Chapter 74: Sins Past and Present
Sivana looked around in awe of standing in the Rock of Eternity, still feeling a sense of disbelief that he was actually standing there. He then looked forward, seeing the Wizard slumped on his throne. He narrowed his eyes, walking toward the Wizard with determination on his face. As he approached, the Wizard perked up, rising from his seat.
"I've been waiting for this moment…" Sivana spoke. "For so long. You don't remember me, do you?"
The Wizard looked him over, seeing him as nothing more than the boy he turned away so long ago.
"I remember you…" he confirmed, much to Sivana's surprise. "You were a boy then… and now you dare intrude upon my domain!"
"Do you know what it's like for a child to be told he'll never be good enough?!" Sivana challenged. "To have the one shred of hope to matter in this world… be taken away just as easily as it was offered? No, I don't believe you do. I've spent decades thinking over that night and you know what I decided?… you're right. I'm not pure of heart. So why fight nature?"
He then turned to a set of seven statues depicting monsters lining the wall. In front of them was a small glowing orb that Sivana went toward. The Wizard tried to move toward Sivana to prevent him from grabbing it, but it was too late. As soon as Sivana grabbed the orb, causing the statues to shatter and knock the Wizard back. As he picked himself up, he looked up in horror as the statues were destroyed, revealing the monsters inside. The first was Wrath, a large, red, muscular creature with spikes along its back. Flying above them was Pride, a violet monster with wings and horns, clearing trying to set itself apart. Following after as slowly as it could was Sloth, appearing light blue and seeming to be moving at its own pace while waving its tentacle fingers. Brushing past Sloth was Gluttony, who appeared orange and massively obese, with a large teeth-filled mouth on its stomach that roared upon being freed. Lurking out of the wreckage was Lust, a blue monster with a slimmer figure and a long prehensile tongue coming out of its mouth. Grabbing pieces of rock that were in its way was Greed, a yellow monster with four arms that grabbed everything in sight. Finally, slinking out of the smoke was Envy, a green monster that was smaller in stature than the others.
All of the Sins started circling Sivana as the Wizard looked on.
"No…" The Wizard let out.
"At last… our time has come," Wrath declared.
"You rejected this one as our champion," Pride boasted. "Instead, he will be ours."
"You are too late," The Wizard informed. "I have found my champion… and he will put a stop to your evil."
"If that's true…" Sivana mused, holding up the orb. "Then I'll just have to kill him."
Just then, the sins turned into mist, each of them pouring into the orb as it floated up to meet Sivana at eye level. All of a sudden, it shot forward into Sivana's eye, shattering his glasses and knocking him to the ground. The Wizard slowly began picking himself up as Sivana did the same. As he turned to face the Wizard, he opened his eyes, revealing one of them was actually glowing.
"They are using you," the Wizard warned. "They only see you as a means of escape. They will use you to spread their poison to every corner of your world."
Sivana responded by throwing his hand out, sending a blast of energy to the Wizard that knocked him to the ground.
"I don't know what poor soul you found that you deemed so pure…" Sivana mused. "But no one is ever truly good."
He fired a blast up at the roof of the cave, causing a massive slab of rock to come crashing down. The Wizard only had the chance to look up as the slab came crashing down on top of him, crushing him. Sivana looked on, smirking at his malicious handiwork before making his exit.
…
Back at STAR Labs, Flash was running around a track with Billy to track his speed. Billy had the biggest smile across his face as they kept circling the arena. From the observation booth, Cyborg watched on, satisfied with how happy Billy was with his situation. While he was doing that, Silas came in to check on them.
"How's it going?" Silas asked.
"Going good," Cyborg confirmed. "Billy's got some stacked power levels. He might even be on par with Superman."
"Impressive," Silas commended. "Well, I was just about to put in a pizza order. Just wanted to check and see if Billy wanted anything in particular?"
"I'll check," Cyborg replied before activating the comm. "Billy, doing a pizza run. Any preference?"
"Pepperoni! And lots of it!"
"Hehe, you got it."
Silas nodded before heading off to place the order. As he exited the room though, he was suddenly greeted by Dr. Wells, who was wheeling up to him.
"Silas," Wells greeted. "I hear we have an unusual guest."
