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| Morbius 2099UG Issue #7 "Goetterdaemmerung, Part 2" "Coram Diabolis" Written by Gary M. Miller |
| The 2099 Underground is a project whereby a group of fans are putting together a series of stories continuing from Marvel's fantastic futuristic 2099! Ignoring the ignoble and inaccurate "2099: World of Tomorrow", we're exploring what we feel is the true spirit of 2099 as envisioned by then Editor-in-Chief Joey Cavalieri. Participation is open to all. Comments about this issue should be sent to the author. Or you can visit our message board and post your thoughts on the issue. Anyone wishing to join the mailing list should do so by signing up at Yahoo! Groups. It's free and easy! Simply type in the keyword "Ghostworks" and you're good to go. |
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| "Every man, either to his terror or consolation, has some sense of religion." --James Harrington -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Church of Saint Patrick's, Downtown New York City, 2099 Deep inside Father Jennifer's church, beyond the confessionals, the stained glass windows, the altar, the tabernacle, the rows upon rows of candles, down in the basement which was constructed nearly two centuries ago, everything seems quiet, peaceful. But this is far from the case. If there were someone of wisdom and prophecy here, of sovereignty in the ways of mysticism, he might indeed be able to point out something amiss. Here no human being has set foot for one century alone; what, then, could be lurking hereabouts? Surely the being, the entity in question knows itself to be at home here; but is that by choice, by necessity, or by entrapment? No one knows yet. One thing however is certain; it wants out. Is it good or evil? Again, no one is quite sure, as none have gazed upon it in a long, long while. Perhaps arguments can be made for both sides. Is it the glue that holds this church together, or the acid just waiting to bring it down? Is the church itself a prison eternal, is the being safe in its sanctuary? If the latter be the case, why try to bring those from the outside world here and change them for its purposes? Why gently manipulate the world around it? Personal gain? Something more? But why cause a gentle stir when you can cause an avalanche? Not too long ago something occurred to wake this spirit from its deep slumber. It took root in the bottom and is now working its way back, ascending into what it hopes will be light. But that can just as easily be turned to darkness. This, or the darkness can become light. It matters not, for this creature deals only in the metaphysical. Faith. If what he says is light, then that is what it is. The world revolves around him and has ever since the dawn of time. For if one cannot believe and trust in the Tetragrammaton, in whom can he place their trust? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "No..." "Yes! Admit that thou dost follow the blasphemers, the liars that enslave the populace of this brave new world of thine! Pray to my God, for He is the one who shall lead us all to that promised at the beginning! I shall act in His name and cleanse the world beginning with this place! I shall claim it as the Lord's centre and do away with the foul, evil symbol which has failed to satisfy my Lord! And I shall rid the world of her disciple!" Morbius can hardly move as he lies at the feet of the one whom he knows only as The Kirk. The last few minutes have all faded together into a mangled mess of pain both physical and emotional. He thought the church would be a quiet refuge, but the sanctity of that has been violated, and Morbius finds himself wondering why. Swatted aside by this "Kirk", he feels his strength being depleted, seemingly absorbed into this religious fanatic of a villain, moment by moment, even as the hunger builds. The hunger. He had been ignoring it for the last hour or more, but now he simply cannot as the urge is too strong and his will too weak. It seems to be of a different nature than before, and because he feels so numb and helpless the usual metabolic mutations are not occurring. No wings, no enhanced hearing or sight, or even strength, which he needs most of all. Why? The answers continually elude him. His strength fades from every part of his body, quickly, quickly. If nothing happens to change that within the next five minutes, he will be quite dead. But what is his own mortality? Morbius never questioned it before. He imagines he is like all the others in the world, that he can die just as easily as the next person; granted, his added attributes make him harder to kill, but surely he is not like the vampire of myth, where only decapitation or a wooden stake through the heart might do him in? That feels wrong to Morbius. So wrong he discards the notion for the moment to concentrate on regaining his much-needed strength. And Father Jennifer lies above in the arms of The Kirk. She is so limp and helpless-looking, although minutes ago she seemed the epitome of power and vitality when she wore the mask of the Goblin. It just does not seem possible that one so friendly and caring could have put on a mask and become a super- powered freak. But Morbius was a freak, too, wasn't he? One with a lot less to lose, yes. **How? Why?