New update! Wow, that was quick. LOL! Please Review! :D


Part XI

Wayne led Billy into a shockingly dusty store room and turned to face him, his sharp eyes hooded by shadows.

"Am I in trouble?" Billy asked, defiantly squinting up at the looming figure through a patch of morning sunlight. "'Cause, for the record, I didn't lie. I just didn't think my identity should be anyone's busine—"

"Ibac and Sivana disappeared from their cells last night. Only minutes apart," Wayne informed him, and Billy blinked in alarm.

"Oh," he said. "That's not good."

"Both reappeared after about an hour and no further disturbances have so far been reported," Wayne told him. "But the Justice League has their cells under close surveillance."

"Holy moley," Billy said. "But, that's weird. Sivana's way out in Rock Falls Penitentiary, and Ibac's still in a Philly holding cell, waiting for his bail hearing. Plus, Ibac only showed up last week, and Sivana's been locked up for months, so it's probably pretty unlikely they've met before. How—?"

"We don't know," Wayne admitted grimly. "What camera footage we do have turns to static before the criminals vanish and only clears up after they're gone. It's the same when they reappear."

Billy nodded and furrowed his brow.

"You're thinking it's magic," he said.

Wayne's thin lips turned up in what could have been an approving smile, and Billy smiled back.

"Zatanna tells me you met last night," Wayne said. "You impressed her, which isn't easy. Zatanna Zatara may act the consummate stage magician, but in reality she's one of the most powerful magic users on the planet. Let alone in the Justice League."

Billy's eyes widened. "Seriously!"

"I want the two of you to work on this together, with Superman as back-up," Wayne said. "You are authorized to call in anyone you think you might need. Here."

Reaching in his elegantly tailored pocket, Wayne pulled out a small, white earpiece and handed it to Billy.

"This comm device will connect you to the League. If you run into trouble, don't hesitate to get in contact."

Billy grinned, turning the sophisticated tech over and over in his hands. "So awesome!" he said, then quickly straightened. "I mean, thanks. I'll totally stay in contact. You don't have to worry, Mr. Wayne. Or, is it…Batman?"

Wayne twitched an eyebrow and Billy regarded him closely, his dry smirk falling into a frown.

"Yeah, I thought so. How did you find out?" Billy demanded. "About me. Do the other Leaguers know?"

"Security footage from the shopping center, back in December," Wayne told him, and Billy winced.

"Damn, I should have thought of that…"

"You were new," Wayne said somberly. "Frightened. You've learned since then. Keep on learning, and there'll be very little that can stop you."

"Yeah, well, the papers have been calling me 'The World's Mightiest Mortal'," Billy said with a smirk.

Wayne shook his head.

"True might is here," he indicated Billy's brain, "and here," he pointed to the boy's heart. "Not here." He gestured to Billy's arms and fists.

"I know, I get it," Billy said, waving him away. "That's why the S comes first, right? Solomon's wisdom before Hercules's strength?"

Wayne grunted.

"I'm starting to see why your wizard chose you, kid," he said, and Billy smirked again. "You asked before if the others know about you. Apart from my team – Dick, Tim and Barbara – the answer is no. And, like you, I'd prefer it stays that way. At least, for now."

"Why?" Billy asked.

"The League needs time to get used to you – to trust you and your abilities," Wayne said. "Revealing your secret too soon would undermine that."

"Sheesh." Billy shook his head. "Talk about ageism. You grown-ups can be really weird, you know that?"

"You don't know the half of it, kid," Wayne said, and crouched down to look him in the eye.

"Look, Bill," he said, and Billy flinched in surprise. No one had ever called him 'Bill' before. It had always been either 'Billy' or 'William' - 'William Joseph' when the authority figures in his life were feeling particularly irked. "I understand what I did goes against a certain etiquette. Prying into your identity. Contacting you and your family at home. I believe you understand I did this for your protection. To help you and your team learn to help yourselves. Still, to make things even, I chose to entrust my secret to you."

He gestured to his unmasked face.

