Billy shot a bolt of lightning at his fearsome foe, dodging the barrage of fists that came at him. He bit his lip; Thanos and Darkseid had nothing on this guy. His strength, cunning and viciousness made him almost unstoppable. At the same time, Billy was so close to victory that he could almost taste it.

The stakes had never been higher. It was a matter of life and death. He had one final shot to end this. Suddenly, an opening!  He flew forward to defeat the greatest enemy he had ever known. Only when the hands came up did he realize it to be a trap.

The next thing he knew, his spinal column, head still attached, was yanked free from his body and shoved into the air.

                                                   FATALITY - SUB-ZERO WINS

“Holy moley,” Billy muttered, dropping the controller. Rubbed his eyes and looked over to the other side of the bed. His foster brother may not have been able to walk without crutches, but he was a beast on the Xbox. Especially when it came to fighting games like Mortal Kombat, which Freddy just wiped the floor with him on. Couldn’t blame his loss on Raiden. The Beyoncé album playing on the radio in the background, however, distracted him a little. This was Freddy’s room, though, so he got to pick the tunes. She was his favorite musician, so that was the usual ambiance.

“You came close to beating me!” Freddy replied, honestly trying to make him feel better. That said, his brother still wore a big smirk. “However, to the victor go the spoils.”

He sighed and pulled a 20-dollar bill out of his pocket before slapping it into Freddy’s palm. It’d probably go towards more video games. Didn’t know why he thought he’d eke out a win against the master.

Billy had a much easier time after speaking a certain magic word. When he did that, his reflexes became so honed that games couldn’t keep up with them! He and Freddy quickly agreed that it was cheating, and he could accidentally break a controller with super-strength.

It must have grated on Freddy that both of his foster siblings got superpowers, but he never showed it. Still, it must have been rough on him, having his brother be Ms. Marvel and his sister be Captain Marvel. Especially sad, he thought, because the guy was instrumental in Billy getting powers at all! Freddy Freeman remained bound by gravity while the other two soared for months.

That would change today.

He nodded at his brother and went to the bathroom to take a leak, which was something he hadn’t quite mastered doing as a woman. While there, thoughts ran wild in his head about how he’d drop this bomb on Freddy. 'Hey, man, the tech-wizard told me I could give one other person of my choice the same powers I have! Guess who I picked.'

He placed his hands on the edges of the sink and sighed. Might as well get it over with. He didn’t even need to go out; Freddy came to him.

“Hey, are you done?” he exclaimed, knocking on the door with a crutch. Time to rip off the Band-Aid!

He yanked open the door and told his brother in breathless sentence that he could give similar powers to one other person and he hadn’t been honest about that and that Freddy deserved this chance!

It was a good thing that their foster parents were out for the day and that Mary had college classes. Even so, Freddy’s shout of "HOLY SHIT!" rocked all of Fawcett, New Jersey.

This was quickly followed by, “Why didn’t you ever tell me, man?!” As Billy feared, his brother felt hurt and betrayed. He’d known Freddy for less than a year, but they were family without question.

“I wanted to master my own powers before I shared them with anyone else. It would’ve been dangerous to do it right away." Not that he was worried about his brother becoming a supervillain - and even if he did, that would have been impossible - but because he had to be there to bail Freddy out if he got into danger. “Also, I only get to do this once, and I had to decide between you and Mary… but then she bonded to the Nega-Bands and got her own Kree powers, so it ended up not mattering.” There were a couple other reasons, but those were the main ones.

“Well, I guess I can’t complain; you’re giving them to me now.” He cracked a small smile. Though he still seemed a little upset, he understood Billy’s logic. “What do we do?”

“Remember that oath the tech-wizard made me swear?” Freddy nodded; Billy went over it with him a couple times when they tested out his superpowers. “You have to say it. Then I can do the transfer.” The consequences for breaking it, the tech-wizard claimed, were losing the powers forever. Maybe there was a freebie or two if the patrons felt generous, but the simple rules could not be flouted without dire consequences.

They returned to Freddy’s room to do it, since the bathroom didn’t seem like the best place for the ritual. Beyoncé kept playing quietly in the background. 'This is Crazy in Love, I think.' His brother bounced on his toes from sheet excitement, which made Billy know he’d made the right choice. How often did somebody go from handicapped to being able to lift a small building? One more wrinkle to get out of the way before they began, though.

