FicWad

IV



It was now about 11:30, and Billy had his headsets on while his roommates slept, working out some different tunes and skill drills, getting himself ready for his music tryouts the next day. These were not to get into the class, but to know where to put him as far as music classes went. He saw the clock, figured that it was about time to wrap it up, and turned off the organ. As he did, it was the first time that he heard the sirens blaring from the town nearby. He walked over to the window, and saw the bright glow of a fire coming from the direction of the town. Normally, he would have figured that the local fire department would be able to handle this, but the sirens were more than what he knew the local brigade had on hand. This gave him the first indicator of this being a multiple alarm fire. This, he could not ignore. However, it was too late for him to be out of the dorm, so he had to figure out how to handle this without being seen leaving. Then he remembered that the windows to the room all extended out a decent ledge, each one having their own small roof over it. Thus, he made sure that the coast was clear, and climbed out the window to the ledge, and then went onto the small roof, and uttered, "Shazam," and not yelling it, making sure not to draw undue attention more than what the lightning that struck him would do.



At that moment, Rue was in her room, still wearing her clothes, lying on her bed, having cried herself to sleep. The thunderclap awoke her in a shot. She sat confused for a few moments, considering that it was still light out when she had fallen asleep, and she was not aware that she had indeed fallen asleep until she woke up. She then heard the sirens coming from the town, and she went to her window to look. She saw the glow, and saw Captain Marvel flying off to the fire. At first, she figured that it must be serious, because Marvel was getting involved. Then she figured that he could handle things, and was about to get into a proper nightgown to go to sleep again, when a thought struck her. If Ahiru heard that thunderclap, or heard the sirens, she just might be curious enough to investigate, and then get it into her head to go as Tutu to do something about it. She knew that Tutu had powers enough to where she might be able to aid things. On the other hand, because she still did not entrust the pendants, she was afraid of what could happen. Now she had to act, but how? She knew she could not get past the front desk without being questioned, and then, what could she do if she were able to get there, or if she were able to intercept Tutu. It was then when she looked back at the pendant, knowing what she could be capable of as Kraehe, Claire, or whatever she would become if she used it. She cursed under her breath, stomped over to the pendant, put it on, and did as the letter had instructed. A whirlwind of black feathers and black mist swirled around her, engulfed her, and then dissolved away to reveal a new presence. She looked in the mirror, and saw an amazing sight. She was no longer 17, but 21 or so, and wearing exactly the same outfit which Tutu was wearing with the following exceptions: whatever was pink was dark gray, and whatever was white was black. Her hair, however, instead of being in a bun, was allowed to hang out from the feather ring straight, and shoulder length. She had to admit, she looked good! Yet, she couldn't think of that now, she had to get to the fire. She faced in the direction of the fire, and concentrated on transport. A black mist swirled around her, engulfed her, and when it faded, she was gone.



At the fire, the scene was not good. The fire fighters had all they could do to contain the fire to couple of buildings that were ablaze, attempting to keep it from spreading further. The entire bottom floor was in flashover, so the fire fighters could not even enter to fight it, nor could they get close enough to place rescue nets for people trapped on the second floor. At that moment, Captain Marvel arrived, plucking one after the other out of the burning building. Once everyone was safe, he went to the Fire Marshal to get a better idea of what happened in order to decide what to do next. The Fire Marshal told him that witnesses did not see anyone set the fire, nor was this something that built gradually, but that the fire burst up quickly in almost all points of the bottom floor growing into the fireball that it now was. The obvious thing was to get it under control before it collapsed the building, making things worse. At that moment, a swirl of black mist appeared, and when it disappeared, everyone was surprised to see a ballerina step forth that looked like she stepped straight out of a Mardi Gras parade. Seeing what was happening, she began to turn in a series of grand fouettes, causing a large dust devil to be kicked up, spinning in the opposite direction as she spun. When she had raised enough sand, she stopped, and motioned her hands forward. When she did, all the sand then flew into the fireball, instantly dampening the fire to the point where the fire fighters could then go in and douse the rest of the flame. Captain Marvel could not believe what he had just seen, but he was grateful nonetheless. He went over to talk to her, and said, "Thank you, I..." but he was cut short by the sound of creaking coming from the building. It was about to collapse. Like a shot, he went to where the main support beam was, and began to try to buoy up the building. He was slowing things, but other beams were beginning to go. At this, Claire pirouetted in fast succession, and black vines grew out of every point of the building where a support beam rested. She did this to the point where they grew thick enough to support the building outright. Of course, when Marvel saw the vines growing, he pulled away, making sure he did not become engulfed in the vines himself. He had asuspicion of who this was, but he needed to be sure, and so went to find out whom the mysterious stranger was that came in at the right time. As he approached, he began to recognize the person standing there, and gave a guess by addressing her. "Princess Kraehe, I presume?" asked Marvel.

