Part XXVI
Freddy and Superman stood before three stone arches, each with a curving staircase just beyond. One set of stairs curved to the left, one to the right, and the one in the center spiraled straight up. In the cavernous chamber behind the two men, a massive mechanical structure heaved, groaned and clicked, its many complex parts turning and spinning, weaving and interweaving: planets and moons, stars and immense colored spheres, with the Rock of Eternity hovering still and steady at its center like a rugged, rocky diamond…
"Dude! It's like that thing in The Dark Crystal," Freddy had said when he and Superman first came across the enormous machine. "Aughra's orrery! Only this thing is way more complicated!"
"It certainly is ornate," Superman observed, examining it warily. "Could this be that Orrery of Worlds Francesca warned the Captain about?"
"Well, it's ridiculously huge," Freddy said, watching the moving parts dance past each other. "And it sure looks fancy enough. Which of these worlds do you think is ours?" Like a blue streak, Freddy zipped closer to the vast machine before Superman could think to warn him back. "Hey, Orrery, show me my Earth!"
With an incredible squeaking and crunching of gears, the vast orrery tilted, twisted and swooped, leaning precariously over Freddy's comparatively tiny form.
"Junior!" Superman exclaimed, dashing forward – only to stop short, raising his arms to protect his eyes as Earth and its familiar solar system swung into view, its brilliant yellow sun filling the cavern with radiant warmth. The star's unfiltered radiation engulfed the weakened Kryptonian and he soaked in its rays like a restoring bath, feeling oddly bereft when it faded away and the vast machine straightened to resume its former creaking, clicking position.
"Whoa!" Freddy breathed. "That was so freaky, man. I mean, I could see my house. Like, literally. It was like my mind was the controller, yeah? And I could zoom in past the moon and the clouds right to the yard! There were cars on the streets, and kids in the park by the school… And it wasn't just that. I could rewind too. I could see how it was months ago…years…"
He stared up at Superman, clearly unsettled. "Dude, tell me you saw it too. I mean, that was way too real to be a just a model."
"I agree," Superman said grimly, a strange, crawly feeling running up his spine as he frowned at the machine. "But I didn't see what you saw. When you asked to see the Earth, I focused on the sun. I think…"
He clenched his fists and leaped into the air, focusing his laser vision on a spot on the far wall. A small patch of rock began to glow then melt before he blinked and sank back down to smile at Freddy.
"Sweet!" Freddy exclaimed. "Does this mean you're, like, all recharged?"
"I wouldn't say the full hundred-and-ten percent," Superman said, flexing and stretching his arms and shoulders. "These caves are so dark and closed off… I actually felt the sun's 'absence' when the orrery repositioned itself. But I'm sure I could punch my way through a few walls."
"Then, I guess it's a good thing we found this place!" Freddy said, smiling back. "Come on, let's get out of here. That last staircase was pretty short, so this has to be some kind of in-between level. If we can find another set of stairs, I bet that'll take us to the Throne Room."
"But, which one?" Superman asked, turning his gaze from one stone arch to the next. "This whole place is a maze, and the rock above these arches is too thick to see through. There could be dozens more caverns and halls branching off from here."
"It's this one, I'm sure of it," Freddy said, floating toward the central arch.
"You were sure about the last one too, Junior," Superman pointed out.
"OK, so those stairs didn't take us back to that weird train station platform," Freddy allowed. "But, now we can tell the Cap we found his Orrery of Worlds! Or, at least, a model. If it is a model." He frowned. "Whatever it is, I— Wait, listen!"
"Billy, quick, grab the Eye!" Freddy heard Mary's voice echo down the stairwell. He started to turn back to Superman, but the Kryptonian was already by his side.
"You're right," he said, his head slightly cocked as he listened. "There's sounds of a struggle up there."
"Then let's go help!" Freddy said.
Without hesitation, the two superheroes raced up the spiral staircase in a blur of speed.
"Mary, it's no good!" Shazam grunted, working with Tawny to keep the struggling Sivana from twisting away as he reached for the Eye of Sin. "I can't get hold while the Sins are still in the Eye! We have to coax them out, like last time! Once the Sins leave the Eye, I should be able to— Gah!"
Drawing on the power of the Sins, Sivana released a massive electric shock, forcing Shazam and the snarling tiger to loosen their grip and shield their eyes. Zatanna and Mary moved closer as the gritty dust cloud the Eye had unloosed swirled and coalesced around the group, solidifying into six figures, warped and wicked. Within moments, Pride, Greed, Wrath, Lust, Gluttony and Sloth loomed in a shadowy circle around the Leaguers: the demonic, physical representations of some of humanity's deadliest enemies.
With a cocky smirk, Sivana climbed to his feet to stand before them, cackling cruelly as he batted cave dust from his clothes.
"Not so simple is it, Champion," he taunted, scowling at the claw-shaped rips and tears in his jacket. "You and that tiger... You won't defeat me this time. Dr. Sivana doesn't make the same mistakes twice!"
