Part XVII

Freddy, Mary and Billy passed through the grand entranceway into the main casino smiling and laughing - only to feel a strange, oddly electric tingle wash over them, settling deep in their brains. Without a look, without a word, they each broke off in different directions, walking as if in a dream...

It was the sound of his name, of Shazam, that snapped Billy out of the haze, but there was no one nearby who could have spoken. Disoriented, he stared in confusion up and down the row of video poker machines, where he seemed to have been sitting for some time, before he remembered the comm device Batman had given him that morning.

"Shazam," the voice said. "Superman. Just calling to let you know I'll be heading out in fifteen minutes. What's your ETA?"

"Superman!" he gasped, feeling his mind clear and his face grow awkwardly warm as he realized he'd completely lost track of the time. "Yeah, I'm actually already here, in Vegas. Thought I'd, you know, come early, scope out the place… Do some, like, reconnaissance…"

He stood quickly and stretched to his full height, then up to his tiptoes, then rose completely off the floor, scanning the rows, rings and clusters of cheerily chiming slots and gaming machines for any sign of his siblings. He strained to remember… Despite their plans to stick together, to tackle the table games as a team, the three of them had split up just after entering the casino. But why? Why did he let them drift out of his sight…!

"Should have known you'd be right on the ball, Captain," Superman praised, and Billy sank heavily to the patterned carpet, his uneasiness getting worse. "I'll call again when I get to the theater. Superman out."

"Yeah, I'll just…get my team together…" Billy trailed off with a wince, knowing Superman had already cut the connection. "Holy moley, what am I doing," he groaned and quickly cashed out, the machine spitting out a little receipt with his balance printed on it. "How long have I even - hey cool!" He grinned at his receipt. "I won fifteen bucks! But where the hell are Freddy and… Mary!"

Forgetting himself for a moment, Billy sped to his sister's side, leaving a gust of displaced air in his wake. Fortunately, none of the gamblers around them seemed to notice the sudden wind, or even lift their gaze from their machines.

"Mary," he said urgently. "Mary, something's weird. I just—"

"Billy! This thing is so amazing!" Mary spoke with the distracted excitement of a gamer, pressing buttons and spinning a sphere-shaped control as blocks of animated images scrolled rapidly up the screen. Billy saw flying monkeys, a white rabbit carrying a pocket watch, a glass cat, a patchwork girl, the Cheshire Cat with its eerie, knowing grin… Mary went on, "It's like, I was walking by and this game, like, called to me. I'm not even kidding. The more I tried to walk away, the more I felt I needed to go back and try it. Like…like a sort of tingly, pulling feeling deep in my guts that got worse the farther away I went."

"'Wozenderlands'?" Billy struggled to sound out the strange glowing word printed over the busy screen. "What is that, some weird mash-up of The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland?"

"I don't know. I don't even really know the rules," she said, her fingers flying as the game upped its pace. "But it's like, you match up characters and find these patterns but if that girl in the silver dress breaks them up you lose the level. She might be Ozma, I'm not sure. I think the goal is to, like, capture Dorothy and Alice to get the jackpot."

"Seems kind of backwards," Billy said, moving a little closer to the game. As he did, he felt an uncomfortable hum under his skin, like the buzz of static electricity. He grunted and quickly stepped back, frowning and rubbing his arms. "I'd think the goal would be to melt the Wicked Witch, outwit the Queen of Hearts, and go home."

"Yeah, that's the old story," Mary said. "But, you know how everyone wants stuff about the villains now. Joker, Harley Quinn, Maleficent… Guess they think good guys are boring. All straight lines, you know?"

"No," Billy said bluntly, scowling suspiciously at the machine. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"No, no, just one more spin," Mary said, taking three spins, and then four more. "Seriously, I'm getting really good. If I can make it to the next level without Ozma blasting me, I think I could actually win the jackpot!"

"Mary," Billy said, "don't you get that's the trap? These games are designed to get you hooked – to make you feel like if you just play one more – one more – it'll pay off big. But we don't have time for that. I mean it. Superman's gonna be here in, like, fifteen minutes, and I need you to snap out of this and help me find Freddy."

For a long moment, Mary kept playing as if she hadn't heard him. Then she grimaced and slammed the button to cash out.

