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Post by lawrenceliberty on Aug 4, 2018 19:50:33 GMT
The Marauders By lawrenceliberty 1 Two years ago… The hexagonal shaped spacecraft seemed to appear out of nowhere. The advanced cloaking device had enabled it to conceal its approach until it was within attack range of the small planetoid below. The occupants of the odd craft didn’t know the name of the small space community nor did they care. They didn’t know the inhabitants were peaceful scholars, scientists, and farmers living in a type of commune amongst the stars. None of that mattered to the aliens aboard the looming craft because they had their own conception of the nature and purpose of the community and its residents. To the invaders this peaceful refuge was a target and its occupants were nothing more than nameless victims. To the Marauders this entire exercise in slaughter was nothing more than a casual exercise in brutality for its own sake. The Marauders had their own individual goals but they were united in a desire to combine their powers in order to gain the power to obtain those goals. They also knew that in order to maintain their edge as warriors, they occasionally needed to practice their lethal skills. The attack this day was nothing more than one such prolonged practice session! The Marauder himself stood at the helm of the ship and gazed thoughtfully out into space. Only the white bearded pirate knew how very little this particular ship needed any input or guidance from him to make itself go where they wanted to go. The ship’s computerized controls for the weapons array or the navigational systems all obeyed another commander; however, this was the Marauder’s secret and the arrogant villain had his pride. His allies had no need to know that their leader had a leader of his own. He wore a blue tunic over black pants and boots. He had intelligent eyes and his long mane of white hair trailed down his shoulders and framed his cruel features. The beard and his coloration made him look like some stern patriarch of myth or like a Viking warrior from ancient Earth but he was in fact merely a scheming criminal who desired power and wealth and was equally motivated at times by a passion to avenge himself on the heroes who had defeated him in the past. Superman, Captain Comet, Hyperman of Trombus, a Green Lantern or two were all objects of his hatred. He also nursed a loathing for the earth villain Lex Luthor who had helped defeat him once long ago. He adjusted the golden colored helmet of power that rested upon his head and nodded in silent response to the voice only he could hear. “It shall be done!” he whispered as a spider-web of crimson energy beams crisscrossed the target below and formerly peaceful homes erupted into flame! A beautiful blonde woman who lounged in a nearby chair on the bridge laughed and smiled mockingly. She was supremely arrogant and equally aware of her beauty and her power. “My, how portentous you are today, Marauder! You act as though the manlings below and their mewling mates can hear you!” said Queen Clea of Venturia. The tall blonde was regal and majestic and exuded a sultry appeal. She stood up languidly as if the whole exercise bored her. She wore a brief top and helmet of a pale coral and her short skirt was a green silk threaded through with a metallic substance. Her high heeled gold boots were also made of the alien substance and in spite of how revealing her attire seemed to be it was durable and the other-dimensional magic within it protected the wearer as she strutted or marched defiantly across the deck of the ship. The helmet framed her flawless face which would have been stunningly lovely except for the cruelty in her eyes and the disdain that filled her eyes as she glanced down at the world thorough long lashes. She was very tall and she combined a raw femininity with the air of an aggressive warrior. Queen Clea made no secret of the fact that she felt that she was far superior to the other Marauders but she also knew that as a monarch she would play at diplomacy since she needed them as any queen occasionally relied on subjects for her daily needs. Why did Queen Clea of Venturia need them? She was immortal and possessed both super human strength and endurance and a wealth of ancient magic drawn from the other-dimensional realm she once ruled. She was not a scholar but she knew the history of her realm. Eons ago when the City of the Golden Gate fell to dark magic and alien science during the beginning of the Atlantean Empire’s slow descent into ruin, the other 11 cities of that proud kingdom still proudly stretched across the globe and the legendary Arion, Lord High Mage of Atlantis and his heroic allies like Valcan and the Stalker still protected it for years. In time Arion himself vanished and while his return when Atlantis would need him most was widely prophesied, for centuries the Empire was left without his potent protection and various monarchs some good, some bad, and some a curious mixture of the two ruled, battled, loved, hated, and died. Eventually the heroic Lord Norrad the Younger of the Knights of the Sea Eagles embarked on a quest to find a new sanctuary for the Atlanteans. He eventually founded once such outpost in what would someday become known as Skartaris. His party was not the only band of Knights to journey on such a quest. Another group led by a celebrated warrior woman founded Venturia and in time Queen Clea’s ancestors came to rule this almost forgotten colony. The Witch-Women of that ancient era secured the colony by sending it into another dimension away from all enemies. While they claimed this was designed to protect the small settlement, it was whispered that their true motive was to secure their own power by separating Venturia from all other Atlanteans. In any event, Queen Clea came to rule in time and she grew bored with having everything she wanted. She desired more power and it was through an alliance with the Marauders that the evil beauty hoped to acquire it. Thus, she left her home dimension and soared through space aboard the hexagonal ship and she pretended to be loyal to the others while she bided her time. The Marauder scowled. He was very attracted to Queen Clea and he knew she had nothing but scorn for him. Still, he had no choice other than to pretend to be oblivious to her haughty contempt for him. After all, his own master required that he do no less! He bit his tongue and said, “Too true, Your Majesty! I do forget myself!” he replied as she strolled over and joined him to observe the destruction of the small community below. “Such ants! How they scurry!” she said. “I am eager to join in combat with them and crushed them beneath my heels!” A gaunt woman with reddish skin and a flowing gown of pale gold approached and smiled wickedly. “Clea, you do have a bloodthirsty manner about you. I suppose it is because for all of your beauty and aristocratic pride, you are still a savage at heart!” sneered Sinestra the Witch-Queen of Korugar. “You will address me as QUEEN Clea or you may learn how savage the rightful ruler of Venturia can be!” shouted Queen Clea as she brandished a gleaming trident. Sinestra stepped back and raised her long thin hands in placation. “I meant nothing by my comment! None of us deny your royal status although in the modern cosmos, does royalty really matter?” she said. Marauder said, “It must matter since you call yourself Witch-Queen and as your infamous brother Sinestro would be the first to admit, Korugar is not a monarchy. However, your potent magical energies make you worthy of all such respect!” Sinestra scowled. She hated to be reminded that her brother the former Green Lantern Sinestro was more infamous than she was. She also loathed the fact that the golden energies she controlled and proclaimed to be magic were in fact a strangely altered variety of the same Qwardian energy that fueled his power ring. Still, his love for order was the exact opposite of SInestra’s passion for discord and chaos. She hoped the Marauders would eventually help her find a way to control true magic. A handsome dark haired man interrupted them by saying, “Power? I can tell you all a thing or two about power and its uses. After all, Alexander the Planeteer (Alexander Mason) was from Earth and the master of magnetism considered himself to be the reincarnation of Alexander the Great. He wore a costume that looked like an ancient toga, a scarlet cape, and a golden centurion helmet. He said, “Power must be displayed from time to time just as courage must be honored! The defenders below seem lacking in either commodity!” He gestured to where the hapless natives of the space commune were fighting the fires caused by the ship and trying to find some way to protect one another. The Marauder said, “I see little sport here for any of us.” A petite blonde woman in a short purple dress and thigh-high boots entered the room and said, “I rather like it when they do not fight back. I would prefer to merely kill them without any opposition. It is more poetic that way when they accept death as part of their miserable existence.” Alexander placed one arm around her shoulders but she shrugged his hand away by spreading the delicate-looking but powerful