“Shazam.”

The word leapt like lightning from his lips - and suddenly, they weren’t his lips anymore. In a peal of thunder (thankfully, lightning didn’t come through the roof if he said it inside), they became Ms. Marvel’s. As did the rest of him. He stood a foot taller, and the red leotard with a golden lighting bolt down the middle left little to the imagination. The whole process felt like a balloon being instantly inflated, though in some parts of his body more than others.

Freddy stared for a second. That happened every time Billy transformed into his female alter-ego. Thankfully, he was nice enough not to ask for sex, which Billy appreciated more than he could say; he gained a new understanding of what women - super hot women, anyway - experienced when they went out. Like, he was flattered, but it would’ve been nice for half the X-Men to not try to flirt! The divine wisdom coursing through his veins told Billy that Freddy wanted to bang, but after what happened on Freddy’s birthday, the guy decided pleasuring himself alone in his room was as good as it’d get. Billy did the same as Ms. Marvel, so no judgment.

Anyway, those details didn’t matter for the moment. Just had to give his brother a gift unlike any he’d ever received.

“Do you, Freddy Freeman, swear to use the abilities you are about to receive to defend the innocent?” he asked in a voice both feminine and undeniably authoritative. “Do you swear to never kill, unless you have no other choice? And do you swear to never use these powers for personal profit?” Almost cringed when he spoke the last line.

It was a simple oath, yet living up to that final restriction challenged him. Rosa and Victor barely got by, even with federal aid checks and both of them working. His foster parents deserved money, and he easily could have given it to them.

There were an infinite number of ways he could have used his powers to get rich: stealing money like a villain was the obvious one, but also appearing on television shows or demanding royalties on Ms. Marvel merch (some of which was very nice) after registering a trademark on himself! He was sure some billionaires would pay big bucks to spend a day with Ms. Marvel… or, more likely, a night.

“I swear.” Good enough.

Billy concentrated on… well, he didn’t know what. Though they took practice to learn, his other powers were innate extensions of himself. This was something else entirely. He had to will a duplicate of the magic outward so it could latch onto a new host. Assumed that the process worked when a strangle feeling welled up in his right hand, like the appendage fell asleep. Suddenly, Billy knew what he had to do - and quickly, lest this one chance be lost forever.

Quicker than Freddy could blink, Billy’s hand was on his shoulder, delivering his brother an electric shock. Freddy grunted in pain before his eyes widened. Billy felt a smirk form as the feeling in his fingers faded. Both knew what this meant!

“SHAZAM!” Nothing happened. Freddy stood in dismay before repeating the word in several different tones. Beyoncé, having moved onto another song, was not impressed. “Am I saying it wrong?”

“No, there’s a different word you have to use: Hala.” No idea why it was different. “It’s apparently the home planet of the Kree, and the word is special in its own - ”

Freddy opened his mouth before Billy finished his sentence.

“Wait!” he exclaimed, needing to remind him of one more fact. “Remember, you only get one chance to decide what your new body looks like.” The tech-wizard didn’t tell Billy that, apparently not thinking it important. “I know you think Ms. Marvel is hot, but believe me, the one-piece rides up in the back!” They shared a chuckle.

It reminded him of Ghostbusters: one little thought could ruin everything. Didn’t mention that, for fear of Freddy turning into a giant marshmallow monster. The point was, his brother needed to concentrate on what he wanted to look like when imbued with awesome cosmic power and not allow his mind to wander. Personally, Billy learned to enjoy looking like a fusion of his mother - whom he knew only from old photos - and Power Girl and the Wasp. That was the image of a perfect hero that flashed through his mind when he said the word for the first time, and it changed everything. Not everyone would end up so accepting, though.

Freddy nodded and closed his eyes. Billy stood with bated breath. A new hero was about to be born in that unassuming bedroom.

“Hala.”

Billy had gotten used to explosive noise that heralded his transformation into Ms. Marvel after hearing it hundreds of times. This one was different, sounding more like the blast of a sci-fi laser gun. The blinding light differed, too: a spectrum of colors instead of white. They faded in an instant, and Billy’s jaw dropped.

