit. The crush of advisors parted reluctantly before their leader's advance, and she caught a few bewildered looks cast in her direction. Puzzled voices whispered and muttered behind her. No doubt the palace's staff were wondering what she was doing to their glorious leader.

  Bringing out his better side, I hope.

  He led her into a wing of the palace she had never explored before, where an abandoned throne room had been converted into a shrine. Carved into the wall between two imposing stone pillars was an enormous bas-relief depicting a beautiful woman and two young boys. All three figures wore the garb of Adrianna's ancient ancestors and were at least three times the size of her and Black Adam. The woman's slender arms stretched protectively above the boys' heads. Her sculpted eyes were turned upward toward the heavens. A golden scarab was embedded in a pedestal at the woman's feet. Precious jewels adorned the sacred icon.

  Adrianna spoke in hushed tones. "What is this place?"

  "A few years after the wizard bestowed me with these powers," Black Adam said, "my wife and sons were murdered, killed by an enemy I should have destroyed long before." The bitterness in his voice made it clear that he had neither accepted nor forgiven his family's death. "You must understand. I execute my foes so no one else will feel the emptiness I do. That you surely do as well." His dark eyes searched her face. "Intergang killed your family. They sold your brother into slavery. Where is your anger, Adrianna?"

  She averted her eyes from his gaze. "I am not angry."

  "You have to feel something," he insisted.

  Feeling uncomfortable, she looked into her own soul, but found no answers there. "I'm not sure what I feel," she admitted. A sense of overwhelming loss came over her when she thought of her own family's unhappy fate. "Mostly alone."

  Black Adam nodded, as though he understood. Examining her carefully, he seemed to come to a decision. His hand reached out and wrenched the golden scarab from its pedestal, a feat of strength that few could emulate. A heavy rumbling greeted his action as a hidden apparatus awoke from slumber. Stone ground loudly against stone and the entire monument split in two, revealing a long stone staircase that seemed to lead down into the very bowels of the earth. A flickering golden glow could be glimpsed somewhere beyond the bottom of the steps.

  "Where does it go?" she asked apprehensively. "A secret tunnel under the palace?"

  He shook his head. "It will take us far from the palace," he said cryptically. "And from Kahndaq."

  What does he mean by that? Adrianna found herself baffled by this unexpected turn of events. She gulped as she took his arm and let him lead her down the steps toward only the gods knew where. The dusty steps looked as though they were seldom used. She wondered whether anyone besides Black Adam even knew they existed. Why is he showing me this?

  The shrine was a distant memory by the time they reached the bottom of the steps. They continued down a gloomy tunnel. Torches in sconces cast dancing shadows upon the rough stone walls of the catacomb. Their footsteps echoed within the eerie silence. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn that they were exploring some ancient pharaoh's tomb. No rats or insects seemed to scurry in the shadows.
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  She held tightly onto Black Adam's arm. "Where are we?"

  "This passage leads to the Rock of Eternity/' he said, "a fabled place of power outside time and space. Until but recently, it was the home of the wizard who long ago bestowed my powers upon me, but he perished in the recent Crisis. Now, another resides here."

  Before she could ask w'ho, they came upon a row of grotesque figures lined up along the wall on the left. Leering like malignant djinni, they crouched ominously upon granite pedestals inscribed with their names: Pride, Avarice, Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, Envy, and Sloth. Their petrified expressions seemed to embody all that was evil in the human soul. Bowls of fire burned at their feet. Adrianna shuddered as they walked past the towering idols.

  "The Seven Deadly Sins," Adam said. "But you need not fear them. The demons are bound in stone for all eternity."

  Was he saying that these weren't just statues, that these were the Sins themselves? She tried to grasp the full implications of this revelation, but before her beleaguered brain could even begin to cope with that concept, he escorted her into a cavernous throne room. Stalactites hung from the ceiling many meters above her. A blazing brazier lit up the chamber, and suffused the air with the scent of some exotic incense. She forgot all about the Sins as her wide-eyed gaze was immediately drawn to the brawny figure seated upon the large marble throne before them. His cape and uniform resembled Black Adam's, save that it was bright red where Adam's garb was dark as night. She immediately recognized one of the world's most famous heroes, second only perhaps to Superman himself.