wings that gave her her name of Hummingbird. She said, “I do not like to be touched. I was touched too often when I was a captive of the Thanagarians!” “No need to sing your song of death, my dear! The Planeteer meant no harm and we must be about our business below! “ said the Marauder. He thought, “I am surrounded by madmen and crazy women. The Hummingbird actually believes that she was tortured by Thanagarians when everyone knows those rigid aliens worship law and order in their precious little utopia. However, I must admit that in her delusion she is rather convincing. Should we ever raid Thanagar perhaps I should investigate her story. Those wing-men may have perversions beneath their placid demeanors!” Hummingbird flounced over to the Marauder and glared at the Planeteer. She tossed back her blonde locks and clapped her gloved hands together with a childish glee. “Oh good! The killing has started!” she exclaimed! The final member of the group was a hulking brute in a hooded cloak. He stood apart from the others and said nothing. He watched them and he watched the slaughter below but he showed no expression. The others did not intrude upon his silent solitude. None of them wished to cross him. Meanwhile, down below one handsome brown haired man fought furiously to put out the flames and lead frightened people to safety. He was extremely capable but even he could only do so much. It was to his credit that in spite of his heroism, he felt that he was not doing enough! “I thought I could find some peace here. I was happy here too. No one tried to control me or make me into something I was not. There was no ruthless Solar Council to treat me like a pawn or plaything! Now, everything I valued is burning around me! I won’t let this stand! I will fight back! The name Pol Manning will mean something on its own terms even if I die!” he vowed. He heard a scream and whirled to see two children cowering at their mother’s feet as a burning wall started to crumbled around them! “Look out!” he yelled as he dived forward and prayed that he would be fast enough to save them! He managed to push the boy and girl to safety as the rubble crashed down on the area they had just occupied. He tried to reassure them even as he fought through the dust and smoke to help their mother. He shuddered as she realized he was too late. She was lifeless and partially buried by the rubble. He turned to the frightened children and struggled to find the right words. “You will be fine. I won’t allow you to be hurt anymore!” he said. At that moment a gleaming energy field swallowed him up as he held the two weeping children. The three figures vanished as the faint outline of an hourglass floated in mid air. Lives had been changed forever but again to the Marauders this was just another routine exercise in cruelty. The Marauder thought, “Yes, although this was merely practice, everything worked well. We will be ready when we find the secret you seek!” He stiffened as a powerful telepathic voice echoed in his mind. It was his master’s “voice.” “You shall achieve my goals for me and you shall prosper. Should you fail me then you will die. Always remember that and you too shall work well!” The other Marauders did not hear the mental presence that tormented their leader. The weirdly sensitive Hummingbird did briefly cease thinking about killing Thanagarians as once more something about their ship seemed almost alive to her but how could that be? 2 October 1988 Egypt- “Oumal Dunya- the mother of the world” was always congested with its 90 million natives in search of soccer, soap operas movies, coffee houses, and backgammon tournaments among other pursuits. While most single men and women sought courtship through group dates and most young adults lived with an extended family of parents and grandparents, the scene within the Museum of Antiquities was one of contrast between the old and the new, the ancient and the contemporary. The wealthier Egyptians wore shirts and pants and worked in the Persian Gulf regions for higher wages while others… especially women… still wore black robes over their house clothes. The robes or galbiyya was popular with the museum crowds who waited to see the culmination of a proud moment. The Obelisk of Ra was back in Egypt once more! So many ancient treasures from Egypt’s fabled past had been plundered by the Western nations and were unjustly adorning the mansions of collectors in Great Britain and the United States. Now, at least one such treasure had been restored to its rightful place within Cairo’s Museum of Antiquities. Apparently, the towering marble column with its intricate pattern of hieroglyphics adorned all four smooth sides beneath a tapering pyramidion at the top, had passed from a museum in New York City to the home of an eccentric collector in New England before finally being brought back to Egypt by a young American archaeology and antiquities expert named Dr. Randall Raymond. The handsome blond man was rather shy and he nervously fingered his cuffs as he adjusted his suit and glanced around the room to see how the crowd was reacting to the restoration of the Obelisk of Ra! He thought, “I’m no Carter Hall or Adam Strange but I think I’ve really done it this time. Finding the Obelisk of Ra in an ordinary estate sale was a real stroke of luck but then again nobody really knew what to do with the dead man’s weird stuff. He had no family and his only employee disappeared years ago too. Then again, can I really take too much credit since I only stumbled on the sale when my car suddenly broke down at the bottom of the hill that led up to that rather creepy house! Funny though, I’d never even heard of Cloisters, Vermont before that day! If the sun hadn’t got in my eyes, I would never have run off the road and blown out a tire! Guess it is fitting since Ra was the Egyptian sun god among other things and it was his Obelisk that I found in the Merlin house!” At that moment as Dr. Raymond moved closer to hear the Museum Director Khalid Nassour’s opening remarks, he stumbled as the floor began to shake beneath his feet. People cried and shouted as the entire building shook and metal soared through the air from various objects of art or ordinary fixtures. A man in a white Doric Chiton-a single rectangular piece of fabric wrapped around the male body in ancient Greece, and a scarlet cloak flew into the room and hovered above the shocked crowd. He addressed them with a thunderous tone of voice. “I am Alexander the Planeteer! As Alexander the Great I was pronounced to be the son of Zeus-Ammon himself by the Oracle of the Siwa Oasis! I humbled proud Egypt with my war machines in the siege of Gaza! When Batis refused to kneel before me I executed him by pulling him by the ankles behind my victory chariot! Imagine what I may do today to you all! Imagine and fear the Mighty Alexander!” He gestured and the museum guards were impaled by shards of flying metal that seemed to obey his every gesture. Indeed, Alexander had given himself enhanced powers of magnetism through use of advanced science both terrestrial and alien in nature. Dr. Raymond raced out of the crowded room and began to concentrate. Out of sight of both attacker and victims, he began to chant softly and then a bizarre transformation occurred. His old fashioned suit changed into a brilliant gold costume with a cowl and most remarkably of all, wings of pure light emerged from his shoulders and back! “Horus!” he shouted as he flew into the air and headed toward the cocky Planeteer! The Planeteer continued to address the captive crowd below and said, “I have come here today to receive much more than mere adulation. I have come to claim the Orb of Bennu which promised its owner eternal rebirth! I have no need of its divine power since Alexander is truly eternal; however, one of my followers seeks such power and so shall I grant it since such be my whim!” The transformed Dr. Raymond reached the chamber in time to hear the last words and he thought, “Orb of Bennu? Bennu was a Phoenix type in Egyptian myth. It was reborn again and again in a thousand different forms!” Meanwhile, something equally bizarre was occurring near the fallen guards! They had died because of an act of thoughtless cruelty and violence caused by the evil Alexander; however, as the shadow of the towering Obelisk of Ra fell across the still body of one of them lifeless men, his eyes opened and his demeanor changed. The Egyptian man stood up and his features were now greatly altered. He had dark black hair with a single streak of white. He had a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee. His clothing had changed into a flowing orange cape and a green costume adorned by an emerald jewel in an amulet shaped like a sunburst.
His handsome face was marked by power and courage and outrage at what had happened. He glanced down at the other guards and thought, “You shall be avenged… so swears the immortal scion of the Great Imhotep creator of the Seven Miracles! So vows the reborn Prince Ra-Man!”
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Post by DocQuantum on Aug 5, 2018 19:52:09 GMT
Wow! I hope we will see more of this story! You’ve only just begun. Cool way to bring back an old hero as a new “Global Guardian”.
