Legends of Shazam's Power #1

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Legends of Shazam’s Power #1
There’s No Place Like Home

Written by Mike Bowen
Edited by Daniel Dyer

(Editor's note: Don't dare read further until you read Unlimited Legends #1-3, Dan.)

For the past several months, young Billy Batson has been working odd jobs around the city of Philadelphia, trying to earn enough money to stay off the streets. He has been let go from three jobs, mostly because his moonlighting as Captain Marvel. Because of his exploits as Cap, he has tried to catch up on sleep while he should be working.

After the initial incident with the pair of robbers holding up the gas station, Billy has tried to keep a lower profile when righting wrongs, mostly to keep attention off of his new alter-ego. He enjoyed being a super-hero, but something in the back of his mind when he was the Captain always told him not to get too caught up in promoting himself. But for now, he stood in front of a pair of young toughs, menacing an elderly lady in an alley for her purse. The one flickering streetlight cast his broad shadow over the would-be muggers, flickering off the golden lightning bolt on his chest.

“Excuse me, sirs, but I don’t think that belongs to you,” Marvel boomed while pointing to the purse. “If you don’t mind, I think you should give it back to that nice lady.”

“And what if we don’t, big man?!” shouted the larger of the two.

“Then, unfortunately, I will have to persuade you,” Captain Marvel said as he leapt to action. But before he could reach the pair, they evaporated and before him was a red-faced man, not looking very happy.

“Batson! Batson! Get back into the warehouse, we need that last crate up here right now!”

Billy snapped out of his dream, to find his supervisor nearly face to face with him. “Which one is that s-sir?” Billy stammered, embarrassed he was caught sleeping again. Billy was now working for a mid-major shipping company, loading everything from comic books to medical supplies on trucks bound for all over the East Coast.

“It¹s marked Metropolis,” came the answer. “Hurry up, that truck should have been out of here five minutes ago.”

Billy scrambled through the crate-filled warehouse, not knowing where the crate he was looking for could be. Couldn’t he have at least gave me some general idea where it was at, Billy
thought to himself. It¹s like looking for a needle in a haystack in here.

Just then he remembered he has a shipping manifest for the truck in his pocket. He had been loading it before he dozed off. Billy pulled out the paper and ran his eyes over it, scanning for the crate number.

Ah! Here it is, 0120020. Aw, man, that is all the way in the back. It is going to take me forever to lug that thing all the way to the truck.

Once Billy located the crate, a thought occurred to him. A little juice and he could get that crate there in no time. He quickly glanced around, to see if anyone was watching.

“SHAZ–“ Billy didn’t even finish the incantation when a flash of lightning occurred and he found himself at the Rock of Eternity, and in front of the Lady Shazam. “What happened?” Billy asked as he glanced around nervously.

“There are things we need to discuss, young one,” she said. “I brought you here to warn you about using your powers for personal gain,” Shazam stated stoically. “Others, more wiser than you, Billy, have tried to walk the fine line between altruism and greed, but have failed.”

“But I just wanted to lift a box,” Billy whined. “It wasn¹t that big a deal.”

“It always starts small,” the wizard explained. “I have seen less lead to the fall of countries.”

“How am I supposed to know what to do?” Billy asked.

“Use the Wisdom of Solomon, young one,” she replied. “It has been given to you for a reason. But let me tell you something, Billy. You are the first champion chosen in a very long time. A very long time indeed,” her voice trailed off and she looked to be concentrating on an old memory.

“Ummm,” Billy tried to startle her back to the present and she immediately snapped back to reality.

“We did not make this decision lightly. Go forward, knowing that you have the trust of the gods.”

With that a smile returned to Billy’s face. He understood what the wizard was telling him. He was not to abuse his powers for personal gain. His mother had told him as much the last time he spoke to her, reinforcing the belief that the wizard resembled his late mother more and more every time he saw her. “You mentioned others. Can you tell me about them,” he said.

“That is a story for another time,” she said, her voice louder and more forceful than usual.

With another flash of lightning, Billy found himself back in the warehouse, but the crate was no longer where it was when he left.

---

[Spider-Man Beyond]

“Find Batson! I want him in my office NOW!” echoed through the building.

Oh no, not again, Billy thought as he hung his head and slowly moped his way to his supervisor’s office in the front corner of the warehouse.

His supervisor was red-faced, sitting behind his desk writing out a check. “I am sorry, Billy, but I am going to have to let you go,” he said.

“But, sir, I’m really trying. Can’t I just have one more ch...”

“No,” he interrupted. “No more chances. That truck will be over an hour late because you decided to wander off somewhere. That could cost us business, or my job. I am sorry son, you’re a good kid. Here’s your last paycheck, hopefully it will keep you with a roof over your head until you find another job.”