"Drat," she sighed, taking her receipt. "Wisdom of Solomon wins again."

"Yeah," Billy teased to cover his relief, and shot her a big smile. "Who knew having the powers of gods and heroes could be such a buzzkill."

Mary didn't respond. She stared at her receipt, her eyes wide.

"What?" he asked, stepping closer to peer over her shoulder. "What is it?"

"Six hundred sixty-seven dollars," Mary said, her voice a near whisper at first then rising to a gleeful shriek. "Oh my god, Billy, I just won six hundred sixty-seven dollars playing this game! Well, minus the dollar I started with."

"Holy moley," he said, an awed grin spreading across his face. "All that from a dollar! This is the most money I've ever seen in my life!"

"Me too," Mary said. "Oh my god. It's like, all the textbooks for my first semester in college, right here in my hand!"

Billy gave a start. "Wait, you'd spend six hundred bucks on just textbooks?"

"Well, yeah, about that. Maybe four hundred if I get them used online," she said, totally missing his incredulous grimace. "Oh my… Billy, how am I going to explain all this money to Rosa and Victor?"

"Who says you have to?" Billy said, and she blinked at him. "Mary, that money is yours. Cash it, spend it, do whatever you want! But right now, we need to find Freddy. Any idea where he'd be?"

"Probably at the poker tables," Mary said and Billy nodded, casting the Wozenderlands machine a final glance. The unsettling static buzz had faded when Mary cashed out, but something seemed off. The game's glowing title now read 'Wonderland'. The demo screen looked different too – the gameplay simpler, the animated characters far less realistic…

Billy rubbed his eyes and squinted against the merrily flashing lights, but the glowing letters still read 'Wonderland'.

"OK, weird," he said. "I know I did not read that wrong. Mary, do you…?"

Billy glanced around, but Mary was already far enough ahead that he had to jog to catch up. Walking quickly, she led Billy away from the cheerfully singing slots toward a large room full of card tables. There, dealers with sharp suits and fast hands held the floor, their soft patter punctuated now and then by shouts from the craps tables or the crowded roulette wheels.

"Mary," he said as she scanned the intimidating adults-only space. "Did that game machine say 'Wonderland' or 'Wozenderlands' when you were playing it?"

Mary turned on him, startling him with an angry glare.

"Why are you asking about my game?" she demanded. "Do you want to play it now? See if you can beat my big win?"

"What? No," Billy said. "But, Mary—"

"You really do have a competitive streak, don't you," she accused. "You can't stand to see anyone else get to be a champion."

Billy blinked, caught off guard by the undeserved slap. "Hey, that's not true," he protested, his own anger starting to spark. "I never said—"

"Billy, this is no place for a fight!" Mary hissed, as if their sudden flare up was all his fault. "We're supposed to be grown-ups. Look – that's got to be Freddy over there!"

She marched toward a particularly crowded table where a slim, laughing man in a long blue coat seemed to be the center of attention, but Billy blocked her path, forcing her to stop and look at him.

"Mary, why are you so mad at me?" he demanded. "I didn't do anything except ask a question!"

Mary blinked and shook her head as if struggling to focus. Billy frowned, reaching out to support her as she sagged slightly against his side.

"Oh my god, Mary? Are you OK?"

"Billy…?" She pressed a hand to her forehead, then quickly straightened and pulled away. "I don't… You're right, I'm sorry. I don't know why I snapped at you like that. It must be the lights in here." She looked up at him, her eyes tight with worry. "Billy, I don't think I like this place. Let's get Freddy and get out of here. Like, ASAP."

"Yeah," Billy agreed. "Just stay close, OK? This might sound kinda crazy, but I have a creepy feeling whatever attacked you guys back home might have followed us here."

"That's a horrifying thought," Mary said, crossing her arms like she was hugging herself. "This way."

Leading with her shoulders, Mary opened a path through the middle of the crowd, where they found Freddy perched like a kingpin between a group of cheering women and an impressive stack of chips. As his siblings watched, Freddy took a sip from his can of cola, glanced at his cards – an ace and an eight – and smiled at the dealer.

"This isn't poker, it's blackjack," Mary realized, and Billy nodded.

"I haven't really played this much," he whispered. "An ace counts as eleven, right?"

