Billy felt like he was on fire as the lightning coursed through him. His mind was filled with agony and terror, and he felt like he was going to die. He would have fallen over in pain, but the lightning was holding him in place, keeping him upright as he hovered an inch above the ground.
Then, the pain was over just as soon as it had started. Billy was standing in the cave, feeling somehow different. He felt stronger, and more confident. Everything seemed to be a little lower, and he got the absurd idea that he was actually taller now, which he initially discarded as impossible. He felt like he was heavier, yet he also felt lighter, as if his own body weight was heavier, but it was nothing to him. A strange tingling of energy raced through his nerves, probably the aftereffects of the lightning bolt. But the strangest thing about all this was that he actually felt happy. He could hardly remember what it felt like to be happy, without the overwhelming, crushing fear that what little happiness he could experience would soon be gone and replaced by black misery. He felt genuine cheerfulness and enthusiasm, for the first time in ten years.
"Have a look at yourself," Shazam said from his gilded throne. "There's a mirror on your right. It once belonged to the Queen of Sheba, but it should do the job well enough."
Billy looked for the mirror, and then saw it. The mirror was decorated beautifully with jewels and intricate engraving. It was elliptical in shape, contained by its ornate, rectangular frame. As Billy looked directly at it, he jumped back in shock upon seeing his own reflection. His slightly uneven black hair was now perfectly trimmed. His face had lost its adolescent appearance, and now had the mature features of a grown man, and looked shockingly like his father's. He did not look exactly like his father; there were a few differences, but this version of Billy Batson looked more like Billy's father than like Billy himself. His backpack was gone, and his regular clothes were gone, replaced by a one-piece red costume that had a yellow thunderbolt emblazoned on his chest, with a yellow sash and yellow sleeves. And, last but not least, he was at least six feet tall, as opposed to the regular Billy who was only five feet, four inches tall. He no longer looked like Billy Batson; he looked like a superhero.
"How did this happen?" Billy asked Shazam in wonder, his voices sounding deeper and more confident.
"Through me, the ancient gods have chosen you as their champion, to protect the innocent and fight against the forces of darkness. You have been granted the Wisdom of Solomon, the Strength of Hercules, the Stamina of Atlas, the Power of Zeus, the Courage of Achilles, and the Speed of Mercury. You can switch between your magical form and your normal form simply by speaking my name. These powers have been granted so you can use them to save others, and to fight evil. You are not to use them for your own personal gain, and you must keep your true identity hidden. In your unpowered form, you are as vulnerable as any ordinary human being, so it is imperative that your enemies do not find out who you are."
"So, uh, Shazam-" Billy started to say, when another lightning bolt came through the ceiling as soon as he spoke the wizard's name, turning him back into Billy Batson. This time the transformation was not painful, only frustrating.
"I can't even say Shazam-" The lightning bolt came down again, turning Billy back into his costumed and superpowered form. "Without changing?" he finished.
"Yes," answered Shazam. "If you are currently in need of your abilities, do not speak my name."
"So, uh, Mr. Wizard," Billy said, starting over. "There's something I don't understand. Why did the gods give me a superhero costume? And why do I look like my father?"
"The gods did not choose your form. You did."
"Me? How is that possible?"
"The form you have assumed is based on your ideal self-image. Your memories of your father, combined with your idea that a superhero should wear a costume caused you to create this form. Forgive me for the intrusion, but if I am correct, you have always wished that you were the fictitious hero known as Superman?"
"Yes," Billy replied.
"And that gave you the idea that you should wear a brightly colored costume if you are what you might call a "superhero." Simple, but easily recognizable and effective. But, I am sure that you have more questions, Billy."
"Yes. What is this place?"
"It is the Rock of Eternity, an extradimensional space that has been my home for five thousand years. From here I have battled the forces of evil and imprisoned the Seven Deadly Sins, while watching the history of this planet unfold. If you could see the Rock of Eternity from outside, it would look like two pyramids joined together at their bases. You entered through one of four main corridors, each of which points in a different direction."
Billy noticed that there were three other entrances to the Rock of Eternity, each in a different direction from Shazam's throne. Yet he still did not understand how he had come here. "How did I get here? And who was the cloaked figure that led me here?"
"I opened a connection between the Rock of Eternity and a secluded area beneath your city, but no, I did not lead you here. As for the identity of the man who did lead you to this place, that is something you can only find out for yourself."