"Yes," Silas confirmed. "Billy Batson. Victor and the League have taken it upon themselves to help him develop his… abilities."
"I see. Have his parents been informed?"
"It… doesn't appear he has any."
"Really? Perhaps child services should be brought in on this."
"I don't think that's necessary, Dr. Wells. We still don't know the extent of his abilities. Just give us a few days to figure out his limits. Who knows… there might be a place for him here."
Wells chuckled in response. "I don't think we're equipped to take care of children, Silas."
"Just give us the time to figure something out."
Wells paused for a moment before sighing. "Very well. If you insist."
"Thank you, Dr. Wells. I'm only trying to do what's best for him."
With that, Silas went off, leaving Wells alone to ponder.
…
Moments later, Wells returned to his secret room to speak to Gideon once more.
"Gideon, pull up all references to Billy Batson," Wells instructed.
"Searching." A holographic image appeared, showing Billy's face, along with his hero persona. "Billy Batson, known often as Captain Marvel or Shazam, is a member of the Justice League. With abilities on par with Superman, he has proven to be a capable member-"
"Thank you, Gideon," Wells cut off. "... he wasn't from my timeline. This… complicates things."
"How do you wish to proceed, Dr. Wells?" Gideon wondered.
"Delicately," Wells replied, pulling out a cell phone and dialing a number. "Hello, Child Protective Services? Yes, this is Dr. Harrison Wells."
…
Back at the DEO, Kari groaned in pain as she slowly came to. As she did, she noticed Faraday and J'onn standing over her.
"Faraday…?" she let out. "J'onn…?"
"Are you alright?" J'onn asked.
"When you never reported back, I sent J'onn to check on you," Faraday explained. "He found you unconscious on the floor of Sivana's lab."
"Right…" She held her head as J'onn got her back into her chair. "Director, remember when I told you Sivana rubs me the wrong way and gives me the creeps? Yeah, the guy's a nutcase. He beaned me on the back of my head and took my notes."
"He clearly had a hidden agenda with this project," J'onn reasoned.
"I've already got agents looking for him, but they're only to locate, not engage," Faraday explained. "If he was right about this Wizard, who knows what kind of powers we're dealing with."
…
Outside a building marked Sivana Industries in Fawcett City, a black limo drove up to it, coming to a stop near the front door. Stepping out of the limo was Oliver Queen, who was soon flanked by Diggle and Felicity as they walked toward the building.
"Sivana Industries…" Oliver let out, looking up at the building. "They sure know how to make an impression."
"Yeah, before gutting every company they purchase for all their assets, completely destroying them," Felicity commented, getting a look from Oliver. "Sorry."
"Don't worry," Oliver reassured. "I'm not gonna let this guy destroy my family's company."
"Which I'm guessing is why you came here in person to confront William Sivana in person rather than him sending someone to you," Dig guessed as they approached the building.
"Exactly," Oliver confirmed.
The three of them went inside, unaware of Sivana standing across the street, narrowing his eyes as he walked toward the building as a car approached. Before it could hit him, he brought a fist down on the hood, creating a massive dent and destroying the engine as he continued walking.
…
A short time later, Oliver made his way up to the boardroom where William Sivana sat at the end of the table in a motorized wheelchair. He was joined by several men and women lining along the sides of the table, clearly his fellow board members.
"Ah, Mr. Queen," William greeted. "Nice of you to join us."
"Thank you," Oliver replied, standing at the end of the table. "But let's cut with the pleasantries, shall we?"
"Direct. I can respect that. Well, I'll spell it out for you. Your company is failing. Investors have been pulling out left and right."
"Queen Consolidated is still holding strong."
"Tough talk for someone flirting with financial ruin."
"I've had pretty good success with flirting," Oliver remarked with a smirk.
"I'll bet. But running a frilly nightclub is a little different than running a multi-million dollar company. Let me take the burden off your shoulders for you."
"So you can destroy everything my family worked to build? Not happening."
"Oh, I think your family has done that already. No one wants to go into business with the company that helped destroy an entire neighborhood. Face it Oliver, the reign of Queen is over."
Oliver clenched his fist upon hearing that. Just then, the doors were thrown open, causing Oliver and the others to turn and see Sivana entering the room.