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Post by lawrenceliberty on Aug 6, 2018 14:02:18 GMT
Who was Prince-Ra-Man? If his strange history flashed through the regal man’s mind as he made his way toward the Planeteer his facial expression showed no indication. Over 4,000 years ago a wise Egyptian priest named Kranak had led his beautiful daughter Rimah and other followers of the god Ra to another dimension. The group had travelled via a complicated magical process that involved the lamp of Imohotep. They emerged in another dimension that they named after their god and his heroic heir- Ra-Man! Within this realm they did not age and were safe from their original oppressor in their native Egypt. Over time the legend of an eternal champion named Prince Ra-Man became part of their culture. The Mind Master as he was known eventually perished only to be reborn or reincarnated when his spirit took over the body of an earth hero named Mark Merlin who had been banished to Ra by one of his own enemies. Merlin sacrified his sense of self and his body to return to Earth as Prince Ra-man in order to save a woman he loved. After a career fighting evil magicians, aliens, super criminals, and monsters, Prince Ra-Man died during a cosmic Crisis. Mark Merlin revived as himself on another Earth and the somewhat imperious Prince Ra-Man seemed forever lost. Still, as he had died and returned before now circumstances enabled him to do so once more! The mystical Obelisk of Ra had been once means of travel between the dimension of Ra and Earth; however, it had gradually lost much of its power due to being taken away from Egypt. Now, back in Egypt and combination of the Obelisk of Ra and proximity to the equally powerful Orb of Bennu on Egyptian soil enabled the fabled prince to return in the body of one of the fallen guards. He did realize in an instant that he could now return to and from the dimension of Ra at will due to these altered factors. In any case, the hero levitated on a floating green five sided sun generated from his amulet and headed deeper into the museum. If his odd background had left him confused or troubled, he showed no sign of it. Horus, as the transformed Randy Raymond called himself while in his heroic identity, flew at the Planeteer on his glowing energy wings and shouted in a stentorian tone of voice! “You may think that you are Alexander the Great but your delusional state doesn’t justify the murder of those poor guards!” he said. The Planeteer looked at the winged hero and sneered in contempt. “You ape the deities of a lost era but be you a bird man or a sun god, you will not stand against the immortal Alexander and his path of conquest!” The Planeteer concentrated and gestured toward the hero. Metal on his belt began to constrict his movements and allowed Alexander to divert his flight path so that he hurled straight toward a wall! Horus fought back and generated a glowing energy shield that was shaped like a large badge. It cushioned his impact and he braced himself with his legs and kicked away from the wall. The Planeteer started to attack when Prince Ra-Man appeared and caused a nearby tapestry to wrap itself around the villain like a coiling serpent. Planeteer broke free with a display of brute strength. The villain could do much more than merely repel or attract metal. He could draw upon earth’s magnetic field to empower his own body with amazing physical strength! He started to speak when Horus crashed into him and connected with a stinging punch of his own. Two more followed before the startled villain cold regain his faculties. He finally managed to force Horus backward with an expanding magnetic force field and the turned to Prince Ra-Man and said, “Champions of modern Egypt shall fall as easily as those I bested long ago when the pyramids were young!” He said, “You are not worthy of my attentions and thus I shall merely bring this shrine to a forgotten time down around you!” The entire museum began to shudder as the magnetic might of the smirking villain threatened to tear it apart! Horus flew forward and helped the frightened museum patrons get to safety as Prince Ra-Man scowled and said, “My powers do not work on living beings but I can still control matter in all forms! This structure shall remain intact and though you scorn the treasures and culture it preserves, it shall be the very instrument I use to defeat you!” Prince Ra-Man concentrated once more and as his hand touched his glowing sun amulet, the Heir of Imhotep, focused his own mystical might and the Obelisk of Ra loomed up and swallowed the shocked Planeteer! Prince Ra-Man turned to Horus and said, “Do not fear. I did not kill him. He will merely languish in the realm of Ra where he will be powerless without any contact with Earth’s magnetic field or his infernal devices!” Horus extended his hand and said, “That was remarkable! I wish I could have saved those poor guards. I deeply love Egypt and would have given my all to make things right but I could never have pulled off something like that!” Prince Ra-Man said, “No, but you are not Prince Ra-Man! However, you are a worthy champion and we shall join in common cause again one day! Should you need an ally, you may rely upon me!” He said, “Your powers come from Ra himself and from Horus! How did a mere mortal come to be so blessed?” Horus smiled and said, “Well, the Reader’s Digest version is I was on a dig when I encountered members of the priesthood of Ra, they declared that I was their chosen heir to the power of their god and they performed a ceremony that gave me enhanced strength, the ability to fly on wings of solid light, and other solar based powers! “ Prince Ra-Man said, “The glory of Egypt still shines in certain places in this mechanized era! You would be a perfect foe for one I battled twice in the past. He called himself Eclipso!” As the two heroes talked and made repairs to the museum, the Marauder brooded above the spacecraft and noted the loss of one of his allies. “Alexander has fallen. He may be lost to us unless the magic controlled by Queen Clea can recover him!” he said. He was alone on the spaceship but he seemed to be speaking directly to some unseen being. The computer nearest him suddenly changed its shape and with a screeching sound the machines became humanoid in form and gradually even their coloration altered until a yellow hued being stood above the Marauder. He was still composed of the very matter that formed the ship. “Alexander is no loss to me. He was ever merely one more tool by which I hoped to gain that which I have long sought. You know my story. I was born eons ago but after my own sire fell in combat with various heroes, I only survived by sacrificing all material form until I became nothing more than intangible psychic energy. I may enter and control and reshape any inanimate object but after so long in this state I began to long to touch and feel physical sensations once more. However, I am so accustomed to the freedom of changing my form that I will only occupy an organic or living being that also may freely change him shape! Thus, I recruited you all to find a way that I could acquire such powers and a living form in which to house them! The others think you lead them to plunder and power but the truth is you serve me and my quest!” he said. “Agamemno, I have tried to find a way to impart shape shifting powers to you but studying the Martians and the Durlans failed to bring us any solution! We are trying to find and use relics of power like the Orb Alexander sought to claim but none have worked for you due to your ancient and alien nature!” he said. Agamemno said, “And thus I exist as this living ship unknown to Queen Clea and the others! You know that Earth has special significance to me. Once within the guise of another sentient spaceship I used a robot called Spaceman X to supply me with energy generated by disasters but the Justice League stopped him and Superman traced the energy flow back to my location in orbit above the Earth. He used his awesome power to send me hurtling helplessly through space! It took me a long time to regain control of myself. I would make him pay once I have a human form of power!” “Again, I say, what is left to try? The Martians yielded no answers though they change shape at will!” said Marauder. Agamemno said, “Nor did my attempt years ago to gain the powers possessed by the alien baby who accompanied the Martian Manhunter! All he could tell us was “Zook is Zook!” How insipid!” Marauder thought, “And yet the small alien being and his defender defeated you back then!” Agamemno said, “If the other Marauders fail me, we shall recruit more. I have already used my mental might to enlist some less powerful but still useful Earth villains! What of the twins we seek? Their flight from Exor led us here! They must be on Earth and we shall find them and acquire their shape shifting power!” Marauder nodded in agreement since there was nothing else he could do against his powerful and seemingly immortal master!
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Post by lawrenceliberty on Aug 6, 2018 18:28:30 GMT
Two years ago…! The heroic brown haired man known as Pol Manning found himself teleported from the scene of death and destruction at the small space commune to a new world. He looked down at the two orphaned children he had rescued and said, “It is okay. We’ll figure this out!” The brown haired boy said, “We lost our whole family! What can we do now?”The blonde girl, apparently, his twin, said, “I’m scared!” Before their protector could speak, an alien being appeared and stood before them on an elevated platform that was dominated by a massive hour glass shaped depiction of the known universe. It shifted in view from one second to another and the perspective was both inspiring and beautiful. He had orange skin and a large head with a wispy white beard and long white hair. He wore a long blue robe and he smiled in a benign manner. “You saved us by teleportation! I thank you but who are you and what do you want? I’ve met very few beings who act so selflessly!” said Pol Manning. The alien said, “I am Toth of the Guardians of the Clockwork Universe! It is the mission of my brethren to bring order to the cosmos and to study it in all its wondrous glory! I brought you here and by extension the children you were in contact with at the moment of retrieval in order to equip you to be our agent. We would equip you to bring justice to the cosmos and to battle beings like the ones who destroyed your home!” Manning said, “I’m not what you think. I’m grateful to you but I’m not a hero. I’m just a pawn!” Toth said, “No. You are a hero. I am not wrong. You risked your life battling the flames on that planetoid. You tried to preserve the life of the woman who gave birth to these children!” He shook his head and said, “I did what anyone would do! I couldn’t just stand there while people needed help!” Toth said, “And yet you feel you are a pawn? Toth said, “We know your past and feel confident about the man you are and will become in the future! Do not mistake my motives. I am not like your Solar Council from your home era of the 58th century! I know that in that time the governing body known as the Solar Council needed a champion. They brought the greatest of all Green Lanterns Hal Jordan of Earth to their era and he saved them again and again; however, since the time travel left him with temporary amnesia they created a fake identity of Pol Manning and implanted these false memories and accompanying emotions in him. He was still incredibly skilled in the use of his power ring which was in turn powered by his will power. Without realizing it on his numerous trips to that era, his will exerted its influence to restore him to normal in memory and mind and by doing so …!