"The truth of your and your family's identities won't go any further than my team. Not unless you want it to."

Billy nodded, his expression turning serious.

"You know," he said, "before Victor, there hadn't been many really good guys in my life. Guys I'd want to be like. A few ball players, maybe… But, no one like you. I'm starting to get why Freddy looks up to you guys so much." Billy smiled, then lowered his eyes.

"To tell the truth…I kinda think that's really why he's been so upset lately. It's not that he's afraid of being left out, like Darla said. It's… Well, it's more like, you guys have been his heroes since forever. I think he felt, if he was going to finally get to meet you, he'd want you to see him as a superhero too. Not…you know… As himself." He glanced at Wayne. "Maybe I should have let him?"

Wayne grunted again and clasped Billy's shoulder, straightening back to his full height.

"Every hero has his or her own path," he said. "You can't walk it for them."

"Yeah," Billy said, "but he's my b—"

"Zatanna expects you to meet her in Vegas at 3:30 PM," Wayne said, and Billy rolled his eyes, recognizing that cryptic cliche was all the advice he was going to get. "After she's finished her matinee show. Bring the pass she gave you. As for Superman, he's been asking if the Captain is free to meet this morning. Are you?"

Billy smirked.

"Good question. Let's find out," he said. Setting the comm device down on a nearby box, he turned his face toward the dusty ceiling. "SHAZAM!"

A bolt of mystical lightning charged the room with blinding energy. Wayne stumbled back, shielding his eyes with his arm.

"Yep," Shazam said, flexing his muscular arms and stretching his strong back as the smoke from the transformation faded away. "Looks like I'm free."

"Impressive," Wayne said, and Billy grinned, delighted to find he now stood about two inches taller than the undisguised Batman.

"So, where did Supes say he wanted to meet up?" the red-and-gold-clad hero asked brightly, rubbing his big hands together.

"Over by the Liberty Bell. He said something about wanting to take an early morning flight. And, Bill," Wayne said. "Don't forget your earpiece."

"Right, Bruce," Shazam said, meeting Wayne's scowl with a cheeky grin as he nestled the little white disk snugly into his ear. "How do I—?"

"Tap it once to activate, then state the name of the League Member you want to call," Wayne told him. "Three taps indicates an emergency. If you need to summon a boom tube or return to the Watchtower, there's an abandoned ice cream truck in a vacant lot about a block from this location. Your League passcode is CAP-015."

"C-A-P dash oh one five. Got it," Shazam repeated, then smiled. "Thanks, Bats," he said sincerely. "For all of this. I know my Family appreciates the heck out of this training scholarship. One thing, though… Did you have to wake us up so damn early? I haven't been up at four since that time I camped out in the subway."

"Conditioning," Wayne said, filing Shazam's last comment for later follow-up. "I've served as guardian to several young boys. Best to get the important training done before school. Activities and homework are less likely to interfere with their focus."

"Then, you mean for this to be a regular thing?"

"Daily. If you kids can handle it," Wayne challenged.

"Oh, we can handle it, old man," Shazam teased back, and shook his hand before striding out into the corridor. "Dude! Just kidding about the 'old man'," he called over his shoulder.

"No, you weren't," Wayne muttered, his lips stretching in something almost like amusement as he shook his head. "'Dude.'"


"Think of it, not as punching at your opponent, but punching through your opponent," Dinah said as she helped Mary adjust her stance and posture. "Imagine your real target is on the other side."

"I think I get it," Mary said and made a fist just as she'd been taught, her fingers curled into her palm and her thumb on the outside. "Let's try this again."

"Eugene," Dick said, narrowing his eyes as he examined the boy's moves, "I like your enthusiasm, man! But you're kicking way too high. The goal here is to make each motion as efficient as possible. Remember, your opponent will likely be much larger than you. Better to tire him out than give him a chance to get a grip on you."

"Speed and balance," Eugene said, repeating what he'd been told. "Balance and speed. Those will be our most important weapons."

"That's right," Dick said approvingly. "Remember that. Now, do it again."