"Sorry I'm late," Sivana greeted smugly.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Oliver asked.
"This is Thaddeus Sivana, my son," William explained, sounding annoyed as Sivana discreetly locked the door.
"Sorry, I didn't know he was on your board."
"Oh, I'm not," Sivana chimed in. "Probably you still blame me for what happened."
"Thad, please, this is most unbecoming."
"I swore to you I saw something that night in the car," Sivana continued, walking past Oliver and moving toward William. "But you never believed me. Instead… you held me responsible. Insisted if I hadn't screamed that night, you'd still have your legs. Made it easier, didn't it? To blame me?"
One of the board members, Sivana's brother Sid, quickly moved in front of him, trying to get him to stop.
"That's enough Thad," he insisted.
"Dear Sid… you think? You know, even before the accident… you belittled me."
"Don't make me throw you out of here, Thad. You don't need to make a scene."
"Oh brother…" Sivana continued, pulling his Magic 8 Ball from his coat. "The scene has only begun."
He then tossed the ball to Sid, much to his confusion. Oliver watched on, getting a bad feeling from the situation.
"Ask that if you can throw me out."
Sid gave a perplexed look. "What?"
"It's simple. Ask the ball if you're man enough to throw me out of this room."
Sid chuckled, placing the ball on the table and standing up.
"Alright, that's enough," Sid declared, moving to grab Sivana.
Before Sid could grab him, Sivana grabbed his wrist, twisting it with such ease on his part.
"Outlook," Sivana spoke, grabbing Sid by the throat and lifting him up. "Not so good."
He then chucked Sid across the room and out the window, causing the board members to all scream in panic. Oliver discreetly made his way toward the door, only to find it was locked. He looked back to Sivana, who made his way toward William, who was looking on in shock and horror.
"I've come before you a new man, father," Sivane proclaimed, removing his sunglasses and revealing his glowing eye. "And have come to give you exactly what you deserve."
Suddenly, mist poured out of his face, forming each of the sins, one after another. Oliver quickly unlocked the door and opened it up.
"Everyone, clear out!" Oliver called out.
As he said that, Wrath formed right next to him, knocking him aside. He crashed through the window, quickly grabbing the chain for the window shades before falling toward the ground below. His fall caused half the blinds to break off, snagging as a result. Oliver then used the momentum to swing through the window of the next floor down. Oliver then let go of the chain and rolled on the ground, collecting himself before pulling out his phone.
"Dig, I'm gonna need my suit. We've got a situation."
…
Back upstairs, the board members tried to make their escape, only for the sins to hunt them down. As the sins chased after them, Greed paused, as if it sensed something off in the distance. It broke off from the group and retreated toward the boardroom.
…
Back upstairs, Sivana began moving toward William, much to his horror. He pressed a button on his chair, trying to call for help.
"Help!" he called out. "Somebody! Help!"
"What was it you used to say to me?" Sivana mused. "Right. You can't keep running to other people all the time."
"Thad, please. I'll give you anything. Money? The company?"
Sivana chuckled. "It's amusing. That you still feel that all this… material, can still substitute for actual power."
Before he could reach him, however, an arrow flew past him, slicing his cheek before embedding into the wall. Sivana turned to see Green Arrow standing in the doorway.
"Back away," Arrow demanded.
Sivana turned to face Arrow, his confidence never wavering.
"Ah, the Green Arrow. One of the proud and mighty members of the Justice League. Self-appointed paragons of virtue and heroism."
"I don't like to brag," Arrow remarked before drawing an arrow and notching it. "Now back off."
Sivana ignored him, approaching him with nary a care. He glanced up, seeing Greed slowly approaching him.
"And yet… there's something about you. Something… something that allows you to maintain control. That allows you to cling to a sense of control. An unwillingness to let go of the familiar."
Arrow raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out what he was going on about.
"A sense of… Greed."
Suddenly, Greed sprang forward. Arrow turned around just as Greed turned to mist and poured into Arrow's body. He grunted in pain as the sin took him over, causing him to kneel over in pain. Sivana walked over to him, looking him over as Arrow opened his eyes, which flashed open and were glowing yellow as a result. The possessed archer got to his feet and pulled out an arrow, handing it to Sivana.
