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Billy woke up with a splitting headache and the familiar feeling of nausea rolling through him in waves. His tongue tasted distinctly bitter and there was slight dizziness that wouldn't go away when he tried looking around.
Chloroform. He hated that stuff.
The small raven opened his eyes slowly, the headache rolling through his temples making him wince in pain and shut his eyes tightly. It didn't make much of a difference whether or not he had his eyes closed or open since the place was practically pitch black, and Billy let out a soft sigh.
"Wait, look- I think the kid's coming to." said a voice, and immediately Billy tensed. He opened his eyes and looked around, scanning his surroundings for whoever had spoken. Billy narrowed his eyes, glancing down and catching sight of a thick plastic muzzle wrapped around his face. He made an irritated noise at the sight of it, almost like a growl, before looking around once more.
"Whoa, calm down, it's okay- we're not gonna hurt you." another voice, this one slightly warmer, said. Still, Billy couldn't see anything around him. Billy's eyes narrowed as he attempted to look at the dark around him, finally spotting something in the darkness.
It was a figure (well, obviously, Batson, its a figure- are you stupid?) with broad shoulders who was holding out his hands placatingly. There was a soft, almost non-existent golden glow from the man's neck, and Billy could barely make out the lining of a similar collar to what he was wearing. The real kicker of the situation though was that this guy looked like Superman.
Billy's eyes narrowed at the man and he started scooting backward, only to bump into something solid. Billy glanced up and could barely make out the contours of a pointed cowl before his eyes widened and he swallowed thickly. The man kneeled down to get a better look at the 12-year-old, causing the boy to flinch involuntarily.
The Batman look-alike seemed to be studying him, and Billy leaned away from the interrogating eyes hidden behind the cowl. Seriously, what was going on here? Why was he being held prisoner with people that looked like some of the World's greatest heroes? Was this some kind of sick prank or something?!
Billy narrowed his eyes at the Caped Crusader and the Man Of Steel, scrambling up to his feet and looking around. They appeared to be stuck in a cell, that much was obvious, but this material looked familiar. Billy pushed past the much larger men to inspect the material, reaching out a hand to touch it, only for doppelganger Batman to grab his wrist. "Don't- its got some kind of energy field on it."
Billy looked back at fake Batman before glancing at the material once more. He pulled his wrist from the man's grip and got closer, narrowing his eyes at the clear material. Energy field huh? Well, that certainly narrowed the list down.
In fact, there was only one person the raven could think of that would know about his little weakness and be able to construct something to hold both him and the Man of Steel-- if that was really him after all.
Right on cue, a door across the room slid open with a hiss, flooding the room with light and giving Billy a momentary look around despite the pain in his eyes. They were in a room full of machines, though knowing the owner of said machines this wasn't really too surprising. The thing that did surprise him, however, was the fact that he caught sight of what looked like several more members of the Justice League scatter about the room in their own various forms of prison.
Each hero stood in a cell similar to the one Billy, Batman, and Superman were in, and it made the boy's blood boil to think that this villain got the upper hand on the World's greatest heroes.
Speaking of villains...
The small, hunched figure currently standing in the doorway cackled before flicking a switch and turning on the harsh white lights of the room. The people around him winced, but Billy only glared at the man from behind the thick material.
Dr. Thaddeus Sivanna, evil scientist and thorn in Billy's side smirked to himself as he passed the various confines, the beady eyes hidden behind thick glasses staring right at the 12-year-old. Billy sneered at the man from behind the muzzle, causing the two heroes behind him to share a confused and slightly concerned look.
"Well well well, big- or should I say, little red cheese, who knew it'd be so easy to keep you so defenseless?" the man said, mocking the boy as he stood directly in front of the cell and smirked. "Oh wait, I did!"
Billy simply glared the man down. He should have realized sooner, This entire thing was right up Sivannaa's alley, though adding other heroes to the mix was new...and risky on the scientist's part.
The raven-haired boy let out a muffled growl and attempted to speak through the muzzle, only to have the bald little man cackle in delight. "What's that? I can't understand you, you big red buffoon! Pity your voice is so pivotal in this sort of thing." he said, smiling gleefully as he folded his hands.
"Even if you do manage to get that thing off, dear boy, your cell is lightning proof! My own patented design, a plastic able to withstand even your magical lightning," he said, grinning as he stared the boy down. Billy snarled and threw himself against the cell wall, completely unphased by the energy field that coursed through him. The 12-year-old jolted, gritting his teeth before he was suddenly yanked back by a pair of strong hands.