"Yes," she said, halting in her speech, and then adding, "...and no. I am now Princess Claire, the Black Swan."

"So, I see you accepted the gift, then?"asked Marvel.

"In a sense...at least...for now anyway, darling," she said, very suavely.

"Well, I am glad you came," he responded,"Things could have been worse had you not came."

"I figured that, if you were involved, it had to be bad. I couldn't resist."

"Does that mean you've rejoined the world of the supers?" inquired Marvel.

"Just this once," she answered, "Had it been anything less, you would not have seen me. Anyway, it was good to be involved, even if for just one more time. I assume you know who I really am, considering how those 'gifts,' as you call them, came to us."

"Well, I have to admit, the Old Wizard had to make it clear to me, or else I may have botched the whole thing. But don't worry: your secret's safe with me."

"Glad to know it. I sense that you are the kind that would keep his word."

She then began to turn to leave, and then noticed a letter pegged to a nearby tree with an oversized raven's claw. This stiffened her a bit, and she then went over as subtly as she could so as not to draw attention to what she was doing. She took the letter, and stuffed it into her tutu. Then she turned and asked, "And is there any indicator as to what caused the fire?"

"I just got done talking to the Fire Marshal,"answered Marvel "and he says it is one of the most mysterious things that he had ever seen. The fire ignited almost simultaneously, that is, it flared up in several sections within seconds of each other, and quickly engulfed the entire bottom floor. The local brigade seemed to get it under control quickly, but it was becoming harder and harder to control. This is why they called in a couple of Fawcett brigades."

Marvel thought for a minute, and then said, "I'll tell you what: I am going to get some ash samples from a few of the ignition points, and I have a friend who might be able to find more than the local constabulary can detect. If he finds anything, I will tell you if anything comes up-either directly, or by Billy. I won't tell him, as I didn't the other day, about why, because I am certain you want to conceal your identity."

"Thank you for your consideration," she answered, "Let me know of anything. I may not be coming back, but, there are those that may benefit from the information, and it may protect some lives."

"Well, even if you do not come back, your actions to protect your friends are indeed in line with any good superheroes. It's just a shame that you won't be joining our ranks. You could be a real asset."

"Thank you for the compliment. Ta-Ta, darling."

With that, she vanished the same way she had come. He, on the other hand, took off to the northeast. This "friend,"more of a colleague, would be on patrol at this time. He just hoped that he could find him, considering how large Gotham was.



