Chapter Text
Chapter 16:
– Shazam –
Hell yeah!
Billy was stoked that the new guy actually wanted to hang out with him. Whenever he tried to spend time with the other guy heroes, they were always too busy to do anything except be heroes or go make kissy faces with their girlfriends in their time off. And he didn’t even bother trying to talk to any of the girl heroes, because they were girls, and girls were still a bit scary.
Billy and Titan flew across the country until they arrived in Philly, Shazam’s home city and stomping grounds, although he mostly just lived in the Watchtower because he was actually a homeless 10-year-old boy. Not that any other members of the League knew that. They’d kick him out if they did, especially with how crazy militant things had gotten lately.
Superman had always been Billy’s hero, so of course he immediately followed whatever the Man of Steel’s plans were after what happened to Metropolis. But internally, Billy had started having some doubts about taking over the entire planet. Honestly, pretty much all of the villains came from America, which was a problem. But he didn’t think it should be the rest of the world’s problem. Those were all adult thoughts, though, and right now Billy just wanted to have fun.
Some of the other members of the Justice League—Billy hated calling it the Regime now—had started patrolling their cities a lot more intensely and cracking down harder on criminals, or even regular people. But Shazam didn’t do any of that. Philadelphia was pretty much the same as it had been before everything bad had happened. That’s why none of the people treated Shazam differently when he landed on the sidewalk in front of his favorite cheesesteak vendor cart.
Billy, however, forgot how much Titan actually looked like Superman. The guy working there, along with other people walking down the street, all froze up, especially when they stared at the Kryptonian “S” on Titan’s chest. Nervous mutterings started rippling through the crowd.
“Is that Superman?”
“What’s he doing here?”
“Oh no… is the Regime cracking down here too?”
Titan let out a sigh. “I knew this costume was going to be a pain in the ass…”
“It’s okay, everyone,” Billy said, raising his hands to calm down the nervous people nearby. “This isn’t Superman. This is Titan, who happens to be from a completely different universe. He only came to our world, like, yesterday.”
The people nearby still looked nervous and skeptical, so Billy ended up paying for a cheesesteak for himself and Titan quickly before flying away again so they could eat it on a nearby rooftop.
Shazam and Titan sat on top of a skyscraper, eating their cheesesteaks while the city stretched out below them. Billy looked over at Titan, his expression a little guilty. “Sorry about how people acted down there. They’re not usually like that.”
Titan waved him off. “It’s fine. If anything, it gave me some perspective on how people see Superman these days.”
“He’s still a good guy,” Billy said quickly, jumping to defend his hero. “It’s just, he hasn’t been the same ever since… you know what happened.”
Titan paused, wiping his hands on a napkin. “Has he done anything crazy or really horrible since taking over?”
Billy shook his head. “I don’t think so. Crime rates are way down, all things considered. Honestly, there’s been a lot less missions for the Justice League ever since all the supervillains were dealt with and thrown into that prison only the highest members of the League can access.” He took another bite of his cheesesteak, chewing thoughtfully. “Sometimes I wonder why it wasn’t always like that. Then again, I never really had major supervillains in Philly. It’s mostly purse snatchers and car thieves here.”
“That sounds like a pretty peaceful city then,” Titan said. “You’re from here, right? I don’t really know much about the Shazam in my own dimension. I don’t think I’ve had the chance to even talk to him yet.”
“Yeah, Philly is great,” Billy said with a grin. “And if your Shazam is anything like me, then I bet he’d be stoked to have a friend!”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Titan chuckled, crumpling his sandwich wrapper and tossing it carelessly off the roof.
‘That was blatant littering…’ Billy thought to himself.
“So, what do you wanna do now?” Titan asked.
Billy sighed. “I wanted to hit up an arcade or something, but that probably wouldn’t be a good idea. You’d end up scaring all the other kids inside.”
