The pain was unimaginable.
THE ROCK OF ETERNITY.
The trio of mystics formed a triangle around the burning brazier, their hands joined as they pooled their energies in order to hold the transformation at bay for just a few minutes more. Thaumaturgic fire arced between them. Exhaustion showed on their faces.
"The spell is working!" Zatanna gasped. An eldritch wind whipped her hair wildly about her shoulders. "Gnikrow si Heps eht!"
"Indeed," the Phantom Stranger confirmed. His hat had been blown from his head, exposing neatly trimmed white hair. Sparks erupted from his golden pendant. "If Billy were grounded, he'd be dead...!"
Madame Xanadu's blindfolded eyes peered into the ether. Her Tarot cards were scattered across the floor of the throne room. "He's losing it! We cannot insulate him from the magic much longer!"
"Nretnal!" Zatanna paged Alan Scott. "You have to hurry!"
Through his pain, Captain Marvel saw the other heroes drawing nearer. Thrashing within the emerald straightjacket, Black Adam smacked the back of his head into Power Girl's face. Stunned, she fell away from the free-for-all. Steel had already hit the ground, leaving only Green Lantern to, carry Adam upward the last couple hundred feet. Links of glowing green chains issued from Alan Scott's power ring as he dragged the crazed villain behind him.
This is it, Billy/Marvel realized. The captured thunderbolt writhed in his hands like a furious rattlesnake. It hissed and crackled in his ears. Ozone invaded his nostrils. If we can't force Adam to call down the lightning, we have to bring him to it....
A sudden premonition seemed to alert Black Adam to the threat. He looked up in time to see Captain Marvel hurl the lighting bolt with all the power of Zeus. Adam's eyes widened in alarm. "No ..."
The lightning hit Black Adam head-on—and a tremendous explosion went off above China. Thunder was heard for thousands of miles around. The shock wave sent Adam, Captain Marvel, and Green Lantern flying apart, then flattened the Great Wall below. Injured super heroes were scattered like leaves in the wind.
No one heard Teth-Adam as, badly burned, he plummeted toward the earth. Stripped of his powers, he shouted frantically over the wind rushing past his falling body.
"Shazam! Shazam! SHAZAM!"
No gods answered his call, but a pair of giant hands broke his fall.
"Got you," Atom-Smasher said.
"Alan? Captain?"
The Flash searched the devastated landscape at superspeed, hunting desperately for any survivors. Fallen heroes were strewn across the battle-scarred hills, but Jay Garrick didn't spot any immediate fatalities. He shouted at the wounded champions. "Did anyone see where they went? Anyone?"
"Over here!" a familiar voice called back. Rushing as only he could, Flash found Green Lantern pulling Captain Marvel out from beneath the pile of rubble. He was surprised to see that Marvel's formerly black hair had turned snow white. "We're all right," Green Lantern assured him. His purple cloak had been shredded to ribbons. His power ring flickered weakly. "But Adam ..." He shook his head glumly. "I tried like hell to hold onto him, but that blast ripped him right out of my hands!"
Flash looked about in alarm. All around him, he spied his battered comrades dusting themselves off and helping each other to their feet, but Black Adam was nowhere to be seen. "Then it isn't over!" he exclaimed. "Tell me we didn't lose him after all thatl"
"Sorry, Jay." Atom-Smasher staggered across the rubble toward him. The disgraced hero had shrunk back down to human-sized proportions. "The light, the shock wave ... no one saw exactly what happened to him."
For a moment, Flash wondered if Atom-Smasher was telling him the whole truth. Then Captain Marvel placed a reassuring hand upon his shoulder. "Relax, Flash. Even if he survived that fall, and that's a big if, he's not a threat anymore."
"Why not?" Flash demanded. "All he has to do is shout one word, and we're right back where we started!"
Captain Marvel shook his head. "With Shazam gone, I'm the guardian of his magic now. That brings with it a new level of ability." Along with his white hair, Marvel seemed to have gained a new level of maturity. His boyish innocence had given way to a more adult perspective. "True, I couldn't get Adam's gods to rescind their gifts, so 1 did the next best thing. I changed his magic word."
Flash's jaw dropped. Zatanna hadn't explained that part of the plan to him. "To what?"
