Back with the heroes, J'onn went intangible to protect himself from Green Lantern's energy blasts. He then took his chance and dove forward, becoming solid and plowing right into him. The two crashed into a wall, with GL forming a giant fist and punching J'onn in the face. He sailed back to the ground, cratering as Green Lantern flew toward him. J'onn quickly recovered before flying away, narrowly avoiding Green Lantern punching the ground. As he landed, J'onn was then hit on all sides by Flash's speed attacks. J'onn tried to retaliate, but Flash just dodged before speeding into him, ramming him into a nearby car.
Meanwhile, Wonder Woman charged at Superman, throwing one massive punch after another. Superman held up his arms to block them as best he could. She then proceeded to kick him in the chest, sending him flying to the ground. She flew down toward him, drawing her sword to stab him in the chest, prompting Superman to fly away just before the blade made contact. He stabilized himself in the air, eying the lasso of truth lying on the ground nearby.
At the same time, Diggle and Faraday came out into the open and began firing on the corrupted Leaguers. Aquaman staggered back a bit before raising his trident and firing at them. Both men rolled out of the way in opposite directions. Faraday was greeted by Cyborg, who tried to punch him. Faraday leaped backward to avoid the attack before opening fire on him. Cyborg recoiled from the blasts, backing away before grabbing a nearby car and using it to shield himself. He then lobbed it at Faraday, causing him to dive for cover before the car hit the ground.
Diggle meanwhile barely dodged an arrow coming from Arrow. He turned and saw Arrow firing one arrow after another at him, prompting Diggle to roll out of the way. He opened fire on Arrow, hoping to stun him. Arrow dodged the blasts, only for his bow to get shot out of his hand. Thinking fast, Arrow leaped out of the way before throwing a flechette at Diggle. It nailed him in the hand, causing him to wince in pain as Arrow rushed at him. He punched him across the face repeatedly before kicking him to the ground. Thinking fast, Diggle pulled out the flechette and threw it back at Arrow. He dodged it, but it was long enough for Diggle to get back up and punch him in the face.
…
While that was going on, Captain Marvel continued falling toward the ground. He kept lunging his body forward, thinking it could help him fly.
"Come on," he let out. "Come on! I can fly! I can fly! Come on!"
Upon shouting, he suddenly found himself streaking forward. Actually flying through the air. He quickly came to a stop, hovering as he looked down at himself.
"I did it… I can fly!"
He was suddenly interrupted by Sivana flying in and punching him, sending him crashing into the side of a building. Captain Marvel shook his head as he looked up at the approaching villain.
"Right, bad guy."
He then flew forward, grabbing the staff as the two tussled in the air.
"You don't deserve this power!" Sivana called out.
"Tough!" Captain Marvel challenged.
Captain Marvel then proceeded to headbutt Sivana repeatedly before finally getting him to let go of the staff. Once it was fully in his hands, Captain Marvel took off flying with it. Sivana chased after him, firing one blast of lightning after another. Captain Marvel did his best to dodge them but could feel the situation was getting pretty intense.
"Gotta lose this thing, fast," Captain Marvel decided.
Looking down, he saw a fire escape in a nearby alley. He tossed the staff to the bottom level and maneuvered himself just above it as Sivana flew up and grabbed him by the neck.
"Enough games!" he proclaimed. "Give it to me!"
"Well, since you asked so nicely. Shazam!"
A bolt of lightning struck them, knocking Sivana back as Captain Marvel reverted into Billy. He landed on the fire escape with a grunt before making his way down it as fast as he could. Once at the bottom, he grabbed the staff and jumped down to the ground, quickly making a break for it as Sivana began to recover. He let out a cry of fury before flying off to find him.
…
Back with Superman, he kept circling Wonder Woman, waiting to make his move. Finally, she dove toward him. Superman dodged it and grabbed her by the leg. He then spun her around before throwing her aside. He used this distraction to dive down toward the lasso. Grabbing as Wonder Woman came flying at him again. He flew at her in response, quickly throwing the lasso at her and pulling on it hard.
