New Crisis, Chapter 5- Worlds Apart

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Rated M for Mature

Appropriate for readers 18 and over. May contain extreme violence, sexual themes, nudity, or profanity.

New Crisis, Chapter 5- Worlds Apart

Liverpool, England

John Constantine had finally arrived at the London International Airport. It was so cold this season, which John couldn’t help to shop shivering. He wore his brown coat on, smoking his way through the airport. One of the security guards noticed his bad habit, telling him to stop. But John never listened to him. He came all the way from Hawaii after having a big break. He sure needs one because all the supernatural cases that he solved in the past, took a major hold in him. He looked at the guard for a while, smiled a bit. The guard told him again to put his cigarette away in the trash can. With a sigh, John took the cigarette out of his mouth, threw it away on the can. He left the security guard.

What a wuss, John thought. Can’t a guy smoke? He recalled having lung cancer during the time while solving strange cases in London. He made a pact with the Devil to erase the lung cancer from his body. But it came with a price. John had to help Satan to recover nine souls, who have escaped from nine levels of hell. It wasn’t that easy for a detective like him. He read stories of how the famous, fictional detective called Sherlock Holmes, solving cases by analyzing true facts about things around him. Though, John wasn’t a true analyst like Sherlock. He didn’t have to analyze certain facts just by looking at them. He had to use a bit of magic.

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A cab driver named Chas Chandler was waiting for his best friend to arrive. Throughout his years, he helped John solve bizarre cases on several occasions. Of course, Chas was just a normal guy, whom everyone thought he was so crazy enough to join some supernatural quest. But he was strong to fight evil along John’s side. A guy was calling out to him from behind, telling him to move away from the parking lot. The driver looked grumpy and sure didn’t have time to argue with Chas. He opened the door from his car, yelling and swearing at him.

“Hey, mate! I told you to get your car out. For God’s sake, don’t you listen to me?” The driver was furious. He couldn’t get his car to park on the right spot.

“Find another one,” Chas said, without looking at the angry driver. “I’m waiting for my friend.”

“Yeah, I’m waiting for my friend too,” the driver said jokingly. “You piece of mother...” He stopped and saw John Constantine arriving at the entrance of the airport. He walked towards Chas’ taxi and later stopped to see the angry driver. The driver looked like he had seen a ghost.

“Is there a problem?” John asked, lighting the other cigarette. He noticed the driver yelling at his friend before he came out of the airport. The smoke blew almost on the angry driver’s face. His face has changed into that of a nervous man. He went back to his car and drove off to find another parking spot. John opened the side door of the taxi, stepping into the backseat.

“Well, hello there,” John said. “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, I know,” Chas said, looking from the rear-view mirror. “So...How’s Hawaii? I heard you had some fun. What did you do anyways?”

John recalled the moment, when he met a beautiful woman. She was sexy, hot, and a Hawaiian. But something happened to her. The Hawaiian woman was possessed by an evil spirit and John had to deal with it.

“Umm...Let’s not talk about it,” John said. “Okay?”

“Yeah...Sure, I guess,” Chas said. Something did happen. He doesn’t want to talk about it. Maybe, he will... He looked around the heavy traffic, where full of drivers were looking for a safe spot to park. It took a few minutes for Chas to drive away from the traffic.

“So Chas,” John said, puffing his smoke out. “I heard you’re gonna get promoted. Is that true?”

Chas actually wanted to tell John about it. But he wasn’t sure the promotion was the right thing for him. Chas had worked all day and night long as a taxi driver. The idea of becoming a new manager at the taxi agency was something out of the ordinary. He didn’t expect to get the new job.

“Yeah...Who told you that?” Chas was wondering how John heard the news of his promotion.

“Zatanna told me,” John said. “Well, I...was chanting some spells to communicate with her about my spirit problem. So she helped me out, you know. And that’s when she told me about your new thing.”

Chas thought for a moment. Then he realized that something was amiss. He looked over John facing out the window.

“Is it something to do with Hawaii?” Chas asked curiously.

John smiled a bit. Chas knew well enough of knowing his secrets, even though he didn't know what they actually were.

“Yeah,” John said. “You got me.”