“Other kids?” Titan asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Er… just a figure of speech,” Billy corrected quickly, stuffing the last of his cheesesteak into his mouth to avoid saying more.
Titus said he’d never been to an arcade before but wouldn’t mind trying one out. “If other people get scared of me, that’s their problem. It won’t bother me.”
“Okay, then, let’s go!” Billy grinned and shot up to his feet before speeding off to his favorite arcade. It was a little hole-in-the-wall place with older games, but they were all classics. He only ever went there out of costume, so he wasn’t surprised when all the kids and teens inside gaped at Shazam and Titan as they walked in.
“Can we play?” Shazam asked nervously.
To his surprise, the kids were a lot less nervous around Titan than the adults had been earlier. Billy wondered if it was because they didn’t really know or care about what was happening in the world. Instead, they were all excited, practically lining up to play with or against him and Titan on the various arcade machines.
Billy was challenged by an older boy to a game of two-player Pac-Man, while a little girl ended up challenging Titan to a game of Dance Dance Revolution. “No using your superpowers to cheat,” the girl said, narrowing her eyes. She then proceeded to absolutely crush Titan, although Billy noticed that Titan was obviously letting her win. Meanwhile, Shazam found himself facing off against what must have been the best player in the arcade!
– Titus –
Shazam and I left the arcade a few hours later. It had been pretty fun, and I was surprised at how well Shazam was able to connect with the kids there. The two of us flew back into the skies over Philly, and Shazam turned to me.
“Your turn to pick what we do next,” he said.
I was thinking about it for a second when someone else flew toward us.
“There you are, Titus!” Power Girl grinned as she flew over and hugged me in midair.
Shazam scoffed, and I could hear him mutter something under his breath. “Who invited a girl…”
Power Girl let go of me and smirked at him. “Aw, is little Billy Batson upset that I’m ruining his playdate?”
“Little Billy Batson?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Shazam’s face turned red. “You know my real name?” he blurted out. “How come you never said anything?”
Power Girl nodded. “Yeah, and I also know you’re really only a ten-year-old boy, but I never said anything because you’re still keeping it a secret on this earth.” She shrugged. “On my earth, everyone knew, and no one really cared.”
I blinked, trying to process that. It definitely explained why he’d been so comfortable around all those kids at the arcade. Besides, it’s not like I had any room to judge. A ten-year-old being a hero wasn’t so strange when I didn’t even like to think about my real age. Decades of knowledge crammed into my head sort of blurred the lines.
“Do you think I should tell the members of the Regime?” Shazam asked Power Girl.
“Hell no!” she immediately blurted out. “The Justice League on this earth has gone bonkers. Do yourself a favor, Shazam, and just keep your head down and ride out whatever’s to come.” She frowned. “The Billy in my universe tried to stand up against the bad stuff that happened there, and… bad things happened to him.”
By “bad things,” I could pretty much infer that meant her world’s Shazam had been killed. Probably didn’t go down easy, either.
“Okay…” Shazam said quietly.
I cleared my throat, trying to shift the mood. “So, what are you doing out here, Power Girl?”
She grinned. “Looking for you. I wanted to hang out because I was feeling a little jealous about what happened with you and Raven this morning,” she said teasingly.
“What happened with Raven?” Shazam asked innocently.
Power Girl smirked. “She’ll be walking weird for a few days, but she’s fine, Billy.”
I sputtered, nearly choking on air. “Power Girl!”
Thankfully, Shazam really was a kid, apparently, because he just tilted his head, completely clueless about what that actually meant.
“If you want to hang out with us, that’s fine,” Shazam finally said. “It was supposed to be Titan’s turn to pick what we do next since we just went to an arcade.”
“Aw… that’s adorable,” Power Girl giggled, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
Since it was my turn to pick, I voted that we get some more food. I was pretty hungry since I’d skipped breakfast when I was with Raven in the shower all morning…
The nearest Big Belly Burger wasn’t too far, so we all flew down and ordered at the counter.
