Captain Marvel: The Power of Shazam #8

By George Jones

Fawcett City, 1948

Billy Batson walked down the street worrying about the news footage of Black Adam breaking into Alcatraz (See #7). Armed state troopers and soldiers on the streets was now a common sight for every citizen across America. Billy heard the car pull up to the sidewalk next to him, he turned his head to see his uncle Dudley with his arm resting his head on the side driver's window.

"Need a ride son?" Uncle Dudley said cheerfully seeing his nephew was down

"Sure" Billy answered as he walked around and jumped into the passenger seat.

"What's up kid? Y'know if the wind changes direction your face will stick like that"

"Funny"

"Don't be like that kid, 'hero' problems?"

Billy cupped his face into his hands "You don't watch the newsreels much do'ya"

"No one is a match for you, Mary and Freddy; even this new guy everybody's yapping about"

"This isn't like before, this isn't just a sock him in the jaw and drag him to jail deal. He has our powers and he seems even stronger than us combined. I need all the help I can get. God! Sometimes I wish the Wizard hadn't chosen me at all"

"Billy Batson don't ever doubt yourself. Keep hope in your heart and there's always a chance"

"Yeah well if I'm so special then why did mom and dad leave me on the street to die as a baby?"

"They abandoned us all Billy, they left your Grandmother penniless and in debt. They didn't leave cus of you. They don't deserve you or your sister, just remember that"

Stonehenge, UK

Black Adam stood at the centre of the 5000yr old monument as the sun was setting behind his majestic back. He stood alongside the young Osiris and outside the circular monument stood the forty strong legion of Alcatraz prisoners, all still thriving on the power of Shazam racing through their veins. Though their power levels was far smaller compared to that of Black Adam or the Captain himself.

"This is the birthplace of the wizard, though we first met continents away; this is where he was birthed. Such humble beginnings, almost makes you cry" Black Adam spoke softly. Then he turned his focus to his small army "Where is Albrecht!" He boomed as the crowd parted and the former Nazi stepped forward and into the circle of giant stones.

"My Master" Albrecht Krieger said as he dropped to one knee

"Something is troubling me" Black Adam answered the former 'Captain Nazi'.

"If there is anything I can do, just give the command Master"

"I've been debating with myself whether to kill you. Not out of spite or ill will but to highlight to myself the absurdity of life. I created you, I can kill you. Does that not make me a god? Or does the will to show mercy and benevolence despite wielding such power make me a god?"

"Mercy my lord that would make you a god" Krieger panted as he began to tremble

"Tell me, do you feel mercy when you stand on an ant? No, because you are a higher being, something greater. In this dilemma I am the giant boot and you are the insect. I shouldn't feel remorse but somehow I do, I take pride in my creations"

"Why are you debating such things when this Earth still needs conquering?" The young Osiris butted in.

Black Adam looked down at the boy and placed his hand on his shoulder "Such vigour and thirst for power. Albrecht go take the boy here and kill the President of the United States, meanwhile I shall begin forging my new Utopia"

Krieger breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Black Adam then floated himself a few feet into the air "And you men! You shall come with me"

The White House

Diana of Themyscira, Atlas, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr all stood on the lawn of the White House surrounded by bemused soldiers and a small legion of tanks, jeeps and trucks.

"How long will he be with the human leader? I grow tired to being gawped at by such weak beings with their feeble metal weapons. I should whip them for their impudence and hubris to believe they can ever wield power" Atlas spat

"You need some Ice Cream" Freddy Freeman jovially answered back as he posed for the camera of one of the soldiers

"Ice Cream? No doubt a human creation" Atlas remarked

Inside

Captain Marvel stood inside the underground bunker as the President took his true form; that of a white Martian.