“I knew it!” Chas said with a bit of an excitement. “Jeez, John. You really ought to keep secrets from me.”

“Is that old Chas talking or the new?” John kept lighting his cigarette.

“Both,” Chas smiled at him. He took a right turn towards Harrington Street where John was currently living in an apartment. The apartment looked quite dirty, and all the hoodlums can be seen hanging around, asking for money and having a fist fight with each other. Sometimes, John had to deal with normal cases. There were people out there, dealing with real-life situations and they needed his help. Of course, he did help them in any way he can. With a bit of magic here and there, the normal cases were solved easily.

Chas parked the taxi besides the tall, street lamp. It was almost getting dark, and the rain began to pour out from the sky. John opened the door of the taxi, gave out some cash to Chas.

“Hey John,” Chas said. “If you have time, you can come over to my place and have some dinner. You know...Just for old times’ sake.”

“Yeah sure,” John said, as he pushed the cigarette away from his mouth. He threw it on the wet ground. “I’ll remind you about it.”

“No problem,” Chas said. “See you later.” Chas drove his taxi away into the dark streets of London. John smiled, wavering his hand and went back to his old apartment. The stairs were almost broken and he had to take careful steps to prevent himself from falling down. That’s something he had to talk with the landlord about.

When he reached his room, he noticed that the door was slightly opened. He wondered how long the door was opened this way. He had been gone for a month now.

John Constantine opened the door. He stopped and saw the lying, familiar figure. He was a magician and a great friend of John’s. He couldn’t believe his eyes. This was something far more dreadful than any case he had witnessed.

“Jesus Christ!” John said. He knelt down beside the corpse. The blood flowed from the body. It smelled fresh, which would mean the magician had just died recently. He looked around to see if anyone was present. He checked the bathroom and then the bedroom. There was none at the moment. The only one question that came to his mind. Why would the magician come to visit his apartment? John didn’t know what to do next. All he can do was to contact the other heroes, who are also currently living in London.

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A few hours later, Zatanna, Phantom Stranger, and Deadman arrived on the crime scene. They were all shocked to see that the magician, who was John Constantine’s best friend got killed.

“Have you contacted the police?” Zatanna said.

“No,” John lighted his cigarette away. “This isn’t something that the police could handle. We have to solve this case to ourselves.”

“I thought you were on your own,” the Phantom Stranger said. “This case is rather a strange one, and yet you need our help.”

John may not know the real identity of the Phantom Stranger. He was sure getting hard to talk with, especially during the battle against ancient evil.

“Look,” John seemed to turn away from the Phantom Stranger. “All I’m asking is a favour. Could you do that for me?”

“We’ll do it as you wish, John,” Deadman said. He was hovering over the air, staring at the dead magician. It was too hard to believe the former Dr. Fate was dead.

“It’s too bad, he’s dead,” Zatanna said. “By the way, where is his helmet?”

John lifted his hand up on the air. The other supernatural heroes looked up as well.

“You have your own rooftop?” Zatanna said.

“No, it’s rather my secret attic,” John said. “Don’t worry. No one knows about it.”

Deadman phased through the top ceiling. He watched the glowing helmet, staring back at him. He wondered how John was keeping Dr. Fate’s helmet a secret. He went back into John’s room.

“Did you really have to do that?” John was wondering whether Deadman was dead serious about checking to see if the helmet was present.

“Just checking,” Deadman smiled.

“Okay...” John rubbed his head. “So...where do we go from here?”

“Well, we have to cast a magic spell around this block and find out who killed him. Or...”

“Or we can use Dr. Fate...I mean his helmet to find out the intruder,” Deadman finished Zatanna’s sentence.

“I don’t think that’s necessary, Deadman,” John said. “Plus, the helmet was removed by our dead friend here. If we use the helmet, we’ll go berserk for all we know.”

“John is right,” the Phantom Stranger said. “The curse will control our minds and do things that we wouldn’t wish to do. We’ll have to use one of Zatanna’s spells.”

“My spell?” Zatanna turned to face the Phantom Stranger. “Can’t you use your...Umm...Knowledge Power? You seem to know what’s happening around here.”