  Captain Marvel.

  "Billy," Black Adam addressed the hero. Apparently, they were on a first-name basis.

  "Black Adam," Captain Marvel replied. He squinted suspiciously at the newcomer. His tone was far from welcoming. "You should not have come here. Mister Atom. Sabbac. Johnny Sorrow. Every adversary I have has attempted an assault on the Rock of Eternity." He sounded weary but determined. "But the wizard left me in charge, Adam, and the Seven Sins and the power of the Rock are under my watch." He leaned forward upon the throne, his fists clenched in anticipation. "Have you come to steal that power too?"

  "Of course not," Adam assured him. He kept his own arms lowered at his sides. "I'm not here to fight. I am not your enemy anymore, Billy."

  Adrianna gathered that Black Adam and Captain Marvel had clashed in the past. She hoped Adam's peaceful overture was more evidence of a lasting change in his attitude. Perhaps he might still abandon his misguided campaign to confront the Western powers with his own meta-human alliance?

  Captain Marvel settled back onto his throne. "Well, I suppose beating each other up never really solved our problems anyway." No longer on guard against an attack, he seemed to notice her for the first time. "Who's your friend?"

  "My name is Adrianna Tomaz," she said, stepping out from behind Adam. She didn't really understand what was happening, but she knew that she had little to fear from Captain Marvel. Word of his heroic deeds and character had reached even her remote village.

  "Pleased to meet you." Captain Marvel rose from the throne and came forward to shake her hand. There was something charming about his smile, as though he retained a boyish innocence that Black Adam had lost millennia ago. In a way, he reminded her of her younger brother, Amon. "What brings you two to the Rock of Eternity?"

  I wish I knew, she thought.

  Adam showed Captain Marvel the golden scarab. "When the wizard believed I had been corrupted by his power, he imprisoned me in this scarab for over three thousand years. But my powers weren't the only ones that dwelt within the scarab." He. turned the artifact over, revealing a polished ruby mounted in the underside of the scarab. A golden cartouche housed the smooth red jewel. "This jewel, this amulet, fastened to the back contains the power of another of the wizard's champions from ancient Egypt." He carefully detached the amulet from the back of the scarab. A thin golden chain uncoiled from the top of amulet. "I want to give that power to Adrianna."

  "What?" She stepped back from the ruby necklace in alarm. Had she heard him correctly?

  Black Adam made his intentions crystal clear. "I want to invite her into the Marvel Family."

  The what? She was vaguely aware that, besides Black Adam and Captain Marvel, there was also a Mary Marvel and a Captain Marvel Jr. But what did that have to do with her? "I don't understand," she protested.

  "The magicks within this amulet," Black Adam said, "were gathered' by Egypt's most powerful goddess, Isis herself. During the Eighteenth Dynasty, the great queen Hatshepsut was gifted with this power. She brought peace throughout her kingdom. After her death, the powers were returned to the amulet." He held the gleaming ruby out to her. "Where they still are. Waiting for Isis' next champion. You."

  She looked to Captain Marvel, hoping he could dissuade Adam from this notion, but instead the World's Mightiest Mortal looked her over thoughtfully. She felt as though her very soul was being weighed in the balance.

  "The Sins can find few flaws in her," he informed Black Adam. "And the wisdom of Solomon tells me that she has already had a profound effect on you, one that can only grow with time." He nodded in approval. "She is worthy."

  "Wait!" she objected. Things were happening far too fast. "I'm not a goddess. I'm just a woman. That's all I want to be."

  Black Adam held out the amulet once more. "Think of what you will be able to do," he urged her. "For the people and for yourself. Nothing will ever be able to stop you. You'll never be hurt by anything or anyone again."

  When he put it like that, it sounded tempting, and yet... she looked back over her shoulder at the Seven Deadly Sins. "But. .. power corrupts."

  "It need not. You said so yourself." Gazing into her eyes, he appealed openly to her heart and conscience. There was no mistaking how much he wanted this. "You've only just begun to show me a new way. I need your help. I need someone at my side."

