"Earth may well die, terminating the golden age of
the universe before it even begins. This may happen tomorrow or a million
years hence... it does not matter. It it happens at all-- ever-- then all is
lost... forever! But your concern is for today! "Others will care for
the eons to come, provided you ensure that those eons will come. Therefore,
Earth must now become your home, the Terrans your brothers. You must become
one of them... but do not hesitate to guide them... "Remain aware,
Captain Marvel. Remain true to yourself. Live up to the reality of your
being Guardian of Earth, Protector of the Universe."
--Eon, Marvel Spotlight #3
EARTHFALL Story by Van Allen
Plexico
[Editor's note: This story begins between the events of AVENGERS
#406 and 407]
PROLOGUE:
In the hologram, the
red and blue form of Captain Marvel, the former Mar-Vell of the Kree, soars down
from the sky, sparkling photons trailing in his wake, to attack a group of
heavily-armed aliens who are firing up at him. Mar-Vell smashes through the
center of the big group, sending many of the enemy sprawling, then roars up into
the air again and unleashes a massive photon blast into the most heavily-
armored of his foes. By the time the fight is finished, Mar-Vell has sustained a
number of small injuries, but the last of the aliens has been finished off by a
few well-placed punches. Mar-Vell stands still, breathing heavily, for a long
moment, then looks over the unconscious enemies. They are of many different
races. Some, he sees, are Kree and, surprisingly, Skrulls--working together!
Shaking his head wearily, he looks skyward, and in a flash, he is gone, soaring
away again.
CLICK.
The narration
begins: "This was my first encounter with The Enemy. It occurred shortly
before I was first diagnosed with cancer, and clearly, I had already begun to
lose much of my strength. My few encounters with The Enemy in the months
following this battle only grew more difficult; their numbers grew, and my
strength waned. But then, suddenly, all signs of their presence vanished. In
recent weeks I have found virtually no trace of their activities, and my cosmic
awareness no longer detects their malignant presence anywhere near the Sol
system."
"I have warned the Avengers and the Fantastic Four of The
Enemy's earlier presence among us, and of what may be coming, but I fear that
with the many other problems they must confront on an almost daily basis, they
may forget about this danger until it is too late. No matter-- it is my
responsibility, not theirs. I am Protector of Earth, and of the Universe, and
this is the final task Eon assigned me. I will find a way-- some way--
to--"
A hand touches a panel, and the image blinks, changing to
another representation of Captain Marvel, this time obviously recorded much
later; Mar-Vell appears haggard, with dark circles under his eyes. He has lost
weight.
"The Enemy has vanished. I can find no traces of them
anywhere. However, I do not take this as a positive development. Unfortunately,
the war must now be abandoned, at least on my part. My condition grows...
serious. I can no longer carry on. Mentor and the others do not even suspect
that I have continued to sneak out and pursue leads even as they have sought a
treatment for my condition. Although I worry that my death may lead to a renewed
push on the part of The Enemy to take the Earth, I can do no more... save
this."
Mar-Vell's face grows into a close-up image; his eyes burn
with determination despite his debilitating illness. In this light, the old
majesty, the power, is there.
"I leave this record for whomever
follows me in this task. The Enemy is real-- do not doubt it for a moment.
Somehow, someone has managed to unite members of the various warlike races of
the universe into a growing army of darkness. Their prime target is clear: The
Earth."
"Find the manipulator behind the scenes. Find him and stop
him. The future of the Earth-- of the entire universe is at
stake."
"Find The Enemy. And finish my work."
CLICK.
The hologram flickers and goes
dark.
Genis-Vell stands before the space his father's image had filled.
He breathes slowly. He wears a navy blue, skintight uniform over most of his
body; a golden starburst evocative of his father's logo covers the left half of
his chest. On his wrists he wears the nega-bands his father once wore. His
former half-mask has been discarded; he has no secret identity to protect, not
that that mask would have done so anyway. He has chopped his hair off short, his
way of demonstrating the new Genis-Vell who has grown to replace the misguided
youth of yesterday.