We were all enjoying our burgers and shakes when the place suddenly went extra quiet. The waitress pulled out a remote and started turning up the volume on the tv as “a message from the President of the United States” suddenly appeared on every channel.
“This isn’t going to be good…” Powergirl muttered.
We all looked up and listened as Superman appeared in front of the camera, standing next to the President.
Superman began speaking. “Democracy is dead!” he announced. “It was a failed idea, one that has proven it cannot keep the world safe. Effective immediately, the United States government is disbanded. The Regime will now take control of all governmental functions. Our word is law!”
The room erupted in gasps and mutters of disbelief. People turned to look at us—at the big “S” on my chest, at Power Girl, and at Shazam. Shazam gave them all an awkward wave in return.
Superman's announcement wasn't over though, he kept going. “The government has failed me when it allowed a terrorist clown to detonate a nuclear bomb in Metropolis, killing millions of people along with my family. It has failed you all every time similar criminals are not punished to the full extent of the law and get away because of never-ending loopholes, corruption, or just sheer incompetence. For now on, people are going to be held accountable for their actions! Starting immediately with the leader who failed us, and then tried to order the military to capture my father to use against me!”
“Please Superman, I was just trying to keep the people of this country safe!” the president pleaded with the man of steel.
“That's a lie,” Superman said angrily, "You were just trying to keep yourself in power. No more corruption!” Then, without warning, Superman reached out, grabbed the president by the head, and snapped his neck.
Right there. On live TV.
Everyone in the fast food joint either gasped or screamed in shock and fear.
“Holy shit!” I blurted out. I never thought Superman was capable of something like that—cold-blooded murder in front of millions of people.
Next to me, Shazam leaned over the table and threw up all over the floor. The sound of retching snapped me out of my shock for a second, but the image of what I just saw wouldn’t leave my head.
Power Girl didn’t look away from the screen. “We need to get back to the Watchtower,” she said. “I was expecting something like this to happen soon, but not this soon!”
…
When we teleported back to the Watchtower, Diana was waiting for us with a sheepish smile.
“What the hell was that about?” Power Girl demanded, throwing up her hands.
“Yeah, that came out of nowhere,” I added. Yesterday, when I met the Superman of this Earth, he didn’t exactly scream psycho murderer.
Diana sighed heavily, like she’d been holding it in all day. “Kal-El is… currently being scolded by his father and the other higher-ranked members of the regime. Flash and Cyborg included. Killing the President was… excessive. But it was necessary, given what we found out about the man’s crimes.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Necessary?”
She nodded. “The President was being backed by a group called the Court of Owls. They’re a recently uncovered cabal of super-elite, wealthy criminals who have been running Gotham from the shadows for nearly a century. His entire administration was in their pocket. We’re almost certain the uranium the Joker used in his bomb came from them… but it was funneled through the President’s administration first.”
“Oh…” Shazam shifted awkwardly. “So… he was a bad guy…?”
“Yes,” Diana admitted. “But killing him like that was—”
“Still wrong,” Shazam cut her off, looking uncomfortable.
I nodded in agreement. Sure, the situation fell into the justified revenge category, and I didn’t have much of an issue with that. But Superman had handled it so poorly that he was starting to look like a full-blown tyrant to the rest of the world. On the way back here, I’d been seriously debating if I needed to grab Raven, Power Girl, and Shazam, and then bolt!
Power Girl let out a frustrated sigh. “Okay, fine. Maybe I overreacted a bit on the way here,” she said, glancing between me and Shazam. “This was bad, but not as bad as I thought…”
“Do you want to talk to Superman about what happened?” Diana asked.
“Yes, obviously,” Power Girl said. She flipped her blond hair over her shoulder. “I mean, why wouldn’t we?”
“Uh… yeah. Yeah, sure,” Shazam stammered, his voice quiet as he fidgeted with the lightning bolt symbol on his chest. He looked nervous.