Manning interrupted, “By doing so created a real Manning to take his place but he was still addled by exposure to that era and how his mind had been tampered with on more than one occasion by the Solar Council! His ring didn’t create me or give me life. I don’t even know if those rings could create life. He probably would never have accepted such a conclusion had he truly been fully in his right mind. I think exposure to that time activated residual energies from previous mind alteration by the Solar Council. It stunted his reasoning or sense of self even when he came to that era by his own power and not through use of the memory altering teleportation device created by the Solar Council!” Toth said, “Jordan believed you were a creation of his ring and like a father, he bestowed on you the name Pol Manning that he had previously been given and sent you off to explore space! That was unlike him!” Manning shrugged and said, “Yes, and I went along with it. You see what none of us knew was that my own mind was rebelling against the idea that I was Manning. I briefly went a little crazy and called myself Strangehate!” “That was a name oddly similar to some names drawn from Earth cinema of the 20th century. That shows it was truly Jordan’s ring that had altered you but it did not create you as he wrongly thought in his deluded state of mind!” Manning said, “Exactly. I didn’t know myself at the time but the longer I stayed away from Earth as I explored space, the more my real memories returned. The ring didn’t create me to be a real Pol Manning. It merely found the closest thing to a Pol Manning that existed in that era. My real name is Martin Jordan and I am a direct descendent of Hal Jordan’s. That is why we look so much alike. The ring drew me to the Solar Council and made me think I was this fictional Pol Manning. Since there never was a real Manning, Green Lantern assumed his ring made me had he been thinking clearly he would have questioned that concept more closely. Anyway, in time I regained my memory and wanted nothing to do with that whole space mission or the monsters on the Solar Council!” “You found a world with a time machine and came here to escape from any tie to that era!” said Toth. Martin Jordan, for such was Manning’s true name, nodded and said, “It was ironic I ended up in Hal Jordan’s era but I’ve stayed in space and lived happily at the commune since I got here. Now, you plucked me to safety but I’d like to do something with my life. I never did much as Martin Jordan. Pol Manning has been a lie. I want to be the hero you think I can be but I feel like some ghost or wraith who is just floating along watching life go by without having any impact on others! Will you help me change things for the better? I’d like to preserve life and keep others like these children and their parents safe!” Toth said, “ A Wraith? Perhaps, one who will haunt the evil and be a protecting spirit to those in need! We will equip and train you for such a mission! We shall find a home for the children as well!’ The girl said, “Please, let us stay with you!” The boy said, “Yes, don’t leave us!” The man nodded and said, “I won’t leave you. I’ll keep you safe. I’ll teach you and you’ll be living reminders of why I will fight this new battle against evil! What are your names?” “I’m Arthro and she’s Ora!” said the boy. The Wraith smiled and said, “We’ll get through this together and we’ll take care of one another! And we’ll have a real purpose!” Toth nodded and said, “So be it! Months later, the Wraith and the two siblings embarked into deep space in a sleek space cruiser provided by Toth. Wraith wore a black and white costume with a cowl that concealed his features. He had a gleaming gauntlet on each wrist and a futuristic belt around his hips. A flowing cape completed his costume. He smiled and waved to Toth as the ship departed from the Guardian world. “We won’t fail you, Toth! Perhaps, we’ll even find the killers who destroyed our old home!” he thought. He nodded warmly to the two kids who sat behind him. They gave him their approval and looked at him with genuine affection and respect. They were a family now and their adventures were just beginning as was the legend of the cosmic champion known as the Wraith! 5 Zambezi Wildlife Preserve, Zambia, Africa Dr. Donald Bello was not impressed with the ceremonial opening of the Maxwell Academy; however, the teacher was devoted to his students and he truly valued the good he could do them with the ample resources provided by the Maxwell Foundation. Bello was originally from Zaire but he had readily moved away from his homeland to become the headmaster at the new school for boys that had been built and funded by the Maxwell Foundation near the Zambezi River. Travel back and forth between his old and new homes was easy enough since the taciturn and rather sour Dr. Bello could call upon super human powers when needed. He owed those powers to experiments conducted upon himself and other prisoners by a madman named Rex Maximus. Maximus had kidnapped innocent people like Dr. Bello and experimented on them for his own purposes. Maximus had unwittingly empowered his captives to eventually become the heroic team called the Kingdom. Of course, Batman and the famous Congo Bill had been responsible for liberating them with help from one of their future members Batwing. Now, Bello, who was secretly the electrically powered human dynamo called Thunderfall was more concerned with how he could help children with his academic skills than he was with using his lightning bolts or super speed to fight crime. He frowned again as he saw a beautiful young woman of around twenty step up to the microphone on the simple but decorative stage that had been set up outside the new school. Michelle “Mike” Maxwell had inherited the good looks of her late mother reporter Eve Carstairs Maxwell as well as her late father Michael Maxwell’s passion for Africa. Her long straight blonde hair framed a lovely face and bright eyes filled with humor and wit. She was very tall and her long legs were well displayed in the green blazer and matching short skirt she wore. She smiled winningly at the crowd and looked for approval from a balding black man in a uniform and a pretty woman who could only be his daughter. Their resemblance was easy to see as was the affection Chief Inspector Rupert Kenboya and his only child Zara Kenboya had for one another. Zara’s fiancé Dominic Mndawe sat nearby but he seemed restless. Dr. Bello mentally dismissed the lot of them as well-meaning distractions from his own call to educate the local children. Michelle Maxwell smiled in recognition of the small crowd’s sincere applause and appreciation for her late father’s contributions to their nation. She had adored her father and unlike most of them, she had also admired him for his role as the heroic super human known as B’Wana Beast. Rupert winked at her. He knew what she was thinking since he was her father’s closest friend and had shared most of his adventures against weird menaces like Hamid Ali, Ramanga the Living Vampire, and the Priestess of Tswana. The two men had travelled throughout Africa and had even spent time in an alternate Africa on a parallel Earth where they had met heroes and villains from multiple Earths and times. The ceremony was rudely interrupted when a flying woman with reddish skin swooped down at brandished a long wand that blazed with a golden energy. She scattered the crowd by sending beams of raw energy into their midst and she laughed with obvious malice as she did so. Sinestra the Witch Queen was full of scorn for Earthlings since she knew it was one such native of the planet who had regularly thwarted her brother’s schemes and had in fact defeated her with help from two of his own super heroic friends. “Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary! How I hate them! Still, I won’t have to deal with their ilk in this place!” she cackled. She used the Qwardian energy device that was shaped like a wand to scan the crowd below her. She frowned for a moment and tossed back her long hair. “I detect more than one reading of super power. The foolish Marauder said I would find one source of power here according to his calculations but then again I’ve long suspected that he was senile or merely mad!” she thought. Dr. Bello may have been a somewhat disagreeable scholar but he was no coward. He darted out of sight behind a tall tree and then changed into the blue and gold costume of Thunderfall! He inhaled sharply and then as his lower body seemed to transform into blazing lightning, he shot into the sky directly at the alien woman! “These people are under my protection! You have to right to threaten them!” he said. Sinestra scowled as she heard his words. Her wand automatically translated his language so she could understand him. Still, merely comprehending what he said did not mean the sister of the lethal Sinestro was willing to agree with him. She lashed out with the wand and dozens of tiny darts of energy surged out! Thunderfall crackled with energy of his own and dodged them all as he flew out of the way at blinding speed! My powers have evolved since I first gained them. I will need them to survive this battle!” he thought. He was a serious man in or out of costume and he did not joke as did some heroes. He frowned as the woman drew closer and then he gasped in pain as she struck him from behind! “An illusion! She was never in front of me at all!” he thought as his electrical form shuddered and he resumed his normal physical form. He started to fall from the sky as Sinestra followed him down and cackled madly all the way. Before he could clear his mind and regain any altitude, Thunderfall was caught by a tall woman in a red and gold one piece swimsuit styled garment! He recognized her at once. It was Michelle Maxwell but she was wearing a brief costume that resembled the one once worn by the late B’Wana Beast! He realized that in order to safely catch him as she had, the woman must also possess super human powers like enhanced strength, speed, and perhaps invulnerability since the sudden impact had not apparently harmed her at all. “You will be fine. Let me take care of that harpy!” said Michelle Maxwell. She leaped off the ground and tackled Sinestra who grunted in pain as the other woman reached her and brought both bare feet into her stomach with stunning force. Chief Inspector Kenboya watched