"And what powers do I have?" Billy asked, still afraid that he would wake up and learn that this was all a dream, but desperately wanting it to be true.
"There are many things you can do, Billy. The Wisdom of Solomon enables you to speak and understand any language, memorize and observe things far better than any ordinary human could, possess understanding beyond your chronological age, and even hypnotize the weak-minded. You are also invulnerable to nearly all physical harm, although you can still be hurt by magic. You possess incredible strength and stamina, and you do not have to eat in order to survive as long as you remain in your magical form. And," Shazam added with a twinkle in his eye, "the Speed of Mercury enables you to fly."
Then Shazam said again, "Remember, I did not give you these powers so you could succeed in life as Billy Batson. You must only use your power for the good of others, and for the world as a whole. There is much that I have left to teach you, but I think that now, the mortal world must be missing Billy Batson."
"What am I to do there?" Billy asked. "If you've keeping track of me with your magic, surely you know that I just got kicked out of my home. I don't have any place to go."
"That is not a question I should answer. Try to figure it out yourself. You do have the Wisdom of Solomon, after all."
Billy initially thought that the real world was just as baffling to him now as it had been before, but when he really thought about it, he realized that with his newfound cheerfulness, and the intelligence granted to him by the Wisdom of Solomon, he was able to decide his course of action reasonably and logically, without being tied down by misery or guilt. He decided that he should go to Theo, the only person who could help him.
"Shazam!" Billy said, attempting to change back. The lightning bolt turned him into the ordinary Billy Batson, and the backpack with his belongings felt strangely heavy on his back, after he had experienced super strength.
"You may be faced with a bit of a problem, Billy," Shazam said calmly. "The Power of Zeus enables you to travel from here to the mortal world at will, but you cannot use it in that form. However, you do not have to change again. Look to your right, and follow the wall carefully until you see a small alcove in the wall. In there, you will find a blue crystal. Touch it, and you will return to the mortal world."
Billy looked at the wall. Initially he did not see the gap that Shazam was speaking of, and he was about to give up and transform himself again when he leaned forward and saw a faint gleam of blue light. He walked towards the light, and saw the small alcove in the dark rocky wall. Just as Shazam had said, it contained a glowing blue crystal that was shaped like a two-dimensional diamond and stood upright in the floor. It was not much larger than a quarter, and was not particularly conspicuous in a room full of glowing artifacts.
"There are four of them," Shazam said, "each in a different corner of the room. If you ever need to leave the Rock of Eternity while you are in your ordinary form, they could come in quite handy."
Billy walked over to the alcove. He bent down and touched the crystal, and then he was teleported back to the underground tunnel, away from Shazam and the Rock of Eternity.
He started walking toward the subway station, knowing that he would take the train to Borough of Manhattan Community College. As he walked toward the subway station, he heard a scream, from somewhere in the abandoned area of the subway tunnels that he was in.
Knowing that somebody was in trouble, Billy decided that he would do something about it. Before, he had been unable to assist others when they were in danger. Now, he could save people, and he was ready to start.
"Shazam!"
The lightning bolt came through the ceiling, producing a rain of dust and transforming Billy into his superpowered self. He flew towards the screams, relying on instinct and the Wisdom of Solomon. His senses were much stronger than they were when he was in his ordinary form, and he had no trouble finding the source of the screams. Flying through the tunnels with the Speed of Mercury was an exhilarating and liberating experience for Billy.
When he arrived, he saw two rough-looking men mugging an old woman, who pitifully cried out for help. Billy flew towards the two muggers, and lifted them off their feet, picking up one mugger with each hand. Now it was the muggers who cried out in terror as Billy dragged them down the length of the tunnel they were in and set them down on their feet. One of the thugs tried to punch Billy, and Billy didn't even notice until the thug fell back, clutching his injured hand.
"Never hurt anyone else again," Billy told the two thugs. "If you do, I may come back and take vengeance upon you. Give back everything you stole from this woman, and get out of my sight."
Billy did not know who these men were, and had no desire to kill them if they committed another crime, but he wanted to scare them so they would give up a life of crime. He smiled as the muggers handed over a purse and some jewelry, and then ran away from him, each going in a separate direction.
Billy walked over to the old woman, gave back her stolen items, and helped her get back on her feet. "Are you all right, Ma'am?"
"I think so," the old woman replied shakily, walking away from the scene of the crime. "Are you an angel?" she asked in wonder and gratitude.
