Captain Marvel #3 - Genesis: Part 3
Bata, a young Egyptian man, had just been given the Magic of the Gods to help him defeat his brother Anubis. Anubis had turned into a large, grotesque, creature after being possessed by the rogue God known as Atum. Once he bested this creature, Bata noticed that his city Khandaq was in trouble. He instantly flew to it's aid.
1200 B.C. - Khandaq
The city of Khandaq is in peril when Bata arrives almost instantaneously. Citizens are running through the streets screaming. Some are looting and vandalizing while others run in fear. Bata hovers over the city surveying the damage. He notices some people throwing stones at each other.
"Hey!" Bata yells out, but they pay no mind.
Bata notices a few patrons lighting a set of shops on fire. "Hey!" Bata yells out. "Stop that!"
Quickly he swoops down to the shops and claps his hands together with tremendous force. A gale of wind blows through streets then right down on top of the flames. Bata reaches his hands above his head. His eyes glow blue and mist begins to form around his hands. Concentrate Bata! Sha-Zhams voice calls. You can control this!
He grunts and successfully brings down an orb of water that extinguishes the flame. He turns his attention to the patrons that lit the fire. They are snarling at him. A few of them pick up rocks.
This is Atums doing! Sha-Zham warns. Best get to the Governor's Palace these people are not possessed. Just confused.
Bata nods to himself and doesn't break eye-contact with the vandals. He rears back and takes off into the sky, in the direction of the Governor's Palace.
The patrons throw the rocks and they fall limp in the air. They then continue their path of destruction without a second thought.
"Those were people that I know." Bata says. "People that I used to pass on the street."
Bata reaches the steps of the Governor's Palace. It looks abandoned. No one is around, not even the guards. Bata touches down.
"I don't like this," Bata says as he starts to walk up the steps and into the entryway.
Bata step carefully... I sense....
Bata is blindsided quickly by something fast. It was just a blur as is passed in front of him and caught his cheek. Bata brings his hand up to his face and sees that he has a small cut across his cheek. It bleeds but it heals almost instantly. Bata stumbles backward.
It's Atum himself. Sha-Zham says fearfully.
Qadesh steps out from the shadows of the entryway. Her body is riddled with small cuts and abrasions. Her hair is matted and unkempt. Her queens robes have been reduced to strips of fabric soaked through with blood and other human filth. She bears her teeth which are rotted and black. Blood seeps from her mouth. Bata gulps.
"Qadesh?" Bata says he studies her face. "No," He finally says. "You are not Qadesh anymore."
Atum is in her Bata, we must remove him by any means necessary.
The Qadesh Creature gets onto all fours like a cat ready to pounce. Bata balls his fists and runs up the stairs.
Qadesh tries to jump over Bata. However, he rockets straight up into the night clouds with him wrapping his arms around her, and then plunges straight back into the stone steps below.
<Kha-Thoom!>
Bata lay on Qadesh in the center of a crater. Bata gets up and starts brushing himself off. Qadesh is mangled. Her legs and arms are jutting out in various un-natural directions. She doesn't move. Bata bushes the dust and dirt out of his hair.
This isn't over Bata.
Qadesh's head turns completely around. Her face is mangled and unrecognizable. She mumbles. "We ca... ill. Rule toge..ther."
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO THESE PEOPLE?!" Bata yells out frustrated.
Control it Bata!
Bata walks back into the crater. One of Qadesh's appendages reaches out for Bata's hand. He grabs it.
"SHA..."
Bata begins to scream but the ground shakes around him and he loses his balance falling back onto the steps. The shaking is horrendous and buildings begin to crack and crumble. Citizens start to mob the Governor's Palace around Bata and Qadesh. They start pounding on the walls of the unstable Palace. Stones begin to fall onto the citizens that keep pounding away.
Atum is making these people do this. We have to end this Bata.
The entire front of the building starts to come down.
"These people!" Bata yells in frustration.
The Qadesh creature laughs. Bata flies to the top the building and pushes it back onto the Palace.
Don't turn your attention away from Qadesh!
But Bata ensures the safety of the mob.
BATA!
"That Demon destroyed our Palace and killed our Governor " Someone from the crowd yells. "Let's get HIM!" Many of them retort.
Bata flies back to where Qadesh was but she is gone.
She hasn't gone far Bata. She is still about.
He turns around to be met with a fist from Qadesh that sends him flying into a nearby residence. He crashes through the wall.
"Do you hear MY people Bata! MY PEOPLE!" Qadesh booms!
Bata shakes it off and darts out of the building, crashing back into Qadesh. The two wrestle on the steps for a while before Qadesh's jaw unhinges and she begins shrieking. Bata recoils and covers his ears.