"Yeah," Mary said. "Freddy has nineteen. The aim of the game is to get twenty-one. Any more than that and you lose."

"Hit me," Freddy said, tapping the table behind his cards with his finger. The crowd gasped.

"Hang on, shouldn't he stand?" Billy asked Mary. "I thought you weren't supposed to ask for more cards after you got over seventeen."

"Usually," Mary agreed. "But if Freddy gets a face card, that ace can count as a one instead of an eleven, and he'll still have nineteen. On the other hand, the dealer already has fifteen. If she gets anything over a six—"

"She'll go bust and Freddy automatically wins," Billy realized. "I get it."

The dealer dealt, pulling fresh cards from a dispenser. Mary squeezed Billy's arm.

"Ooh, the dealer got a five," she exclaimed. "That brings her up to twenty."

"Deuce!" Freddy laughed brightly and clapped his hands, the fans around him erupting into cheers. "That's twenty-one, and another win! All right! Dr. Peppers all around!"

"Hey, no. No drinks! We're done here, thanks," Billy called out, heading off the waitress as he stepped between Freddy and his crowd of glitzy cheerleaders. "Yeah, sorry to break up the party, folks, but the game's over. Time for Mr. High Roller to head out."

"Billy, what the hell!" Freddy exclaimed as the crowd around him began to break up. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of something here?"

"Yeah. JL business, remember?" Billy said. "And the clock's ticking. Let's go."

"Ooh," one of the remaining card table groupies cooed, looking Billy over like a prosciutto hanging in a deli window. "Who's the big guy?"

"Mmm," another woman hummed. "Move over, sapphire. I think ruby's my new favorite."

Freddy tensed and looked from the women to Billy, his pale face starting to flush.

"He's leaving," Freddy said coldly. "Aren't you, 'big guy'?"

"Not without you, bro," Billy said. "So get up. We have stuff to do."

"No way, man." Freddy scowled, his glare turning defiant as his supporters gathered in close. "I live here now, and I'm never going back!"

The ladies laughed and cheered him on. Mary set her jaw.

"Come on, Freddy, this isn't you talking," she said. "You know we only came here to—"

"How about you both get out of my face and mind your own business," Freddy snapped, his eyes burning dangerously. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm the champion here. I know what I'm doing, and I don't need the two of you to tell me when I'm done."

"Dammit, Freddy—" Billy started, then closed his eyes and clenched his fists, his muscles tensing beneath his vest and long, red coat. "Fine," he said at last, taking the seat next to Freddy's and gesturing for Mary to take the other as he raised his hands in surrender. "Fine. I am not gonna fight you, man. How about we play one more game, right here. All three of us, just like we planned. Then we'll all head to Zatanna's show together."

"What kind of offer is that?" Freddy scoffed. "You suck at cards."

"I don't—!" Billy clenched his teeth. "Look," he said. "I'll admit you're good. You're better than me at a lot of things, OK? That's what makes us such a good team. We all have complimentary talents."

Freddy sneered. "That's just the kind of sit-com sludge a cheese like you would say."

Billy straightened and glared. "Don't call me a cheese."

"Billy, stop. Freddy, listen—" Mary tried, but Freddy angrily cut her off.

"No, how about you listen to me for a change!" he snapped.

"What do you mean 'for a change'?" Billy shot back. "Dude, we listen to you all the time! You never shut up about anything!"

"Guys, stop it!" Mary exclaimed. "Freddy, tell us, what do you want us to hear? We're listening, I promise. We're really listening."

"I…"

The smouldering anger behind Freddy's eyes went out and he blinked in disorientation. He looked from Mary to Billy, then to the dealer and the lingering cluster of groupies as if seeing them for the first time. His face reddened and he swallowed hard, pushing away from the game table and charging for the exit.

"I knew it, Billy. He wasn't himself," Mary said.

"Mary, can you…" Billy started, gesturing to Freddy's chips, and she nodded.

"I got this," she said. "Go after him, Captain. Quickly!"


Billy found his brother in the hall by a window overlooking a shimmering pool.

"Freddy…?" he said softly, hoping hard that his brother had snapped out of whatever weird attack had struck them in the casino. He didn't want to have to say the magic word, to turn them both back into their fourteen-year-old selves in a place literally bristling with security cameras. But if Freddy really was under some kind of mind control, the potential threat he could pose would outweigh any risk of exposure. "Hey man, you OK?"