The Phantom Stranger walked closer to the dead magician. He knelt down to check the signs of the previous events that already happened. He looked around the room. He sensed nothing.

“Not here,” the Phantom Stranger said. The others stared with a surprise, except for John. This was something different coming from the Phantom Stranger. He knew certain events that already happened in the past. He also knew that Lex Luthor was dead. But he didn’t know who killed him.

“Are you sure?” Zatanna said. “You supposed to know everything.”

“Not everything,” the Phantom Stranger said. “There are things that can be seen and can’t be. This isn’t the first time; I have not seen such events taking place. You do know the news about Lex Luthor’s death. I was called into Gotham City by Batman and asked for help. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help identify the real killer.”

John heard the news alright, including Zatanna and Deadman. But he wondered if the murder of the magician had anything to do with Lex Luthor’s death. There had to be some connection. After all, the Phantom Stranger couldn’t sense the real purpose behind the two murders.

“Well...I guess we can use one of my spells,” Zatanna felt a sigh. “But I really need some help. This will take time though.”

They all joined hands together around the magician’s dead body. Deadman may be a ghost, who can’t be touched or seen by normal people. But the combined supernatural powers of Zatanna, John, and the Phantom Stranger made him corporeal. He can feel their touch, feelings, and memories around him. He missed his human days.

Zatanna began to chant the spell. John did the same. The Phantom Stranger was quiet; he still focused on his energies to maintain the magic longer, so that they could find the killer. Deadman was shaking a bit. This was his first time, joining some strange ritual. He had to close his eyes and concentrate for the magic to work. He even chanted too, the words coming out from Zatanna’s mouth and being said repeatedly. John knew the spell as he had worked with Zatanna in the past. The Phantom Stranger already knew the spell, yet he didn’t chant it.

Then a bright star formed around the circle. It was blue. The ground began to shake. Pieces of the floor, the walls, and the ceiling broke apart across the room. It was real. The spell that’s happening right now affected certain parts of reality as they knew it. John felt the sweat coming down his face. He still chanted. The rest, Zatanna, Deadman, and the Phantom Stranger still did the same, over and over again.

Finally, the apartment broke away, tearing it down the rest. John couldn’t believe that his room had been taken away by the forces of magic, so powerful that nobody could overwhelm it. It was Zatanna’s magic, after all.

Something clicked within Phantom Stranger’s mind. He screamed and saw the dark, red eyes of a dark God coming towards him. John saw the fear in the Phantom Stranger’s eyes. He can sense it. This was the first time for John to see that the mysterious Phantom Stranger was being afraid of something. But he couldn’t make it out, who was causing the fear.

“AAAAAAHH!” The Phantom Stranger screamed. Zatanna looked at him, even Deadman. The female magician stopped the spell immediately and everything went back to normal.

“Phantom Stranger!” John cried out to him. “Phantom Stranger! Can you hear me?” But the Phantom Stranger felt unconscious. Something happened to him. John thought of it as worst-case scenario, even worse than the magician’s death.

Earth-3 Crime Syndicate Headquarters, Somewhere in Africa

A portal just opened out of nowhere. It was Barry Allen entering into the other side of the world, except that it wasn’t the other side. The portal led him to cross between worlds, thanks to Grid’s quantum technology. He activated the switch on his belt, revealing himself to be the Black Weapon. He have killed Barry’s best friend and felt no remorse about it. He looked at the large building where the evil, twisted versions of their world, the Justice League have formed. The Black Weapon never wanted to come back to this world. He felt the need to join other worlds. But something happened that made the Black Weapon snap. He wanted a world of living peace. Yet here, Ultraman made everyone fear him.

He walked towards the building, entering the exit. The doors opened automatically right in front of him. A computer voice recognized his signatures, allowing him to access the building. The building was tightly secured, the cameras watching anyone moving around and hoping to destroy the Crime Syndicate. But there were none to stop them.

The Black Weapon entered inside the building. He looked around the place, the wires attached to the mega computers. Grid, the evil version of Cyborg, came from the other door.

“You’re late,” Grid waited for the Black Weapon to work on his weapon artillery. He was not entirely human as his mind had been transferred into this cyborg shell. He was more of a machine than man. The Black Weapon felt pity for him.

