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.
---
**End of Chapter 6**