Billy thanked him and took off back to where he was renting a small room. He had to pretend to be older than he was so the woman would let him have a room. He felt guilty for having to lie to the woman, but it was the only place he could afford to stay.

He crashed on his bed, feeling sorry for himself. Rolling over on his stomach, he rummaged around under the bed until he came out with a small cardboard box, starting to fall apart. Opening it, Billy pulled out one of the last few photographs he had of his mom. This one was taken just before she died, at the museum in Egypt. That photograph had Laura Batson smiling in front of the table she was working at when she was killed. The box that holds the amulet, that would eventually lead to her death, sits just behind her, clearly marked Siviana in bold letters. A tear drops from Billy’s eye as he lays back and falls asleep clutching the photograph.

---

[Spider-Man Beyond]

In a dark, sparsely furnished room, a small, dark-haired man laid on a bed, eyes darting back and forth. Sweat was running down his brow like it was coming out of a faucet. He was constantly eyeing the closet across the room. He tried to avert his eyes, but his gaze always locked on the closet. Finally, acting like he couldn’t take it anymore, he bolted for the door to the closet and ripped it open. Besides a small box on the floor, there was nothing else in the closet. No clothes, no shoes, nothing but a small box marked Siviana.

The man kneeled down silently, almost in reverence and opened the lid carefully and placed it on the floor. A flash of lightning from outside the window revealed an amulet, probably Egyptian in origin. Sand still clung to the hieroglyphics surrounding the jewel. He turned it over in his hands a few times and replaced it in the box and put it back in the closet. Ever since the amulet had been found, hidden in a secret tomb beneath the tomb of Rameses II while he was on an archeological dig in Egypt, Theo Adams had been obsessed with it. But he was kept from it. It was to be held for Laura Batson to examine, according the Siviana Foundation. But he knew that he had to have it, for some reason. It felt as if he was drawn to it, that it was meant for him.

It’s mine, he thought. It rightfully belongs to me, I know it. But what did I do? I... no, no. Stop thinking about it. You did the right thing. You discovered it after all.

Adams did not sleep at all that night, constantly watching the closet and the box within.

---

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Billy awoke, still clutching the picture of his mother. He staggered groggily towards the small dresser where he kept the few clothes that he had.

I need to get out of this city, he thought to himself. Maybe head to Chicago or something. Somewhere a little more closer to my old hometown.

Billy had been practicing his flying, and nearly had the hang of it now, so it didn’t seem like too far-fetched an idea fly towards the Windy City. Then he remembered the wizard’s warning about using his powers for selfish means.

“It always starts small,” the wizard’s words echoed in his head. “I have seen less lead to the fall of countries.”

That sealed the deal, it was the bus for him. He took the rest of the morning to get things organized in his room. He wasn’t taking anything but his box with him, but didn’t want to leave things a mess for his land-lady either. Mom always hated cleaning up after me, he thought. And Mrs. Rackman has been so nice to me. I feel terrible about leaving without telling her.

Billy thought about leaving an envelope of money for his landlady, but needed the money for bus fare since he nixed his plan of flying. Billy took one last look at the room before shutting the door on that portion of his life.

Billy sprinted towards the bus station, wanting to get on the road as soon as possible. He stepped up to the window at the station, finding himself looking at the face of a very old man who didn’t seem very patient. “One ticket to Chicago,” Billy stated happily.

The man punched a few keys on his computer and said, “$130 please,” without looking up at Billy.

“Whattt?! You can¹t be serious,” Billy exclaimed so loud that others in the station turned towards him to see what all the commotion was about.

“‘Fraid so, young man,” the attendant said.

Billy thought for a moment, then dug out the money in his pocket and counted it. “How far can $78 get me?” he asked.

The old man looked put out, but slowly punched keys on the keyboard. “Fawcett City,” he said nonchalantly.

“Where’s Fawcett City?” he asked quizzically.

“Bout half way to Chicago. Nice city, big corporation has its headquarters there, can’t remember the name of it for the life of me though.”

“I’ll take it,” Billy exclaimed, shoving the wad of money into the man’s hands.

“Thank you, and that bus leaves in 10 minutes, you better hurry,” the man shouted as Billy already was running for the door.

---

[Spider-Man Beyond]

A long, black sedan pulled up in front of a non-descript building marked Fawcett City orphanage in large block letters near the roof. A bright, smiling woman bounced out, wrapped in a fur coat, escorted by her husband who was wearing a terrible frown. “Cheer up, honey! We are about to pick up our new daughter,” she said.

“I know,” he said, faking a smile. “I just wish she was a little younger. She is almost a teenager and it is going to be hard to raise her now.”

They reached the door and he opened it for his wife. As they were walking in the door the wife spoke: “She has been through a lot, honey. Let¹s just give her the best home we can.”

“I guess you’re right,” he said as the door closed behind them.

To be continued...