Mightiest Mortals #2

Fawcett City, the Tangles
Freddy Freeman was flipping through a magazine when he heard a soft thump from Billy’s room. He looked up concerned about the cause of the noise, then glanced around the sparsely furnished room for a weapon of any sort. His eyes fell on his bat by the front door, and then moved through the piles of newspapers and the magazine bundles to grab the familiar club. He clutched it in his left hand and crept across the wooden floor to the bedroom door hiding the mysterious sound. He was sure he remembered Billy leave the apartment, and was equally certain he hadn’t heard his room-mate return.

He brushed back the curly black bangs from his forehead and gingerly turned the knob. Then he hurled it open and lunged in, bat held at the ready and blue eyes quickly scanned the room. Past the battered dresser, sitting on the cot with its reedy mattress, was Billy and he looked pale and scared.

“Billy!” he called out and hurried to his friend’s side. “What’s wrong? Where’d you come from?”

Billy Batson turned his head slowly and looked at his best friend. He heard the questions and didn’t even know where to begin. His thoughts raced as he wondered if he should tell Freddy about the wizard, the magic word and the power it granted.

“I stumbled over an attempted hit by Boss Ibac,” Billy told him instead, his eyes turning down to look at the floor. “It got busted up by this big strong guy called Captain Marvel.”

Freddy just stared at Billy in disbelief. “A superhero? A new superhero? Here in Fawcett?” His eyes lit up and he held Billy by both shoulders. “Guy, do you know what that means? This is your ticket to the inside!’

Billy looked up at Freddy, confused at first before he realized what Freddy was saying. “You mean KWHZ? You’re right. Mr. Morris wants a big story from me, so I can work for the station.” He glanced at the spartan room and grinned. “We can make this place cool!"

“Get to work then!” Freddy answered as he lunged up to his feet and reached for the top of the dresser. He snatched up a pen and notebook and thrust them at Billy. “Write it up, then get to the library in the morning and use their computer to finish it.”

“What about the stand? It’s my turn to open it up tomorrow.”

“No big,” Freddy replied nonchalantly. “This is bigger than that. I can skip baseball practice one day if it gets you a real job and us more cash.”

“Cool! Thanks, pal,” Billy immediately sprawled on the floor and began scribbling as Freddy stepped out of the room to give him some privacy. Captain Marvel? That’s sweet! Freddy thought excitedly. Can’t wait to see him in action.

Meanwhile, in Parker Flats
The scrawny pug of a man stepped into the darkened room, tossing his jacket to the side. As the door shut behind him with a heavy clang, lights began to drive the darkness away. Beady black eyes, set behind thick round glasses, scanned the cluttered lab and workshop with purpose. Components lay in heaps; coils of wire were bundled up to one side, shelves of chemicals, acids and bases on the other side.

“Let’s see,” the bald skeleton of a man muttered as he maneuvered around the various benches. “Super-strong and immune to ballistic, probably overall kinetic, damage would speak of a dense, potentially hyper-dense, cell structure.” He shoveled a large pile of notes and other papers to a different table, and rolled out a tube of blueprints. “Beautia, bring me prototype 17-H,” he called out to the air.

“Yes, Father,” came a voice like honey from nowhere in particular, as an armature shifted from the runners on the ceiling. It rolled over to a far table in the warehouse and plucked up a large, unfinished firearm with a prominent nozzle. The robotic limb brought the device to the chuckling scientist and placed it gently before him. “Here it is. How was your meeting with Mr. Ibac?”

“Not bad,” he said in an off-hand fashion as he snatched the weapon and pulled off a plate on the side. With several quick scratches of his pen on the blueprint, he chuckled again. “Yes. How useful. A mere ten percent increase in housing insulation and I can make this work out well.” He started to work in earnest on the device as he spoke up louder now. “Apparently, some big red cheese of a man has decided to get in Ibac’s way, and he has offered me a significant sum to have this fellow removed from the scene.”

“’Big Red Cheese’?” the gentle, feminine voice queried.

“Yes indeed. Bulletproof hyper-dense cell structure will melt like cheese all the same from my Volcano Gun!” He laughed at his peculiar joke.

Evening at the Plaza
The large, formal office of Sterling Morris, owner and general manager of radio station KWHZ, dwarfed the small ragamuffin form of Billy Batson. Billy realized he sat on a leather-backed chair costlier than the youngster’s monthly rent and trembled.

Seated across the opulent mahogany desk, littered with files and tape masters and a large fancy computer, was Sterling Morris himself. His black suit coat hung off the corner of his high-back chair, his white sleeves rolled up to the elbows. The thick, well-groomed shock of white hair topped the ruddy, weathered face while hazel eyes peered through small, rimless spectacles.

“I like you, Billy,” Sterling said in that heavy voice of his that filled the room. “You and Freddy. It’s why I let you have that newsstand out in the plaza. It’s why I helped you get it started. It’s why I let you have that standing offer: a big news story, and I’ll give you a job here at the station.”

Billy heard the words and felt his heart sink. His eyes darted over to the large picture window that displayed the panorama of Fawcett City. Billy had heard the words a half-dozen times before, each time followed by some variant of, ‘This isn’t it, but keeping trying.’ Billy slumped in the chair and wondered if he had another try in him now.

“The fact that the two of you try so hard, despite all that’s happened, it reminds me of my youth back in the Depression,” Sterling continued in his long-winded way. “It’s why I take your submissions personally, and don’t just leave them to my news director. I want to see you make it.”

“And I appreciate that, very much,” Billy answered sincerely, though his tone was deflated.

“And this time, you almost have it,” Sterling finished. “I think the light is appearing at the end of your tunnel, my boy.” He gave a wide grin.

Billy looked up as his heart skipped a beat. “You mean that, Mr. Morris?”