"All this shapeshifting is growing tiresome, being two people isn't easy"

"Yeah I know the feeling. Why don't you just come clean, I mean the war ended years back now" Billy answered

"The people couldn't handle it, they wouldn't be able to deal with the fact that their leader was a charade. The real Franklin Roosevelt was assassinated in 1941 as you know but he was and still is a great beacon of hope to millions. To tell people that was 'fabricated' in many ways would crush them. I have been on Earth since the 1800s now and I finally feel I've done something worthy, I can't destroy that"

"I understand. Now we have an even bigger problem than a crazed Fascist, I saw what happened at Alcatraz on the news when I got back from Greece. This thing is bad, like extremely bad. I don't think I can stop him"

"Son, if you can't then we all perish in the flames of a madman. CIA agents in Moscow have told us that they are developing their own 'Superman' to combat the threat. The Agents said the being is rather bizarre in appearance but seems to have worked"

"I'll keep an eye on it"

The chamber door opened and a FBI official rushed in holding a manuscript "Mr President, the Brits tell us that he was last spotted leaving UK territory over Scotland and heading North"

"Thank you" The President turned to Captain Marvel "Well son, looks like you have a lead to follow"

Buffalo, NY

Angelia Hynes sat inside her small kitchen holding the photo of her son as tears ran down her face. Her dinner on her plate had gone cold much like the coffee she had spilt on the floor and forgot to clean up. A flash of yellow light caused the woman to turn her head to the window, then the backdoor opened from the outside and there he stood in the doorway; Roscoe Hynes.

"Oh my g-" Angelia panted as she raced up and embraced her son with a loving hug

"What's gotten into you ma? The place is a mess?" Roscoe joked to lighten the mood

"They said you were dead, they came here and said you were dead"

"No I was, well err saved I guess. Now I feel kinda different"

Angelia sat her son down at the table and starting fixing him up a plate of various foods.

Roscoe smiled and continued "My aircraft went down and the next thing I knew I woke up in the middle of the desert in the next state and I can run faster than my jet ever went. I know this sounds crazy and trust me I realise that but its true ma"

Meanwhile

The Moon

The lifeless body of the Green Lantern Kent Rogers remained on the surface of the Moon since his murder by the hands of Black Adam (See #6). His neck lay still with the top of it burst, brain matter and skull splattering staining the rocky surface. The Lantern ring on his hand began to violently shake and beam out a gulf of light into the skies above. The tunnel of light began to form itself into a construct and started to cover Rogers like a cosmic duvet. Kent's body began to squirm as the construct began to stab itself into every skin pore, the shattered pieces of skull and brain were dragged and fused back onto his head. His eyes shone bright green, his veins pulsed luminous emerald and his skin radiated viridian. Kent's body slowly sat up and he scratched his head.

"My head…" He moaned as he looked down at his hands that were now a pale green, then his thoughts turned to Black Adam "I'll kill that Bastard!"

Later

Captain Marvel, Atlas, Diana, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. had left the White House to start to the long journey following Black Adam North of the UK. The White Martian President morphed himself back into Franklin Roosevelt and had made his way to his dining room where he was meeting the Russian ambassador Alexander Bykov. The President greeted the man with a handshake and the pair sat down next to the large ornate table.

"The Supreme Leader Stalin sends his warm regards. He sends his regrets that there has been some 'tensions' since the end of the war between our great nations"

"Any and all disagreements between nations must be set aside to face a very real and dangerous common threat. This 'Super' man that destroyed the entire city of Giza, he destroyed and released the inmates of Alcatraz; god knows what he's going to do next. He moves around so fast we can't track him, one second he's in the US then the UK then gone completely"

Bykov sat down in his red cushioned chair "Hmm we have taken some steps to protect the Motherland. But I cannot disclose these for obvious reasons Mr President but-"

But before the Russian ambassador could finish his sentence a section of roof was torn away from the outside like wet paper. Rubble fell into the dining room and crushed the table as the huge frame of Albrecht Krieger hovered in the air with a deadly look in his eye. The young Osiris flew in through the hole in a flash of light and plunged his fist through the Russians head; it burst like a juicy grape.

"Bastards!" The President yelled as he morphed his right arm into a huge white battering ram and smashed it into the young teen. Osiris was smacked into the wall behind him and was knocked out cold. Krieger scorned the boy's failure and flew down and swung a fist at the Martian. The President morphed completely into his true form, he stared hard into Krieger's eyes and let out a fierce howl. His monstrous fangs spat saliva from his large alien mouth as he morphed his arms into two wrecking balls and cracked them against the German's head.

Krieger fell to his knees and spat blood as he clicked his knuckles "This would be interesting"

TBC...