A Natural Progression | Shazam

Chapter 29

- - -

"Good," Bruce said, standing up. "Now, I want you to look into magical artifacts that may have gone missing within the last couple of weeks."

- - -

"You Idiot! This could set us back weeks!" the feminine voice rang out through the cavern, echoing off its damp walls.

"I will handle this, woman. Calm down, seriously."

"You're a new low, even for her."

"You're just jealous you weren't the one she chose."

"I'm upset because she chose an imbecile as a medium."

"Well this imbecile will become the most powerful sorcerer this realm has ever seen, and then you'll see!"

The figure rolled her eyes. "Unlikely. Hurry up. The longer we waste time, the angrier she'll be."

- - -

Damien scowled as he trudged back to his room, fists curled tightly at his side. Billy was hiding something, he knew that- Jason and Dick may overlook his quirks and see the kid as some angel, but Damien knew better. He trusted no one, especially not that street rat.

Sure, he was annoyingly sunny, and- yeah, he was obnoxiously honest about his feelings... and... maybe he wasn't afraid to tell Damien off...

The 12-year-old tried to ignore the twinge of guilt he felt for being angry with Billy- the moment he'd gone off on Damien, he'd felt respect bloom for the younger boy. He wasn't- he wasn't a bad kid. Damien knew that much. Billy was too genuine to be a villain.

But that communicator-

The 12-year-old growled, throwing a punch into his wall out of frustration. He was left breathing heavily, glaring at a spot on his wall in anger. "Why is it that no one else can see that you're- you're-" he let out a shaky breath.

"I don't know what you are, Batson..." he muttered, thinking back to the confrontation in the hall. "But I know a Justice League communicator when I hear one."

He'd seen Billy's face when the communicator had gone off. There was fear in his eyes. There was something there that told him Billy was hiding something. When his hand had gone to his pocket, he'd realized it was Billy that had the communicator.

Now why did a formerly homeless 10-year-old have a Justice League-issued communicator?

Damien's instincts were screaming for him to investigate further, but he ignored them. He didn't need another meltdown from Billy, nor did he need another lecture from Pennyworth. 

He straightened, rolling his eyes at the dent in the wall before turning towards his bed. "Your days are numbered, Batson..." he muttered, fist tight at his side. 

"It's time I go back to investigating you."

He pulled out his laptop and set to work- he needed to figure this out immediately.

- - -

Billy's head fell and smacked against the table as he let out a bored groan. There was an array of different textbooks, pamphlets, and paper packets spread across the long dining room table, coalescing at the end where the 10-year-old sat and regretting his life choices.