"If you say so," Shazam said, keeping his gaze fixed on the glowing Eye as he protectively stepped out in front of his friends. "But then, how come I don't see Envy out here with the rest of the gang? Hm? What - is the little guy too scared to come out after the way he got his butt kicked last time? Or is it you keeping him back? Holding him in? Is that it, Sivana? You still jealous the Wizard picked me over you?"
"That old fool was wrong!" Sivana spat, his pale face reddening. "The very fact that I and the rest of the Monster Society could come this far proves his mistake in choosing a weak, ignorant cheese like you!"
"Seems to me like you're the one proving the Wizard's case," Shazam retorted. "I mean, look at what you're doing. The way you've spent your life! The Wizard didn't choose you when you were a kid. He sent you home. And that stings, yeah? It's a major slap to the ego. I can totally get that. But then...what? Did you make your peace and move on? Make something good out of your life? No way! You obsessed, like, for decades! You attacked the Wizard and used the Eye of Sin to become a supervillain! But the power you get from the Sins – it isn't really yours, is it, Sivana. It's borrowed magic, loaned to you only as long as the Sins, here, think you might be useful. Because you can't access magic on your own, can you. You couldn't even escape from prison without that Mister Mind's help! And now here you are, hiding behind the Sins again, just like the powerless, shrivel-hearted old coward that you are!"
"Careful, boy," Sivana snarled, Envy's demonic features warping his face as he curled his bony fingers into fists. "You're not dealing with some muscle-bound cretin like Ibac or Kru'll! If you want the Eye this time, it'll take more than a few puerile taunts!"
"Hey, if that's how you want it, old man!" Freddy called out, flying into the Throne Room from behind the dais with Superman right beside him.
"Freddy! Superman!" the Leaguers cried, overjoyed to see their friends.
Superman turned his heat vision on Wrath and Greed while Freddy plowed into Pride at full speed, knocking the winged demon back into Lust. Lust tripped on its own long, slimy tongue and slammed against the wall.
Mary and Zatanna cheered and faced off against Gluttony, evading its gaping maw as Tawny pounced on Sloth and Shazam flew at Sivana. Grabbing the older man by the shirt, the Captain pulled back his big fist, trying to look as convincingly threatening as possible.
"No!" Sivana cried, shielding his spectacled face with his hands as he cringed away. "No, you can't! You wouldn't!"
"The Eye or your face, Sivana," he said. "Your choice."
"Do your job! Protect me!" Sivana cried, and smoke poured from the Eye, momentarily clouding Shazam's vision before the gritty haze solidified into the bent, wizened form of the demon Envy.
"There's our holdout! Lucky number seven!" Shazam said, smiling as he watched the blue-white glow of the demons' magic fade from the Eye, leaving Sivana powerless.
Freddy flew at the demon, but Envy turned to smoke before Freddy could land the punch, causing the blue-clad superhero to pass right through him. The demon coalesced behind him with a cruel snicker, reaching out to grab him by the cape.
"Gak!" Freddy choked and turned, unable to land a hit as the snickering demon turned from smoke to solid, then back to smoke.
The rest of the Sins began to rise, snarling and fuming. Tawny bit at Greed's leg but found it was like trying to chew on a ghost. Even Superman's heat vision passed right through their smoky forms. The tiger roared in frustration, but Zatanna motioned for him to step back.
"I have an idea," the magician said and raised her arms. "Thgilnus raelc nomed wodahs!"
A blinding dome of light appeared and closed around them. The seven demons collapsed into smoke with a pained roar and Shazam reached for Sivana, the dusty, roiling clouds seeming to filter through the older man's form into the Eye of Sin as the Captain pulled the Eye from his head.
Zatanna's light-dome faded like a flashbulb, leaving everyone except Superman blinking away spots. Weakened, Sivana sagged against Shazam's thick arm, both of his eyes back to their normal color. Retrieving Sivana's spectacles, which had fallen to the floor, the Captain gently helped the older man sit on the steps to the dais, where he leaned back with a low groan and fell unconscious. Then, Shazam turned to face his friends, holding tightly to the Eye of Sin as the demons trapped inside angrily rattled and moaned and whispered their false promises.
"Yeah!" Freddy crowed. "All right! We did it!"
"Freddy!" Mary exclaimed, rushing to her brother. "Oh, Freddy, where have you been? What happened to you guys?"
"Turns out that side passage was a trap," Freddy told her. "It's like, those Monsters knew we were coming and tailored the trap specifically for us!"
"Oh my god, it was the same with me and Zatanna," Mary said. "We might not have made it out, except Mr. Tawny saved us!"
"Mr. Tawny?" Freddy furrowed his brow. Shazam smiled and scratched the striped tiger behind the ears. "Whoa, you mean the tiger! Dude, where— Wha—!"
Before Freddy and Superman's startled eyes, the tiger morphed back into his human form and smiled, holding out his hand.
"Actually, I am an ifrit," he told the newcomers as they shook hands. "The name's Tawny. Tawky Tawny. I've known the Captain, here, since he was very young."