"That's enough of that," Superman declared. "Now get out of my friend!"
"I'm only in here because your friend so willingly accepted me," Wonder Woman challenged. "The amount of pride in this one is… intoxicating."
"Diana is proud, but it has nothing to do with ego," Superman continued, not realizing the lasso was beginning to glow. "Her pride comes from what she can do for the world, not for herself. In all the time she has fought for this world, she has never once thought of herself. Only of how she can benefit those around her. That's who Wonder Woman truly is!"
As Superman spoke, Wonder Woman grunted in pain. She thrashed around, feeling some intense pain coursing through her. As Superman finished, a mist shot out of her body, forming the body of Pride. It lunged at Superman, grabbing him and pinning him to the ground below.
"Fool!" it declared. "You will suffer for your insolence!"
"Unlikely, monster!"
Just then, the lasso quickly wrapped around Pride, pulling it away from Superman and toward a newly freed Wonder Woman. Once it was close, Wonder Woman slammed her bracelets together, creating a shockwave that sent Pride flying back, crashing into several cars that exploded upon impact. Once it was incapacitated, Wonder Woman flew down toward Superman to check on him.
"Superman," she let out, offering a hand. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah…" he replied, taking the hand and allowing her to pull him up. "How'd you get free?"
"The lasso is meant to reveal the truth," she explained, holding up the lasso. "That includes one's true self."
"If it worked on you, it can work on the others."
At that moment, J'onn was thrown to the ground, quickly getting up and flying away before a blast from Green Lantern hit him.
"And I think I know who to use it on first," Wonder Woman decided, flying after the Emerald Knight.
GL continued firing at J'onn, just barely missing him every time. Eventually, Wonder Woman managed to throw her lasso around Lantern and pull him down to her level.
"Hal, I know you are in there," she told him. "You must fight the evil that has taken hold in you."
"There's nothing to fight gorgeous," GL countered.
"Lust has filled you, clearly. But your need for affection is the fruit of a much greater emotion. It is love. And is that love that wills you to fight, even if it takes you away from her. And it is for that love I compel you to fight back!"
The lasso glowed as she spoke, just like it had for her. Lantern struggled against the power coursing through him, but it was all for naught. Lust was forced out of his body, immediately lashing out at Wonder Woman. She immediately backhanded it, causing it to crash to the ground. It tried to pick itself up, but a massive green boot came crashing down on top of it. GL brought the boot down repeatedly on Lust, making sure it was incapacitated.
"So…" GL let out in an embarrassed tone as he turned to Wonder Woman. "No hard feelings about… you know…?"
"We can discuss that after we win," she told him before flying off.
"... right," GL agreed before flying after her. "Good idea."
Back down on the ground, Diggle and Arrow continued duking it out, trading blows with each other back and forth. Finally, Diggle managed to uppercut Arrow, causing him to backflip away and grab his lost bow. Rearmed, he notched an arrow and fired it at Diggle. Fortunately for him, Superman sped in front of the arrow, causing it to shatter upon impact. Seeing Superman standing in front of him, Green Arrow reached for another Kryptonite Arrow, only for J'onn to appear behind him and grab his arm before he could draw it.
"That is quite enough," J'onn told him, grabbing Arrow's shoulder and forcing him to his knees.
Diana landed on the ground in front of him and quickly threw the lasso around Arrow, pulling it tight.
"Green Arrow, you have been led to believe that Greed has filled your heart, but despite your desires for more out of life, you never let them overcome you. Never let them distract you from what you need to do. Your needs never supersede the needs of the city you've sworn to protect. And right now, those people need you to fight back!"
Arrow cried out in pain, struggling to keep something within him. After a few moments, Greed ended up flying out of him, launching right at Wonder Woman. She quickly grabbed two of its arms, holding it back as Superman grabbed the other two from behind. The sin struggled against the two of them as Green Arrow regained his senses. Seeing the sin incapacitated, he grabbed his bow and ran forward before leaping up onto Superman's shoulder and springing off. He then aimed an arrow at Greed and fired at him. It hit, causing electricity to surge through the sin as Superman and Wonder Woman tossed him aside. It hit the ground hard as Green Arrow touched down, turning to the others.