To be honest, I didn’t really care now that I knew why Superman killed the guy… Still, I figured I should go with them, just in case Diana was lying or leaving something out. Not that I thought she was, but it never hurt to be safe.
The four of us piled into the Watchtower elevator. For a moment, it was quiet, almost peaceful. Then the alarms erupted making me grimace with my super hearing. Blinding red lights flashed, and a robotic voice echoed through the speakers. “Intruders detected! Intruders have breached the Watchtower!”
“It must be Batman’s resistance!” Diana exclaimed, her face tightening with frustration. She slammed her hand against the elevator panel, punching buttons like she thought she could make the thing move faster through sheer willpower. “Come on!” she hissed, jamming another button.
But her efforts were pointless. A second later, the lights flickered and went dark. The elevator screeched to a halt as the power cut out. We were plunged into dim emergency lighting, the only sound the faint hum of backup systems kicking in.
“Shit,” Diana muttered under her breath. It was rare to hear her curse, which made it all the more jarring. She turned to me. “Can you tell what’s happening out there, Titus?”
“No,” I said. The whole Watchtower was soundproofed and lined with lead everywhere.
Power Girl let out a frustrated sigh. “Well, I’m not sitting around in a broken elevator.” She stepped forward, wedging her fingers between the metal doors. With a grunt, she pulled them apart, the steel groaning in protest. Beyond the doors was a dark, empty hallway since the power was out still.
“We’re not on the right floor,” Shazam pointed out, peering out into the dim corridor.
“It doesn’t matter,” Power Girl shot back, already stepping through. “We’ve got super speed. We’ll take the stairs.” Power Girl reached the stairwell before any of us. She grabbed the handle and threw the door open with her usual confidence.
That’s when I heard it—a soft click. “Wait—!” I started to yell, but it was too late.
The bomb on the other side of the door exploded, releasing a cloud of green smoke that filled the hallway in an instant. Kryptonite? A trip mine? Who the hell sets up kryptonite trip mines?
The blast sent Power Girl flying backward like a rag doll. She hit the wall hard and slumped to the floor, motionless. My stomach twisted at the sight. I zipped over to her in a blur, crouching down beside her. Her well endowed chest rose and fell in slow, steady breaths. She was just knocked out.
I glanced back toward the stairwell, anger bubbling up in my chest. “What the fuck, dude?” I called out as Nightwing stepped through the lingering smoke. “I thought we were cool!”
Nightwing shrugged, his expression almost apologetic. “Sorry about that. I was told to keep everyone away while Batman and Superman have their… conversation.” His voice was calm, but his stance was anything but, he looked ready to throw down despite the odds against him.
Diana’s eyes blazed with fury as she took a step forward. “I will not allow Batman to kill Kal-El!” she shouted. She didn’t wait for an answer. In a flash, she was speeding toward Nightwing, her sword gleaming as she raised it to strike him dead.
Nightwing barely had time to process what was happening. “Oh, shi—” was all he managed before Shazam suddenly stepped in. A bolt of lightning shot from his hand, slamming into Diana and sending her flying backward down the hallway.
“Whoa… thanks, kid,” Nightwing said, clearly surprised by the help.
“You know I’m a kid too?!” Shazam blurted. He looked flustered, but Nightwing just chuckled.
“Batman always knew,” Nightwing said. “But he trusted that Billy Batson would one day do the right thing.”
Shazam blinked. “Wow…”
Before he could say anything else, Diana came speeding back, her face twisted in rage. “Traitor!” she bellowed, her sword already swinging toward Shazam.
He stumbled backward, doing his best to dodge the rapid strikes. “I’m not a traitor!” he shouted, ducking under another swing. “I just don’t want any more killing!”
But Diana wasn’t listening. She pressed forward with her strikes relentlessly. Shazam had no choice. Another bolt of lightning shot from his hands, hitting Diana square in the chest and sending her flying again.