"I'll never tell another living soul," Captain Marvel said, holding a finger before his lips. "I don't dare, but I promise you this, he will never guess. Never."
Let's hope you're right, Flash thought.
SHIRUTA.
With both its superhuman rulers and the Four Horsemen gone, Kahndaq was just another struggling Third-World nation. Life was slowly coming back to normal in the capital's crowded streets and markets. Merchants hawked their wares to shoppers, who warily counted their coins as they haggled for a better deal. Bialyan refugees begged at the street comers. Old men and students clustered in the cafes, muttering darkly about the new provisional government. Black armbands and framed photos testified that much of the country was still mourning Isis and her family. "Where is Black Adam?" newspaper headlines asked, echoing a question that was much on the minds of all Kahndaqis, young and old. Rumors abounded that he had been sighted in Modora, or perhaps Qurac, but there had been no reliable evidence of his whereabouts since his defeat in China several days ago. Many believed him to be dead. Millions devoutly wished this to be the case. The press was still referring to last week's global conflict as "World War III."
Amidst the crush of humanity filling the busy bazaar, a solitary figure went unnoticed. Clad in a hooded robe and djelaba, he limped through the crowd, paying no heed to the carpets, bangles, and other merchandise on display. He moved with obvious pain, as though recovering from a recent fall. His bare feet were burned and blistered. Stubble peppered his shrouded face.
"Shazam," he whispered under his breath. "Black Adam."
Neither phrase brought forth the lightning. Teth-Adam scowled and guessed again.
"Osiris. Isis."
His bloodshot eyes moistened slightly at that latter name. He averted his gaze from yet another portrait of his martyred wife, this one propped up in the window of a small bakery. Kahndaq had not forgotten Isis, nor would he. Someday I will regain my powers, he promised her shade. Someday the world shall suffer my revenge... .
He sensed his former greatness hiding somewhere inside him. All he needed was the right word to unlock the magic trapping him in this pitiful mortal shell. Just one word.
"Kahndaq."
"Batson."
"Eternity."
Muttering to himself, he disappeared into the crowd.
WEEK 51
METROPOLIS.
It was a sunny spring day in Centennial Park. A year had passed since the post-Crisis memorial service, and what had been intended as an event commemorating the first anniversary of the Crisis had also become a tribute honoring those who had fallen in World War III. As before, Earth's superhuman defenders gathered in the open plaza at the center of the park. A large statue of Superboy now stood beside the looming bronze Superman figure. Ordinary citizens, including sizable numbers of young people, mingled with the heroes. T-shirts urged those present to REMEMBER BIALYA, while charity organizations solicited funds for relief efforts all over the world. Wanted posters, handed out by volunteers, reminded attendees that Black Adam remained the world's most hunted mortal. Nearly all of the Justice Society was in attendance, along with the Teen Titans, the Doom Patrol, the Global Guardians, and scores of independent heroes. Once again, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were nowhere to be seen.
Few noticed two thirtyish men meeting at the fringes of the crowd. Their conservative suits and ties stood in marked contrast to the colorful costumes worn by the gathered heroes. They greeted each other warmly.
"You look rested," Bruce Wayne said.
"You too," Clark Kent replied.
A statuesque brunette in a pristine w
hite jumpsuit approached them. A pistol was holstered to her hip. Her lustrous black hair was tied back in a ponytail. Sapphire eyes shone behind a pair of stylish designer glasses.
"Special Agent Diana Prince," she introduced herself, "of the Department of Meta-Human Affairs." Her voice held an impish quality, as though she was sharing a private joke with the two men. "We're overseeing security at this event." She withdrew a PDA from a pouch on her uniform. "Mind if 1 check your names against my list?"
"No problem, Agent Prince," Bruce said. He had personally set up Diana's new secret identity.
"I like the glasses," Clark said.
She smiled back at him. "You would."
Clark took in the teeming crowd filling the plaza. Although his powers had yet to return, he was feeling stronger every day. He had no doubt that Superman would fly again someday soon. "Looks like the world got by without us," he commented.
"Barely," Bruce said darkly.
A sudden flash of light, at the base of the twin statues, provoked startled gasps from the crowd. To the surprise of both super heroes and civilians alike, Booster Gold and Rip Hunter suddenly appeared in the plaza. Both men looked like they had been in a fight. Their respective costumes were tom and bloody.