“Holy moley.” The quaint expression he couldn’t shake was nothing compared to the string of curses that poured from Freddy’s new mouth when he noticed what he became. Even so, he couldn’t take it all in until he looked in a mirror.

The crutch dropped to the ground; Freddy’s new body no longer needed it. Somehow, he was quicker. Billy found his brother in Mary’s room, drinking deep from her full body mirror.

First and foremost, Freddy also became an adult woman. Unlike Billy or Freddy, though, this woman was Black. Not the spitting image of a certain singer, but it couldn’t be a coincidence. Beyoncé still played in the background, and Billy idly wondered how baffled the woman would be if she had any inkling of what just happened. A well-picked Afro rose about three inches off her head and dropped down to her shoulders in the back. In terms of clothing, this woman wore a pair of white swashbuckler boots, black leggings that hugged her ass, and a white long-sleeved leotard that ended in gloves. A logo was upon her chest: a black eight-pointed star. A white mask extended from the costume over blue eyes. Windows to the soul, indeed, for they remained the same color for both Billy and Freddy in their super-forms.

And Freddy’s were afraid.

“I was concentrating on Elvis, but then Single Ladies came on the second before I said that word, and Beyoncé popped into my head!” Freddy’s dulcet alto voice was a dead ringer for Queen B’s tone, which made his brother cringe even more. Billy could see the Elvis-as-a-superhero idea: his clothes, pronounced chin and slick hair made for a great look. Beyoncé in a superhero costume turned out to be pretty iconic, too. He hated to say it, but his brother got hot without even needing to show much skin. Of course, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Being a female superhero was already challenging with how much Billy felt stared at. Being a Black female superhero would be even tougher. How many of those were there? Surely some - thousands of superheroes in the world - but few Billy could name off the top of his head. Storm was far and away the most famous. Other than that… uh, Vixen and Black Panther’s sister?

The point was that a statistically significant number of them would actually be a white boy in disguise. Assuming Freddy still wanted to be a superhero after this, which was far from certain.

“Nonononono, this can’t be happening,” Freddy groaned as he collapsed against the wall, holding his head in his hands. “This isn’t what I wanted!”

Billy bent down to look his brother in the eyes. He was confused, upset and holding more raw power than he knew what to do with. There was a chance, albeit a small one, that he’d lose control and accidentally blow up their house. He could use his divine wisdom to try and defuse the tension, but he didn’t need to tap into the minds of the greatest Kree to talk to Freddy.

“Hey, bro.” Billy rested a manicured hand on Freddy’s shoulder. “We can make the best of this. Believe it or not, I can mostly relate to what you’re going through.” He and Mary were probably the only people in the world who could. It’d be a huge responsibility to train another hero, but he was happy to take the burden. “I promise to stand with you and help you through this like you helped me.” Freddy glanced up, looking weary.

“You mean it?”

“Of course!” He held out a hand to help the guy up, and he wobbled to his feet. Now that he’d been snapped out of his funk, Freddy began to get acquainted with the finer points of his new body. He glanced down to admire his rack. A hand snuck up and pawed at one of them before immediately dropping.

“That feels… good is an understatement!”

“It’s fun to have breasts. I’ve never admitted it, but I guess it’s safe to do that now that you can’t be jealous.” Or maybe he could, since this woman’s tits weren’t quite the size of Billy’s. 'This is so weird.'

Thankfully, there was no injunction against self-pleasure in the Kree oath. Otherwise, Ms. Marvel wouldn’t have lasted a day. However, Freddy was more interested in something else. He looked past the boobs and down to his functional legs. Put one foot in front of the other, and soon enough, he was running around the house, laughing for joy at the unrestrained freedom he now possessed! “This is incredible!  It feels like I can fly!”

He could fly now, but that’d wait a while. It elated Billy that his brother relished this gift, regardless of the one little hiccup. Freddy tried to discreetly rub his crotch through the costume, but Billy did that enough times to recognize it. “This may sound nuts, but being a woman feels kinda nice, and not just because I can walk.”