"You alright?" Superman asked.
"I'll be fine," Arrow reassured. "When I put an arrow through Sivana's knee."
"There's the angry archer we know and love," GL remarked as he joined the others.
"Three down, three to go," Superman noted.
Just then, Superman was blasted back by a shot from Aquaman. Turning toward him, Green Lantern raised a shield to block the blasts as Superman picked himself up.
"You didn't think it was gonna be easy, did you?" GL remarked.
"J'onn and I will deal with Aquaman," Wonder Woman decided, the two of them taking off toward him.
"I'll handle Flash," Green Arrow volunteered, heading off to confront him.
"That leaves us with Cyborg," Superman decided, turning to GL.
"Then let's do it," GL declared.
…
Back with Billy, he continued running down the street. He gripped the staff tight, constantly looking up for any sign of Sivana looking for him. As he rounded the corner, he ran into someone, causing him to drop to the ground.
"Sorry about that, I-" he suddenly looked up, seeing that he had run into the same old man he had met earlier that day. "You?"
"Well, hey there. Fancy seeing you here."
"Yeah… what are you doing here?"
"Just taking a stroll," he replied, eying the staff. "What's with the stick?"
"Just… trying to keep it from someone," he suddenly had an idea. "Say, I know this is out of the blue, but… do you think you could hold onto it for a little while? I promise I'll come right back for it."
"Sure, I've got nowhere to be," the old man replied as Billy handed it to him.
"Thanks!" he called to him as he ran back down the alley. "I'll be back for it soon!" he quickly turned the corner, ready to get back into the fight. "Shazam!"
Lightning shot down, transforming him back into Captain Marvel as he flew back up into the fight. Back in the air, Sivana spun around and saw Captain Marvel flying toward him, narrowing his eyes as a result.
"Finally," he declared before flying forward.
The two flew at each other at high speed, clashing head-on and creating a shockwave that shattered windows all around them. The two traded blows back and forth, clashing against each other repeatedly. Sivana however, managed to grab Captain Marvel's arm and spin him around before throwing him across the sky. Sivana then flew after him and punched him repeatedly. Finally, Sivana grabbed Captain Marvel by the throat and threw him down to a nearby rooftop. He cratered hard, groaning in pain as he looked up and saw Sivana lowering down to him.
"Where is the staff?" Sivana demanded.
"The what?" Captain Marvel asked, slowly picking himself up. "Oh, that? Guess I lost it after a while."
Sivana scowled. "It matters little. Soon, my allies will dispose of your friends. And once we're done with you… there will be no one on this Earth that can stop us."
…
Back with the League, Aquaman lazily blasted at Wonder Woman with his trident, allowing her to easily deflect the blasts with her bracelets. This allowed J'onn to phase out of the ground behind Aquaman and grab the trident from his hand, throwing it aside. Aquaman turned around to punch him, but J'onn quickly grabbed the fist, allowing Wonder Woman to throw her lasso around him.
"Arthur," she spoke. "It is right for a warrior to want a reprieve from endless battle and duty, but you know that reprieve is not, and should not, be indefinite. Despite everything, you still fight on for your family, friends, and kingdom. You know what the workload demands, and you meet it head-on every day. And right now, we need you to do so again!"
Aquaman struggled to fight back against the lasso, but it was a losing battle. Finally, Sloth was forced out of Aquaman's body. As it landed, it shot out its tentacles at Wonder Woman, prompting her to grab them before they could reach her.
"J'onn," Aquaman spoke, now free from the sin's control. "You mind?"
"Not at all," J'onn replied, letting him go.
Free, Aquaman ran toward and punched it in the face, disorienting it before nailing it in the gut. This caused it to pull back its tendrils as it staggered back, allowing Aquaman to rush forward and uppercut Sloth, sending it flying into the air before it came crashing down.
"For the record," Aquaman spoke, pounding his fist. "I never wanna be that lazy." He took a whiff of himself, recoiling a bit. "And now my armor smells like beer."