While they were busy tearing up the hallway, I turned my attention back to Power Girl. I gently shook her shoulder, trying to wake her up. “Come on, Karen. Wake up,” I muttered.
She groaned softly, her eyes fluttering open. She coughed, then looked up at me with a small smile. “That was embarrassing,” she said. Then, with a cheeky grin, she added, “At least I have a handsome prince here to wake me up. Where’s my kiss, handsome?”
I rolled my eyes but leaned down to give her a quick peck on the lips. “There. Happy?”
“Very,” she said, smirking. “Can you help me with all this green dust? I feel weak.” I brushed the kryptonite ash off her uniform, running my hands quickly up and down her arms and torso to make sure I got it all. Power Girl giggled, her grin turning playful. “You know, you can feel me up anytime.”
I snorted, rolling my eyes again. “Focus, Karen. Shit is going down. I wonder where Raven is?” I asked out loud.
“Right behind you,” came Raven’s voice. I jumped in surprise and turned to find her standing there with a smirk on her face. Her eyes gleamed with amusement. “I was sleeping in your bed when all the alarms went off,” she explained casually. “What’s going on?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “I guess Batman decided to attack the Watchtower after Superman offed the President on live TV.”
Raven’s face went pale. “He did what!? When did that happen?”
Power Girl, now fully recovered, brushed off the last of the green ash from her suit and rolled her shoulders. “Must’ve been a long nap,” she said dryly. “We’ll explain later. For now, we need to figure out what to do next. Do you have your bug-out bag packed?”
A circular shadow appeared next to Raven—a swirling black void that I guessed was some kind of storage space. She reached into it and pulled out two large bags like she’d been planning for this exact situation. “Yep. Got mine and your bag, Karen, just in case we had to bail fast.” She glanced toward Shazam and Nightwing, who were still trying to handle Diana. “Did the kid switch sides?”
“He just didn’t want Wonder Woman to kill Nightwing,” I explained.
Raven nodded like that made perfect sense. “Fair.”
Power Girl looked at me. “What do we do now, Titus? I doubt we’ll want to meet with Superman after all this. He’s going to be really pissed off.”
Before I could answer, I noticed Diana shifting gears in her fight. She wasn’t holding back anymore. Her bracers deflected Shazam’s lightning bolts with ease, and her strikes were faster, sharper, more deliberate. She was out for blood. I saw her raising her sword, ready to end Shazam.
I blurred forward and caught the blade in my hand, the cold steel couldn't cut me.
Diana froze, her blue eyes wide with shock. “Titus?” she asked, her voice breaking with confusion. “What are you doing?”
“We’re leaving,” I said firmly, glancing at both her and Nightwing.
“What?” Diana blinked.
“What?” Nightwing echoed.
“What?” Even Shazam sounded incredulous.
I sighed, taking a step back and letting go of the sword. “Look, Power Girl, Raven, and I don’t want to get involved in this crazy fighting. And honestly, I don’t think Shazam should either.” Shazam looked torn, glancing between Diana and me. I put a hand on his shoulder, meeting his conflicted gaze. “It’s not your fight, Billy,” I said firmly.
After a moment, he gave me a hesitant nod.
Diana lowered her sword. “I can accept that,” she said, though her tone made it clear she wasn’t happy about it.
“You’re just going to leave!?” Nightwing sputtered. “Superman killed a man on live TV! Batman said you weren’t the kind of guy to stand around when injustice happens in front of him.”
“I’m not,” I told him. “But this isn’t my fight.” Without waiting for his response, I turned to Shazam. “C’mon,” I said, dragging him toward Raven and Power Girl.
– Injustice Superman –
A yellow power ring hovered in front of him.
“Kal-El of Earth. You inspire great fear. Welcome to the Sinestro Corps.”
Before he could respond, the ring slid onto his finger. The power surged through him, flooding every fiber of his being with overwhelming strength and raw energy. But Kal-El barely noticed. The numbness that had settled in his chest wouldn’t go away.
