Yours Truly

December 11, 1996

Dear Wiz,

You really are something. You know, you had the power of gods in your hands and you didn't even think anything of it. That's how amazing you were. Now that I have your powers, I can say how hard it is to not use them. I feel the power pulsing under my skin and my muscles are surging with power. I can feel all of the energy humming and moving within me.

And I got to say that it's pretty amazing.

I can see why Black Adam wanted more of it.

I know, Wiz. I used past tense.

I went to the docks today. I met Adam. And yeah, we had our fight. The one I knew he was looking for.

The sun hadn't risen yet which made the night seem bleak and treacherous. Rain was pouring from giant thunderheads that blocked out the stars. I thought the rain was kind of funny because it started as soon as I left the house. Even Mother Nature was against me.

The rain came down hard. It seemed like the closer I got to the docks, the more the rain wanted to slice the ground open with sheer bitterness. It was the kind of rain that I would have liked to look at, but instead I was in it, feeling the pressure of the raindrops sting and claw at my skin.

And then I arrived at the docks. My thoughts were broken up by caution. Boats casted shadows and I saw crevices that made me paranoid. Teth could be anywhere in the shadows. I walked along a wooden boardwalk, one with boats tied in neat rows until I reached the end. I turned to search and saw that to my left, the walkway continued.

But this one wasn't surrounded by boats. It was just a long straight path that lead to a roofed pavilion.

And there he was. Adam stood tall and confident. Arrogance and pride oozed from his deadly smile. And when I looked into his eyes, it was like time stopped Wiz, I froze. Uncle was nowhere to be found.

So I asked him. I said, "Where's Uncle?"

He laughed. It was menacing and calculating. It scared me to death and it was so loud that it shook my bones. In this setting, with the only light present coming from pavilion, Adam seemed like a monster.

He gave me a reply Wiz. That's when his game began. He said, "Your precious Uncle is dead, Billy."

My heart shrank. For a moment I believed him. I fell for his lies, but then I remembered how he liked to use mind games. He had a game and he wouldn't brake the rules and kill Uncle unless I didn't show up. I knew Uncle wasn't dead. It was all a trick to get me to let my guard down.

So I replied. Looking back on it, I was arrogant. "I know he's not dead. Your game wouldn't allow you to do that."

"And what makes you so sure?"

"Because if he was dead then you would seem less worried now." And that's when I knew I was right because his face slipped. I could see a slight crack in his smiling façade.

He gave an angry yowl and hurled himself toward me. And we fought.

He came toward me running with pure rage. I ran toward him. Right before we met I jumped over him and put a kick in his back. He stumbled forward, but only flew in the air and turned toward me.

He used superspeed to catch me off guard. Before I knew it there were hands on my neck squeezing and pushing me backward. We flew into the back wall of the pavilion and fell into the ocean.

My body burned from the sudden coldness and salt that got into my mouth. But Adam didn't let go. I kicked and punched trying to get him off me, but he wasn't relenting.

But Adam was on top of me. He could get hit by something. As best I could I mumbled Shazam. I felt salt bombard my throat as it cascaded into my lungs. I choked and things began to get dark.