Slowly he turns away, to face the bizarre being which
hovers behind him. It is a great shifting mass; an eye on one side, a face on
the other; strange twisted hair atop what must be its "head," and two smooth
arms and hands which dart about, gesturing rapidly.
"I have returned only briefly, Genis-Vell, and only to show you
this. To show you the duty, the legacy, which now falls upon your
shoulders."
Genis nods slowly.
"You
are now ready. Your father's role now falls to you. Because of this, I now grant
you a portion of the cosmic awareness your father once
possessed."
"A portion?"
"Yes. My
powers are weak; my existence on this plane tenuous. In a moment I will be gone
again. But I grant you what awareness I might, in the hopes that it will be....
enough."
Genis nods. "I thank you."
The power washes over
him. Genis-Vell sees... he KNOWS... His life plays out in an instant before his
eyes, and he reels, staggering backwards. His arms come up, to ward off the
images, but it is too late. He is AWARE.
"I... I've been so
foolish..."
"It is the nature of all mortal creatures
to be so, from time to time. But now is the time for the boy to become the man.
Do you hear me, Genis-Vell? YOUR DESTINY LIES BEFORE YOU! DO NOT
FAIL!"
"No-- I--"
Eon flares like a new sun, and
vanishes.
Blinking, Genis surveys the now-dark and empty room. He pauses
a moment, considering all he's just learned. Then, taking up his jacket and the
rest of his outer uniform, he leaves the room, closing the door behind him, and
soars into the sky above the main metropolis of Titan. Fear and uncertainty are
gone. Grim purpose has replaced them. Genis-Vell has a job to do. And he aims to
see it done.
"All goes as planned, Lord
Chaos."
"Indeed it does, Master Order. The Eon
simulacrum functioned perfectly."
"Yes. For
now, we can only wait. The events which follow are uncertain; but the new
champion has taken up his role."
"The
situation appears promising, Master Order."
"Appearances may yet prove deceiving, Lord Chaos. We shall
see."
"Indeed we shall, Master Order. Indeed
we shall."
End Prologue
CHAPTER ONE: ONCE AN
AVENGER...?
Genis-Vell rapped firmly on the large oaken door, then
waited.
Nothing happened.
He knocked again, harder. "Hello?" he
called.
The door opened a crack, and a balding man peered out.
"Yes?"
"I'm... Um... I'm looking for the Avengers."
"And you
are...?"
Genis stood a bit straighter, cleared his throat. "I'm Captain
Marvel."
The man's eyes narrowed. "I'm afraid we already have one of
those..." He peered closer. "Although, I do see something of a resemblance to
another of that name..."
"Yes--I'm Mar-Vell's son. I--"
The door
pulled open wider, and Captain America stood behind the butler. "Thank you,
Jarvis-- I'll see to our visitor."
"As you say, Captain." Jarvis nodded
once to Genis and vanished into the building.
"Captain America," Genis
began hurriedly. "I'm happy to find you here-- I'm looking for
help--"
"Just settle down, son," Cap interjected, leading Genis inside
and closing the door behind them. "Have a seat, and tell me what's on your
mind."
Genis walked into the living room, his eyes taking in the ornate
interior of the Avengers' headquarters. Momentarily he imagined his father
standing here amidst the Earth's Mightiest Heroes; of the power and respect the
man must have commanded. He felt chills run over his skin.
"You were
saying, son?"
A female voice rang out, from nowhere, "Yeah, I'm dying to
find out what has him so excited myself!" The figure of Janet Van Dyne expanded
in an eyeblink, from a tiny shape soaring down the stairwell, to a full-sized,
and very lovely, young woman.
"Ah--" Bringing himself back to reality,
Genis greeted the Wasp, then started again. "Yes... I've just discovered--"
Genis could scarcely find his tongue, startled enough by Cap's presence and the
entrance of the Wasp, and now by the arrival of Ms. Marvel and Hercules through
the door behind him.
"Wha?-- Genis-Vell!" Hercules roared the name and
slapped the young hero on the back with a friendly blow which would have
incapacitated anyone of lesser constitution. "What brings you
here?"