"You can clean up once we're done here," Wonder Woman told him. "Flash and Cyborg still remain possessed, and they will not be easy to subdue."
"Well then," Aquaman replied, holding out his hand and summoning his trident. "Let's get to work."
With Arrow, he leaped onto a car and flipped off it, landing on the ground and firing an arrow at Flash. He easily dodged before running forward, prompting Arrow to leap out of the way before Flash could reach him. He rolled on the ground before notching an arrow and firing it at Flash. He easily dodged, causing it to hit a nearby car. Flash turned back to him, smirking.
"You missed," he remarked.
"No," Arrow replied, pressing a button on his bow.
The arrow then exploded, causing the car to explode and knock the Flash off his feet. While Flash was still down, Arrow grabbed another arrow and fired it, nailing him in the back.
"Enough tranquilizer to put a horse to sleep," Arrow told him. "Should slow you down enough.
Flash yanked the arrow out of his back as he returned to his feet. He then began vibrating his body at super speed, mitigating the effects of the tranquilizer. While he was still recovering, Diggle managed to line up a shot and fire at Flash, knocking him back down.
"Go, man!" Diggle called out, causing Arrow to nod as he ran over.
He quickly grabbed Flash around the neck and held him tight as Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and J'onn approached. Wonder Woman quickly tossed Arrow the lasso, prompting him to wrap it around Flash instantly.
"Barry," Arrow spoke. "You are not a glutton for wanting more from life. I know how that feels, but that doesn't mean we don't cherish what we have right now. The lives we live, the people we love, that's what we fight for. You told me to focus on what we fight for, focus on that now!"
Flash grunted in agony as the lasso began to glow bright. After a few moments, Gluttony was forced out of his body, standing tall among the other heroes. It suddenly backhanded Arrow, sending him flying into a nearby car. J'onn quickly flew forward and socked it in the face repeatedly, narrowly dodging one of its attacks. Flash shook his head, finally clear of the sin's influence, looking up and seeing it attack the others. Seeing the lasso still wrapped around him, Flash took it and sped off, wrapping it around the sin at high speed before passing the end back to Wonder Woman. She took hold of it, pulling on Gluttony and spinning it around before tossing it through the air. It collided with the side of a building before coming crashing down to the ground. Arrow grunted in pain as he picked himself up, with Diggle rushing over to help him up.
"You alright?" he asked.
"Yeah…" Arrow grunted as he got back up. "Think I dislocated my shoulder."
"I think I can help with that," Wonder Woman offered.
Arrow nodded as Wonder Woman came over and snapped his shoulder into place, causing him to yell in pain.
"I hope that wasn't too painful," she said.
"I've had worse," Arrow reassured, rotating his arm. "Who's left?"
"Cyborg," Aquaman confirmed. "Should be easy."
"I don't think so," Flash admitted. "He's been having some-"
An explosion rang out near them, causing them to flinch.
"Issues," Flash completed.
Meanwhile, Superman was thrown against a nearby wall as GL fired a blast at Cyborg. Cyborg responded by grabbing a car and tossing it into the air. The blast collided with the car, causing it to explode. GL covered his eyes from the blast, allowing Cyborg to run forward and tackle him to the ground. He punched him across the face repeatedly, each blow seething with rage. Superman managed to recover and sped over to Cyborg, grabbing him from behind.
"Victor!" he cried out. "I know you're in there somewhere! You have to fight this!"
"The power I wield," Cyborg spoke. "It is wasted on this lifeform. He barely knows what he's capable of!"
Just then, Cyborg's entire body became electrified, causing Superman to cry out in pain before Cyborg forced him off. He then grabbed Superman and tossed him aside, sending him hurling down the street. While Cyborg was distracted, Aquaman landed behind him and rammed into him, knocking him to the ground. Wonder Woman landed next, throwing the lasso around Cyborg and pulling it tight.