Billy glanced back to find Superman holding onto his arms, concern and worry evident in his eyes. Billy yanked his arms free before turning his attention back towards Sivanna.
"Go ahead little red cheese, throw yourself at the cell walls all you like. It won't do you any good." Sivanna sneered before turning on his heel and walking back towards the door he'd come in through. "I'll be back. In the meantime, why don't you make yourselves at home?" he cooed before shutting the thick metal door loudly.
Billy let out a long-suffering sigh before running his hands through his hair. He started to tug at the muzzle around his mouth, only to find that it wouldn't move an inch. He glanced at Superman, getting an idea. This was the Man of Steel, right? He could easily rip this thing off of him!
Billy looked up at the Kryptonian expectantly, tugging at the muzzle before pointing up at the man. Superman blinked, glancing at the Dark Knight before looking back down at the 12-year-old. "Look son I- I can't pull that off of you right now. I don't have my super strength," he said, rubbing at the metal collar around his neck.
The boy narrowed his eyes on the pice of tech, glancing at the golden crystal slotted inside. Must be some form of kryptonite or something. Billy nodded after a moment, glancing at Batman before walking back towards the cell wall.
Well, if Superman couldn't get this thing off, there was another way.
Well, at least he thought there might be another way... Billy had felt something shift in the muzzle when he'd body slammed the cell wall, so all he had to do was hit it at just the right angle and speed, and maybe the thing would break, or something inside would snap and he could yank it off, no super strength required.
Superman watched him get close to the wall, reaching out a hand towards the kid. "Wait, hold on, what are you doing--" his eyes widened when Billy bared pressed firmly against the cell with the muzzle, his eyes shutting tightly as energy coursed through him.
Batman was beside the kid in an instant, pulling him back and holding him there. Billy glared up at the Dark Knight, questioning him with his eyes. "Don't give me that look. You're not gonna shock yourself just to get that thing off," Batman said firmly, letting the boy go.
The raven huffed and rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly. He started tugging at the muzzle, noticing that it was slightly looser now. There was no other way he was gonna get this thing off, so he looked between the pair with narrowed eyes before bolting back towards the wall.
Both Superman and Batman's eyes widened as Billy slammed against the wall, gritting his teeth against the pulsating energy. It wasn't that bad, not as bad as a lightning strike for sure, and it was something he could easily handle-- Billy noticed someone calling out "Kid!" from another cell before he was suddenly grabbed by the arms by both men this time and yanked back from the wall.
"What the hell is wrong with this kid?!" he heard someone say in one of the other cells, the other heroes keeping their eyes trained on him.
"Do you have a death wish or something?" Superman asked, his eyes full of fear for the boy. Billy shook his head in response, scraping at the thick plastic-like material around his neck and jaw. He yanked hard at it, and the material gave slightly.
Billy yanked free of the men's grips, gesturing to his body to show the pair that see, he was fine, the energy field wasn't that bad, and to glare at them.
Batman narrowed his eyes at the boy before glancing towards the cell wall, meeting Superman's eyes before looking around the room at his teammates. "Let him... let him do what he's doing." he said after a moment, only to get an incredulous look from the Kryptonian.
"You can't be serious, Batman."
Batman glowered at him. "Obviously this kid knows something we don't. That lunatic that locked all of us in here obviously has a history with this kid-- so we're going to see how this plays out." he said, eyes locked on Superman's.
"But he's just a kid!" Superman argued, eyes wide.
There was a sudden loud crack and gasp, gaining the heroes' attention. Both men glanced towards the sound, finding the kid pulling off the rest of the thick, now slightly brown plastic-like material off his skin. The raven smacked his mouth, rubbing his neck and moving to rub his jaw.
"BY the Gods that took too long..." he muttered, smacking his mouth again. The boy glanced at the pair with a grin, kicking the now fractured pieces of the muzzle away. "Right, now that that's off," he said, glancing around at the other cells. "I take it you're the Justice League by the costumes and the fact that Superman and Batman are in the same place," he said, turning his attention from the other heroes to the pair of men in the cell with him with a grin.