Jonathan Kent, his father, was dead…
He was caught in the crossfire during the attack on the Watchtower. Superman didn’t even know who was responsible for his accidental death. Batman and his resistance had escaped during the chaos, slipping away like shadows while the station around them burned. He clenched his fist as he pushed the grief down.
“What happened?” he asked Cyborg. “Where was Diana?”
Cyborg’s robotic eye glowed red as he sifted through the fragmented footage from the Watchtower’s hidden cameras. “Diana was on her way to assist, but she got stopped by Nightwing… and Shazam.”
Kal-El’s eyes narrowed. “Shazam?”
Cyborg nodded. “The cameras were damaged, so the footage is incomplete. But from what I’ve recovered, it’s clear Shazam betrayed us. Your son, Titus, then stepped in and convinced everyone to stop fighting. After that, he left the Watchtower with Power Girl, Raven, and Shazam.”
Superman gnashed his teeth, the sound loud enough to echo in the ruined room. If Diana had reached the top of the tower in time, his father might still be alive. His rage boiled, hot and sharp, at the thought of Shazam’s betrayal.
The TRAITOR deserved to die for what he’d done!
Superman took a breath, forcing himself to calm down. Killing Shazam wouldn’t bring his father back. No, he needed to think clearly, to get all the facts first. He’d talk to Diana, confirm what happened, and then deal with the traitors after they cleaned up the destruction left behind.
“Did Diana at least capture Nightwing?” he asked.
Cyborg’s glowing eye flickered for a moment. “Yes. Damien is interrogating his brother as we speak.”
Kal-El allowed himself a small, grim smile. “Good,” he said, his voice low. “At least something is going right…”
– Damien –
Nightwing was chained to the wall, stripped of all his gadgets as Damien grilled him for information.
“Where is Father hiding, Dick?” Damien asked him.
Nightwing snorted, shaking his head. “I’m not telling you anything, pipsqueak. You know, Dad was really disappointed when you ran off to join Superman. Why’d you do it?”
“Superman is on the right path to save this corrupted world,” Damien replied flatly, his grip on the katana tightening.
Dick scoffed, shaking his head again. “You sound just like Ra’s al Ghul.”
Damien’s eyes narrowed at the mention of his grandfather. “What’s wrong with sounding like Grandfather? He’s a wise man.”
Dick let out a bitter laugh. “He’s an insane murderer, and it looks like he’s got his claws in you deeper than I thought.”
Damien sneered, taking a step closer. “I don’t care about your opinion, Dick. There are only a couple of people whose opinions matter to me.”
A smirk crept across Nightwing’s face, despite the chains digging into his wrists. “Oh? And is one of those people Raven?”
The color drained from Damien’s face before being replaced with a bright red flush. He glared at Dick, choosing not to answer.
“Yeah,” Dick said, his smirk growing. “We all knew you always had a crush on the goth girl. Too bad she’s taken now. You know…” He leaned forward as far as his restraints allowed. “I think I saw her with a tiny bit of a limp before I got captured—”
The room fell silent, the only sound the sharp *shhhk* of Damien’s katana slicing through the air. A crimson line appeared across Dick’s throat, and his smirk faltered as blood poured out, spilling onto the cold, metallic floor.
Damien’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the blade in his hand. “No… no, no, no,” he muttered, dropping the katana with a metallic clang. “I didn’t… I didn’t mean to…”
Nightwing slumped against the wall, the light fading from his eyes as Damien fell to his knees, trembling.
“This… this isn’t my fault,” Damien whispered, his voice shaky as he stared at the growing pool of blood. “It wasn’t my fault that Dick died.” His breath quickened, his fists clenching as anger replaced his shock. “It was Titus!” he spat, his voice rising. “That bastard! He ruined everything since coming here! I swear, I’ll kill him… whatever it takes!”
XXX
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