* * * * *
"Holy Dishabille!" exclaimed Robin. Whereupon, he grabbed the Black Obelisk out of Artie's hands and wished out loud for the rest of Batman's costume to be restored to him! Followed, naturally, by a wish for the restoration of his mentor's normal size.
This, of course, made Florence of Arabia cry tears of frustration and disappointment.
"Thank you, chum!" exclaimed the Caped Crusader: "Now, if you'll hand that to me, I have a few wishes of my own, I'd like to make."
Robin unhesitatingly did as requested. And, when Batman had the Black Obelisk in his hands, he immediately wished for Catwoman to be back in her cell in the women's wing of Gotham State Penitentiary. Completely devoid of any memory about the Black Obelisk or the Dynamic Duo's true identities!
A second later, the only thing left on the spot where she had been standing was the Bat-cuffs that Robin and Batgirl had slapped on her.
"What about King Tut and Dr. Newman?" asked the Boy Wonder: "They're still displaced in time."
"Not really," said Tony: "All Batman has to do is wish me back to Project: Tic-Toc, which is here in the present day, and I'll be fine."
So, that was precisely what Batman did.
Needless to say, there was a lot of astounded shouting and happy cheering and tearful hugging when Tony materialized in the main control room of the project. Half of which were contributed by Tony, himself, when he heard that Doug and Ann were finally going to be married!
"And, we'd like you to be best man," said the former: "You interested in the job?"
"Are you kidding?" exclaimed the latter in delight: "After traveling through time, that should be a piece of cake!"
Back at Florence of Arabia's School of Belly Dance, Batman was making another wish. This one, for King Tut.
"I wish him safely back in his cell, in the men's wing of Gotham State Pen, completely oblivious to any knowledge concerning our identities or this obelisk."
Moments later, a very dazed faux-Pharoah found the door to his cell being opened by one of the cellblock guards. Followed by two men walking through it. One of them was Warden Crichton. But, the other was a total stranger to King Tut. A stranger slightly taller than the warden; and wearing clothes that seemed to be just as bronze-colored as his hair and complexion.
"Your Majesty?" began the warden, trying to keep the Portly Potentate of Perfidy in a relatively calm mood: "Meet Dr. Clark Savage, Junior."
Whereupon, the Man of Bronze stepped up to King Tut, and bowed!
"Greetings, Your Majesty. I've come a long way to see you. As I need your help in deciphering the hieroglyphics on a rather unusual artifact. One first unearthed in Egypt by a Professor Langford of Germany back in the 1920's."
King Tut was, of course, initially stubborn about agreeing to this. But, all that changed after some corrective neuro-surgery at Doc Savage's famous "Crime College." As a result of which, William Mackelroy was finally restored to his right mind for good. And, thereby, totally willing to help decipher the Langford Circle at a place called Groom Lake, out in Nevada!
Shortly after this, he was approached by a Hollywood talent scout, seeking to recruit him as a technical advisor for a new television series that would be coming out that September. An adventure series, to be precise. One that would star ex-baseball player Bob Diamante in the title role.
"It's going to be called...THE YOUNG OMAHA MACKELROY CHRONICLES."
To Be Concluded
Giantess World
Author's Chapter Notes:
GOTHAM CITY
(JUNE, 1968)
(JUNE, 1968)