Freddy didn't move except to run his hands over his face, his eyes wide and frightened.

"Cap," he said, his low voice wobbling. "I…I don't know what happened to me in there. It's like, there was all this anger, and I aimed it all at you…"

"Freddy, hey, it's not your fault," Billy said, moving closer. "Something similar happened to Mary with one of those slot machine games. And, this time, I think whatever it was got me too. I lost about twenty minutes playing video poker, and I don't remember any of it."

"Then… What's happening to us, Billy? What the actual hell is going on!" Freddy demanded, sniffing hard to force back the threat of tears. "First we get hit by those sick nightmares none of us can even remember. And now…" He scowled angrily and shook his head. "I can't stand the thought of someone out there manipulating what we think and how we feel. Could it really be Sivana, like Mary said? Could he have found, like, some magic spell to mess with our heads? And if so, how do we zap the slimy monster into dust fine enough to make sure he never does it again?"

Billy smirked and gave his brother's shoulder a squeeze.

"We start by telling Zatanna," he said. "Batman told me she's one of the most powerful magic users in the world. If someone is using magic against us, I'm sure she'll be able to figure out what's going on. Maybe she can even help us stop it."

"What if it's not magic or a psychic attack?" Freddy grumbled. "What if we're all just crazy? Six nutjob kids, dreaming we're a team of superheroes?"

Billy pinched Freddy's arm until he yelped.

"There you go," he said helpfully. "You seem wide awake to me."

"Clever. Ha ha," Freddy said, wrinkling his nose at him as he rubbed his arm. Sniffing in a deep breath, he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Ever notice how hotels mostly smell the same? Even the fancy ones."

"Not really," Billy said. "But then, I haven't been in too many hotels."

"I have. Way too many," Freddy said and smirked. "I never told you much about my folks, huh," he said, his voice low and somber. "Guess I never told you much about anything from before— Well, before we got stuck sharing the same room."

"To be fair," Billy said, "I haven't told you much about me either."

Freddy nodded. "I know you used to run away," he said. "A lot. I know you lived on the streets for a while."

"Almost a year," Billy said, looking out at the sparkling pool. "There was this homeless guy… Old Talky, I called him. He took care of me. Well, more like we looked out for each other. He was like the grandpa I never had, you know?"

"How old were you?" Freddy asked.

"Ten," Billy said. "Well, nine. I turned ten while I was out there. I remember, Old Talky used to say he never knew his real birthday. So, I decided I'd let him share mine. I planned this whole surprise for him, down in the subway station where we'd sleep when it got cold. I saved up for weeks from my paper route money to buy a real bakery cake and candles." Billy swallowed and let out a shaky breath. "I don't know if I really understood at that time... I was still hung up on finding my mom. But, I honestly loved that old man. He was the closest thing I ever had to a real family. Until you guys."

"Maybe he's still out there?" Freddy said.

"I don't know," Billy said grimly. "I went back to that subway station dozens of times after that awful social worker dragged me back into the system. I searched everywhere, asked everyone he used to hang around with. No one had seen him. He was just...gone..."

Freddy furrowed his brow. "I lost my Grampa too," he said with some difficulty. "About seven years ago."

"Yeah?" Billy glanced at him.

Freddy nodded. "I lived with him after my parents got themselves locked up. Before that, half my life was places like this." He gestured to the vast casino they'd just left. "Not Vegas. Atlantic City, mostly. Foxwoods. Mohegan Sun. We didn't always get to stay in those hotels - more like the smoky fleapits just off the highway. But my folks would bring me into the fancy casinos for the buffets and sometimes my dad would put me up on his shoulders while he played craps or slots. Most of my babysitters were card dealers, waitresses. They taught me how to play cards when my folks were out doing…whatever."

"I guess it sunk in. You really are a champ." Billy smiled, giving his brother's arm a playful punch. "Guess this means you keep the batarang."

Freddy smirked. "Dude, come on. Don't—"

"No, I'm serious!" Billy said. "Hey, maybe you could teach me? You know…after we—"

"Crush the bad guys?" Freddy suggested.