"Tawky...?" Freddy blinked. "Then..." He frowned and looked up at his brother. "No way. Dude, say this isn't the same guy you were telling me about! Old Talky?"
"Seriously, Freddy, this really is him," Shazam said, and smiled. "Turns out he was here the whole time."
But, Freddy was still frowning. "Wait. You're telling me that homeless guy you used to stay with when you were on the streets - the guy who took you in... He was really a...a..."
"An ifrit," Tawny repeated. "You can think of me as a sort of 'superhero talent scout'. I used to work with the Wizard, until we had a...a bit of a falling out. You see, once Billy passed our tests, old S.H.A.Z.A.M.! wanted to recruit him right away. But, the boy was barely ten years old at that time. I believed it would be better if he had a chance to grow up a little more, to better understand the complexities and responsibilities of role he was being asked to take on. Beyond that, he was so fixated on finding his mother... He needed time to mature, to learn for himself that not every story can have a fairy tale ending. So, I hid the boy from old S.H.A.Z.A.M.!'s sight and suffered the Wizard's wrath."
He turned to the Captain, his tiger-green eyes tight with emotion. "That's why I had to leave you, my boy," he confessed. "Don't you see? It is because of me that the Wizard never had the chance to train you, to prepare you for times like this. You or your siblings. Billy..." He took Shazam's arm and heaved a heavy sigh. "I cannot take the Wizard's place as your mentor, but I will do my best to support you and your Family for as long as I am able. That, I promise."
"Thanks, Tawky," Shazam said. "And I understand, I really do. If you hadn't done what you did, I probably never would have found my mom. Or, gotten to be part of this family." He smiled at Freddy and Mary, then broadened his gaze to include Superman and Zatanna.
Mary smiled back. Freddy looked deeply thoughtful.
"But, what was the trap?" the Captain asked Freddy and Superman. "Why did it take you guys so long to get back?"
"Red light," Superman said grimly, and Zatanna brought her hands to her mouth. "Attuned to the frequency of Krypton's red sun. If not for Junior's quick thinking, we might never have made it out."
"Junior?" Mary wrinkled her nose.
"Yeah," Freddy said, straightening his shoulders. "'Cause I'm the Cap's Junior Lieutenant. Get it? Oh, plus, I think we might have found your Orrery of Worlds. But we can go into details later."
"Cool," Shazam said and smiled. "So, Junior. You not only got to meet your hero, you got to rescue him too. Seems like someone's feeling more confident about being an awesome superhero," he teased, and Freddy snorted a laugh.
"Yeah, whatever."
Shazam shared a look with Mary, and they both broke into grins.
"Well, it feels like the demons are restless. I better put this back," Shazam said, readjusting his grip on the glowing Eye of Sin, but Freddy zipped to his side.
"Let me!" he said. When his brother hesitated, he pressed, "Come on, big guy, trust me! I can do this!"
"I do trust you, bro," Shazam said. Looking down into Freddy's eyes, he pursed his lips together then sighed, gingerly handing over the glowing Eye and giving his brother's shoulder a supportive squeeze. "All right," he said. "If you can save Superman, you can totally handle this. But seriously, guys, we need to think up a better way to store this thing."
"No question," Mary agreed as Freddy carefully walked with his charge into the main hall. "But, one thing at a time. Sure we knocked out a few Monsters and got the Eye back from Sivana, but we still have to find this Mister Mind worm who started the whole thing!"
"Speaking of Sivana and the rest…" Zatanna said, facing the unconscious, snoring forms of Kru'll, Herkimer, Sivana and Stanley Printwhistle, the former Ibac. "Peels dna eb dnuob!"
Her dark eyes briefly glowed white and the Monsters sank into a deeper sleep, magical silver chains securely coiling around each of them.
"That should hold those creeps until we can get them to the authorities back on Earth," she said. "But I think you're right, Mary. Mister Mind is the primary threat here."
"Yeah. And now that Superman and Freddy are back, they can help us track him down!" Mary said.
"I'd be glad to lend a hand," Superman said. "But first, I have some questions of my own. Are those children trapped inside that...what is that, an energy field?" he demanded, pointing toward the strange metal scaffold positioned over the Thrones. "And where is Batman?"
To Be Continued...
References Include - The Dark Crystal (movie); The Multiversity, by Grant Morrison; Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil, by Jeff Smith; Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam; Superman/Shazam: First Thunder; Superman: The Animated Series; Justice League: Action; Batman: The Brave and the Bold; Shazam! The World's Mightiest Mortal Vol.1-2; Shazam! A Celebration of 75 Years; Shazam! (movie); Shazam! Vol.1, by Geoff Johns; Shazam! #1-14.
This chapter's getting pretty long and it'll probably take another week or so to finish the whole thing so I'm going to cut it here and turn the Batman part into Chapter XXVII. What's the detective been up to while his friends have been facing down the Monster Society? Are the Monsters out for the count or is Mind only getting started? What about Freddy and the Eye? Stay tuned! :)
Thanks so much for reading and for your reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think! :D