  She remembered the river he had brought to the desert less than an hour ago, and the happy faces of the jubilant villagers and their children. There was so much heartache and suffering in the world, and so much that Black Adam could do to make the planet a better place. If he truly needed someone beside him tc keep him on the right path, how could she refuse?

  "Take the amulet, Adrianna," Captain Marvel said. "Let the words flow into you . .. and through you." .

  Trembling, she accepted the amulet, holding it in the palm of her hand. The brilliant ruby reflected the shimmering light from the brazier—or was it glowing brightly from within? The amulet felt warm against her skin. A woman's voice, as deep and eternal as the Nile, whispered gently inside her head.

  "I hear it," Adrianna admitted. "A simple prayer."

  "Say it, Adrianna," Black Adam pleaded. "Say it."

  She contemplated the glowing amulet. Perhaps this was always meant to be, she thought. Maybe all my trials and tragedies were intended to lead me to this moment. She knew in her heart that this was the moment of truth. After this, there could be no turning back. Very well then. If this is my destiny, I am ready to accept it.

  She took one last look at Black Adam, then closed her eyes. Her fist wrapped around the sacred amulet. She swallowed hard, then let her lips form the words.

  "I am ... ISIS!"

  A mystical lightning bolt struck from out of nowhere. A booming thunderclap rocked the throne room. The force of the lightning drove both Black Adam and Captain Marvel back, but when the blinding glare faded, Adrianna Tomaz was nowhere to be seen.

  In her place stood a statuesque goddess taller and more imposing than the woman she had been only a heartbeat before. The ruby amulet had become a jewel-studded tiara crowning her head. Her lustrous brown hair cascaded freely onto her bare shoulders. A brief two-piece outfit, consisting of little more than a few wide strips of white linen, wrapped around her breasts and hips, exposed an Amazonian figure worthy of Wonder Woman. Burnished bronze skin gleamed in the torchlight. Intricate golden jewelry glittered upon her throat, wrists, waist, and sandals. She
looked down upon her transformed self in amazement. .

  "Adrianna?" Black Adam asked, concerned about her reaction.

  She smiled at him. "No, Teth-Adam." Even her voice sounded stronger and more confident. "Call me by my new name."

  "Welcome to the family, Isis," Captain Marvel said. His boyish smile was almost as bright as her own.

  She stretched her limbs, basking in her new abilities. "I can feel Her power inside me, Adam!" Zephyr winds, summoned at will, lifted her off her feet so that she floated several meters above the floor of the cavern. "Nature itself is calling me, asking what it can do to help my crusade."

  "I am hoping it will be our crusade," Black Adam said. He rose to join her. Face-to-face above the floor, they clasped their hands together. He looked deep into her eyes. "Help me, Isis. Help me change the world for the better."

  "I will, Adam." All her doubts and misgivings were no more. She had found a whole new purpose in life. "I will join you in your mission." Only one thing remained to complete her happiness and put the past behind her. "As soon as we find my brother."

  WEEK 13

  FAWCETT CITY.

  The abandoned laboratory looked like a bomb had hit it. Heavy basement doors lay flat upon the floor, as though blown off their hinges by some powerful force. Broken beakers and test tubes crunched beneath Supernova's boots as he explored Dr. Sivana's former hideout, taking care to avoid puddles of foulsmelling chemicals. The infamous scientist was long gone, just as Supernova's sources had reported, but remnants of his twisted genius remained, scattered all over the demolished lab. The masked hero inspected the wrecked devices to see if any of them were salvageable. Sivana has been missing for weeks, he recalled. Who knows what that madman might have left lying around?

  The overhead lights had been shattered, so he provided his own illumination. Supernova's personal radiance lit up the ruins, exposing every murky corner of the lab to view. Unfortunately, the brilliant glare quickly revealed that Sivana's diabolical inventions, from the super-magnet to the mini-saucer, were either unfinished or beyond repair. Whatever violence had devastated the laboratory had also reduced the mad doctor's science projects to so much scrap metal and confetti. Supernova lingered over the shredded blueprints of an experimental time machine before tossing the illegible fragments to the floor.