“Where’s Ultraman?” The Black Weapon stared at the mega computers.

“He’s having a private moment,” Grid said. “I suggest you wait. In the meantime...”

“It can wait,” the Black Weapon reminded Grid of his new weapon artillery. “I need to talk with him. It’s urgent.”

“But Ultraman said...” Grid stopped as the Black Weapon passed him to the other entrance.

“You do know that Ultraman will crush you like an insect,” Grid looked back at the Black Weapon.

“And you know that I have blue kryptonite under my belt,” the Black Weapon said back. Grid became quiet at the moment. He never thought of him as an ally of the Crime Syndicate. What Ultraman saw in him, he didn’t know. He went back to his work, not bothering to deal with the Black Weapon again. It didn’t matter whether the Black Weapon will help him design his new weapon.

“Oh yeah,” the Black Weapon said. “Thanks for the holographic trick. It came in real handy.”

Grid still didn’t say anything. Without looking back, he engaged himself working on the mega computers.

The Black Weapon walked through the quiet hallways. He heard footsteps coming near him. It was Owlman, who just came from the right side of the hallway.

“Ah, Owlman,” the Black Weapon said. “How was your interrogation?”

“It didn’t go well,” Owlman said. “She’s still resisting. Not even Alfred can break through her.”

“You tried your best, Thomas,” the Black Weapon said. He was about to walk away, when Owlman stopped him immediately.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Owlman asked curiously. The Black Weapon didn’t have time for this unnecessary interrogation. He had other matters to deal with.

“I’m going to see Ultraman.”

Owlman looked at him for a while. He removed his hand away from the Black Weapon. Then he said, “I wouldn’t go there if I were you.”

“I know,” the Black Weapon said. “Grid has told me.”

“Hmm...” Owlman said. “Good luck.” He went forward to meet with Grid. He planned to talk with him about the mega computers. The Black Weapon stared at the back of Owlman and then went away.

He reached a door of the room, where Ultraman was sleeping with Superwoman. He knocked on the door. There were both moaning together. The Black Weapon didn’t hesitate to open the door. Once the door was opened, he saw them naked on the bed.

“What the...” Ultraman looked up from the bed. “Black Weapon? How dare you!”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Ultraman,” the Black Weapon stopped him. “But there are matters to be discussed.” He looked at Superwoman for a moment. She was beautiful as the Wonder Woman of the other Earth. “Ah, Superwoman, you look lovely as usual.”

“Ah...yeah, thanks,” Superwoman got up from the bed. She put her costume on, and stood besides the naked Ultraman. The angry version of Superman felt like beating the Black Weapon into a pulp. But he knew that the mysterious, black-suited man had a blue kryptonite with him. He can feel the dizziness. Thanks to his green kryptonite, he no longer fears the blue one. The more he consumes the green kryptonite, the more he will be less affected by the blue kryptonite. However, he needed the Black Weapon to travel to other worlds where he can get tons of green rock.

“What is it you want to discuss?” Ultraman was out of patience. “And do it fast! I haven’t got much all day.”

The Black Weapon looked around the room. “I was hoping that we could discuss it privately.”

Ultraman was quiet at the moment. He thought of the time, he met the Black Weapon joining the Crime Syndicate. He never would have guessed that the man behind the mask could become necessary evil.

“Fine!” Ultraman said. He looked at Superwoman and said, “Leave here. Go and check on our prisoner.”

“You really want me to babysit her?” Superwoman said. “You’re out of your mind.”

“Listen!” Ultraman said angrily. “If you don’t go, I’ll crush your sorry neck. Get the hell out of here!”

Superwoman didn’t say any more words to Ultraman. She left the room, leaving only Ultraman and the Black Weapon alone.

“Alright,” Ultraman said. “What is it you want to tell me?”

“It’s about Wonder Woman,” the Black Weapon said.

“Well, that’s just wonderful,” Ultraman said. “Would you mind telling me why you need to kill her? I know she’s not of any use to us.”

“I don’t plan on killing her, Ultraman,” the Black Weapon said. “I only intend to make some...alterations. Of what I’ve heard is that she’s going to become the next queen of Paradise Island.”

