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#13
SEP 13 |
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“Welcome Back”
Dean Jonathan Mayland sighed as he sat down at his desk. While a good chunk of the campus had been damaged in the recent battle against Dwarfstar, the administration building had survived unscathed. He noticed that his secretary had already left a pile of mail on his desk. He started to shuffle through it before simply dropping it back where it had started. He spun around in his chair and looked out across the campus. Despite the workmen who were repairing buildings and filling craters on the lawn, he smiled.
It would take a lot more than this to finish Ivy University off.
“I’d like you meet my new graduate assistant,” Ray Palmer said. Ryan Choi shook hands with the brown-haired man who’d entered the room earlier. “Ryan Choi, this is Ronnie Raymond.”
Ronnie smiled as he shook Ryan’s hand. “So you’re the famous Ryan Choi that Ray’s been telling me so much about. Freaky powers, man.” Ronnie saw the look that Ryan shot Ray. “It’s okay,” Ronnie said as he stepped back a step. A moment later he’d transformed into Firestorm. “I’m a hero, too.”
Ryan’s eyes were wide. “Okay, you are going to have to explain that to me,” he said. “I’ve got to study you.”
Ray laughed. “Ryan, you’re the student here. Remember that, don’t get too overenthusiastic. Besides, I’d asked Ronnie to work with your training a bit as well. He can adjust his molecular density and I want to see if you’re able to do the same.”
“When do we start?” Ryan asked.
“Since I’ve got class in five minutes, it’s going to be a while,” Ray said. “Don’t worry, just keep practicing but make sure you’re in a secure area if you’re going to try and shrink.”
Firestorm changed back to Ronnie in a burst of light and he grinned at Ryan before following Ray out of the office. Ryan grabbed a notepad from his pocket and started scribbling down ideas.
CM3 landed outside a bank and walked up to the police surrounding the building. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“Guy tried to rob the place and took hostages when it didn’t work out the way he’d wanted,” an officer replied.
CM3 nodded. “Only one?” he asked.
“Yeah,” the officer said. “We’ve interviewed several people who got out and they all confirm that we’ve got a lone gunman.”
CM3 smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle this.” He started walking toward the bank.
Police Chief Liza Warner answered her phone without looking up. “Yes?” she asked.
“He’s on the scene,” the reply came.
“On my way,” Warner said. She stood and left the office quickly. A file folder lay open on her desk containing a yellowed playing card and drawings of boots decorated with a skull and crossbones.
Ray Palmer waved to a student as he crossed campus. Ronnie could handle the class with no problems. He hurried but made sure that no one – especially Freddy or Ryan – was watching him. He shrank and raced through the overgrown lawn of a deserted building. The chipped sign above the door said it was the Ward Fox building. Ray didn’t reenlarge until he was safely inside. The others couldn’t know what was inside.
At least not yet.
Adrianna walked back into her diner and switched the lights on. “Surprise!” Bethany called from behind the counter as Amon threw confetti.
“You didn’t have to do this,” Adrianna said as she sat down.
Bethany came out from behind the counter. “We wanted to make your welcome back something special,” she said. “It seems like you’ve been gone forever.”
“I’m afraid I’m not back completely yet,” Adrianna admitted. “I’m still getting my strength back, but I figure that this is the best way for me to get back into it.”
She sat down and replayed an incident from her hospital room in her mind.
The breeze blowing from the open window woke her. She looked to discover Amon sleeping in the chair beside her and a man standing before her. He wore black with a gold lightning bolt on his chest. He looked down at her.
“I am sorry for your injury,” he said softly. He reached out and touched her hand. “My name is Adam. I want for you to have this. I know it cannot atone for what happened, but I hope it will help.” He pressed a piece of paper into her hand and left by the window.
Once he was gone, Adrianna opened the piece of paper to discover it was a check from the Royal Bank of Kahndaq and the amount was astronomical.
Adrianna looked out the window after the mysterious man, who seemed to fly away.
Adrianna blinked herself back to reality. The check was folded into a tiny square and safely hidden in the scarab-shaped pendant she wore. She stood and made her way behind the counter. “Let’s go ahead and get things going,” she said.
CM3 walked into the bank with his hands held up. “Hello?” he called.
“Hold it right there!”
CM3 looked around and saw a gunman holding a pistol to a crying woman’s head. “Don’t worry,” CM3 said. “I’m just here to talk.”
“Don’t wanna talk to no sooperhero!” the gunman shouted. CM3 studied the man a moment and guessed that he was barely out of his teens. The wide eyes didn’t seem to be completely due to panic, either.
If he’s high, I may have a problem, CM3 thought. He looked and saw a chair. “You mind if I have a seat?” he asked.
“Huh? Go ahead,” the gunman said.
CM3 kept his smile on his face and sat down. “Thanks. I just flew in from California and boy are my arms tired.”
The joke didn’t lessen the tension, but the gunman chuckled while CM3’s mind raced with the wisdom of Solomon for a way to safely end the standoff.
Outside, Liza Warner climbed out of her car and headed over to the officer in charge. “He’s inside?” she asked.
“Yes, Chief,” the officer replied. “CM3 arrived a few minutes ago and headed inside. It’s been pretty quiet since.”
Warner nodded her head. “All right,” she decided. “Let the resident superhero see what he can do. But be ready to go if it looks like those hostages are in imminent danger.”
Warner walked away to survey her men. Maybe she could use this kid. It would just depend on what happened inside that bank.
CM3 smiled again as he watched the gunman scratch his nose. “Listen,” he said, “you want to get out of here?”
“What you mean?” the gunman asked. He lowered the gun.
“I’m bulletproof,” CM3 said. “If you want to, I could fly you past the police and there’s nothing they could do to stop you.”
“You promise?” the gunman asked with his eyes wide. “You’re not just going to put me down in the parking lot out there or something, right?”
“Promise,” CM3 said. “And we superheroes don’t lie. If you do, you get kicked out of the club.”
“All right,” the gunman said. He pushed his hostage away. “But if you’re lying, I’ll bet your eyes aren’t bulletproof.”
“I don’t want to find out,” CM3 said. “Ready?”
Warner swore as CM3 flew past her barricade carrying the gunman. “Secure the bank!” she ordered as she ran back to her car. “I’m going after this guy!”
She climbed in and had just barely started the car when the dispatcher came over the radio. “Chief, you’re not going to believe who just came in here.”
“If it’s that CM3 kid, keep him there,” Warner said as she flipped her lights on and started tearing through traffic. “I want to talk to him.”
“No problem,” the dispatcher said. “We’ll just need some extra clarification on his statement until you arrive.”
Warner smiled.
“Thanks for waiting,” Warner said as she walked into her office. CM3 was sitting in front of her desk.
“No problem,” CM3 said. “I’m always glad to cooperate.”
“That’s what I was hoping for,” Warner said as she crossed the office and sat down behind her desk. “Is there a way I can contact you? I have a cold case I’ve been working that I may need your help on.”
CM3 smiled. “Just give Professor Ray Palmer at Ivy University a call. He can always get in touch with me.”
Warner nodded and shook CM3’s hand. She thanked him and he left. She watched as he went. Maybe he would be the answer she was looking for. Maybe…
CM3 landed back at Ivy University. Lightning struck a moment later and when the smoke cleared Freddy Freeman walked away.
Johnny Peril smiled from his vantage point behind a bush. The boss would definitely want to know about this.
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Next Issue: In CM3 #14: A villain from the golden age of the Marvel family makes his debut! Plus, Ray and Dean Mayland have a hard discussion and what will Kid Eternity do with CM3’s secret identity?
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