from below. He carried a gun but he knew he could not harm a super human being like Sinestra the Witch Queen! She was clearly from another world and he knew from painful past experience that aliens were beyond his normally effective capabilities. Still, his mind flashed back as he recalled how his own life of peril had begun back in the late sixties. He and Michelle’s father Mike Maxwell had crashed on Mount Kilimanjaro where a storm forced them to find shelter within a cavern on the lofty mountain. Within the cave they encountered a mutated red ape who attacked them only to be defeated by a greatly altered Mike Maxwell. Maxwell had tasted some of the water within the mineral laded cavern and it had somehow turned him into a muscular hulk who had enough sheer strength to outfight an ape! There was something bizarre within the cavern water and that kind of mutagenic power was part of what enabled Mike to become the champion of Zambezi known as B’Wana Beast until his untimely death during the Alien Alliance Invasion of a few years ago. Michelle had inherited her father’s enhanced physique and upon his death she had firmly given up some of her party girl ways to become a super heroine. She was beginning to become known as Mulinshi or the Guardian although thus far she had confined her crime-fighting to routing a few poachers and catching a smuggler called Ilimu the Maneater. Even as Mulinshi wrestled furiously with Sinestra who was channeling her Qwardian energy into her own body to boost her own strength, Rupert spotted a shocking newcomer! A young black woman charged forward into combat! She was wearing a modified version of B’Wana Beast’s costume including the mystical helmet that had given Mike Maxwell his second set of powers so long ago. After Maxwell had subdued the mutated red ape in the cavern atop Mount Kilimanjaro back in the sixties, the ape had become strangely docile and had led Mike to an ornate red and gold helmet that rested on a hidden shelf built into the wall of the ancient cave. By donning the helmet Maxwell, who had already gained a super physique from drinking the mineral laced water, gained the power to command animal life and then merged animals into altered beasts that still obeyed his commands but also benefited briefly from a sharing of their individual natural strengths. Now, Rupert stared in dismay as his own daughter Zara entered the fight dressed as a new version of his late friend’s super heroic identity. “I am Freedom Beast!” she announced as she rode into the scene on a lion that had wide wings taken from a native bird! If Mulinshi was surprised to see her friend using her own father’s old gear, she showed no sign of it. She apparently knew all about Zara’s new career and approved of it. Then again the two girls had been raised practically as sisters and it was no real surprise to Rupert that Michelle and Zara would come up with the idea of sharing B’Wana Beast’s old abilities since Michelle already had the ones that came from the mineral water and clearly didn’t mind Zara’s use of the helmet spawned animal mutation ability! Sinestra’s eyes widened as she used the wand to determine that Zara was indeed the power source she had been seeking. What she did not know was that Marauder sought to use the animal alteration power as a potential source of a way his own master Agamemno could gain the ability to alter a mortal body for his own purposes. Sinestra blasted at the two women with little effect except to scatter them across the field below. Mulinshi rolled acrobatically to safety as Freedom Beast simply dived off her steed and allowed it to separate into its component parts. She commanded the lion to attack SInestra and as the feline was abruptly contained in an energy cage created by the alien woman’s wand, Thundefall blazed through the air and ripped the wand out of her bony hands and carried far from the scene of battle! His speed was incredible and Sinestra could not react in time to retrieve her wand. Powerless she gasped and whirled around only to be blocked by Freedom Beast who dropped down to confront her. “You are out of time, sister!” she said with a smile. As Sinestra darted aside she fell directly into the path of Mulinshi who connected with a spinning heel kick that knocked her cold. The two heroines slammed palms as Thunderfall returned to the scene empty-handed. He had crossed hundreds of miles and deposited the wand with the famous hero Congo Bill who had more experience than any other hero known to Dr. Bello. Bill would secure the alien weapon for the time being. Rupert shook his head as a worried Dominic Mndawe who was looking for his missing fiancé. “Do not worry. I saw Zara run off with Michelle. They are hiding in the school no doubt!” he said. He sighed as he realized he was going to have to get used to performing the same kind of secret identity preserving deceptions he had always used for his late friend. Later, within the school in an empty classroom Michelle and Zara confessed everything to Rupert. “Da, after Uncle Mike’s burial within the old cavern where he gained his powers all those years ago, I stayed behind for a moment of prayer and to say goodbye to him. You had stepped outside with Michelle. Djuba the ape appeared to me and led me to the helmet. It had returned to the cavern in some magic way after Mike died. Michelle and I figured it was as if the source of Mike’s powers was saying it had chosen me to be his heir. I did not want to be B’Wana Beast though so we came up with the name of Freedom Beast. I communed with that power source and it told me that every generation of champion has slightly different powers. I can do some things Uncle Mike could not do. Michelle did not need the helmet since she already had super strength and agility.” Rupert nodded and put a hand on each girl’s shoulder. “And I shall do my best to help you though my thinning hair shall no doubt turn a vivid shade of white!” The girls laughed and then hugged him. Meanwhile, the Marauder raised his hands in disgust. “Sinestra has been defeated as well. How shall we get the helmet of power she failed to capture?” he asked. Agamemno said, “I will try again to get the Orb from Egypt and the helmet from Africa if we fail to find Zan and Jayna. They may solve my problem at long last! Now, let us see how Queen Clea is doing on her own quest!”
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Post by lawrenceliberty on Aug 7, 2018 14:58:53 GMT
Queen Clea was annoyed as she flew over a miles of jungle near lake Guatavia in Columbia. The ancient trident that enabled her to defy gravity gave her incredible powers that along with her superior strength and endurance made her a true threat to anyone who crossed her path; however, neither magic nor beauty or power could change the fact that she was lost and angry. “What kind of fool’s errand has the Marauder sent me on this day? I see no city in this place!” she said as she landed and glared through the sunlight around the area. It was lush and lovely and unspoiled and it bored her immensely. She sighed and raised the Trident of Neptune above her head. It glowed faintly and she smiled as a slight coloration became to fill the air across from her. The vague outlines of a city came into view although to the naked eye there was nothing but jungle around her. “A magical barrier hides the city and only my own magic allows me to detect it. Perhaps, the Marauder has not in fact lost his senses! “ she thought. She charged forward and as she swung the magical trident across her path the jungle faded from view and an ancient and majestic city appeared around her. “I know a bit about the ancient world from my own days as a princess being tutored by one dry scholar after another. This city must be Incan in origin! Or is it Aztec? I do confuse those cultures! Either way, I should be able to find the item he sent me to find. A breastplate that enables the wearer to change her shape should be of value although I do question exactly why he is seeking objects that allow such a particular ability. Then again if I was a bearded old monster like him I’d also desire a new shape!” she said with a laugh. “You will need to go to Bogata if you want a proper makeover, honey!” cried a newcomer who abruptly landed from above. The woman had long green hair and seemed to drop from the sky and cushion her decent with a diminishing column of green flame that came from her body or perhaps on closer inspection from her mouth! She wore a brief green costume with thigh- high high heeled boots “Who are you?” demanded Queen Clea as she raised her trident. “I am the Green Fury! Your flight here was not unobserved! I came here to find out just what crooked business you seek to conduct!” said the Brazilian heroine. Green Fury’s real name was Beatriz Da Costa and she was the CEO of the Brazilian branch of Wayne Enterprises. She was also a capable and experience heroine. She stood her ground as the taller woman approached her. Queen Clea said nothing but abruptly kicked out and caught Green Fury by surprise. Clea moved with amazing swiftness and she knocked Green Fury flat before the heroine could dodge. Queen Clea kicked at her fallen foe with a viciousness belied by her blonde beauty. Suddenly, Green Fury vanished in a cloud of shimmering light. Queen Clea grunted as a cascade of freezing cold stuck her from behind. She rolled across the ground and rose up to see her foe standing next to a tall, handsome man who had long black hair, dark eyes, and wore an elaborate cloak that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. His chest was bare except for a golden collar that covered his throat and linked to a broad belt that he wore above green pants and red and gold boots. “I spirited this lovely lady away but as you can see and feel I have returned her!” he said with a low bow. Queen Clea frowned. She was resistant to normal temperature extremes so she knew Green Fury’s cold fire was magical in nature. She had no desire to have a lengthy battle with these unknown foes. She spun her trident around at a blinding speed and blocked a second burst of flames that the heroine emitted. Suddenly the man vanished and reappeared beside her! He grappled with her for the trident and while his strength was above that of a normal man, he was no match for her own power…..at first! Then as he narrowed his eyes and seemed to concentrate Queen Clea felt her grip on the