Ultraman rubbed his eyes a bit, not even caring of what the Black Weapon just said. Sometimes, he wished the Black Weapon didn’t join the Crime Syndicate.

“So? So what if she’s become the next queen b***h in town? Eh?”

“It’s important that I must get there and not let that happen,” the Black Weapon said.

“Alright!” Ultraman was still out of patience. He walked over to the desk, opened the drawer. He took out a vial of green kryptonite. He drank the green liquid in full gulp. “Then what?” He continued. “What will you do next?”

“I don’t know yet,” the Black Weapon said. “I’m still working on my new plan.”

Ultraman threw the vial across the room, smashing it. He looked crazy to crack more of that green kryptonite. It was a strong addiction for him. He couldn’t help it.

“Gosh! I think I’m running out of the green stuff,” Ultraman knew for the fact without the green kryptonite, he would become so weak and rendered useless in the Crime Syndicate. That was something he couldn’t accept.

“Do whatever you want,” Ultraman said. “In the meantime, I’ll see how that b***h is doing.”

“You mean Superwoman?” the Black Weapon recalled the events that got transpired a few minutes ago.

“No, I meant the other one,” Ultraman answered him correctly.

“Ah, I see,” the Black Weapon opened the door. Before he was about to leave the room, Ultraman came closer to him.

“Get me more of that green stuff.”

The Black Weapon nodded and left the room to continue his next plan.

Rock of Eternity

A dark storm flashed throughout the clouded sky. The Rock of Eternity can been seen from above, yet no human on Earth could enter it. Some have said that the Rock of Eternity was just a myth. But it was no myth for Billy Batson. Billy looked far from above, feeling his power draining away. He had trouble transforming himself into a super being known as Captain Marvel. He was given that power by the great wizard, Shazam to utter his name and then transform into a superhero. Billy was inspired by Superman and other heroes, fighting crime every day. He had no problem doing so. But that was the least of his problems, now that the Wizard’s power is being taken away from him. Billy wasn’t sure what was happening right now. Something was wrong, terribly wrong.

He stood on the grass, saying the wizard’s name again. But the power didn’t work. It was like the great wizard hadn’t listened to him. Maybe, he was taking a rest like the last time he left the Rock of Eternity about a week ago. Every time, Billy used his name to transform into Captain Marvel, Shazam’s power must have been drained by the minute. That could be a wrong thought for all he knows. He had to find out for sure. Time was running out for the young orphan.

Billy’s phone rang out through his ear. He picked the phone up and answered it.

“Yes?’

“Billy?” A female voice said. It was Billy’s twin sister, Mary. “Billy, where are you?”

“I’m at...” Billy noticed a big storm coming at his way.

“Billy!” She cried out from the other side of the line. “It’s dangerous out there. You need to come back.”

“No,” Billy stopped her sister. “Something’s wrong with Shazam. I can’t transform into Captain Marvel.”

Mary became quiet as she too couldn’t transform into Mary Marvel. She let the bad thought aside.

“Billy! You need to come home. Freddy and I were waiting for you. We’ll get some help.”

“No, sis!” Billy said. “I have to find out what’s going on up there.”

Mary realized what her twin brother was talking about. He was referring it to the Rock of Eternity, the place where the great wizard resides.

“Give me that phone,” Freddy snatched the phone away from Mary’s hands. He held the phone closer to him. “Billy! Come home! Now!”

“I’ll not come home, Freddy,” Billy kept walking through the grass. “Don’t you see what’s happening to us? We can’t transform into the Marvels.”

“Look, I know that,” Freddy touched his head, not trying to sweat it off. “We’ll have to investigate it later. Right now, it’s not the best time.”

Billy ignored Freddy’s statement. He wanted to end the call. But he needed them the most. He couldn’t do this alone. All the times, he had been Captain Marvel; he was great in saving people’s lives. He and the other Marvels have worked together to vanquish their enemies. But the problem was that his sister and best friend couldn’t come here to help him, now that the storm has just appeared.

“I’ll do it myself,” Billy said. “I have to become Captain Marvel again.”

“No, Billy!” Freddy said. “There’s no point. Shazam is...”