"Freddy, I totally get where you're coming from," Barbara said. "But with adaptive martial arts, we learn to turn what others may view as our weakness to our advantage. My chair can actually give me the stability I need to take down a larger attacker. So can your crutch, albeit in a different way. Pedro, come at me, just like we practiced."

Pedro rushed toward her, and Barbara countered with a lightning-quick move, pulling a folding cane from behind her chair's pad and hooking Pedro behind the neck. The larger boy stumbled forward, his own momentum causing him to crash to his knees while Barbara rolled swiftly away. Turning back, Barbara offered him a hand back up.

"You OK?" she asked.

"Yeah…fine," Pedro said, his reddened face fading back to its normal shade as he caught his breath. "Wow, you're fast."

"Uh uh. No way," Freddy said. "I'm not about to start lugging a whole other cane around, thank you very much."

"I don't expect you to," Barbara said. "Today, I'm going to teach you how to kick."

Freddy blinked. "How to what?"

Barbara grinned. "I thought that would pique your interest. Now, I need you both to listen closely and follow my instructions. Above all, you'll need to be patient. This might take a few tries. Ready?"

"Hey, everyone! How's it going in here?"

Everyone turned as Shazam strode into the busy room.

"...the hell? Why are you here like that?" Freddy exclaimed when he saw him. "What's going on?"

Darla jumped in excitement, and Tim quickly slowed her treadmill.

"Hey, you're Shazam!" she exclaimed. "Did something happen? Do you need us to go with you?"

"No, it's fine. You guys keep doing what you're doing," the red-clad hero said, smiling brightly as he gazed around the different practice stations. "Wow, I know it's, like, the first day and all, but you guys are looking really great. Are you having fun?"

"Yeah!" most of the kids cried. Freddy shrugged. "Meh. I guess." Barbara shot him a look.

"Great!" Shazam said. "Well, I just dropped in to let you know I'm gonna be gone for a while. League business. But I'll try to be back before Rosa. Oh, and Freddy, remind me I need to talk to you later. There's something I've gotta to do this afternoon, and I'm gonna want you with me. OK, buddy?"

He gave Freddy an earnest look. Freddy rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Fine. Whatever, man. Go do what you gotta do."

Shazam pinched his lips together, but nodded.

"Well, I need to get moving. I know I'll see you all doing your best when I get back."

The kids waved and quickly went back to work. Seeing Wayne standing by the door, Shazam said, "Over by the Liberty Bell, right?"

"He'll be there," Wayne confirmed. "And don't worry about your team. They're in good hands."

"I don't doubt that." Shazam smiled again and zipped up the stairs like a big red blur, shooting through the door and launching himself into the sky before Wayne had time to blink. He was gone so fast, and the others were so focused on their training practice, no one noticed a faint reflection ripple into being in the mirrored corner...a female face, translucent as glass, silently calling a name...a title...

No one, that is, but Batman.

To Be Continued…


References Include: Shazam! (movie); Shazam! Volume 1, by Geoff Johns; Shazam! The Deluxe Junior Novel, by Calliope Glass; Justice League: War; Justice League: Doom; Justice League/Justice League Unlimited; Teen Titans: The Judas Contract; Superman/Shazam: First Thunder by Judd Winick and Joshua Middleton; Justice League Action: Classic Rock; Young Justice: Misplaced; several adaptive martial arts websites and videos. According to the Superhero Database and other internet sources, Batman is 6'2", Superman is 6'3", and Captain Marvel/Shazam is 6'4". :D

Next Time: Billy goes flying with Superman! Later, a visit with Zatanna reveals... Stay Tuned! Thanks so much for reading! Please let me know what you think! :D

Note: I got a nudge on my Star Trek: TNG story, "Skin Deep," so that'll be my next update. Then, I'll be right back to updating this story because...SHAZAM! LOL! I'm thinking at this point this thing'll probably have about 20-25 chapters, but we'll see how it goes. I'm planning for some serious fight scenes once everything's in place, so I hope you'll stay tuned. Until next time! :D