trident slipping away. She grunted and fought back but the newcomer managed to pull the weapon from her hand. “How did you do that? No mewling manling can outfight me!” she shrieked. He chuckled and said, “I am El Dorado and I used my brain and not my brawn! You should try it sometime!” Queen Clea frowned and said, “El Dorado? That is the name of the city I came here to find!” El Dorado shook his head in amusement. “El Dorado originally meant the Gilded Man and was a term applied to chieftains who were covered with gold dust upon their ascension! Over time legends grew to expand the meaning of the term to include a lost city of gold. Now that you have been educated, we shall resume our battle….unless you wish to surrender!” Queen Clea roared in anger and charged at El Dorado but with a sweep of his cloak he vanished once more and she crashed to the ground. A burst of flame pinned her flat as she thrashed around and struggled against the pressure of the Green Fury’s blast! She kicked upward and gritted her teeth as she pushed through the flames and slapped the other woman to the ground. She slammed her fists into her body and left her bloodied and still. As El Dorado rushed forward, Clea flipped backward and ripped his cloak away from him! He gasped and then fell hard as she battered him with a barrage of super powered blows. She recovered her trident and rammed it into each of the fallen heroes before strolling almost casually into the lost city. Seconds passed and then the scene changed to reveal both champions standing unharmed. El Dorado said, “Lovely One, the combination of my telepathy and your ability to dazzle or generate illusions was a potent one! I was able to plant the exact scenario you envisioned within Queen Clea’s mind! As far as she is concerned she killed us both and is now plundering the city below!” Green Fury laughed as she gently prodded Queen Clea’s prone body with one boot. “How long will she stay in this trance?” El Dorado said, “Only for a few more minutes at best. We should be able to secure her in that time! I am El Dorado by the way, I have often wished to meet the famous Green Fury although your beauty surpassed by far even your sterling reputation for being divinely lovely!” Green Fury placed one hand on his arm and smiled. “Flattery will get you almost anything you want!” She said, “Does your power come from ancient sources? You seem like a hero who stepped out of myth or legend!” He said, “Years ago an alien named Odin left devices of power near here. The American hero Batman found them and prevented their misuse by criminals. The caped Crusader did not find every item and my cloak is one such piece of forgotten alien technology!” She said, “What exactly is that city? Is it your base?” He shook his head and said, ”No. The city concealed behind a mystical barrier may have once belonged to an ancient race whose lifestyle spawned the legend of the City of Lost Gold but now it is occupied by another entirely different people from outer space or at least another dimension. I am on good terms with them but I do not impose upon their hospitality. Let us be going!: He placed his arm around Green Fury and they vanished with a stunned Queen Clea in tow.
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Post by lawrenceliberty on Aug 7, 2018 17:43:01 GMT
7 Rogers Park had a unique distinction among Chicago’s communities. The community on the far North side of Chicago had the highest rate of inhabitants who had attained advanced academic degrees. A young man named Rashid Hadid was more concerned about getting to college on time than he was about completing his own degree in three more years! He steered his red motorbike through the busy streets and thought once more about how sleeping too long had made him late for class! “I know Professor Melner will give me that look he always gives anyone who walks in to his classroom one minute past the start of his lecture. I would rather face down the Magnetic Monster than be on the receiving end of that stare! Then again, It’s not like I can offer the excuse that I was out late last night fighting giant worms from Pluto!” he thought. As the Iraqi-American college student made his way toward the college he stopped to gaze skyward as a flying figure suddenly dropped down and flew straight at him! The man was dressed in white and black and Rashid pulled over and dived for cover but the flying figure kept loving and sailed passed him to confront another flying being. This figure was decidedly feminine in form and manner! The Wraith had gained an enviable reputation since he was trained and equipped by the Guardian of the Clockwork Universe. He had travelled the cosmos and defeated numerous alien menaces! Now, on Earth he had a particular purpose and was bent on achieving it when the Hummingbird appeared and attracted his attention! “According to the compu-files aboard the cruiser this Hummingbird is wanted on multiple planets! She is literally a man-killer!” he thought. He knew Arthro and Ora were watching via monitors from aboard their cruiser orbiting the Earth. They had become valuable partners to him and were in fact like his own children now. He confronted the purple costumed winged blonde and said, “Hummingbird! I think you best change your tune! You’ll be humming for years to come in the Intergalactic Prison!” She giggled and then screamed! When the petite almost dainty alien sang waves of sonic energy erupted and threatened to destroy the Wraith and anything else in her path! He adjusted his gauntlets and a force field surrounded his muscular body. He nodded in approval as the field protected him from the lethal sound waves and his cowl’s sensory devices shielded him from the sounds! He lowered his head and swooped toward her! She dodged easily but he managed to grab one ankle and swing her around and into his arms! He crushed her in a tight embrace and she gasped as her air supply was cut off! “I hate to treat a lady like this but then she is clearly not a lady!” he mused. Before he could stun her completely, he was grabbed from behind and yanked to the ground by a powerful newcomer! Rashid Hadid had watched the flying figures engage in combat and had felt compelled to join in the battle. He didn’t know either of them but the woman was pretty and delicate and needed help! He glanced around and seeing that he was concealed from sight of any passersby, he rolled his shirt sleeves up and brought two ornate wrist bands together with a resounding clang. A flash of light erupted from the magical bands and the slender young man was transformed into a tall heroic figure with long flowing hair and rippling muscles. He wore a white tunic and sandals and a broad belt with the symbol of a lion emblazoned on the buckle completed his costume. “I’m sorry my cat Enkidu isn’t here, he’d love to get in on the action!” he thought. Gilgamesh, as Rashid’s heroic alter ego was known, leaped into the air and caught the Wraith’s cape. Now, he hurled the other big man to the ground and said, “I don’t like guys who rough up women!” The Wraith regained his feet and said, “I don’t know if you’re under her siren song spell or if you’re just young and stupid! It really doesn’t matter either way because she’s a wanted killer and I’m a fully deputized officer of the law! My jurisdiction is the known cosmos!” He punched Gilgamesh in the face and sent him reeling backward. Two more blows knocked the bigger man flat. The Wraith’s communicator buzzed as Ora’s voice shouted, “Watch out, Wraith!” He hit his belt control and turned invisible just before a puzzled Hummingbird dived at him and barely missed! “Where did he go?” she squealed! “I so wanted to murder him!” Gilgamesh heard her words and shrugged his broad shoulders. “Okay, chalk up another dumb play to seeing a leggy blonde in a mini skirt.” He slammed his palms together and Hummingbird crashed to the ground. Her wings could not withstand the force of his super strength! The Wraith reappeared and stunned her with a carefully aimed concussive blast! He turned to extend one hand to Gilgamesh. “I’m the Wraith. Thanks for the help, son!” he said. Gilgamesh smiled and shook his hand. “I’m sorry I mess up things for a minute there. I just assumed she was the victim. I mean she looks innocent…!” “And I look a bit sinister!” finished the Wraith. He laughed and said, “I get that a lot! Then again, other folks say I joke too often in battle!” He said, “I don’t know what brought her to Chicago but I recognized her as being a wanted intergalactic felon!” Gilgamesh said, “I’ve fought a few aliens before but they were invading Earth and I didn’t actually go into outer space! I have travelled to the Underworld though! You wouldn’t like it!” The Wraith secured Hummingbird and carefully bound her mouth as well as her wings and arms. He tossed her over one shoulder and said, “I don’t doubt that a bit!” “You don’t exactly act like the legendary Gilgamesh!” he said. Gilgamesh said, “I’m not the original. I just use the wristbands to channel his powers! You see, I’m his descendent! It’s sort of my birthright. My grandfather used them back during World War II. My dad refused to believe in their magic so he never was Gilgamesh! Sorry, I’m talking too much!” The Wraith said, “I live with two kids and their pet monkey. I’m used to a good amount of chatter!” Gilgamesh said, “Sure. What brings you to earth?” The Wraith said, “I’m tracking two alien kids. They are being hunted by a gang of killers. I was tipped off that they were in peril when I saved their old homeworld Exor from Kanjar Ro!” He pressed a button on his gauntlet and a holographic image popped up. It depicted two young aliens with dark hair, elfin features, and matching light purple costumes. The girl was pretty and wore her hair swept back in a ponytail. The boy had bangs and a rather cocky demeanor. “The Wonder Twins! I know them! I really do! I teamed up with them and some other Global Guardians once. We fought a wizard who had been slumbering for centuries! It was awesome! The Twins are named Zan and Jayna. She’s Jayna. They live in Sweden! I think we could find them there too unless they are away on some case! “ The Wraith smiled broadly and said, “Gilgamesh, I’d appreciate your help. Those kids are in serious peril.” Gilgamesh nodded as they walked away with the stunned and bound Hummingbird. “By the way, they also have a pet monkey. Is that a thing now?” he asked.