** Morbius muses, unable to move as he sees The Kirk with his glove to Jennifer's throat, ready to apply pressure and crush her neck into powder, ending the priest's life. All hope is lost. Morbius remembers seeing holovids of early twencen "news-papers" and their headlines. One such title comes to mind: "GOD IS DEAD." But as Morbius closes his eyes to refrain from watching the grisly sight take place, he hears a virtual explosion at the gates of the church. Turning his head with what little strength he can muster, Morbius sees Le'Osha leading several of Morbius's followers into battle! They come, every one of them who survived the battle against the Specialists, and storm onto the scene with weapons both ancient and new. Le'Osha pulls Morbius away as the members of his clique come full-force at The Kirk. "Bah! What fools ye mortals be!" The Kirk mutters, casting some of them aside. Morbius notices as he removes himself further from the scene that his powers do not work so well, if at all, against these common civilians. They mash and punch, kick and stab, scratch and dent The Kirk who is apparently helpless to do anything against them. He swings at them with futile force, with true impotence. His punches pack no power; his kicks do no damage. It is as though something stops him from hurting them. He is under a large heap of the warriors as Morbius sees Father Jennifer slump to the ground beside the group. "Jennifer!!!!" Morbius gasps/yells, remembering what she had done for him this last hour. He feels his teeth begin to itch and eyes burn, realizing that his powers are once more his to do with as he pleases! Indeed, the hunger is upon him, driving him mad with want, and the blue fur and enhanced muscular structure appear and develop on his body. The wings sprout from his back and his hands and feet become clawed appendages. He hunches over and starts to feel rational thought fade away. Instinct rules him now. And that instinct leads Morbius to run to Jennifer, pick her up in his arms, and exit the building the same way he had entered earlier--through a hole in the church's roof. Le'Osha watches the scene unfold, and immediately wishes she hadn't. Morbius is now a true creature of the night, acting with all the tendencies of such a beast. How long will it be, she wonders, before these drives and desires lead Morbius to do something truly abominable, for which he will hate himself for the rest of his days? Will it be soon? The drug has increased the rate of his change, and so every day he grows more out-of-control when the thirst arises. Will nothing satiate him? Will the appetite ever be curbed? The voodoo woman looks up at the roof and the Downtown sky, seeing and hearing the distant flap of wings. She wonders what has happened here to make Morbius this uneasy, this ghastly. She believes she will be wondering for a very long time. This thought now in her head, she turns to the warriors she had assembled at such short notice (that her psychic feelings had foretold), and sees them clumped on the body of a now-unconscious man, dressed in tatters and bleeding from the head. The Kirk? No. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Babylon Towers, Uptown Morbius's wings carry him far, far up into the air and into what is considered Uptown. Downtown is separated from the upper portion of the city by the maglev units, twenty to thirty stories above the ground. No one wishes to go beneath the maglev on most days; below that line there is the dirt that is Downtown, as well as the several minicorps and unions that serve the upper society. The religious center of New York is in Downtown as well. That's the importance of true faith and religion for you. Uptown has seen Morbius only once, that time being during the "Fall of Alchemax" debacle. He has visited this high building, the Babylon Towers, once as well, to warn Miguel O'Hara of his coming. That whole scenario had been dreamed up and put into Morbius's head by the Dealer, Jacen Boone, now deceased. Now he comes on pure instinct, flying up past two hundred and forty floors to the rooftop of this major civilization trap. It is here where he can safely take his prey. It is where the animal in him begs him to take her. Morbius carries Father Jennifer onto the top of the building and sets her down. The air is thin--too thin, perhaps, but the instinctually-driven creature pays it no heed. He runs his claws through Jennifer's hair, feeling the softness. It pains the beast to have her like this, to have her at his mercy and unconscious. The man in him fights hard to be free, to be free of hunger and to awaken her without the chance that she will cower in fear and horror as so many others do. The darker part of his personality recedes as more time passes. He seems not so hungry or angry, nor do his teeth itch or wings flap. It seems the reaction from whatever made him change back has worn off. He feels normal again. Morbius decides to rest on the ledge of the tower, and looks out at the scenery for a few short seconds, before-- *SLASH!