"Victor," she spoke. "You must fight back against the rage dwelling inside you. You are more than-"
Before she could finish, Cyborg grabbed hold of the lasso and yanked on it hard, pulling her forward and allowing Cyborg to punch her in the face, sending her crashing into a car. Faraday moved forward, opening fire on Cyborg trying to subdue him. The shots did little as Cyborg raised a hand, causing it to actually shoot out with cable attaching it to his arm. The hand grabbed the gun and yanks it out of Faraday's hand before retracting to his body. He looked down at the gun, watching it disassemble in his hand and the individual circuits integrate into his body. Cyborg then smirked as he raised his arms, allowing turrets to rise from both hands and open fire on the League. GL quickly formed a shield to block the shots as the League regrouped.
"You weren't kidding about those issues," GL commented to Flash. "I didn't even know Vic could do this stuff."
"I don't think even he knew," Arthur reasoned. "Something about that sin inside of him is tapping into his armor. Who knows what other tricks he's got tucked away."
"All the more reason we need to subdue him," Superman decided. "Try not to hurt him!"
Superman quickly flew toward Cyborg, with Flash circling the other way. Flash then began running around Cyborg at high speed.
"Hopefully, this should take the wind out of him," Flash commented as he kept running.
Cyborg formed his sonic cannon and tried shooting at Flash, missing him every time. Becoming more and more enraged, Cyborg's other hand formed a second sonic cannon. Cyborg then aimed both cannons at the ground, firing at full blast/. The shockwave was enough to knock Flash off his feet, making him hit the ground repeatedly before coming to a stop. Arrow stepped up and notched an explosive arrow, firing it at Cyborg. Cyborg saw the oncoming arrow and blasted it with one of his cannons, eviscerating it. Arrow narrowed his eyes in response as Cyborg tried to fire at him. Arrow quickly dove and rolled out of the way before firing at him again. Arrow unleashed one arrow after another as Cyborg backed away, shooting at them one after another. Seeing Cyborg was occupied, Flash sped forward, hoping to catch him off guard. Cyborg, however, managed to detect Flash sneaking up from behind. Acting fast, he quickly spun around and smacked Flash across the face, causing him to tumble across the ground. Cyborg marched toward him, readying one of his cannons. The League tried to stop him, but the remaining sins suddenly manifested around them, ready for another fight.
…
"Your friends," Captain Marvel responded, him and Sivana beginning to circle each other. "The Seven Deadly Sins, right? I mean, we got Wrath, Greed, Pride, Sloth, Gluttony, and Lust, which makes me wonder some things about Green Lantern. But…" he paused for a moment, stopping in place. "That's only six. Where's number seven, huh? Where's Envy?"
Sivana stopped in his tracks, energy surging through his hands as he stared Captain Marvel down.
"That's your sin, isn't it?" Captain Marvel continued. "Jealous that everyone else gets to play the superpower game but you missed out. That's why you need my power, right? Cause these guys? They ain't the real deal. I mean sure, the other sins are pretty tough, but Envy? He's just the runt."
Sivana glared at him, only for the demon face of Envy to show itself in his face for just a second. Captain Marvel noted this and smirked, starting to hover in the air.
"And that's why he stays home when all the other sins go out to play," Captain Marvel continued as Sivana floated up to keep eye level. "Because they know who will win. And it's not weak. Useless. Ugly. Little. Envy."
That was the tipping point. Sivana didn't even get the chance to contain the power before mist began pouring out of his body, forming the sin of Envy. With the final sin leaving his body, Sivana instantly fell out of the sky, much to his panic. He landed hard, falling off the edge of the roof and barely managing to grab onto the ledge, holding on for dear life. The sin of Envy ran across the ground toward Captain Marvel, tackling him to the ground as Captain Marvel held it back, smirking.
"Gotcha," he remarked. "Shazam!"
Lightning struck down, hitting Envy and revering him back to mist before transforming Billy back to his mortal form. As he picked himself up, he saw Sivana's grip give out, causing him to fall toward the ground below. Thinking fast, Billy got to his feet and ran forward.
"Shazam!" he cried out, transforming back into Captain Marvel before leaping off the roof.
