Chapter 6: Test of Loyalty

Superman went first. The Hall of Justice receded behind us as we traveled not in the normal fashion. One moment, we were in Washington, D.C. The next, we were in a huge wasteland of broken earth and broken mountains.

The Watchtower's teleporters. Effective.

The wind screamed, blowing dust over the empty land. I gazed around. No cities. No humans.

Smart.

Superman hovered a few feet in front of me, arms folded, his cape streaming behind him. The others stood at a distance Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Hawkgirl. Their presence wasn't for watching.

It was containment.

In case I lost control, they were here to hold me back.

Superman's gaze met mine. "You tell me you need control." His voice was level. "Demonstrate."

I took a deep breath, shaking out my shoulders. "And how do you propose I do that?"

A blast of air hit forward him, covering the distance in a fraction of a moment. Quicker than the human eye could keep up.

I hardly had a chance to act before his fist was already moving toward my face.

I moved. 

Not instinct awareness. 

My body responded before my mind processed it, tilting just enough to let his fist graze past. The force behind it sent a shockwave through the ground. A crater formed where I had been standing. 

I took a step back. "No warm up?" 

Superman didn't answer. He came again. 

This time, I caught his punch. 

Boom!

The energy behind it propelled cracks spiderwebbing out across the earth at my feet. Dust burst outwards, creating a titanic shockwave. My boots sank into the dirt, preventing me from being hurled aside.

I clenched my hand tighter around his fist.

And that's when I experienced it his actual strength.

Restraining. Probing me.

I looked up into his eyes.

"Hit me harder."

A look of surprise flitted over his face. Then

Boom!

He kicked a knee into my stomach. I flew, hurtling through the wasteland like a shooting star.

Shit.

I flipped mid-air, hitting the ground with my palms to arrest my movement. The blow shook the ground. I came to a stop, kicking up dust and dirt around me.

I wiped my mouth. No pain. No damage. 

I can take it.

Superman hovered above, watching. "You wanted control. Show me you can stop yourself." 

I clenched my fists. 

Control. 

I could feel the power beneath my skin, thrumming, eager. It wanted to be unleashed. 

I exhaled sharply. No. Not yet.

I shoved forward, closing the distance in a flash. This time, I acted first.

My fist collided with his palm. A deafening shockwave exploded between us. The earth beneath us caved in, creating a huge crater.

Superman's feet plunged into the ground. He didn't move.

I shoved again.

I sensed resistance.

Then accommodation.

He allowed me to push him back. Just an inch.

A test.

And I passed. 

The strain was released. Superman's attitude softened. The fight was ended.

I exhhaled. "Satisfied?" 

Superman gazed at me for an unbroken interval of time, and then he nodded.

"You possess power," he said. "But something far more importantly you controlled yourself." 

Wonder Woman took a pace closer. "You didn't allow your emotions to override." 

Green Lantern continued to have a look of incredulity about him, but he refrained from denying.

Martian Manhunter simply nodded. "A promising sign." 

Superman extended his hand. "Welcome to the beginning." 

I looked at his hand. Then shook it. 

I had passed the test. 

But this was only the start. 

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**End of Chapter 6**