* Morbius rolls over the side of the building, several hundred feet up as he reacts to the drawing of blood from his neck. He does aerial acrobatics to bring himself back to the building, and digs in with his fingers to secure himself, having fallen hardly thirty stories. Back at the top of the tower is the Goblin, with his (her?) mask back on, wings flapping, ready to fight. He zooms in for the attack. Morbius quickly dodges and sets himself up for a counter-offensive, latching onto the Goblin and letting him (her?) fly blind. "What are you doing, you shocking glitch?" the Goblin curses, swerving all around, trying to pry the vampire's hands from his face. "Nothing except trying to help you, Jenny!" Morbius answers, trying to feel for how exactly he can get the mask off of Jenny. He sees a small fold and decides to try for it. "I am NOT Jennifer D'Angelo! I am the embodiment of the wrath of the church!" Goblin rants as Morbius tugs more. Up to the top of the building they go, and Morbius lets go to punch Goblin in the stomach. Both roll to the rooftop, and Morbius continues to yank at the mask until he can get it to come off. "I've heard it all before. Now let her go, Mister Wrath-of-the-Church!" Morbius feels himself slipping into clever repartee now; good or bad? He can't think of a more bizarre situation; for all his strength he cannot get the mask off. He pulls and pulls but nothing results. "I am the Goblin and only the Goblin! I need no other, I serve no other! Get away from me, Morbius, or face the consequences!" "No. I am not leaving you alone until I find out what you and Father Jennifer have in common, what connects you two. And I think I can find it." Turning his attention to the person behind the mask Morbius asks, "Father Jennifer, can you hear me?" "I shall fall for no more of your tricks," Goblin says, readying a blast of energy in his hand. Morbius holds him fast and prevents him from striking his target. "Think! I don't believe you're the wrath of the church any more than the next person, Jennifer! Something happened to you, something extraordinary, that has to do with that thing we encountered in your church. The Kirk! Think, Jennifer, what terrible thing has happened to you within the last few months to make you vengeful, to make something like this happen? What would make you become this thing you now call the Goblin???" The Goblin struggles against Morbius, who has him/her pinned to the ground. "No! You can't make me remember! You can't, you simply cannot!" "Remember," Morbius urges. "Reach inside yourself and explain what happened to you, why you are now this creature. Go on, shock you!" Morbius becomes truly enraged, shaking the Goblin to and fro, before reaching his hands around his/her throat, trying to suffocate the truth out of him. As he does this the facial expression on the Goblin changes to one of exasperation, to one of fear and non- comprehension of the situation. The body of the Goblin changes under the pseudo-vampire, becoming as-was when in the hands of The Kirk. The body of the Goblin becomes but a costume, a hollow shell containing one Father Jennifer D'Angelo. Morbius rips the mask from her face. "There you are, Father!" She looks up at him in disbelief. "The man from the confessional--?" Weary and disoriented, she staggers to her feet as Morbius lets her. He catches her as she nearly falls. The Goblin suit sloughs off her and she stands in her priestly garb. "The same, Father. How are you feeling?" "Different. Odd. What happened to me, and why have you brought me here? The last thing I remember was--" She suddenly screams as she sees the costume of the Goblin on the roof not five feet from her. "What is the matter, Father? You don't remember--?" "Get it away from me!" she implores Morbius. "Please! I can't bear to see that thing, that visage of the devil! I--" Morbius is all the more confused. He says nothing, but instead takes the costume and pitches it over the side of the tower, watching it fall down, down to earth. "Thank you. I don't know what's going on here, but tell me..." "You don't remember what has happened over the last hour, do you? You don't remember the significance of that suit, of the mask, and of what becomes of you when you put that mask on." "My Lord, I did that?" Morbius nods. "My son, I--what I fear has come to pass." "I'm afraid I don't follow