"What is this!" Bata complains as he stumbles off of Qadesh.
It's your new hearing Bata
Flying insects swarm out of The Qadesh Creature's mouth and dart around Bata.
It's just a trick Bata! Concentrate.
Bata bats his hands around his face. The bugs are darting all over. There are thousands of them. They zip past Bata skin leaving small cuts and slices. He swats them. The Qadesh Creature steps forward. "You don't have the power to stop me Old Man." her voice is gravely and distorted. Bata lashes out but misses.
Concentrate Bata!
Qadesh grabs Bata by the throat. He starts struggling to get out of her grasp.
She's right you need more power!
"SHA..." Bata starts to yell. However, Qadesh holds her finger up to Bata's lips and he can't continue.
"Shhhh." She coos in a broken voice. "None of that."
You just have to concentrate! Be confident! Break her magic!
Bata closes his eyes and calms his breathing. He opens his eyes and Qadesh is in front of him. Startled Bata starts to step backward and she stabs him in the chest with a strange blade that has a black stone on the end of it. Bata back hands Qadesh into the fallen stone wall of the Palace. The stone on the blade hums and glows strangely.
NO! Sha-Zham screams out. It's pulling me into it!
"Your power will soon be mine Sha-Zham!" a voice booms out of the direction of the Qadesh creature.
Bata looks at the blade it is sticking right into his chest. It burns terribly. He tries to pull it out but it sticks. The Qadesh Creature slinks her way to Bata. She 'smiles' and places her hand on his broad shoulders.
"We could have ruled together." She spits out.
Bata tries to pull on the blade again.
It won't come out. Sha-Zham says. His voice not so powerful. You need to increase your power.You need to end this.
Bata grits his teeth and uppercuts Qadesh with a mighty blow.
"You will NEVER have THIS POWER!" Bata cries as the Qadesh Creature flies high into the air. "SHA-ZHAM!" Bata screams and he is hit with a powerful bolt of lightning. He darts off of the ground and tackles the Qadesh Creature in mid-air. He is irradiating light again though it starts to fade. "You WILL PAY FOR THIS ATUM!" Bata screams.
I am fading. Bata. Quick! Sha-Zham beckons.
The Qadesh Creature grabs his face. "SHA-ZHAM!" Bata screams again. Another tremendous crack of lightning and they are both struck. The Qadesh Creature actually cries out in pain. Her skin now sizzling. Bata glows brightly. "You want to know GODLY POWER ATUM!" Bata screams. He throws Qadesh up into the air and meets her with another tremendous strike sending her sailing through the clouds. Her face contorted into what must be fear. Bata takes off again after her at super-sonic speeds. He catches her and bear-hugs her. "SHA-ZHAM!" he screams again. They are struck mid-air by another ball of lightning. That's it. Atum is fading. Sha-Zham say. Bata is almost blinding. He pounds onto Qadesh brutally. He readies his fist and electricity sparks around it. Then he brings it forward striking Qadesh higher into the sky. Control it Bata! Sha-Zham says. "YOU WANT TO SEE A GOD!" Bata booms.
It's too much Bata, you had him! You don't need anymore!
"SHA-ZHAM!" He bellows in a voice that can be heard for miles. It's silent at first and then electricity seems to come from everywhere.
Bata NO!
Blinding light ignites the sky and then... nothing.
Bata and Qadesh fall from the sky to the desert floor below.
The Kahndaqi people stop vandalizing.
A Khandaqi Priest stands on the steps of the Governors Palace. He kneels before the crater on the steps. A young man walks up behind him. It lies in ruin. "Amon Surah, We retrieved the bodies of the Governor, his wife, and his brother." The man says. "The Governor had been mutilated and the same with his wife. The brother looks to be okay. He was stabbed in the chest with this." The man presents a dagger with a black stone on the end of it. Priest Surah stands quickly. "Don't touch this!" he wraps the dagger in some cloth. "Bury them all and this dagger with it. I don't know what happened, but something evil is afoot." The man starts to walk down the steps. "Seal them off." Amon Surah calls. "I want to forget about this. Let's clean this up." He says as he joins the young man down the stairs.
Khandaq - Today
Doctor Sivana, his driver, and his guard Khalid watch Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman digging in the Khandaqi dirt. They haven't dug very deep but the dirt is very hard and compact.
"Anubis was one of the most wealthy and well respected Governors in Egypt during his time." Doctor Sivana narrates while the guys continue digging. "It wasn't just his fortune. Egypt kept their entire wealth here."
Freddy stops and drinks from his canteen he takes a long sip and then asks.