"Thanks," he replied, chucking the arrow into the base of William's chair.
Much to his surprise, the arrow started flashing, much to his horror as the two walked out of the room.
"It has been some time since we've had physical forms to manifest," Greed commented from within Arrow's body.
"This is but one of the many heroes in this world that hold themselves to impossible standards," Sivana explained. "Just like the Wizard."
"Then they will be our means to tear down this world. After we destroy the champion."
"My sentiments exactly," Sivana explained as the explosive arrow went off in the boardroom.
…
Down below, Diggle and Felicity were helping the surviving board members get out of the building as the sins approached. All of a sudden, they all turned to mist and retreated into the building. Dig and Felicity looked back to see the sins return to Sivana as he and "Arrow" approached. Dig drew his gun and aimed it at Sivana, only for Arrow to fire an arrow at the gun, knocking it out of his hands.
"Arrow, what are you-"
Sivana fired a blast at Dig, knocking him back and causing Felicity to yelp in surprise.
"You would be wise to stay out of our way," Sivana replied before flying off.
Arrow fired a grappling arrow and zipped away. As they left, Felicity went over to Diggle and helped him up.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
"Yeah… what the hell was that?"
"I don't know… but we're gonna need help."
…
Back at STAR Labs, Billy was standing firm as Cyborg fired his sonic cannon at his chest. Billy just stood still, barely acknowledging the blast as Cyborg finally shut his canon down.
"Wow," Cyborg let out. "Not even a scratch."
"Endurance of Achilles," Billy retorted. "No, wait, that's courage. Who even is Achilles anyway?."
"Hero in Greek Literature."
"Huh. Cool."
"He was dipped into the River Styx, which basically rendered him indestructible, all except for his heel. His mom was holding him by it when she dipped him in, so it didn't get the same indestructableness. Hence the term Achilles Heel."
Billy glanced down at his boots. "Do these things come with protected heels then?"
"I think that's something exclusive to him."
"Yeah, probably."
Just then, there was an alert on Cyborg's systems, notifying him that someone was at the entrance.
"Got company," he informed. "Must be the pizza guy. Might be better if he didn't see… all this."
"Good idea. Shazam!"
Lightning struck Billy, changing him back to his kid form before the two went off to get their food. As they made their way down to the entrance, they were surprised to see not the pizza delivery man, but two individuals in suits.
"Uh… can we help you?" Vic asked.
"Child protective services," one of them informed, eying Billy. "We're here for him."
Billy went wide-eyed, backing away in response. "Me?"
"Whoa, wait a minute," Vic spoke up, getting between them. "Nobody here called child-"
"I did."
Victor turned to see Wells wheeling up to them.
"This young man needs to be in a proper home. Not in a lab."
"Thank you for contacting us, Dr. Wells," the other agent replied before turning to Billy. "Come along, son."
"Wait, you can't-" Billy tried to protest.
"Come on, let's not make this difficult," the first agent insisted, placing his hand on his back.
Seeing no way out of his situation, Billy conceded and let the two agents usher him out. As they left, Victor turned to Dr. Wells, feeling utterly betrayed.
"Dr. Wells, how could you do that?" Cyborg demanded. "Billy's a good kid."
"I know that. I am merely looking out for his well-being."
"And you think the system is the best place for him? Billy told me about his time in the system, and he was shuffled from one crappy home to the next. How do we know the next place they send him to isn't gonna be worse?"
"We're just going to have to trust the system. Like your father said, we just want what's best for-"
"Wait a minute," Vic cut off. "My.. dad told you about Billy?"
"He informed me about him not long after he arrived. We both agreed to do what was best for him."
Victor's face hardened upon hearing that. Instantly, he marched off, looking to confront his father.
…
Outside STAR Labs, Billy was put in the backseat of a car as the two agents got into the front seats. Just as one of them turned the key to start the car, a bolt of lightning shot down on the car, startling the two of them. When the smoke cleared, the two looked back to see the roof of the car torn open and Billy gone.
…
In Central City, Joe West parked his car outside CCPD headquarters. He got out of his car, about to head into the building when a familiar shadow loomed over him. He turned around to see Superman flying down toward him.
"Detective West," he greeted, landing on the ground.