"Booster!" Power Girl gasped. "It's true. You're alive!"
There had been scattered reports of Booster being sighted here and there during World War III, but his sudden appearance still came as a shock to all concerned. "I don't understand," Clark said. "I was there when he died. I saw his body."
"Time-travel," Bruce deduced. His brow furrowed as his keen mind put the pieces together. "Of course."
"But where has he been?" Diana asked. "And is that Rip Hunter with him?"
Coming from all directions, more questions pelted the battered newcomers. Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen led a charge of reporters and photojournalists anxious to get the scoop on Booster's seeming resurrection. Flashbulbs went off all around the two men.
"No time to explain!" Booster blurted. He dashed forward and snatched Wonder Girl's enchanted lasso from her hip. "I need to borrow this for a nanosecond!"
The lasso reappeared upon Cassie Sandsmark's hip a heartbeat later, while Booster held onto his own copy, plucked out of a single instant of time. "Hurry," Rip urged Booster. He glanced at a chronometer on his wrist. "He's right behind us!"
Who? Clark wondered.
A blinding flare of purple energy went off overhead—and Skeets came sailing out of an extradimensional rift, “where are you?” the robot asked.
“AND WHY HERE?”
People glanced up at Skeets in confusion. Clark realized that he hadn't seen the football-sized robot since Booster's funeral in Cincinnati. A chill ran down his spine, although he wasn't quite sure why. Maybe something about Skeets' tone?
"Stay back, everyone!" Booster warned. "Let us handle this!"
"Be careful, Booster," Rip Hunter advised in a worried tone. "Remember, we've fought this battle fifty-one times already. This is our last chance to get it right!"
Clark felt like he was coming in at the end of a complicated story. Why were Booster and Rip acting like Skeets was a menace? The futuristic robot could be a smart aleck sometimes, but he wasn't exactly Brainiac.
Or was he?
Booster regarded his former sidekick warily. "Take it easy, Skeets." He sounded like he was making a last-ditch attempt to reason with the robot. "We know your data got corrupted somehow."
“skeets is dead, Michael..” The floating metal orb laughed scornfully. “i ATE HIM FROM WITHIN TO MAKE A CRADLE. A COCOON.” Panels
began to unlatch across the robot's polished exterior. «i was trapped in a larval stage until i saw him on tv. ” His gloating voice hinted at years of frustration, “imagine, the mind of an alien genius confined to
THE BODY OF A LOWLY CATERPILLAR.”
Great Rao, Clark thought, as he finally realized who they were really dealing with here. "That's not Skeets, it's ..."
"Mister Mind," Bruce said grimly.
"Hera preserve us!" Diana exclaimed.
Clark clenched his fists at his sides. If only I had my powers back! Along with Black Adam and Doctor Sivana, the world's wickedest worm had long been one of Captain Marvel's greatest foes. But the Big Red Cheese was not on hand today. From what Clark had heard, Billy was holding down the fort at the Rock of Eternity right now....
“I TELEPORTED INTO SKEETS EXACTLY A YEAR AGO. IRRADIATED WITH SUSPENDIUM PARTICLES, I BEGAN MY TRANSFORMATION.” Sheets
of metal plating fell away from Skeets' golden casing. Gooey strands of white mucous clung to the discarded fragments. A weird, unnatural light glowed from within the possessed robot, “now it is too late to stop the
CHANGE. THE FIFTY-TWO WEEKS OF MY GESTATION ARE COMPLETE. NOW, AT LAST, THE CHRYSALIS CAN HATCH!”
The last of the metal flakes fell away as "Skeets" cracked in two to reveal a radiant insectoid entity at its core. Damp wings unfurled, producing a cyclonic wind that drove back the crowd below. The insect's voice lost its robotic timbre as its true nature was revealed.
"Behold the Metamorphosis of Mister Mind!"
Instead of a tiny green caterpillar, a large monarch butterfly emerged from the chrysalis. Blood pumped into its scaly chartreuse wings, causing them to expand dramatically. Symmetrical markings upon the insect's upper wings resembled a pair of black-rimmed eyeglasses. The entire butterfly seemed to be growing at an incredibly accelerated rate. Within seconds, it dwarfed the entire plaza.