Billy took great delight in the shocked expression on Superman's face, snorting at the sight before shaking his head. "Right so-"
The boy was interrupted by a voice coming from one of the other cells. "Whoa hold on, kid, just what's going on here? Who was that guy and who are you?" the voice, belonging to a man in red-- (Billy was pretty sure his name was the Flash) said, tilting his head slightly at the 12-year-old.
"Oh right, questions. Uh- well, I'm Billy. Billy Batson." he said with a smile as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "And uh ol' chrome dome is Dr. Thaddeus Sivanna. He's like this evil scientist dude, not a big deal. Kind of pansy actually, but sometimes he gets the better of me." he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Wait, just how do you know this guy? He's obviously some kind of Super Villain." Superman said, crossing his arms over his barrelled chest worriedly.
Billy swallowed thickly, glancing off and scratching at his jaw. "Right uh, well I mean, There's hardly a person in Fawcett that doesn't know about Sivanna and his nefarious plots so..." he said, looking up slowly at the Kryptonian.
"You spoke as if you knew him personally though." Batman cut in, his eyes slightly narrowed.
Billy paled slightly, avoiding the Dark Knight's gaze. He really wasn't supposed to reveal his secret identity. Sivanna had been a complete accident, and aside from him, his best friend and practical brother Freddy was the only other person who knew he was the big guy. He wasn't sure it was the best idea to reveal himself to a whole group of people, even if they were all superheroes themselves.
"Well, I uh-" Billy started, before letting out a sigh.
Oh, what the hell.
"The truth is--" he said, only to be cut off by the thick metal door slamming open again.
The boy whipped around, his eyes narrowed and hands clenching into tight fists as he folded his arms over his small chest. Billy widened his stance and tensed, hard stare in the mad scientist's direction.
Sivanna came into the room with a gleeful smirk on his face, walking around the cells and stopping right in front of Billy. "Oh goody, the little red cheese got out of his muzzle," he said, smirking at the boy. Sivanna was only slightly taller than Billy in this form, and he glared right into his eyes.
"Yea, cause your tech sucks, Sivanna," Billy replied with a smirk, his posture relaxing slightly as he fell into a familiar banter with the man. Sivanna turned a slight shade of pink, gritting his teeth as he glared at the child. "I mean seriously? Plastic? That's a new low, even for you. Though the rubberize cell is new," he said, looking up and around at the thing that was keeping him and the other heroes trapped.
Oh right- there were other people here.
"Well, I try to improvise," Sivanna sneered back, rolling his eyes at the boy.
"Right- so I noticed Junior's not here, which means, you're in for an ass-kicking when he finds out I'm gone," Billy said smugly, grin wide on his face as he shifted his weight his other foot. That seemed to strike a nerve with the bald man, as he clenched his fists.
"And believe me," Billy said slowly, taking a step forward that managed to make the scientist take one back, "He will find me." The pair's interaction had the entire room in confused awe-- just who was this kid and how did he have the kind of guts to tell his captor these things?!
There was a distant crash, and Billy grinned from ear to ear. "Sounds like my brother's early," he said with a smirk and a small laugh, making Sivanna growl. The mad man's eyes widened as another crash rang out, some of the heroes being put on edge by the sound. Billy simply smirked, watching Sivanna get angrier.
The door to the room they were in was suddenly ripped off its hinges, revealing a floating figure in the doorway. "Junior!" Billy said happily, lighting up with glee as he got as close to the wall as he could without touching it.
"Billy- oh my God, man, it took way too long to find you dude!" the figure said, flying into the room and touching down in front of the boy's cell. The young man, who looked to be in his early 20's, was dressed in a bright blue uniform, much like Superman's, with a large golden lightning bolt on his chest and a short white cape hanging from his shoulders. The young man had golden accents throughout his costume, including golden boots, and fluffy blonde hair to match.
He glanced at Sivanna, who was pressed against the large metal pillar in the center of the room before glancing back at Billy. "You want me to take him out or do you wanna handle it?" he asked conversationally, looking for some kind of weak spot in the cell wall.
"It's okay, I got him," Billy said, the pair behind him sharing a confused look. "Besides, I think you're gonna be too busy geeking out," he said with a smirk. Junior gave him an odd look before suddenly smashing a hole through a particular spot on the wall. the rest of it crumbled and Billy smiled, launching himself into the young man's arms. "Thanks, ya brat," he said as Junior hugged him and set him down.