Upon becoming Captain Marvel, he quickly flew down toward Sivana as he fell toward the ground. Seconds before hitting the pavement, Captain Marvel managed to grab him by the collar of his coat, pulling him up.
"Time to round up your buddies, wouldn't you say?" Captain Marvel boasted.
"You think this over?" Sivana countered. "No matter how long it takes or what I have to do, I will never stop trying to claim what is mine! Never! You'll wish you'd killed me."
Captain Marvel paused a moment before smiling. "Nah. too easy."
He then reached for Sivana's eye and began pulling it out.
…
Back with the League, Flash began to pick himself up as he saw Cyborg standing over him. He raised an arm, forming one of his cannons and aiming it at Flash's head. At the same time, the remaining sins began closing in on the League, who readied themselves and their weapons as they prepared for an attack. However, before the sins could attack, they all suddenly turned into mist, one after another, and were pulled away from the group. The Leaguers looked on in surprise, unsure what had happened. Just as Cyborg's cannon lit up to fire, Wrath was pulled from his body, being recalled with the other sins as Cyborg regained his senses. He shook his head, focusing on Flash before looking down at his cannon. He gasped in horror, powering down the cannon and converting it back to his hand before rushing over to help Flash.
"Flash," he let out, rushing over. "Are you-"
"I'm fine, Vic," Flash replied, taking Cyborg's hand up. "Nothing I can't heal from."
"But I almost killed you!"
"That wasn't you, Vic," Flash insisted. "That wasn't any of us."
"I wish I could be so certain," Wonder Woman lamented, looking away ashamed.
Superman turned toward her, seeing the regret on her face. Before he could say anything to console her, something dropped to the ground with a thud, causing the League to turn and see Sivana lying on the ground wrapped in a metal beam while Captain Marvel hovered over him holding the glowing orb in his hand.
"Somebody order a supervillain?" he boasted.
"Nice work, Captain," Superman congratulated.
"Thanks," Captain Marvel replied before noting everyone's faces. "Whoa, everyone alright?"
"Just… reeling from everything," Superman replied.
…
With Kari's help, the League was able to reopen the portal to the Rock of Eternity. Captain Marvel set the staff on the Wizard's old throne, and the orb on its original stand, imprisoning the sins in their statue form once more. Once all was as it should be, Captain Marvel went over to the debris where the Wizard was crushed, bowing his head in respect.
"He didn't deserve this," Captain Marvel lamented.
"No he didn't," Superman agreed, coming over and placing a hand on his shoulder. "But now his legacy lives on. With you."
Captain Marvel turned to him, still uncertain. "You think?"
"I know. The voices of the sins tempted every person who he selected. But you? You never even gave them a thought."
"I guess I heard them…" Captain Marvel admitted. "Just… wasn't interested in what they were saying."
"And that is the reason you were given this power. Out of all the noise of the world, you recognized what was right, and what needed to be done."
Captain Marvel smiled, feeling confident in his new role as a hero. With that, Superman and Captain Marvel exited the Rock of Eternity, ready to face whatever the world had to offer.
…
Back at STAR Labs, the possessed Leaguers stood in front of the STAR Labs crew, apologizing for their actions under the sins' control while Superman, J'onn, and Captain Marvel stood off to the side with Kari, Faraday, Diggle, and Felicity.
"Words cannot express the shame and regret we feel for our actions," Wonder Woman addressed. "I know our actions were not our own, but that does not excuse what happened. All we can do is offer our sincerest apologies."
"Hey, no worries," Cisco insisted.
"You sure?" Flash asked, walking forward.
"Hey, I get it. Villain brainwashing, it happens. No hard feelings."
"Thanks, man," Flash replied, gripping hands with Cisco before turning to Caitlin. "Caitlin?"
Caitlin herself remained silent, unsure of how to respond to them.
"Caitlin," Wonder Woman spoke, taking a step forward. "What we did, especially to you, was inexcusable. I know forgiving us is impossible right now, but I genuinely hope you can someday."
"I… I don't know," Caitlin admitted coldly before turning around and leaving.
"Caitlin," Flash let out about to follow before GL placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Leave her be, man. Just give her time."