"No. I'm a human being, like you. I just happen to have extraordinary powers," Billy said, grinning involuntarily. "You shouldn't be wandering in these parts by yourself."
"You're right," the old woman said. "I'll be more careful, if that's what you want."
Billy had performed some small good deeds in his life, but never had anyone been so grateful to him as this old woman was now. It was a wonderful feeling to know that he had actually done something important, and that he was now beginning his life as a superhero.
He changed back to his own form and took the subway to Borough of Manhattan Community College, resisting the temptation to fly around New York City. He had loved flying when he had briefly experienced it, and the Courage of Achilles had made it easy and non-frightening for him, but he remembered Shazam's warnings about being responsible with his powers.
Borough of Manhattan Community College
The nameplate on the door read Theo A. Templeton, with the word Anthropology beneath his name. Billy patiently waited outside, and set down his heavy backpack as Theo finished a meeting with one of his students. Theo taught an evening class on Fridays, and he had office hours after the class. Billy had visited him at the college before, and was always welcome whenever Theo was free.
After a couple minutes, the student left Theo's office, and Theo said, "Billy! Don't be shy, come on in."
Billy walked into the office, carrying his backpack with him.
"Are you ok, Billy? Is something wrong?" Theo asked in a concerned tone.
"Yes," Billy said dejectedly. "Ebenezer kicked me out when I told him that he stole my trust fund."
"And you were right," Theo said. "Ebenezer did take the money that your parents left you, but he had very good lawyers and it would be difficult to get it back. For now, let's not worry about that. What's important is that you're here now, and you're safe. You can stay at my apartment for as long as you need to. I think that my students are done coming to me tonight, so we could go right now."
"Thank you," Billy said. "I'd like that."
While cars were not necessary in New York City, Billy had always enjoyed riding in Theo's 2008 Honda Civic. The miserly Ebenezer had never been able to bring himself to spend money on a car.
Billy did not have anything to say on the drive home, and Theo did not press him. While some people saw Theo as an archetype of a mild-mannered professor, Billy saw him as a good friend of his parents, a man who was strong and determined, but overwhelmed by guilt at the death of the Batsons. More than anything else, Billy saw Theo as the only adult who had been truly kind to him. Fred's grandfather always treated Billy well, but that was because Billy was Fred's friend. Theo had always been Billy's favorite adult, the one person he knew that he could talk to, someone who always tolerated his antics when he was a child and tried to understand his conflicted feelings when he was a teenager. Billy had often fantasized about running away from Ebenezer and living with Theo, and in a way, that was now a reality. However, Billy felt bad about this, because it still seemed like he was taking advantage of Theo.
When they arrived, Billy went to the guest bedroom and started organizing his things, unloading what he had brought from Ebenezer's house. A few minutes later, Theo came in, carrying some of Billy's stuff: clothes, books – and a stuffed tiger doll.
"I see you've been taking good care of Tawky Tawny," Billy said approvingly.
It had been ten years ago. Billy was lying in a hospital bed, sick with a prolonged illness that had caused him to miss the initial two months of first grade, and his parents' expedition to Egypt. He had now completely recovered from that illness, but it had been the one thing that had stopped him from accompanying his parents on their ill-fated quest.
"Please take really good care of Tawky Tawny," Mary had said to Billy before she and their parents had left for Egypt. "Mommy said that luggage sometimes gets lost in airports."
"I'll take supergood care of him," Billy promised.
"Supergood?" Mary asked.
"Yeah, supergood," six-year-old Billy had said.
Tawky Tawny had been Mary's favorite toy when they were little, and Billy had held on to it. Ebenezer had sold all of Mary's other toys, and Tawky Tawny was Billy's only tangible connection to his long-lost sister. He knew that his parents were dead. Their graves had been found several years ago, although nobody had discovered the identity of the bandits who had killed them. But Mary was still missing, and Billy had never given up on the hope that she would be found, despite ten years of disappointment.
Billy had kept Tawky Tawny until he was nine, when Ebenezer had threatened to sell Tawky Tawny in a fit of anger. Billy had run to Theo, and begged him to protect Tawky Tawny. The toy in itself did not matter much to Billy – its voice box didn't even work anymore – but it was infinitely precious to him because he still felt that as long as he had Tawky Tawny, his twin sister was not completely gone.
Billy placed Tawky Tawny on his nightstand, and when he went to sleep that night, he had truly pleasant dreams for the first time in months.