"I thought the treasure of Anubis was found already?"
"No!" Doctor Sivana says sternly.
Freddy puts the canteen back down and continues digging.
"They found a morsel of the Main Course!" Sivana says with force. He stands. "They had their hands on less than a third of what the actual treasure is!"
Khalid whispers something to Sivana.
He nods.
"Were going to be extremely rich Gentlemen. Extremely rich." Sivana says with a smile. Billy lifts his shovel from the dry soil and plants it again, using his foot for leverage. <Ting!> The shovel has hit something.
"Extremely rich!" Sivana says again.
"We have something here!" Billy calls over.
Sivana stands up easily out of his chair. He whispers to his driver and walks over to the shallow hole.
"What do we have Gentlemen, clear it off!" commands Doctor Sivana.
Billy and Freddy start to clear off a large stone slab with some weird markings on it.
"How's your Ancient Egyptian," Billy whispers to Freddy.
Freddy smiles.
"Rusty."
They clear the stone off with their shovels under the direction of Sivana.
"Fascinating." Sivana says. "Let's open it up!"
Billy and Freddy attach a chain from the jeep to the stone slab. Sivana observes the labor, but in a few moments they are ready and slowly pull the slab away from the ground revealing a dark pit. Almost in seconds the smell of stale air fills the open space. Billy and Freddy smile with wonder. Doctor Sivana grins, but with a more sinister manner. The entourage looks into the pit. Sivana throws a flashlight to Billy, then commands Billy to inspect the darkness. Peering down, Billy shines the light into the pit. The pit is ten feet deep and has a stone floor. Spiders and other insects skitter across it. More interestingly there are three bodies here... or at least the remnants of them.
"Just as I thought!" Doctor Sivana slyly comments.
"Who are these people?" Billy asks.
"Where's the treasure?" asks Freddy.
"Just as I thought," Sivana repeats. "A random family plot," he pulls out the revolver again.
"I don't get it." Freddy says confused. "You said we were going to get rich, right?"
Doctor Sivana laughs sadistically.
"Oh yeah, yeah..." Sivana laughs. "I should have been clearer. WE'RE going to be rich." He motions to his group. "The digging crew is ready to dig up the Treasure for us right Khalid?" Sivana asks his guard.
Khalid nods.
"What do you think your going to do? Why did you have us dig this up?"
Sivana laughs again.
"Enough of this."
He cocks the hammer back on the gun.
"Get into the pit Batson!" he says sternly. "You and Freeman."
He motions with the gun to the pit.
"Let's go!"
Freddy gulps.
"You can't do this! You can't just kill us! What's the point!"
"Let's go!" Sivana says again sternly.
Freddy starts walking to the edge but Billy jumps forward at Doctor Sivana.
<BOOM>
"BILLY!" Freddy screams out.
The shot rings out and Billy holds his gut where the bullet went in. Instantly Khalid and the driver grab Billy by the arms. He cries out in pain.
"I said to GET INTO THE PIT!" Sivana yells. "NOW!"
Khalid and the driver throw Billy into the pit and he lands on his back, gasping for air and holding onto his stomach.
"Now you, Freeman. Or do you want to go in the hard way too?"
Freddy has tears in his eyes and he complies, walking to the edge and then slowly getting into the pit. He goes to Billy's aid instantly. Billy has blood around his mouth and he is trying to get his breath back.
"YOU BASTARDS!" Freddy cries.
Doctor Sivana laughs again and stands on the edge of the pit.
"I needed to tie-up some loose ends, Freeman. Why would I want to share my fortune with two annoying, sub-par journalists?"
Freddy hovers over his friend while he bleeds out in pain. Billy's breathing is labored.
"We could have just left? You didn't have to bring us!"
Sivana laughs again.
"Why would I have done that?" he says in a joking manner while walking away from the pit. Freddy hears the others laughing too. "Cover it up." Sivanas voice says. Khalid and the driver push the stone slab back over the top of the pit.
"YOU WONT GET AW..." Screams Freddy as the pit is sealed off.
"I already have." says Sivana as he jumps into the Jeep. "Clean this up and let's get out of here. I want to be there when they find the gold."
To be continued...
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Prior Issues:
Captain Marvel #1 - Genesis: Part 1
Captain Marvel #2 - Genesis: Part 2
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I apologize for the grammar. I wrote this really quickly in a different format than I am used to. What do you think? I will add pictures and edit the grammar as I go.
This is for the DC Re-Invented Group -
@redhood13@tommythehitman@dngn4774@darkman61288@heroesgold@batkevin74@cr4psnip3r@decoyelite@tdk_1997@wbr17@humannumber
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