Young Meets Young

Chapter Seven

"I can't believe you!" Teddy shoved Tommy into the wall once the teams exited the medbay, causing Conner to pull his fist back before he could punch the speedster. "How could you do that to Billy? He's your brother!"

"I did it to protect him." Tommy whispered, his face pointed towards the ground. Teddy scoffed with an eye roll, pulling himself out of Conner's grip. "It was the only way, Teddy!"

Teddy didn't answer and the group fell silent, the gravity of the situation weighing on them. Their friend and teammate may be irreversibly affected by 'treatment' saving his life and this reality, and they still are no closer to getting home.

Eli sighed. "So, what do we d-"

A bright light flashed and when it dissipated, Kate and Eli were gone. Everyone did a double take to make sure they were seeing right but Kate and Eli really were gone. Tommy cursed, speeding off around the mountain only to return to the group a second later. "Uh, did your Justice League have important business elsewhere? 'Cause they're gone too."

Dick's eyes widened and he ran into Billy's med room only to find the young sorcerer in the same position they had left him in, face still blank. Dick breathed a sigh of relief, returning to the team at the same time as Wally. "I just checked Happy Harbor and guys, all the adults are gone. Anyone over eighteen is gone."

"Does this just affect Happy Harbor or is it bigger?" Artemis questioned, leading the charge towards the mission room. "Who has the kind of power to do this? And why?"

"Klarion could do this with some help, but why would he take the adults?" Wally shrugged helplessly, watching with the others as Dick typed rapidly on the holographic computer. "So? What's the verdict?"

"It seems this is a world wide phenomenon, kids everywhere are posting online about it." Dick groaned. "I'm doing a search for energy signatures and blasts big enough to cause something this catastrophic but so far the only location to pop up is Roanoke."

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Cassie hollered, running towards the bioship only to be stopped by Kaldur's voice.

"My friend, we don't know what we are walking into. We need more information."

"And that's where I come in." Everyone jumped, whirling around to face an unfamiliar kid. When they didn't seem to recognize him, the kid sighed. "It's me, Captain Marvel? I served you nachos, Wally."

"Oh yeah? Prove it. Turn into Captain Marvel right now." Artemis challenged, crossing her arms over her chest.

Billy Batson sighed, shaking his head slightly. "If I do, I travel to the other universe with the adults because Captain Marvel is an adult. See? Shazam!" Billy Batson disappeared with the flash of a lightning bolt, reappearing a moment later. "Does that prove it?"

"It does and in fact, we could use your help." M'gann pulled Billy Batson closer to the group, showing him the computer with Roanoke pulled up. "That is where the source of our issue is. Do you know if the Justice League knows anything?"

"I'll find out. Shazam!" It was a few minutes before Billy reappeared and he was beaming. "So, Batman says to 'meet' them there at Roanoke because they found similar readings. Batman is pretty sure we are going to find Klarion and some of his wizard friends there causing mayhem so be prepared."

"Thanks, Cap."

The gang ran towards the bioship at the same time Kate and Eli were boarding the Batplane, no one in the adult universe noticing the figure slipping past the mountain defenses and into the medbay, waiting.

As the groups converged on Roanoke they found Batman's predictions to be true. Klarion was protecting some yellow crystal in the teenager's universe and four other wizards were protecting the same crystal in the adult world. The teams landed, running for Klarion with their weapons drawn.

"We need to destroy that crystal!" Kaldur yelled, dodging a blast from Klarion. Artemis hit the Witch Boy with a foam arrow, temporarily freezing his movements and allowing Cassie to shrink down and sneak into the pentagram, grabbing the crystal and growing in size until the crystal rested smalley in the palm of her hand. She tried to crush it, only to find it wouldn't crack.

"I need some help!"

"Leave it to me!" Teddy flew up and tried to use his super strength to no avail.

Kaldur used his sorcery next, hitting the crystal with lightning. They teens were beginning to see the adult world and they cheered as they saw Superman hitting the crystal with his heat vision.

Tommy was up next, vibrating the molecules in the crystal so fast it began to crack. The adult world was beginning to get clearer and clearer and so Tommy vibrated faster until the crystal exploded, sending him and Cassie flying onto their backs.

"Ouch..." They groaned in unison, standing up to see the Justice League was finally back with them.

"It worked!" Kate yelled, pulling Cassie in for a hug.

"But at what cost?" Klarion cackled winking at the heroes before teleporting away, leaving them perplexed.

Just then, an alarm went off in Batman's costume and he pulled up his holographic computer. "There has been a breach at the mountain."

The teens turned to each other and gasped, realizing at once who was in danger. "Billy!"

Everyone ran to their respective modes of transportation, moving as quickly as they could back to Mount Justice. When they arrived they made a mad dash towards the med bay, bursting in to see Teddy and Tommy's worst nightmare.

Deathstroke was standing behind Billy's bed with a sword held under his chin, a hand in his hair to yank his head back. Billy's face was blank still, he didn't register the mortal danger he was in. Deathstroke smiled sinisterly when the heroes entered, pressing the tip of the blade into Billy's neck.

"Why hello. You are just in time to witness me break this little witch."