Oh, he could relate. Billy wondered a couple of times if he was transgender because of that comfort. Ultimately, though, he decided he wasn't. Being Ms. Marvel - Carol, when he was out of the costume - was incredible, both for the killer bod and having superpowers, but he didn’t want to be a woman for the rest of his life. Freddy was clearly the same way. He chalked it up to the sheer difference the experience brought.

“All this just from saying Hala.” The same flash of light filled the room - rookie mistake. "Aah!" Billy caught his brother before he fell over. If Freddy held the crutch tightly, he could probably get it to disappear into oblivion like his clothes did. That way, it’d return to him when he became Freddy again. More than any physical belongings, he made sure all of his body parts were where they belonged. “Oh, thank God, it’s still there,” he sighed in relief.

Billy smiled. “We still have a couple hours before Rosa and Victor get home.” They planned to exploit every second.

…

Billy described becoming Ms. Marvel like inflating a balloon. Freddy found the transformation more akin to being dissolved and put back together in a different shape. It should have been agonizing, but it didn’t hurt. Just disorienting. That quickly faded as his vision returned the second he said the word.

He was taller, stronger, faster, and that was just the beginning. He caught a glimpse of himself in the kitchen mirror, which hammered home how different this new body was. He became the spitting image of the greatest singer in the world - and his celebrity crush. One uncomfortable question lingered, though.

'Is this like wearing blackface?' From his lips to his hair, he had undoubtedly become a Black woman. Hell, his skin looked darker than the actual Beyoncé’s. Hoped he never needed to ask that aloud. He would have preferred Elvis, but he begrudgingly admitted that being a hot woman was also cool. He loved the sensations this body gave him, and he’d definitely take fuller advantage of that later tonight… and after he discovered how to take off the costume.  

Billy said that even if he couldn’t alter the super-form, a couple of aspects like hair style and clothing could be altered by concentrating when saying Shazam - or Hala, in his case. Yet another thing to experiment with. After he and Billy tested the few abilities that could be used inside. For the others, like super-strength, they’d have to go to an old quarry or abandoned junkyard.

“OK, here’s an easy one: supernatural wisdom and intelligence.” His brother took on the role of teacher, and Freddy became the student. Neither particularly dressed the part, though. “What is 512 multiplied by 97?” Billy held up a calculator in case his powers failed, but he already knew the answer.

Freddy did not. He visualized the numbers in his head, hoping the solution would pop in. No such luck. “I’m not sure.” Billy arched an eyebrow before fielding another question, this one about science. Then English. Then art. Then philosophy. He felt increasingly stupid as the inquiries piled up. Freddy thought he was fairly intelligent, but these were all college-level theses his brother wanted him to answer!

“I don’t know,” he replied to the last one. Billy became somewhat concerned, which made Freddy worried. Did the powers not fully work for him? Granted, he wasn’t complaining about being able to walk unassisted, yet he hoped there was more to it.

“All right,” Billy replied, shaking his head. Blonde locks went with it, which was very different from how his own new ‘fro would behave. “Let’s try floating.” Anything that led into flying was OK with him!

Billy did it without even trying; Ms. Marvel levitated off the couch. No longer too impressive after seeing it so many times, but Freddy was about to do more than see (or get carried around). This seemed more promising, since a tingle started in his toes. It grew stronger as it travelled up his body.

Then he floated off the chair. Only it wasn’t him. It wasn’t even the Beyoncé lookalike he turned into! Instead, he became a version of that woman composed of pure light.

“What the…” Even his voice had changed into something filled with static. He raise a hand to his face, seeing crackles of electricity shoot off the translucent surface. Well, he was weightless! Until he willed himself solid again. Fell to the ground, and he tried not to moan as his boobs pushed into the carpet. One thing was clear: these weren’t the powers either of them expected.

They put their heads together to try and figure this out. Maybe Freddy’s personality or genetics gave him access to different powers than the ones Billy and Mary possessed. Or something about the way this new body looked?

“The word I say is an acronym for different people, right? Hala is the name of a planet,” Billy ventured. “The power might be in the word.” That made more sense than anything Freddy thought of.

Truth be told, though, he was excited to have different abilities. He’d enjoy forging his own identity instead of being Ms. Marvel, Jr.