Meanwhile, Claire appeared in her room once more, changed back to Rue, took off the pendant, and placed it back in the jewel case. It shook her that she had done this, but it seemed to be the right thing at the time. She would not do it again. It would go back the first chance she could get to return it. She then took out the letter from what was now her shirt, and opened it. The claw let her know exactly whom it was from, and there was no mistaking it. It read, "I had to send this to you as soon as I knew you were on the scene, Kraehe. (By the way, nice new outfit.) Anyway, I am curious as to how you were able to do what you did, unless you were able to find the pendant. Still, whatever the case, I set the fire, and originally just to get your attention as Rue, and the others, and let you know that I have not gone away. I am quite alive and well, and looking for revenge. I also did it to show that there is nothing you, or anyone, can do to stop me. I shall have a pure heart to sacrifice, and I will tolerate no interference. Tell your friends, especially that ballet brat that you are to stay out of my way. Also, know that I am going to have my revenge as well. You all had better be looking over you shoulders constantly in fear, because I am gunning for all of you. You almost cost me my life with the Raven the last time, it took a little "coercion" on my part to gain mercy, and I am not happy with that. I, and his lordship, will dine on your entrails once this world is plunged into darkness, and I will enjoy tormenting the lot of you until that time. Remember: none at your school is safe. You are all pray to me. Yours Truly, Edel, the Raven Princess. P.S.: You tell that big red cheese to keep his nose out of this, and back in Fawcett City where he belongs. I will do worse to him if he tries to interfere."

Rue didn't know what she meant by"coercion," but she had her guesses. All she knew now was that there was now a great threat to the whole school. She looked at the jewel case again, and then shook her head. Although she knew that she might be able to do something about things, and that they were already in danger, there was something to be said about not stepping into harm's way. They would be in worse danger if they tried to interfere. She knew they were not really the superheroes that this Shazam felt them to be, and it would be better to let the true ones handle things. It would be better to let Captain Marvel handle this, for something like this would be more along his lines. She wasn't quite sure just how powerful he was, but she wondered what Edel could really do about him. She may not be quite aware how powerful he really is. One thing was certain: after the orientation and auditions, she would have to gather the others, tell them what had happened, convince them to give up these pipe dreams, and to concentrate on school while letting the captain handle things. She had to get to bed. She, and the other seniors in the advance class would be involved in the orientation, and they had been practicing hard with the short time that they had to do something special for orientation.



It was about 1 o'clock in the morning when Captain Marvel returned. He made sure things were clear, changed back, and climbed back into the room. He felt fortunate that he was able to find Robin right away, who was then able to direct him right to Batman. Once he found him, Marvel explained all that had been going on, what he had just been doing, gave him the samples, and let him know that there were some potential new heroes on the horizon, depending on how some things worked out. Batman said, "Considering what you are dealing with, I will get to work on this as soon as possible. Looks like you got yourself in something deep this time, Marvel."

"It would seem that way," said Marvel,"And what should I do with these four others?"

Batman pondered this for a few moments, and then said, "It seems that they would know this foe the best, so gaining their aid would be good. However, with their relative inexperience, that could cause problems. It depends on how quick they cohere. If things get really bad, you have the JLA contact device. Do not hesitate to use it. The lives of all those kids at the school may be in grave danger, and it may be more than the five of you can handle. I'll brief the rest of the league on the problem, and see what they have to say."

"Thanks for your time, Bats," said Marvel. Yet, just then, they looked down from the building ledge where they were standing, and spotted about seven gang members closing in on an unsuspecting pedestrian. Batman quickly informed Robin that they had made contact with their target, and to move in fast. Then, a smile curled on Batman's lips. He turned to Captain Marvel, and said, "Well, since you came all this way, why not make it worth it?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," said Marvel, with a big grin.

Billy mused over how Batman moved in on the gang, quickly dispatched two of them, then how Robin came in out of nowhere on two of them who were looking to Pearl Harbor Batman, how the remaining three tried to make a run for it, and ran smack into a smiling Captain Marvel. The look on their faces made the night worth it. "Leaving so soon, boys?" said Marvel, "But the night is so young: why go? Have a seat, boys."

The two that Robin had jumped had given Batman and Robin the slip, and were trying to make a run for it, only to run violently into their friends coming in very quickly from the other direction,(and not under their own power!) This was truly a bad night for these boys, who had been wanted for some quite heinous crimes. It was bad enough to have Gotham's Finest on your case, worse with the Batman also chasing you. It really went south when the Fawcett City Juggernaut joined in the fun. Some days, it just didn't pay to be a criminal. Billy went to bed contented, knowing that he had made the world a better place again, even if only a little.