"Yeah, well, it might help to find out who and where they are," Billy teased. "But then—"

"Guys! Great, I found you!" Mary exclaimed, rushing over to join them. "Sorry I took so long back there, but they wanted to see my photo ID before they'd give me the cash, so I showed them my school card and said I was faculty. Fortunately, they didn't grab it or ask me to move my thumb, or they'd have seen where it said 'student'. So," she said, biting her lip. "Is everything OK?"

Billy looked to Freddy and grinned.

"Yeah, we're good. So, which way to Zatanna's show?"

"I asked at the cashier's cage, and it's just down this hall. Follow me," Mary said, already leading the way.


Zatanna's theater was in the middle of a long, glamorous indoor mall, surrounded on all sides by fancy bars, restaurants, and elegant shops. Billy had suggested Mary and Freddy head inside, but they had both given a flat, unanimous no, insisting on waiting with him until Superman showed up.

"We're not splitting up again. Not with all the weird stuff that's been going on," Mary told him, and Freddy agreed.

Still, as the sounds of awe and laughter seeped through the theater doors, the three of them began to fidget. Freddy kicked impatiently at the floor.

"Dude, how do we know he's not already in there?" he said. "What if he's in disguise, like us, and we totally missed each other!"

"He told me he'd call when he got here," Billy said. "But, if you want, I could try calling him."

Freddy snorted. "What, are you saying you've got Superman's number?"

"Dude," Billy scoffed. "Try a direct line to, like, the entire Justice League!" He gestured to the whitish disk nestled in his ear.

"Gah!" Freddy choked. "That's a—! How long have you had—!"

"Guys," Mary broke in. "Shut up for a second and look over there. Do you see what I think I'm seeing?"

"What do you think you're seeing?" Billy asked, squinting past the milling crowds and gleaming lights in the direction she pointed.

"I think I'm seeing Bruce Wayne," Mary said. "He's over by those fancy auction cars, talking with a tall man in a blue suit."

"You mean the guy with the glasses?" Freddy said. "Looks like that reporter, Clark Kent. He's the one who wrote that Daily Planet article about us. Well, him and Lois Lane."

"OK, so, what's a Metropolis reporter doing talking with Bruce Wayne?" Mary asked. "More than that, what's Bruce Wayne doing here in Vegas?"

"Who knows," Freddy said. "Maybe he's buying the place. That would be a story, wouldn't it, Billy? Billy, where are you going?"

"You want to know what he's doing here, don't you?" Billy said, sidling past the busy restaurant on his way to the main corridor. "I'm just gonna ask real quick. You guys stay here. Remember, he's seen me like this, not you."

"No way," Mary said. "We said we're not splitting up. That means if you go, we're all going."

"Mary," Billy protested, "I'm just—"

"Forget it, guys," Freddy said. "Wayne's gone. But it looks like that reporter's heading our way."

"Huh?" Billy turned to see the tall man raising his hand in a friendly wave, dodging passersby as he made a beeline straight toward them. "Holy moley," he said, looking closely at the man's face as he waved back. "Guys, you don't think…"

"Bill! Hi!" the man said. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I see you took my advice about the coat." He smiled. "Looks good on you."

"Kal?" Billy said, his siblings exchanging startled looks as he hurried out to greet him. Lowering his voice to a near whisper, he said, "Hey, man, is that really you?"

"It's me," he confirmed in the same low tone. "Except, Kal is my Kryptonian name. When I'm dressed like this it's Clark. Clark Kent. That's the name my human parents gave me." He smiled a little and shrugged. "I figured, you know about Bruce, you may as well know about me too."

"Awesome," Billy said, and meant it. "Dude, it's like... Awesome! So, you're really a reporter?"

"How better to keep up with world events?" Clark said, and Billy beamed.

"I just can't believe it, man. This is so cool!" he said. "You know, I haven't really told anyone this, but back when I was a paperboy, I used to dream of being a real reporter. Not for newspapers, though. Maybe radio. Or TV. Local news, not the cable networks."

"Is that so?" Clark said. "Well, Bill, if that's your dream, I think you should—"

"Billy?" Mary said, smiling apologetically at Clark. "Hi, sorry to interrupt. But, shouldn't we be heading in…?" She gestured over her shoulder to the theater.