Flash let out a sigh before relenting.
"Lantern is right," Wells agreed, wheeling up. "Caitlin just needs time to come to terms with what's happened today."
"Yeah… I know," Flash replied before perking up. "Dr. Wells… Why did you have the staff here?"
Wells paused for a moment. "I saw that the boy left it behind and believed it would be dangerous. So, I was holding it here until it could be passed on to safer hands."
"I see…" Flash replied.
"Gotta say it's… a little unsettling," Aquaman admitted. "Knowing you've got a dark side like that in ya."
"Guess everyone has a dark side in them," Captain Marvel commented. "But the fact that you guys needed something like this to bring it out means you do a pretty good job keeping that darkness at bay."
"Yeah… yeah, that makes sense," Aquaman admitted.
"I know what it feels like to have a dark side," Green Arrow admitted. "One thing that helps… having friends to keep those darker impulses in check."
"Right," GL concurred. "We watch each other's backs and cover each other's weaknesses. That's how we come out on top."
"Yeah…" Cyborg replied, still sounding solemn.
Flash turned toward Cyborg as he started to walk off.
"Hey Vic," Flash spoke, walking over to him. "You gonna be ok?"
"Yeah, I… I just need to be alone."
Cyborg walked off, with Flash holding back to let him go. The other Leaguers watched on as Cyborg departed, unsure what was going through his head.
"He's taking this pretty hard," GL noted.
"Like I said, he was going through some heavy stuff before getting possessed," Flash explained. "This whole experience just got amplified."
"That's not gonna sit well with him," Aquaman noted. "Someone should check in on him."
"In time," Wonder Woman insisted. "He needs to process what's happened. We all will."
"In the meantime," Superman spoke up. "There's still one more issue we need to take care of."
"What's that?" Captain Marvel wondered.
"You."
Captain Marvel perked up in surprise. "Me?"
"You didn't think I'd forget about the whole 'not leaving you on the streets' thing, did you?"
"Uh," Captain Marvel replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "It was more of a hope than a thought."
"Fraid not," Superman replied.
"Still, all the Foster homes Billy's been in have been crap," Flash recalled. "What's to stop the next one from being any different?"
"I have a friend that might be able to help with that," Superman suggested, smiling.
…
Sometime later, the social worker assigned to Billy's case was meeting with, of all people, Bruce Wayne.
"I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me," Bruce addressed.
"Of course," the social worker replied. "I must admit, I was surprised to hear from you on this."
"Wayne Enterprises has always held a vested interest in finding suitable homes for displaced or orphaned children. When a… 'friend' told me about Billy Batson's situation, I felt I had no choice but to get involved. He's a good kid who has been wronged by a system meant to help him, and I want to make sure that it doesn't happen again. Not just with Billy, but with other kids with stories like him."
"I couldn't agree more. To be honest, I just started here, and the number of kids that have had to go through stuff like this… well, let's just say I want those like Billy to be able to hold on to what makes them special."
"I couldn't agree more."
The social worker typed away at his computer, going through the potential foster homes that Bruce had provided, before finally stopping on one, and smiling.
"I think I just found the perfect place," he declared before activating his intercom. "Send in Billy Batson, please."
…
Outside, Billy stood in front of the door, nervous about the conversation he knew was coming, as he had had this conversation many times before. After taking a breath, he opened the door and made his way inside. Once he entered though, he was shocked to see not only Bruce Wayne but that his new social worker was none other than the old man whom he had run into twice before.
"What the…?" he let out.
"Mr. Batson," the social worker greeted, standing up. "I'm Dudley H. Dudley." He chuckled. "I have to say, you are quite an interesting case, but I can see clear as day that you've got a good, pure soul."
Billy perked up, recognizing his choice of words. "Uh… thanks."
"Anyway," Dudley continued. "Mr. Wayne here and I were discussing your situation, as well as your, how shall we say, less than stellar track record with homes past."
"We've done a more thorough search," Bruce chimed in. "and we may have just found something."
"You have?" Billy questioned.