you, Father. The Goblin--is he you?" He starts toward her but she refuses him. Jennifer walks to the ledge and turns back to face him. "It wasn't supposed to be this way. I don't know what happened, what possessed him to do this! Oh God, I wish--no. Do I owe you an explanation? I don't really know anything myself about this being you call the Goblin. I have ideas of why and who, but nothing more." " Tell me, Father. Tell me about the Goblin which you become, and tell me why, and tell me of the being called The Kirk which tried to kill us both just now." "Very well. I'm sure you are familiar with the famed 'Prophet of Thor'? He's been called the Net Prophet by some, but he's an ordinary fellow with a few powers that are beyond his understanding. I saw him early in his adventures, when he came to this church and defended me from a band of evil-doers, with the help of Spider-Man (see SPIDER-MAN 2099 #14). He didn't yet know who he was or where he truly came from. We had talked a few times following that, and he would come to me for advice. For spiritual guidance. He knew my situation and the situation of religion. He did have faith, and used it to defend my church for a time. "But that wasn't to last. I began...feeling things for him. I didn't know what was happening, I only knew what some part of me wanted, longed for. Heaven forbid me, being a priest, feeling like I had toward him. He then told me that soon he would have to leave--that he would need a true education in this new world. He wanted me to go with him. I knew I couldn't, and I suppose he did as well. I told him I needed him badly, not merely as a friend but as more. He protected my church. I didn't know what to do if I were to be without his help. "He wanted to leave me a present to remember him by. I told him he didn't need to, but he insisted. With his powers he said he was sure to find a way to protect me from harm. I can't really explain what he did. At the time it seemed to be something magical. He whipped up a portal like I had seen him do a few times before. He did it with his left hand--I don't know why that's important but it is. A vortex came out of it, and from the vortex popped a wooden chest of some sort. The portal disappeared, and moments later the Prophet was gone. His last words were this: 'You've helped me more than I believed possible. Do not forget me. I shall return. You, in the meantime, must find a way to surmount circumstance.' Cryptic, isn't it?" "But what happened after that, father? Surely this is not the end of your story." "No, no it isn't. A few days after that incident my sister Dana was taken away. She was murdered by Venom. I had never felt so much rage. That, and the fact that Spider-Man, the hero of Downtown, was fighting Venom at the time and could have stopped the murder, convinced me that some things in life were hopeless. I lost my faith for a very short time. I was so angry at the world over my sister's death that for the first time I lashed out. I don't know what came over me, but I became so angry and frustrated--I don't know what happened. Some...force washed over me. I found myself opening the chest which had come from the portal. Inside was the Goblin costume. After I saw it, I blacked out, only to awaken in the Confessional a few hours later. I had no recollection of what had gone on, but I felt satisfied with myself and the world, and felt I now could survive past Dana's death." "Your sister's death caused this mayhem. Have you not spoken to this Net Prophet since?" "I wouldn't have known what to tell him, but yes. He came in many times after, telling me how he was preparing for his journey. He worried about me often, even more than usual. I think he knew what was going on. I wonder why he never informed me, though." "Who else have you trusted, besides this Prophet?" Morbius is now intrigued, fascinated by the revelations. He must know more, and if there is a connection to The Kirk. "A good friend has been stopping by the church often. Gabriel O'Hara." Gabriel? The same man who Morbius coerced out of the drug factory a day or two ago? "He feels my loss also, as he once dated Dana, and his brother Miguel was engaged to her. I feel protective of him. I think, although I am not sure, that I may have saved one of his friends...albeit as another self." (Indeed! See SPIDER-MAN 2099 #39) "But now that you know of the Goblin being your other self? What now? And what of this 'Kirk'?" "I don't know what I can do. I have violated my vows to the church, and must accept the consequences." "That's not fair, Father! Your actions were not your own!" "But they were. At least a subconscious part of my mind wanted the Goblin to do the things he has. Therefore I am responsible." A tear falls from Jennifer's eye. Morbius goes to her and wipes her tears away, holding her. "We'll find out what has happened and why the Goblin is what he is. But I have a feeling that the answers do not lie with the Prophet, but with this Kirk, who resembles the Goblin in appearance. He wants you dead, so he must have some idea why. Shall we?" "My son, if there was ever anything I wanted to do right now, that would be it. Let's go kick The Kirk's shockin' face in." "Yes, ma'am, Father!" and with that, Morbius feels his hunger start again. His wings extend and he flies, Jennifer in arms, below to Downtown. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Morbius and Father Jennifer arrive back at St. Patrick's Cathedral, they are confronted with Morbius's followers charging murderously out the doors and into the streets. All of them are outfitted with weapons, strange medieval ones with no explanation as to how they obtained them. They charge as the pseudo- vampire and the priest look onward. As they land in the church itself, Le'Osha stands watch with a look of resentment and fear in her eyes. "What's wrong, Le'Osha? What happened here? To our friends? To my group?" Morbius looks at her and lays a hand on her shoulder. She shurgs him off and speaks with disgust. "You left and all this happened to us, Morbius. You should be knowin' exactly what you mess with before you go messin'. Something be wrong with this church, very wrong indeed." "What do you mean, Le'Osha?" Morbius thinks, then turns to Jennifer: "Wait! Suppose there's something in this church that makes you change into the Goblin, that it wasn't a coincidence that that Goblin suit showed up! And that Kirk creature, what if--?" Morbius is interrupted by a voice which comes from both nowhere and everywhere: "CORRECT THOU ART, FOR ALL THE GOOD IT WILL DO THEE. GO AHEAD AND CONNECT THE OTHER PIECES OF THE PUZZLE. OF HOW A BEING TRAPPED WITHIN THIS CHURCH BY OTHERS TWO CENTURIES AGO STRUGGLES TO FREE ITSELF AND EXERT THE INFLUENCE DENIED IT ALL THIS TIME." The church begins to rumble, but none can as yet see the new adversary. "What manner of bizarre beast are you that haunts this sacred temple, and what business have you with Father Jennifer and this being called--URK!" Morbius is interrupted by the WHAM of The Kirk shoving into his back, laying him flat down against the ground. Morbius immediately feels his strength drain as before. Funny, the same effect resulted from being around Goblin. He wonders... "Shall I kill him, sire Tetragrammaton? He is not a worthy one. He deserves to have his blood spilt to further our cause!" The thunderous voice booms back: "NO! ALTHOUGH HE MAY BE A PAWN IN THIS PUZZLE I YET HAVE NEED OF HIS BODY, AND HE NEEDS HIS THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE SATIATED. AS DO I, MINE. WHY DOST THOU RESIST ME, MORBIUS? THOU HAST NOT THE SPIRIT REQUIRED TO FIGHT ME ONE ON ONE, BUT THOU PUTS UP A BARRIER THAT ONLY LETS ME SAP THINE STRENGTH AND NOT THY WILL." "Just luck, I guess, you shockin' son of a glitch!" Morbius fires back. He receives a blow to the back of the head from The Kirk, who then steps on his head and remains with his foot firmly planted on his neck. "LUCK IS IMMATERIAL. THERE IS NO SUCH THING SO LONG AS I ROAM THIS EARTH. LOOK AT THE SOULS I NOW HAVE IN MINE THRALL! IT WAS THROUGH A FREAK OF NATURE THAT THE SCENE BEFORE YOU OCCURRED, ART THOU AWARE OF THAT? THIS BEING WHO CAME INTO THE CHURCH HAD A GREAT DEAL OF EXTRADIMENSIONAL ENERGY AT HIS COMMAND. THAT ENERGY FREED ME FROM A NIGH-LIFETIME OF SLUMBER. IT FREED GOD FROM REST." Morbius tries to get up but cannot, his power drained from his body, still unable to change though he is hungry as ever--starving. It is only a brief time before he loses the ability to initiate simple motor functions, or talk. "You are not God." "WHO ART THOU TO SAY THIS TO A BEING OF MY OMNISCIENCE, MY OMNIPRESENCE? THOU ART UNTO A FLEA, AN INSECT. I CAN DO A GREAT MANY THINGS TO THY PITIFUL BODY. I CAN MAKE YOU MORTAL, REGARDLESS OF THE EXISTENCE THOU WERE NOT TO BEGIN." "I was not...? How dare you insult me in this fashion! You don't know me! You don't know who I am, only my true creator knows! Only God!" "IT IS TRULY AMUSING, THIS, WHOM THOU HAST CHOSEN TO REGARD AS THINE GOD, THEN." "What do you--" Morbius's vocal chords are dry, irritated, raw. He cannot speak another syllable. "THOU FINDS NO MORE ROOM FOR SPEECH, YOUNG FOOL. I UNDERSTAND THY REASONING. KNOW THIS: I CAN DO ANYTHING TO THEE. AS LONG AS THOU ART IN THE PRESENCE OF ME OR ONE OF MY CONTEMPORARIES, ONE OF WHICH I WISH TO ELIMINATE VERY SHORTLY, I CAN CONTROL THEE EASILY. BUT I DO SENSE HESITATION TO ACCEDE TO MY BELIEF. VERY WELL, I ORDER THE KIRK TO LET THEE STAND, ON THY FEET, UNDER THINE OWN POWER." The Kirk lifts his foot from Morbius's head and Morbius rises to his feet, shaky and unsure of his footing. He seems to regain his strength with every passing second. "DO YOU SEE? THE POWER OF MY OWN SELF IS GREATER THAN THAT OF THINE GOD." Morbius feels his hunger again as his strength returns. "Why have you done