Genis nodded briefly to both of them, then replied, "Well, as I
was about to tell the Captain, I've just been informed that Earth is in extreme
danger."
"And when is it ever different?" Jan asked. "What is it this
time?"
"I'm not entirely sure... An Enemy..."
"Just point us at
the knave," Hercules growled, "and verily, he shalt cease to be a
problem."
Genis frowned. "I don't know his name..."
"That doesn't
help us very much, I'm afraid," Cap commented. "What DO you know?"
"Less
than I'd like," Genis admitted. "But Eon told me about him--"
"Eon?" Ms
Marvel stepped forward. "I thought Eon was dead."
"He is, as far as I
know," Cap replied, frowning at Genis.
"Nevertheless, he appeared to me.
He told me about the Enemy. My father knew of him as well, and left me a
warning. He is a being of great power, and Earth is his primary
target."
The Avengers looked from one to the other briefly. Then Cap
faced Genis again. "Now that you mention it, I do recall Mar-Vell mentioning
this perceived 'threat' once. But son... don't you think that if this Enemy were
as eminent a danger as Mar-Vell feared, he would have struck long
ago?"
Genis said nothing, looking from one face to the other and finding
concern, but not acceptance or belief.
"And," Cap continued, "there is
the fact that when your father mentioned this to us before, we conducted
extensive searches and found no signs whatsoever of any 'Enemy.'"
Genis
looked at each of them again, then slid his gaze down to the floor, nodding.
"Alright," he stated softly. "I'm sorry to bother you. I'll have to search for
allies elsewhere."
Cap put an arm around Genis's shoulders. "Son, we
don't mean any disrespect towards you. I'm sure you're sincere. But we have many
other situations we're dealing with currently, and unless you can give us
something more... concrete... to go on..."
"I understand." Genis nodded
slowly, then turned and headed for the front door. "Thanks for your time. Sorry
to bother you and all."
Stepping outside, he started to pull the door
closed behind him, but it stopped suddenly and the figure of Ms. Marvel followed
him out.
Glancing back at her, Genis blinked. "Wow," he thought
to himself. "She's really something." And then, "I wonder if Dad
ever--"
Ms. Marvel frowned, and Genis realized he was staring at her.
He looked away, but her shape was burned into his retinas now; the black
swimsuit outfit, the thigh-high boots, the red sash, the long blond
hair...
"We DO believe you," Ms. Marvel was saying. "The others are just
very busy right now. But I'm not. If you need some help as badly as you
say...?"
"Yes! Absolutely!" Genis's heart leapt.
"Good. Then I'll
help you round up some others and we can get to work on rooting out this 'Enemy'
you're so worried about.
Genis smiled broadly. "Maybe things are
starting to look up a bit."
"I mean, after all, it's almost like
you're my nephew, anyway."
Genis's smile closed, flattened. "Yeah..." he
replied softly. "'Nephew...'"
The two figures leapt into the sky and
rocketed into the distance.
NEXT ISSUE:
More Ms. Marvel!
Cosmic chaos! In search of the ineffable Enemy! Hercules hunkers down?! ALL
THIS... AND THE REDOUBTABLE RETURN OF DRAX THE
DESTROYER!
POSTMARKED: PAMA
Welcome, one and all, to
the further adventures of the Marvel branch of the "Marvel" family!
Why
is this book entitled "CAPTAIN MARVEL?" Because it's going to be the new home
for all of Marvel's "Marvel" characters of Kree connection-- the new adventures
of Genis-Vell; the past and present performances of the female fighting fury,
Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers to you and me!); and maybe some untold exploits of the
one and only Mar-Vell in his heyday! Toss in a few cosmic supporting characters
with deept ties to the "Marvel" family, like Drax the Destroyer (returning in
our very next issue!), Rick Jones, the Titan gang, and of course Elysius, and
you get what we hope will be a shining star in the new Marvel
firmament.
So be here in sixty for the next installment, true believer;
and hey-- in the meantime, why not drop your harried armadillo a note and tell
him what you think!