"Brat?! I'm a month older than you!" Junior said with mock anger, shaking his head at the boy. If the room was utterly confused before, they were now. Junior shook his head, glancing back at the cell only to freeze in his place at the sight of Batman and Superman.
"B-B-Bat-"
Billy rolled his eyes, shaking his head and turning his attention towards the mad scientist. He smirked at the man as he began to tremble, and the boy crossed his arms over his chest. "You know what I'm gonna say next, right Sivanna?" he asked, raising a brow.
Sivanna sneered at him, grumbling under his breath.
"Not quite," Billy said with a laugh.
"SHAZAM!"
There was a deafening crack of thunder, shaking the foundation as bright light-filled the room. Lightning struck the boy standing in front of Sivanna, enveloping him inside. When the light dissipated, the figure standing in Billy's place was much, much bigger. He was easily the same height as Superman, with a bright red uniform that mirrored the man in blue's and short white cape that billowed out with smoke behind him. He looked older than 'Junior', in his mid 20's and almost seemed to radiate power.
Lightning crackled and zipped around the man's form as he stood with his arms folded over his chest, smirking down at Sivanna. The Sivanna growled up at the hulking man, scooting back further against the pillar. "Captain Marvel..." he said with distaste.
"In the flesh, Doctor," Captain Marvel smirked, holding his arms out wide. "Now. I don't really appreciate being put in a cage, but I really didn't like wearing a muzzle," he said, taking a step closer to the man. He picked him up by the collar with ease, glancing back at the hero in blue still gaping at Superman and Batman.
"Junior, get that thing off Superman and let's go. There's no telling what's been going on back home without us," he said, his voice calm and warm. The man in blue seemed to snap out it in an instant, glancing back at Marvel before shaking his head and nodding. Junior stood and walked over to Superman, pulling the collar off easily.
"Uh- It's um- an honor to meet you guys," he said, with a star-struck look in his eyes that usually only children got when they saw them.
"Junior, come on," the Captain said, floating in the air with a struggling Sivanna. "Someone's getting antsy," he said, glancing down at the scientist with a shake of his head. Marvel glanced back at Superman and Batman, nodding once. "It's been...weird.....but fun."
He turned and flew out of the room in a blur of red, Junior following suit with a small wave and vanishing in a blue blur. They left a room full of very confused superheroes in their wake, ones that really weren't sure what their next move was supposed to be.
"Superman, work on opening the cells, I'll check Dr. Sivanna's database," Batman said after a moment, stepping out of the now broken cell. Clark rubbed his neck, glancing at Batman.
"Bruce, that was a kid," he said, walking to the cell with Arthur and Diana in it and pulling it open with ease.
"Which is why I'm checking to see what kind of information that madman had on him. Obviously, he's not just some kid, Superman." Batman replied, walking over to a large terminal. He started typing as Clark opened more cells, letting the rest of the League members that were there out.
Clark frowned, pulling the last cell open and crumbling the material. "Well, what's the plan then?" he asked, dusting his hands off and glancing towards the Dark Knight. Batman glanced back at him, before looking back at the screen.
"We have a chat with Captain Marvel."
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After they dropped Sivanna off at the police station, Captain Marvel and Captain Marvel Junior (sheesh, they really needed to fix Freddy's name soon) set about flying over Fawcett City. The sun had long since gone down over the horizon, though Billy wasn't really sure how long he'd been in Sivanna's cell.
"I just can't believe you were within spitting distance of both Superman and Batman! Dude that's- that's epic!!" Junior said excitedly, staring at his pseudo-brother as they flew. "Not only that- we freakin' saved them, man!" Billy chuckled at the blonde's excitement-- ever the fanboy, this one.
"You think we should get something to eat?" Freddy asked, calming down slightly and turning over to float on his back as the pair flew over the top of a skyscraper. Marvel gave him a look, raising an eyebrow at his best friend. "What! It's not like anybody minds giving us free food like this," Junior grumbled, turning over and folding his arms in a pout.
Cap simply shook his head with a grin. "Not how we do things and you know that, Fred," he said, scanning the city below for any form of trouble.
"Yea, yea, yea, you don't gotta remind me every time..." the young man in blue muttered in return, glancing down and spotting something. "Mugging, 3 o' clock," he said, swerving into a dive bomb towards the street. Captain Marvel followed suit, floating a few stories above Freddy as he landed behind the mugger.
