by Libbylawrence
Within the misty void dimension, Ivan the Terrible, Cesare Borgia, Attila the Hun, and Caligula fumed in frustration.
“Shazam has beaten us!” said Attila. “Stanley is beyond our reach now, as is Slade. Slade’s power came from us, as did the first Ibac’s, and even we failed to see how that same power could be traded from one of our pawns to another!”
“Slade disappointed me,” said Caligula. “He has failed as miserably as our plans for a new Confederation of Hell, with Master Man, Darkling, and a newly empowered Chain Lightning, which were thwarted by that meddling old fool, Mazahs, and the moronic King Kull. (*) Slade will not be executed, since his time in the chair is being considered enough by the mortal lawmen. Still, what good is life as an infirm prisoner to one such as he?”
[(*) Editor’s note: See DC Universe: Challenge of Shazam, Chapter 4: Darkness at the End of the Tunnel, DC Universe: Challenge of Shazam, Chapter 15: New Players on the Other Side, and DC Universe: Challenge of Shazam: Epilogue: The Vault.]
“Bah!” said Ivan. “His games brought about his ruin. He should have crushed Marvel with brute force!”
“Perhaps,” said Borgia. “Yet I have another idea. Just as Slade was superior to Printwhistle because of his innate evil and his keen mind, so would a far superior host be one who has bested our former pawns!”
“What do you mean?” said Attila. “Your words make my head ache!”
Borgia smiled and said, “Next time, what if our newest Ibac came from the ranks of the heroes who have opposed us? Let us consider such a scheme!”
Laughter rang out as four evil men plotted and schemed in their misty realm.
***
That laughter was not heard within the church in which a smiling Billy Batson stood with Cissie Sommerly, Freddy Freeman, Mary Batson, Sterling Morris, and other good friends to witness the marriage of Tawky Tawny to Gabby Tabby.
It was a joyous moment as the restored evolved kitten was joined in wedlock with the friendly tiger, and at such a moment Billy Batson had no worries about Slade or his evil masters.
The End