"Superman," Joe greeted in surprise. "Uh… to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I was wondering if I could get some insight into a case you've been working on."
"And what case might that be?"
"Dr. Harrison Wells."
…
At the DEO, J'onn, Kari, and Faraday made their way to Sivana's secret lab, J'onn phasing through the door and opening it for the other two to enter. Upon going inside, they were shocked at everything Sivana had collected concerning the project.
"It would seem that this was something of a fixation for him," J'onn noted.
"Try obsession," Kari countered. "He's been searching for this Wizard since he was a kid. Seriously messed with his head."
"It shows," Faraday commented, looking around the room.
Just then, J'onn's comm started going off, prompting him to answer.
"Yes?" he answered.
"Hello, is this the Justice League?" Felicity asked from the other end.
"Who is this? How did you get on this channel?"
I'm, uh… Overwatch. I'm a friend of Green Arrow, and there's something wrong with him. Some creepy guy was attacking Sivana Industries in Fawcett City, and-"
"Sivana? Did you say Sivana?"
"Uh, yeah. Anyway, Green Arrow tried to stop him, but he's helping him for some reason."
"Stay where you are. Someone will come and collect you shortly." J'onn then turned to the others. "Sivana has engaged Green Arrow in Fawcett City. He seems to be under Sivana's control somehow."
"Better call the others," Faraday insisted. "I get the feeling we're gonna need all the help we can get."
…
At the Themyscira Embassy, Diana was showing Artemis and Donna around, getting them familiar with the building and the history around it. Their latest stop was the library, which Diana opened for them to look around in. Artemis took one of the books off the shelf, staring at the cover.
"Alexa would have loved this place," she mused.
"I have no doubt she would," Diana reassured, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Donna meanwhile found herself drawn to one of the shelves, seeing pictures of Diana accomplishing various tasks over the years, both political and confrontational. She zeroed in on one that appeared to be a newspaper clipping regarding some global peace summit.
"You… really seem to have accomplished a lot," Donna commented.
"I'd like to think so," Diana replied. "I've tried to make it my mission to lend aid to man's world wherever I can. And now that Themyscira has become more open, it has made sharing wisdom and resources so much easier."
"I can imagine."
"Still, one can only imagine the battles and victories you've dealt with over the years," Artemis noted. "It is impressive."
"Well, I can't claim sole credit," Diana replied, trying to sound modest. "I have had help from the League."
"True, recently, but-" Donna started to continue.
Before she could continue, Diana's communicator started going off, prompting her to hold up a finger and answer.
"Hello?"
"Diana, it is J'onn. We have a situation. Can you meet us at the DEO?"
"I'll be right there," Diana replied before turning to the others. "Sorry. Duty calls."
Diana then began spinning around, causing a bright flash of light to appear. As the light faded, Diana was now clad in her Wonder Woman uniform. She then went to the window and opened it so she could fly out as the two Amazons watched in awe.
"Do you think she could teach us that move?" Donna wondered.
…
At the High Tides Bar, Arthur was enjoying a break from his royal and heroic duties with his dad. The two of them shared a drink just like they did in times past.
"I'm glad you were able to come out today," Thomas commented.
"Me too," Arthur replied. "You'd think it'd be easier for a king to get days off."
The two shared a laugh before Arthur took another swig of his drink.
"You've certainly kept busy," Thomas noted. "Between ruling Atlantis and fighting alongside the League."
"Yeah, it's been a bit of a hassle lately. Somedays, I just feel like collapsing on my bed when it's all over."
"It hasn't been that bad, has it?"
"Not bad, no. Just tiring. Going from dealing with one thing or another. I'm just lucky I was able to get today off without some world-ending crisis-"
Before Arthur could finish, his comm started going off, much to his annoyance.
"And there it is," he lamented before preparing to answer. "Go ahead."
"Arthur," J'onn spoke. "There is a developing situation. How quickly can you make it to the DEO?"
"Consider me there," Arthur replied before turning to Thomas. "Rain check?"
"Of course. Now, go save the world."
Arthur nodded before heading to the door, quickly grabbing his trident that was embedded into the floor. Before heading out, he fished into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin before tossing it to the bartender.
"That's to pay for the floor," he replied before heading out.