He watched his brother handle the situation, ready to step in if need be, but it was over before he knew it and Freddy was flying back up, holding a very scared man with black paint smeared over his eyes by the collar of his ratty sweater.
"Go drop him off, and I'll meet you back home- we should have something to eat there. I'm gonna do another lap," Cap said, to which Junior nodded in agreement. The larger of the two took off in one direction, Freddy going in the other.
Soon enough the raven touched down on the edge of a building, letting out a soft sigh as he looked over the bright cityscape Fawcett had to offer. After a few moments, he looked up, glancing at the moon before looking back down.
"You know," he said, shifting his weight. "For someone who's entire shtick is stealth, you're not very quiet," he said, turning his head to look at the dark roof behind him. "You too, Superman," he said after a moment.
Batman seemed to almost coalesce out of the darkness, stepping forwards to glower at the Captain. "I'll take super hearing into consideration next time," he said after a moment. Captain Marvel only smirked, glancing up to where the Kryptonian was floating now.
"So what brings you guys here? I take it you got everyone out," The raven said, turning back to glance out at Fawcett before plopping down on the edge of the roof. "Ooh wait, lemme take a guess," he said, a small smile on his face. "You...wanna know what my whole deal is. How a kid can become all this," he gestured to himself.
Batman stayed quiet.
"Wait, so you are that kid from the cells," Superman said, landing on the rooftop with them. "I don't understand, this doesn't make any sense that kid was like 10."
"I'm 12, thank you very much," Captain Marvel snapped.
"Magic," Batman said after a moment, as if everything his unvoiced theory had somehow suddenly been proven. "It's magic."
Captain Marvel smirked in response, meeting the Dark Knight's eyes. "Smart guy. The name's Captain Marvel- I'm the Wizard Shazam's chosen Champion," he said, standing up and putting his hands on his hips. "World's Mightiest Mortal."
"So you're the Champion," Batman said, his eyes narrowed slightly. "I thought Black Adam was the Wizard's Champion."
Marvel's eyebrows rose, a small, surprised smile on his face. "Well, someone knows his magical history. Adam was the Champion, way back when. When I picked up the mantle he wasn't too happy with me." he said, glancing down before meeting the heroes' eyes again. "Regardless, I'm the Champion now, and that's that."
"And you protect Fawcett City," Batman asked.
Marvel nodded. "Along with the Rock of Eternity and the rest of the world should I be needed. But yea, I'm a Fawcett boy at heart."
"You're a kid," Superman said incredulously.
"And?"
"And- and you should be spending your days being a kid! Playing, going to school, not worrying about the fate of the world or- or magical nonsense!"
Captain Marvel narrowed his eyes at the Kryptonian. "Life doesn't work that way," he said, crossing his arms. "I was given these powers for a reason, and no one, not even you, big blue, is gonna keep me from doing my job." Marvel let out a sigh. "This is my destiny, and if you're out to try and change that-"
"We're not here to stop you, Captain," Batman said, interrupting the crimson-clad hero.
The raven paused, confusion overtaking his features as his gaze flicked towards Batman. "What?" he asked, sounding for once like the kid all three knew he really was. "Wait, then why are you here?" he asked, suspicion back in his bright blue eyes.
Bruce pulled out a small, grey and yellow device, holding it out for the man to take. "To offer our assistance."
Superman glanced at him confusedly- was he seriously just gonna let this kid keep doing what he was doing? Who was he kidding, this was the man that practically made child superheroes a thing, of course he wasn't going to stop this guy. Clark let out a small sigh, glancing off as Captain Marvel took the device trepidatiously.
The demigod turned the device over in his hand, raising a brow at it before looking back up at Batman. "What is this?"
"A Justice League communicator. If you ever need help, give us a call. I hope we can ask you to return the favor," Batman said, looking the man in the eyes. Captain Marvel grinned, tossing the device up and catching it.
"Sure, anytime," he said with a smirk.
"We'll leave you to it then. Superman let's go."
Superman stared at the Captain for a long moment before finally dropping his gaze and following Batman as he leaped over the edge. Cap glanced down at the device in his hand, shaking his head at it. "'Just give us a call', huh," he parroted, floating up off the roof and flying towards the abandoned subway station he and Freddy were calling home this month.
"Freddy's gonna lose it over this..." he mumbled to himself, a soft smile on his face.
He had to admit though, it was pretty cool.
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