"I'm hungry," the alien imago declared. Saliva dripped from its extended proboscis. "So hungry I could eat a universe." Huge compound eyes scanned Metropolis and beyond. Its twin antennae wriggled.
"Let's start with yours."
WEEK 52
SOMEWHERE IN TIME.
The Time-Sphere raced into next week, pursued by the voracious butterfly
About the size of an old-fashioned hot air balloon, the zooming transparent globe was Rip Hunter's mobile laboratory, capable of traveling the entire length of the timestream, from the Big Bang to the heat death of the universe. Booster had found the Sphere wrecked beyond repair in Hunter's desert bunker, but the resourceful Time Master had kept a working model safely tucked away in 52 b.c.e., where he and Booster had reclaimed it after their escape from the Fortress of Solitude. Now Hunter was frantically splicing Wonder Girl's magic lasso into the time machine's guts, while Booster looked on worriedly. Fragments of Skeets' shattered metal shell rested atop the Sphere's blinking dashboard.
I hope Rip knows what he's doing, Booster fretted. They had fought "Skeets" throughout history, at least fifty-one times to date, but that had been before they found out what was lurking inside him; now all bets were off. At least we’re luring Mister Mind away from that crowded afternoon in the park.
Outside the Sphere, days and nights rushed past them at dizzying speed. The sun streaked across the sky, rising and setting every few minutes. Sunlight and starry nights alternated in rapid succession. A waxing moon chased the sun across the celestial firmament. The lights of Metropolis blinked on and off like a message in Morse code. Glancing back over his shoulder, Booster blinked in surprise as the city's familiar skyline suddenly split apart into dozens of overlapping views of the same scene. He hastily wiped his goggles with his sleeve, but the multiple Metropoli remained. It was like he was seeing double, then triple, then quadruple... .
"Hey, Rip!" he blurted. "Is all this time-travel getting to me, or is there something really weird going on? Besides being chased through tomorrow by a megalomaniacal moth, that is?"
"Not weird. Transcendent," Hunter corrected, looking up briefly from the
Sphere's temporal engines. "What you're witnessing is the birth of a brand new multiverse, triggered by the emergence of a genuine chronal butterfly." Thankfully, Hunter had managed to get his time-warped syntax under control during their travels. Necessity, and adrenaline, had been the mother of coherence. "The visual distortions are just your brain's way of pro
cessing the genesis of multiple parallel Earths, each one alike to the last detail, occupying the same space, but on separate vibratory planes." He finished tinkering with the intricate apparatus. "That's why I needed Wonder Girl's lasso. On its own, my Sphere could only travel through a single timeline, but the ex-tradimensional properties of the lasso, which was forged by the Olympian Gods on their own plane of existence, will allow us to traverse the multiverse as well."
I'll take your word for it, Booster thought. He had gone to college on a football scholarship; advanced temporal mechanics were way beyond him. The multiple skylines gradually resolved into a single image as the extra Earths split off into their own parallel universes. He breathed a sigh of relief ... until he spotted Mister Mind right behind them. The inky black eyeglasses on the butterfly's wings glared malevolently at the fleeing Sphere. The freshly hatched imago was growing at an accelerated rate. His wingspan was already a mile across.
"Heads up, Rip! Whatever you're up to, you better do it fast." Hunter had cryptically alluded to a surprise he had waiting up ahead; not for the first time, Booster wished that his cagy partner didn't play his cards so close to his chest. "He's gaining on us!"
Hunter gazed intently at the relativistic chronometer on the Sphere's control panel. Days, hours, minutes, and seconds counted down to their destination: Metropolis, one week after the ceremony in the park. 5:52 p.m. "Almost there!"
The Time-Sphere soared through the shifting sky over Metropolis. The time-dilation effect slowed as Hunter eased up on the gas. The blinking city lights went dim as they zoomed beneath a lingering blue sky, now traveling merely through space instead of time. The huge crowd of heroes and well-wishers had dispersed, so that mobs of people no longer swarmed around the base of the Superman and Superboy memorials. Joggers, dog walkers, and strolling couples went about their day, on what looked like an ordinary spring afternoon in the Big Apricot.