…
In the skies of Coast City, Green Lantern streaked across the skyline, hoping to make a long overdue date night between him and Carol. After so many distractions and missions that had taken up his time, the thought of spending a night alone with the woman he loved.
"Less than five minutes away," he told her over the phone. "You about ready?"
"More than. So, what do you have in mind for tonight?"
"I was thinking Cuban food. I know an excellent restaurant… in Cuba."
Carol chuckled a little in response. "Well, I suppose dating a superhero has its perks."
"A few, yeah. After that, I was thinking a nice long walk on the beach, and then… well, I'm sure we can think of something."
"Sounds absolutely delightful."
"Glad you think so, 'cause I've been looking forward to this for a while. Just you and me and-"
Before he could finish his thought, his comm started going off.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me," he bemoaned before answering. "What?"
"Green Lantern, it is J'onn. We have a situation."
GL sighed in response. "Guessing it's an all-hands-on-deck kind of deal?"
"I would not be calling if the stakes were not dire."
"Right… I'm on my way," he lamented before returning to Carol's call. "I'm sorry, Carol… duty calls."
"I see…"
"Believe me, there's nowhere I'd rather be tonight. But-
"I get it. Just… do what you have to."
With that, Carol hung up, much to Hal's disappointment. Regardless, he took off, ready to face whatever was coming next.
…
At STAR Labs, Silas was going over some data on a computer screen. As he happened to glance up, he saw Cyborg storming in.
"Dad!" he called out.
"Victor?" Silas responded, noting the temper in Victor's voice. "What's wrong-"
"You know damn well what's wrong! You told Dr. Wells about Billy, didn't you?!"
"What?" He grimaced. "Yes, I did. I informed him of the tests we were running and-"
"And what?! After you get what you wanted from him, you send him away?!"
"Send him away?"
"Wells called child services. They took Billy. They took him, and we have no idea where he's going."
"What? Victor, I promise, I didn't know."
"Didn't know, or just didn't care?" Victor scoffed. "I should have known you'd never change…"
"Victor-"
"And the worst part?" Victor met his father's eye, his remaining human eye glistening with tears. "The worst part is that I fell for it."
Victor then turned to leave, Silas trying to follow.
"Victor, wait," Silas pleaded, reaching his hand out. "Let me explain-"
Victor just swatted his hand away. "I don't care what you have to say. And right now… I don't care if I ever see you again."
With that, Victor finally left, storming past Flash as he came into the room. Flash watched him leave in confusion before turning back to Silas.
"What was that all about?"
Silas remained silent for a moment before speaking. "I need to speak with Harrison."
…
At the DEO, Green Lantern was the last to arrive, touching down outside before heading in. As he entered, he saw Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and J'onn waiting for him, as well as Faraday, Kari, Diggle, and Felicity.
"So what's with GA's backup?"
"They're the reason we're here," Aquaman relayed.
"Dr. Sivana," Kari reported, holding up the files she's collected. "He's tampering with forces far beyond the mortal realm. We're talking magic, demons, the works. And unfortunately, I gave him the last piece he needed to get the power he was after."
"So how dangerous are we talking, here?" GL wondered, crossing his arms.
"Dangerous enough to summon monsters to kill the board members of his father's company," Faraday explained. "Not to mention possessing Green Arrow."
"The guy was a nutcase," Diggle insisted. "Gave Arrow this cryptic speech about how he was greedy."
"Greed…" Kari went pale. "The seven deadly sins. He must be able to manifest them as true demons. Like the ones from the Wizard's Rock of Eternity."
"But for what end?" Wonder Woman proposed. "What would drive him to knowingly unleash such evil upon the world?"
"We can ask him once we find him," GL declared, holding up his ring hand as his ring flashed with energy.
Before anything else could be said, the front of the building was blasted open, knocking everyone back. J'onn and GL caught themselves midair, the latter of which formed a cushion with his ring to catch Faraday and Kari. Wonder Woman and Aquaman merely skidded across the floor, each of them catching Diggle and Felicity respectively. As the smoke cleared, the group looked up to see Sivana sauntering inside with most of the sins following behind him, as well as the mind-controlled Green Arrow.
"Well, go ahead," Sivana remarked, taking off his sunglasses and revealing his glowing eye. "Ask away."