“Indeed, Billy. The hit, that’s not news. But this ‘Captain Marvel’, now that’s your scoop. Find him, learn about him, bring me his story!” Sterling stood up and clapped a strong hand on Billy’s shoulder. “There’s a light in this man for the whole city. Bring me his story, and you’ll have your job, and I’ll make him the biggest thing to hit this tired old city in decades.”

Billy jumped up and shook his hand excitedly. “You’ve got it, sir!” he declared and then headed out of the office at nearly a run while Sterling Morris watched him with crossed arms.

Meanwhile, in the shadow of the K-Whiz building
Freddy was pulling down the metal closure that sealed the small newsstand tight, securing it with his key. His mind was focused on Billy’s meeting upstairs with Mr. Morris, and never noticed the figure approaching him.

“Freddy!” called the happy-sounding voice. The tall, thin shape of Timothy Karnes came into view. Long brown hair framed sunken cheeks, green eyes glittered in the awakening streetlights. “How’s my brother doing today?” he asked with genuine feeling, arms wide. Freddy clasped him in return, giving a showy demonstration of his athleticism by squeezing a little too hard.

“Still hitting the weights, I see,” Timothy rubbed his back as he winked. “So what’s what, Freddy? You and Kit still doing okay? Anything you need?”

Freddy finished the daily ritual of securing the newsstand then returned to face his foster brother. “I’m fine, Tim. You know I don’t need anything of yours. I’m guessing Kit’s okay, too, though I ain’t seen him in a couple of weeks.”

“Freddy, please,” Tim said with a shake of his head. “I’m doing good, and you, you’ve been more my family then my family ever was. Why won’t you let me help you out of this crap?” He pointed to the newsstand then added, “Or that rathole you live in with Willy?”

Freddy sighed as he sipped on a can of soda. “His name is Billy, and because we both want to make an honest buck. I’m never gonna screw you up, Tim, but please just deal with the fact that I ain’t going crooked with you.”

Tim just kept shaking his head and sighed again. “You don’t need to do a thing, Freddy. Just let me help you out.” He knew this argument, but refused to let his only family struggle.

“Thanks, Tim, but no thanks,” Freddy answered firmly. “Make that cash legit, and then come talk to me. But Billy and me, we’re doing okay, and we ain’t going that way so…thanks, but no thanks.”

“If that’s how you want it, bro,” Tim answered, giving up the argument again, for now. “Can I at least give you a ride home?”

“Nah, I’m waiting for Billy to come down, then we’re off to return some old papers for recycling.”

“He’s up there getting shot down again?” Tim chuckled as he jerked a thumb up at the top of the skyscraper, imprinted with K, W, H, and Z on its side.

Freddy was about to snap at Tim for cutting down his friend again when a sudden flash of light and crack of thunder split the air. Both teens looked up at the sky, Freddy picking out a momentary crimson blur.

“Damn! Lightning, and not a cloud in the sky? That’s some freaky shit,” Tim commented. “I’m getting going. Take it easy, Freddy. The three of us, you, me and Kit, we’ll get together for dinner soon, ‘kay?”

Freddy nodded then watched the older youth walk off, before the blue eyes darted up to the skies again, before turning to watch the main entrance of the KWHZ building.

Back up in the building
As Billy started for the elevator, the radio broke in with a news report. The station was piped into the halls as a matter of course, and now the course was directing Billy up the stair and to the roof, while the voice announced an attack on the diamond exchange. The alert mentioned hostages and Billy felt his legs propel him faster up the stairs. Bursting through the door, Billy took no notice of the wind. Instead he dashed across the roof and screamed, “Shazam!”[/color]

And then Captain Marvel was streaking across the skies, hurtling towards the building in question. His thoughts rolled over and over, troubled at having left Freddy waiting behind.

If I’d just told him about me, this wouldn’t be an issue, Billy realized as he dipped down towards the entrance. He found his thoughts were being forced to realize how foolish it was to hide this from his best friend, the difficulties that choice will cause revealed to his mind’s eye.

He burst through the main doors and quickly headed towards a lit room. With his speed, the police that had gathered saw little more than a red streak smash the doors apart.

The tall, powerful figure of Captain Marvel stood at the door and saw the scrawny bald man holding the large, futuristic firearm. “Put the gun down, little man, and I won’t have to hurt you.”

“You silly, overstuffed buffoon! Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana does not ever surrender,” declared the diminutive man as he leveled the gun at Captain Marvel. “And I certainly do not retreat while I hold the upper hand!”

As Sivana depressed the trigger, super-heated plasma roared from the barrel and cascaded over the Captain’s body. Surrounding wood and marble fused, melted, and isolated flames burst to life as Captain Marvel stood, arms akimbo, unsinged by the fury unleashed on him. “Okay, Sivana. So what do you plan to do now that you’ve warmed up?” he chuckled at the joke, Billy reveling at being able to gloat.

“That should have roasted you,” Sivana murmured in shock. “Not even your cape is damaged. That’s scientifically impossible!” he screamed.

Captain Marvel walked towards the shocked genius with that bubbly smile on his face. Inside, Billy could just feel an instinctive realization that this man was brilliant, and dangerous, and not to play with him, but Captain Marvel merely continued to walk towards Sivana. With a swipe, he pulled the volcano gun from the scrawny hands and tossed it casually to the side. All the while, Billy continued to fight the instinct to quickly grab hold of Sivana and knock him out.

“And on that note of retreat from earlier, time for the ‘Here-Not Here’ switch!” Sivana gloated. His finger flicked the buckle of his belt, and then he was gone in the blink of an eye.

Captain Marvel stood in that one spot and gaped in turn. Then he murmured, “Holy Moley! Wisdom of Solomon! Wisdom of Solomon! I have to start listening.”