The 52 special

Terror Teen Thwarted at Kahndaq Royal Wedding

by Fareed Sariego, Daily Planet Foreign Correspondent

SHIRUTA, KAHNDAQ, AUGUST 24 — 

Catastrophe was averted at the royal wedding of Black Adam and Isis when a teenaged would-be assassin was shot dead before she could carry out her mission.

The teen, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, was wearing a belt of explosives around her chest. According to Yusuf Asif, 65, who was standing near the teen at the time of the incident, the girl prayed softly for a moment before attempting to detonate the explosives through a small hand-held triggering device. It was at that point that a woman, described by Asif and other eyewitnesses as dark-haired, in her early-to-mid-30s and speaking in an American accent, pulled out a “bizarre, futuristic-looking” pistol and shot the teen, apparently killing her immediately. The woman then disappeared into the crowd, hustled away by an unidentified male companion.

Sources inside Shiruta police headquarters speculate that the woman may be former Gotham City Police Detective Renee Montoya, who is currently at large after escaping from prison two weeks ago. Montoya is reportedly traveling with a man described by police officials as “the man without a face.”

Montoya and her companion were being held under suspicion of the murders of five men in an office in Shiruta’s Temple District.

Had the blast occurred, it is unlikely that it could have killed or even injured the super-powered bride and groom, or the members of the wedding party, which included the American super heroes Captain Marvel and his sister, Mary Marvel. This has led to speculation amongst government investigators that the plan was to simply create panic and chaos amongst the tens of thousands of spectators gathered to watch Kahndaq’s ruler marry his beloved.

Black Adam has long been a controversial figure. He first achieved notoriety as Captain Marvel’s arch-enemy and then apparently reformed, even working alongside the legendary Justice Society of America for a time. Most recently, he seized control of Kahndaq and has functioned as its absolute ruler ever since.

“There’s a lot of ‘ifs’ involved here,” says Metahuman terrorism expert Sarge Steel. “If this plot was indeed intended as a strike against Black Adam himself, exactly which Black Adam was it intended for? Adam the super-villain? Adam the super hero? Adam the national ruler?”

And there could be another angle, suggests noted celebrity gossip columnist Lola Barnett.

“Black Adam, despite whatever past or current misdeeds, is simply gorgeous and oozing with charisma,” Barnett says. “It’s possible that this young girl had been in love with him and became insanely jealous of Isis, whom she would have seen as coming on the scene out of nowhere and ‘stealing’ Adam away from her.”

A spokesman for Black Adam and Isis said the couple has begun their honeymoon and are currently unavailable for comment.