"Right, of course," Clark said, and clapped Billy's shoulder. "We'll talk about this later."

"Yeah," Billy said, looking a little overwhelmed. "Yeah, definitely. But, uh, Clark, um, before we go in, I'd like you to meet my team, Mary and Freddy. Well, not the whole team. Normally there's six of us, but…"

"You can think of us as his lieutenants," Mary said, not quite managing to keep her gaze from drifting to Clark's blue eyes. "You know, because he's the captain…"

"Mary, he knows who we are," Freddy said. "By the way, I read your article about us in the Daily Planet. If you don't mind some constructive criticism—"

"Freddy, not now," Mary scolded under her voice.

"But the names he made up for us totally suck!" Freddy hissed back.

"Freddy!"

"Uh, just for the record," Clark said, "it wasn't me who came up with those names. But, if it bothers you that much, I could talk to Lois about making a change. What would you like to be called?"

"Huh? Uh," Freddy blinked, caught off guard by the sudden offer. "I... Well..."

Clark smirked, just slightly. "Right. It's not fair to put you on the spot. I'll give you some time to think," he said, joining Billy as he flashed his pass at the usher, who led them all through the door to a cluster of empty seats at the back. The rest of the theater was full to bursting, and it wasn't hard to see why. Whether it was a sophisticated projection or actual magic, Zatanna had turned the round space into something of an underwater tunnel. Exotic fish and sharks of all sizes swam over and around them, only to transform into stingrays and sea turtles, then vanish completely when she uttered the magic words from the central stage.

"What language is that?" Freddy whispered.

"English, I'm pretty sure," Mary whispered back. "I think she's talking backwards."

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, we come to the end of the show," Zatanna said, eliciting a few moans from the crowd. "If I could just have a final volunteer from the audience...?" She smiled, looking out over the sea of eager hands. "How about you, sir?"

Taking off her shiny top hat, Zatanna reached inside, the audience gasping as her enormous hand appeared over the volunteer's seat and lifted him up off his chair. Putting him back, she then selected a large potted palm from the back of the theater and pulled it out through her hat, where it sat on her open palm like a miniature toy. The crowd erupted into cheers, and Zatanna set off a sparkling galaxy of magical fireworks, taking her bows to a standing ovation then vanishing in a sparkle of light as a recorded announcement advertised the other shows, restaurants, and attractions they could find at the massive hotel.

"OK, that was cool," Freddy said, the four of them hanging back as the cheerful crowd filed out of the theater. "Now I wish we'd seen the whole thing!"

"She was amazing," Mary said, staring up at the ceiling. "I'd love to know how she controlled that huge hand."

"It was her real hand," Billy said. "I'm not kidding. That was real magic we just saw. I felt it...like deep, deep inside my brain." He glanced at his siblings. "Didn't you?"

Mary frowned. "I thought that was static electricity. Like from a huge hidden projector or something. You really think it was..."

"Yeah, I do," Billy told her. "And I felt something similar in the casino, when I got close to that game of yours." He stood up and gripped his shimmery pass. "Come on," he said, leading the way into the empty aisle. "Let's head backstage."

To Be Continued...


References include - Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil, by Jeff Smith; Shazam! The World's Mightiest Mortal (Vol.1), by Denny O'Neil and C.C. Beck (Billy is a kid reporter); Adventures of Captain Marvel ((1941) Billy is a radio reporter); Shazam!: Power of Hope, by Paul Dini (Billy is a kid reporter); Shazam! ((1981) Billy is a TV reporter); Superman/Shazam!: First Thunder, by Judd Winick and Joshua Middleton; Shazam! #8: Welcome to His Nightmare!, by Geoff Johns; Justice League/Justice League Unlimited; Justice League Action; Young Justice; Shazam! Volume 1, by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank; Shazam! (movie); Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll; The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Marvelous Land of Oz, The Patchwork Girl of Oz, by L. Frank Baum.

Hi everyone! I know this was a long chapter, but it might be the last one I get to do for this story before New Year. I promised I'd update a couple of my Star Trek stories (Alternative Data and Often Wrong), so they're next in line. So, it might be a bit of a wait but the next chapter will be coming as soon as I can get back to it. Until next time, thanks so much for reading! Please review! :D