A Natural Progression | Shazam

Chapter 24

"It's nothing, it's nothing, I just-" the 10-year-old snorted. "I realized why you call him 'replacement' now."

- - -

Jason set Billy down on the carpet, glancing towards Tim with a smirk. "Hey bookworm, we're going down to the cave. You wanna join?" he asked as he walked up to a large bookshelf and pulled a book forward. 

Tim glanced up from his tablet and gave Jason a look as the bookshelf hissed and began to slide open, glancing down at the scattered papers around him on the desk before looking back at Jason.

"You're really asking me this right now?" he asked in a deadpanned drawl, to which Jason rolled his eyes.

"We get it, you're a nerd. Just thought you'd wanna give a hand in showing the pipsqueak around since you're so gung-ho about spendin' alone time with him," Jason commented, ruffling BIlly's hair as the boy stared at the big metal elevator where the bookshelf used to be. 

"Come on, kid, leave Donatello to his dumb police work," Jason said, taking the lead and stepping into the elevator. 

Billy followed hesitantly, grabbing hold of Jason's forearm instinctually when the elevator jolted and started to move.

"Never been in an elevator?" the taller of the two asked, to which Billy shook his head meekly.

"Never one that actually worked."

Not as Billy Batson.

"Figures- don' worry, kid, I gotcha. This thing's never failed us before, anyways, best engineering money can buy," Jason said as he patted the wall. The elevator came to a stop and the metal doors slid open, revealing a massive dark cavern. 

Billy's eyes widened at the sight- various platforms lead to different sections of the cave, the biggest one in the middle of the path leading towards what Billy could only assume was the Bat Computer. Another led into the recesses of the cave, going to places the 10-year-old could only imagine, while another led right up to the Batmobile itself.

Billy had stars in his eyes at the things that surrounded him, and Jason grinned at him before picking the kid up and putting him back on his shoulders. 

"Alright, so what do you wanna see first?" he asked, looking around. "We could... go see the penny. Or we could feed the bats- though that little shit-head'll probably get on my ass about 'tainting the bats feeding schedule' or somethin'." he said, jostling Billy, who was still staring at the place in awe.

"I- I- this place is really... it's actually amazing..." Billy breathed, resting his cheek on the top of Jason's head. "It's so big..."

The elder of the two chuckled and looked around- he'd grown so used to the place over the years that the charm had kind of worn off, but he could remember a time when the cave was someplace special. 

When it was this mystical place that he'd only heard about in rumors from convicts while on the streets. When he'd first come here, Jason was shocked at how something so massive could hide under a place so plain like Wayne Manor.

He smiled up at the kid, who was currently staring at the bat-computer with large eyes and started walking towards it. "I guess it is pretty cool, huh," he said, walking up a couple of steps before grabbing Billy and pulled him off his shoulders- only to set him down in the big seat. 

The boy looked up at him in shock, and Jason only smirked. "Relax, kid," he said as he brought the massive computer to life.

Billy glanced up at the screen as it came on, light flooding his eyes as the elder raven typed in some long password and was given access to the main screen.