Billy knew what Freddy was about to say to him. There was no way that the great wizard could be dead. He can still feel the small, magic power flowing through his veins. He had to try the transformation again. He had to do it.

“I’ll have to try...” Billy looked up at the sky. “I have to...Sorry.” He ended the call. He put his phone back on his pocket and then concentrated on the powers of Shazam. There had to be some magic power left in him. He closed his eyes, gathering the magic energies around him. It will take time.

A few minutes later, Billy uttered the word, “SHAZAM!” loudly. The flash lightning struck him, finally transforming him into Captain Marvel. The superhero flew up in the sky. He passed through the brewing storm. The lightning didn’t affect him. He reached the Rock of Eternity.

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Captain Marvel searched for the wizard in the throne room and then the hidden rooms. He found another room located to the left side of the hallway. He reached it, opened the door and saw the wizard lying on his bed. The wizard looked up at the adult superhero. He raised his hand, telling Captain Marvel to come to him. He couldn’t believe that the wizard was dying. It explained why his powers didn’t work at all, including Mary's and Freddy's

Captain Marvel came closer to the wizard. The wizard was old, yet weakened by something. He tried to get up from his bed, but he coughed more and more. Captain Marvel helped the wizard to sleep down. Ever since he left the Rock of Eternity, the wizard needed some rest. But it turned out that rest was proved to be false.

“I should have told you,” the old wizard said in his dying voice. “I was afraid that this might happen. If I had known it earlier, I would have taken drastic measures to fight it. Billy...I’m sorry. “

Captain Marvel didn’t say a word as he looked around the room. This room was where the wizard had worked on his new magic powers all night long. He wondered what kind of magic, the wizard had used.

“What’s going on?” Captain Marvel spoke finally. He wanted to know what’s affecting the wizard to lose his powers.

“I do not know, Billy,” the wizard said. “Someone is tampering with my magic. I think...someone is stealing my powers away.”

“But there’s no one here,” Captain Marvel stared at the old man.

“I know what you’re thinking, Billy,” the old wizard coughed. “I hate to say that my time is about to be over.”

“But...that would mean end of the Marvels,” Captain Marvel said.

“I’m afraid so,” the wizard got up slowly from the bed. Captain Marvel helped him. “However, there is a way to maintain my powers before I’m gone.” He coughed again.

Captain Marvel stared at the old man in odd silence. Either he thought the old man was crazy or even crazier to pull off his magic trick.

“Is that possible?” Captain Marvel asked curiously. The old man turned towards him. “Anything is possible, Billy. It’s only a matter of time when.”

Great, Captain Marvel thought. Without Shazam or his powers, he and the other Marvels would become useless. They will have to lead their ordinary lives, which can be a good thing. But there were chosen for this. They can’t turn their back on it, not even now.

“What can I do to help?” Captain Marvel said. The old wizard looked at the old, slightly broken tablets, detailing certain recorded history about the Rock of Eternity.

“I believe someone is using the tablet to steal my powers in another era.”

“What?” Captain Marvel said with a surprise. “Are you sure?”

“There is no doubt about it,” the wizard coughed. This time, the blood came out of his mouth. Captain Marvel saw it. The wizard raised his hand, telling the hero not to come any closer.

“I’ll be fine, Billy,” the wizard said. “You will have to travel back in time and seek the one, who is stealing my lifeforce.”

“How?” Captain Marvel looked seriously.

“Just utter my name again and you will get there.”

To be continued in New Crisis, Chapter 6- Future Tense.

What’s this? The former Dr. Fate has been killed by an unseen force? Who could it be? Who is the Black Weapon and what’s his deal with the Crime Syndicate? Then, Captain Marvel is given a dangerous task by the great wizard, Shazam. Who is stealing the wizard’s powers? Find out in the later chapter of New Crisis.

Next, Commissioner Jim Gordon is seeking a vicious criminal on the loose. While Batman investigates the death of Lex Luthor, Jim and his partner, Harvey Bullock must find the killer, who is murdering innocent children in Gotham. In future Gotham, Terry McGinnis also known as Batman faces an OMAC crisis. To stop the threat, Batman must travel to the abandoned Watchtower along with a partner. Which partner would you say? Find out in the next chapter of New Crisis.

Edited.