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Post by lawrenceliberty on Aug 7, 2018 19:34:16 GMT
Sargon the Sorcerer was a troubled man. Oh, the heroic magic user was not suffering from any mental illness. He’d had that problem before due to a side-effect of the use of his Ruby of Life under certain unfavorable conditions. Now, he was fully in possession of his right mind. He was a notable hero and had been for decades due to his magically sustained youth. However, he was troubled as he made his way up Mount Shishapangma in China. He was on a quest and he had risked his own life to try to help one in need. This selflessness was typical of John David Sargent. He pulled his parka closer around his body and scanned the horizon. A glowing red gemstone guided his path and he relied entirely upon its power. He was searching for another ruby with magic power! The Ruby of Life had been discovered by his father long ago and as an infant it had been the very first thing John himself had laid eyes on as a newborn. This had been one of several factors that enabled him to use its potent magic when he grew up and became a stage magician and mystery man in the early 1940s! Circumstances had led him to journey from one parallel earth to another. At the time he had adjusted rather well; however, he later speculated that the subtle differences in the magical aura of each Earth might have accounted for some of his own acts of instability. Now, he was trying to help a missing friend and he blamed himself for any peril that had befallen him. A few years ago under equally bizarre circumstances an Indian mystic named Nadir had also been transported from one Earth to another! Sargon had enabled him to find and use a Ruby of Life that was native to this earth since Sargon didn’t need it. However, while the heroic Nadir had seemingly done well with the artifact and had even found love and married June “The Enchantress” Moon, the odds were stacked against him. Sargon cursed himself for not realizing that use of the Earth 1 gemstone by an earth 2 mystic might cause mental illness or worse like the problems he himself had once suffered. He had no idea if such a problem had caused Nadir to simply disappear but the fact was the normally stable and happy hero had mysteriously vanished and his distraught wife could not find him. Sargon had heard her pleas for help and had vowed to do his best to locate Nadir. Now, he was hopeful that a clue he had discovered would help him find and rescue his missing ally. His Ruby of Life was detecting another Ruby. He assumed it must be the one nadir had been using. There had been other rubies like his own but he had merged them at one point and resolved some of his earlier problems. He had tracked the magical energy to the Chinese mountain and now as he approached a small cavern in the side of the peak he saw a dim red glow deep within the darkness. He moved slowly and gradually his eyes became accustomed to the darkness. He gazed upon a huge sheath of ice and realized the glow was coming from a large ruby that seemed embedded within the ice. He touched his own ruby and then touched the wall of ice. “Melt!” he commanded and the ice dissolved at once to reveal a hulking humanoid figure that had been frozen solid within the icy tomb. The red gemstone was embedded in his broad chest. He had the primitive appearance of a Cro-Magnon man and Sargon wondered if the cave men had been entombed in the ice for eons! “Move away from him. He is mine!” said a loud but guttural voice from behind Sargon. He whirled to face a massively muscular man in a red hood and cloak. “Who are you? How did you sneak up on me?” he asked. The big man said, “I know more about stealth than my size would suggest but that same size will allow me to break your neck if you do not obey me. I am here for that gemstone!” Sargon said, “It led me here as well! My own ruby allows me to control anything I touch that is inanimate like this!” He said, “Cavern strike him!” The nearest wall of the cave erupted at the big man and slammed into him in the form of a huge stone fist! He shrugged off the blow and reached for Sargon who darted aside and ducked beneath the man’s powerful arms to touch his cloak. “Cloak blind and bind him!” he commanded. The red hood slipped over his foe’s face and constricted his movements for a few moments but luck was not with Sargon and as he moved warily backward toward the man he had found in the cave’s recesses, he slipped! Instantly the other man was on him and he gasped in pain as blows like sledgehammers fell upon him! He struggled to concentrate and use his magic but he was in pain and his vision began to blur. The man in red stopped his attack and said, “How I hate wizards!” At that moment the caveman stirred and stared at them with intelligent eyes. “Leave him alone! He freed me from the ice! I owe him my life!” he said slowly. He spoke in normal English as amazing as that seemed! He blocked the bigger man’s path and they began exchanging blows. The Cro-Magnon was stronger than any ordinary man. The glowing gemstone in his chest seemed to be responsible for some of his power and for his remarkable comprehension of language and situation seconds after awakening for an eon long sleep. In spite of the caveman’s prowess, the man in red was simply stronger and was a better warrior. As the caveman began to tire, Sargon struggled to his feet and slammed his own ruby against the big man’s head. He could not use the ruby of life to control living beings but it did have magic within it and it had strange powers that had saved Sargon’s life on more than one occasion! The ruby flashed brightly and the huge man rubbed one hand across his face and dropped to one knee. “What madness is this? What has become of me? I have wandered near mindless for so long! I have been enslaved and misused!” he muttered. He whirled around and raced out of the cavern. Sargon said, “I caught a mental impression of his name. He has a strong personality. He may be more than a super human. He may be some kind of alien or cosmic powered being. The name Atlas flashed through my mind. I know one such Atlas founded one Atlantis but he died long ago. Could this be some namesake or descendent of his?” The Cave Man said, “He was troubled. I do not envy him! My name is Tugh!” Sargon said, “How did you end up like this?” Tugh said, “I was hunting with my tribe. We were a mountain people. I was separated from them by the storm. I came inside this cavern and fell asleep! I knew nothing more until you melted the ice around me.” Sargon said, “Remarkable. I once heard about a soldier who experienced something like that after the war but this is even more amazing. The gemstone preserved you but how did you get it?” Tugh said, “I was always watching lights in the sky. One night one fell to earth and a chunk of it struck me and just stuck in my chest without harming me. It gave me gifts that frightened my tribe at times but also helped me thruogh many dangers.” Sargon said, “That gemstone led me to you but I was in truth searching for another. Now, I fear he is truly beyond my ability to find!” He led Tugh out of the cave and said, “Well, my friend, I am Sargon. I will help you adjust to this brave new world as best I can!” Meanwhile, the Marauder shook his head in dismay. All of his allies had failed in their respective tasks and Atlas who had never been a willing ally but rather a near mindless pawn had simply deserted them. Agamemno scowled as he turned to the Marauder. “All of them have been defeated. Why did Hummingbird go to Chicago? She was supposed to go to Florida and find the legendary Fountain of Transmogrification!” The Marauder said, “She is insane! Who knows why the girl does anything? I do know she was babbling more than usual about killing Thanagarians. Perhaps, she knew of some on this backwater planet.” Agamemno said, “You are the one I blame for these failures. Even if all of the mystic artifacts or power sources they were supposed to find eluded them, you were their leader. I am running out of patience with you. If these shape-shifting twins can not provide me with the ability to change form and regain an organic body I will be very angry with you.” The Marauder fought to control his own temper. He was sick of being treated like a mere underling by the ancient alien. “Atlas was never a criminal. He was more of a warrior. His memory loss allowed you to use him but I never felt he was a wise recruit!” Agamemno said, “Do not question me. He obeyed you as long as your helmet of power controlled him. That had been enough until now.” He smiled suddenly and said, “We have found them! The Wonder Twins are in Sweden! My monitoring of the world’s broadcasts finally alerted me to news of their specific location! Now, you and I shall capture them and I may at least know the sensations of having both a physical body and retain a version of my powers of shape shifting too!”