"It's a group home in Fawcett City. The parents have already taken in several foster kids already and they're all well cared for. We can reach out to them today and set up a meeting if you'd like."
"Uh… yeah, sure. Guess it couldn't hurt."
…
A few days later, Billy stood outside the Social Services Building with Dudley as they waited for the prospective foster parents to arrive.
"Gotta say," Billy spoke. "Kinda funny we kept running into each other like we did the other day."
"Yeah, it kinda was," Dudley remarked.
"I mean, you were just there whenever I needed a hand. Almost as if it was planned."
"But that would be silly, now wouldn't it?"
"Downright hysterical.'
Dudley shrugged, then adjusted his jacket. This caused his keys to drop. Billy picked them up, seeing a keychain that looked like a realistic tiger. He could have sworn it let out a roar as he handed it back to Dudley.
"Uh… you dropped this."
"Oh, thanks," Dudley replied, taking the keychain back.
Billy raised an eyebrow at that but didn't have time to dwell on it long as he saw a van pulling up into the parking lot. The van came to a stop, allowing a middle-aged, slightly overweight man to step out of the van.
"Go ahead, Victor," the woman sitting next to him insisted. "I'll help Freddy."
"Alright," Victor replied before closing the door and walking over to them. "Hi, I'm Victor Vazquez."
"Dudley H. Dudley," Dudley replied, shaking his hand. "We spoke on the phone."
"Right," Victor replied before looking down at Billy. "And you must be Billy."
The boy chuckled a little. "Yeah, I guess I must be."
"Well, let me first just say, I get it. I get what you're going through. Me and Rosa, we were foster kids back in the day too. So we know how hard it must be. Just know that we'll be here for you at whatever pace you wanna take it."
"That's… encouraging to hear. Still, I don't know if I-"
Billy's next thought seemingly died in his mouth with what he saw next. The woman, Rosa, came walking over, with an all too familiar boy on crutches hobbling next to her. The boy looked up and saw Billy, becoming equally as surprised.
"You," they let out at the same time.
"No way," the boy mustered in disbelief.
"Wait a minute," Rosa interrupted. "Freddy, do you know this boy?"
"Yeah. That's the kid who saved me from those jerks that ran into me when we went to see the Superman and Flash race."
"Really?" Victor questioned, turning to Billy.
"Yeah, it's true."
Victor smiled. "Well then, looks like we have ourselves a hero."
Billy smiled before walking over to Freddy.
"Hey, glad you made it out ok."
"Same to you, dude," Freddy replied. "Those guys could've clobbered you."
Billy shrugged. "Eh, it was the right thing to do."
Dudley smiled as he approached Victor. "I take it this means you're interested?"
"I'd say so," Victor confirmed.
"Just so you know, Billy is a… special case. We'll be checking in every now and then. Just to see how he's doing."
"Understandable."
"Rest assured, our top priority is making sure Billy gets the care he deserves."
While Billy got himself acquainted with his new foster family, Batman and Superman were watching their meeting from a nearby rooftop.
"Did you know about the kid before placing the family's file in your database?" Superman wondered. "Or was that just luck?"
Batman just remained silent. "The important thing is he'll be welcomed. He needs stability, and this family can provide that for him."
"I knew you were the right person to help," Superman admitted, turning to him. "If anyone knows about helping kids that need it, it's you."
"... I try. Still, the kid has potential. We may need to keep an eye on him."
"Agreed. If he's this good as a kid, imagine how he'll be once he grows up."
"For now, let's just make sure he does."
Superman nodded as he and Batman went off, leaving Billy to discover what it could mean to be home.
…
Inside his secret chamber, Wells placed the Tachyon Device on his chest, allowing it to charge him with its energy.
"Gideon?" Wells requested.
"The mystic energy is compatible with the device. Your cells are absorbing the Tachyonic energy. Preliminary scans are already showing an increase of Speed Force energy."
"Excellent. Will it be enough to put us back on our timetable?"
"It is too soon to say for certain, but the initial results are promising."
"Well, I suppose we could put it through its paces… by tying up some loose ends."