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Post by lawrenceliberty on Aug 7, 2018 20:52:35 GMT
9 Esko, Sweden Dr. Sven Larsen had been a “changing man” but now he was a changed man! The brilliant scientist had been a super villain with the unlikely name of Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man due to chemically induced ability to alter his form; however, after several defeats at the hands of the Doom Patrol, he had reformed and turned over a new leaf. Now, in his native Sweden, Dr. Larsen was content with his research and with the two young people who shared his home. Johan and Joanna Fleming was in reality Zan and Jayna the Wonder Twins from the planet Exor. They had fled their home world in order to be free of enslavement in a travelling freak show in which they were forced to display their shape=shifting powers. Such powers were once commonplace on Exor but over the centuries the natives had largely lost the gift and only a very few had any variety of the ability. Zan and Jayna had decided to come to Earth in a stolen spacecraft after fleeing their circus to a swampy area where they discovered a plan to destroy the earth by alien villain named Grax. They defeated Grax and were so impressed with the super heroes of the planet that they vowed to become heroes themselves. They discovered Dr. Larsen and realized his own experiences with shape-shifting might benefit them and he could teach them more about living on Earth while they would gladly allow him to study their unique powers. They adopted the Fleming identities and pretended to be his niece and nephew. Now, as they returned home after fighting a fire in the village, they encountered Agamemno’s huge spacecraft! They started to flee when a beam of energy teleported them aboard the massive ship! They exchanged startled looks and faced the Marauder! He spread his arms wide and said, “Welcome! You are most welcome here! I have long wanted to make your acquaintance!” Jayna frowned and said, “Okay, Grampa Creepy! We’ve met enough super crooks and crazies to recognize one when we see him!” She slapped palms with her brother Zan and they said, “Wonder Twin powers activate!” The twins had to make contact with one another to use their powers. Zan could become any form of water be it solid or liquid and his powers extended to even extreme forms of water as in a localized tidal wave or a humanoid made of water. Jayna could adopt any animal or insect form. Jayna said, “Form of a Tigracat!” Zan shouted, ‘Form of a frost giant!” Instantly they transformed into their declared forms and rushed into battle. Zan’s burly Frost Giant form had a long beard made out of ice chips and he raised his fists and swung at the Marauder who concentrated and used his helmet of power to generate a beam that struck the giant! Jayna’s fierce Thangarian feline pounced at the marauder but his helmet allowed him to strike as swiftly as he could think and his energy beam hit the girl as well as her twin. They yelled in pain and their atomic structures were locked in their original forms! “No use touching or shouting your colorful phrases now! You won’t change again until I release you and that won’t happen until my…. My master wills it to be so!”said the Marauder. Agamemno swelled up from out of the ship to assume his humanoid form and he said, “My scanners are at work! I believe unlike my previous efforts with the Martians, the Saturnians, and the Durlans, these Exorians will actually benefit me> I can feel my structure changing! I am acquiring a version of their powers as I speak! MY use of the machines on this vessel will allow me to duplicate their abilities and change my own form to an organic and flexible form! After countless eons as a being who could not feel sensations I shall truly live again!” At that moment the Wraith and Gilgamesh materialized aboard the ship! “Give it up, fella!” demanded the Wraith. Gilgamesh rushed to the stricken twins and said, “How can we help you? What can we do?” Jayna said, “The helmet!” The Wraith had managed to detect the frequency of teleportation used by the ship and had copied it to enable the duo to get aboard the craft as it hovered over Sweden! He aimed his gauntlet and a beam of magnetic force ripped the helmet off Marauder’s head. He roared in anger and pulled out a strange gun from his belt arsenal. Before he could use it, Gilgamesh kicked it across the room. At that moment Agamemno’s humanoid form shimmered and began to change shape. He shifted from one weird form to another at a blinding rate and for the first time in eons he screamed in pain! “I can’t stop the changes! I can’t control them! This is not what I wanted!” he groaned! The Twins regained their footing and realized without his helmet the Marauder’s hold on them had faltered. “It is terrible! He is in such pain! How can we help him?” asked Jayna. Zan put an arm protectively around her and said, “I don’t think we can!” The Marauder smiled coldly as he realized his cruel tyrant of a master was now truly helpless! He moved swiftly and hit a control on one panel. The ship began to shake and then flames erupted throughout the alien craft. He smiled and regained his helmet as the heroes rushed to control the fires. He teleported away and watched as the now human Agamemno shrieked in pain and writhed on the desk he no longer controlled. He was fully human but he was helpless to stop his body from changing form again and again! The Wraith activated his communication device and his own twins Arthro and Ora beamed him aboard his cruiser along with Gilgamesh, the Wonder Twins, and Agamemno. He used a tractor beam to guide the other ship into space moments before it exploded. They placed the now helpless Agamemno within a stasis chamber and watched him as he continued to contort from one shape to another. “I feel badly for him!” said Jayna. Zan nodded and said, “All he wanted was the powers we used to hate when we were forced to use them in the circus!” The Wraith said, “Sometimes we are all captives of our own desires. I hope I can find some way to cure him! It looks as though his ally, whom my compu-file identified as the Marauder, escaped though! My link to their teleportation device shows he used it successfully and made his way to his own original ship which he had concealed here on earth apparently since he last fought Superman years ago before he met that poor demented alien!” Gilgamesh said, “Can you track that ship?” The Wraith said, “Not immediately. Perhaps, I can in time. I realized when we spotted their ship that he is responsible for the loss of my old home and many other crimes across the cosmos!” Jayna said, “Thank you both for freeing us!” Zan said, “Yes, thank you!” Gilgamesh thought, “I can’t believe I’ve been in two spaceships today!” Meanwhile, the Marauder exulted in his freedom and guided his own spaceship far away from Earth. He didn’t care if Queen Clea and the others ever escaped or not nor did he care at the moment if he ever gained his own revenge on Superman and his other enemies. He was merely delighted to finally be free…for a change! The End
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Post by johnreiter902 on Aug 7, 2018 22:04:06 GMT
This is absolutely fantastic! This is exactly the kind of story I love, inquiring, and full of name-dropping and continuity tie-ins that make the universe more and more rich.
So, you are introducing Birdman to Earth-1, and an Earth-1 version of Queen Clea? I though they were both very nice, and I particularly like that you made Queen Clea seem actually dangerous, which I think is hard. I think that, given the Egyptian obsession with the afterlife, the magical return of Prince Ra-Man is very believable, and he will be better off as his own person, maybe bade din Egypt (and maybe Horus will settle in Egypt as well? it seemed like that was being suggested).
I caught the reference to the new Dr. Fate's counterpart. I also liked how you were able to introduce Agamemno with no re-conning.
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Post by lawrenceliberty on Aug 7, 2018 22:25:12 GMT
Thanks. I was planning on keeping Horus and Ra-Man in Egypt. You are right about Agamemno. I did figure he was the nameless villain within the spaceship in the JLA Spaceman X story.
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Post by johnreiter902 on Aug 8, 2018 11:56:17 GMT
I have only one critique for this story, just a small change for the last chapter. In the Superman story "All Myxed Up" it was hinted that on Earth-1 the Wonder Twin's powers come from the two rings Mr. Mxyzptlk made from the crystal entity, and are not normal for Exxorians. I don't think it seriously changes the story. If anything, it makes even more sense why Agamemno would risk coming to Earth to study the Twins instead of just conquering Exxor.
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Post by lawrenceliberty on Aug 8, 2018 16:10:28 GMT
Thanks. I'll look into that but I though those twins weren't the WTs from the Global Guardians story on E-1.
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Post by DocQuantum on Aug 14, 2018 20:45:45 GMT
Monumental! Makes me want to explore some of Zan and Jayna’s history a bit more after the 1982 Global Guardians origin. In the Super Friends comic they posed as Swedish exchange students who lived in Gotham with Professor Carter Nichols (which still could’ve happened) so it’s a natural idea to have them settle in Sweden. The story behind that could be interesting.
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Post by lawrenceliberty on Aug 14, 2018 21:53:32 GMT
Thanks. I figured Animal-Veg.- Mineral Man Dr. Sven Larsen could be their new mentor but they could have spent time in Gotham City as well. They do have an unexplored past. I figured at some point they were pardoned for stealing their ship since they were never paid by their master in the circus to begin with. I did wonder if Exor had a Green Lantern or two?
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Post by starskyhutch76 on Aug 14, 2018 21:58:15 GMT
Something about the Wraith seems very familiar. I wonder if he's ever had his own talk show.
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