this? What point have you to prove to me? You cannot deny what I am and how I resist you, how my mind resists and will until my dying breath." "I HAVE DONE THIS TO SHOW THEE WHAT THY LIFE HAS BECOME. I SHALL EVEN GIVE THEE A TOKEN OF MY APPRECIATION FOR THEE." He calls to The Kirk, "FREEZE. PARALYZED. UNABLE TO LIFT A FINGER IN THINE OWN DEFENSE." He then nods to Morbius. "GO ON, HAVE THY MEAL THAT THOU KNOWS THOU MUST. THY HUNGER OVERWHELMS THEE STILL, DOES IT NOT? IT GNAWS AT EVERY FIBER OF THINE BEING, WAITING TO BE RELEASED. WHAT ART THOU WAITING FOR?" Without a word, and only the slightest hesitation, Morbius approaches The Kirk and applies his fangs to the armor. He draws the energy of The Kirk into his form. He stays there for moments on end as Jennifer and Le'Osha watch in horror. Finally Morbius casts The Kirk away, who falls to the ground. Morbius then spits out a myriad of greenness. "The power is evil! I cannot bear to taste such filth! It sickens me nearly as much as it pleases my soul to have done such a dastardly thing. What was that to prove, thing that lurks in this church?" "IT MEANS THAT THOU ART MINE, BODY AND SOUL. IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THOU SHALT TAKE TOO MUCH ENERGY FROM THE PERSON THOU ASSAULTS. THOU SHALT EVEN PERHAPS DRINK OF THE SWEETEST WINE THERE IS, THE BLOOD OF A HUMAN BEING." "Never! Never shall I succumb! I--" Morbius stops as he sees Jennifer approach from behind. "What are you doing? You're angering it!" Jennifer says. "Father, I can't do anything to it except try to make it take on a corporeal form, can I? It's the only way to take it down!" "Listen to me, Morbius, the thing's been telling you it infested this church from top to bottom! I think it's a lot more powerful than you give it credit for! There's only one thing that may help us in our little war here. We need more power than you yourself can provide." "Are you saying you'll become--? That's insane, Father. You know it and I know it, that if we even try it'll kill both of us. And you've never tried consciously bringing the Goblin out. Who knows what allegiance it will have when it's awakened? Add to that the fact that we don't know where the shockin' suit even is at this moment, and--" Before Morbius can complete his thought, the Goblin is once more in the church, and upon Morbius. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you for what you're doing to Father Jennifer's mind. Are you penitent? We shall see." "MY DEAR, DEAR GOBLIN. SO NICE TO SEE THEE AFTER ALL THESE MONTHS OF NEVER RISING TO THE SURFACE. WITH TWO THRALLS I FINALLY CAN ARISE INTO THE WORLD AT LARGE. THROUGH THE KIRK AND THEE I HAVE ALL MY POWER." "I don't think we should be fighting each other, Goblin," Morbius says. "You want to know who's been forcing Father Jennifer to do terrible things? You want to know who sent the Kirk to kill you? Look no further." Morbius fights the Goblin's claws at his throat in hopes that the creature may listen to reason. "You?" He turns to Tetragrammaton, now a light apparition in the air above. "You mean to tell me that this creature I see before me, which I feel is somehow connected to my power, is meaning to kill me?" Tetragrammaton becomes form and strikes Goblin down. "YES, THAT IS PRECISELY CORRECT." The body of The Kirk begins reanimating as the Tetragrammaton's essence drifts into it. The being rises to its feet and begins to grow. Ten, twenty, thirty, forty feet, rising up to the roof and through the hole already there, The Kirk glows with power, towering over Goblin and Morbius. It punches at the stained glass and fixtures come hurling downward, leaving all to dodge. "Goblin, what's going on? He seems to be drawing power that you can only use as illusion! How can this be?" "I know not, Morbius. However I know that if we do not defeat this being we risk being exterminated ourselves--as sinners. And I shall not let that happen!" "Let's do it, then!" Morbius yells. The Goblin and Morbius charge into battle against the villainous Kirk, who with each swing devastates more of Saint Patrick's Church. "THOU ALL SHALT NEVER BE ABLE TO DEFEAT ME! I AM YOUR GOD, BEYOND MORTAL LIFE, I SHALL LIVE FOREVER! HEED ME SO THAT I MAY BE ABLE TO BRING MY BELIEFS BEYOND THIS CHURCH AND BACK INTO THE WORLD PROPER! THE PEOPLE HAVE LOST THEIR SENSE OF RELIGION AND FAITH. I INTEND TO GIVE THAT BACK TO THEM!" "Not shocking likely," says Morbius, who cannot find the strength to fly or do much of anything, his body so replenished by The Kirk's energies. He uses his unique physical prowess to scale the giant being, slashing him with the claws he currently possesses. It is a futile gesture, and he is rewarded for his troubles by a giant hand which picks him up and encloses him. "Let Morbius go, Tetragrammaton! He doesn't concern you! I'm who you are after!!" Goblin yells at the grotesquely huge apparition of the Kirk before him, and fires at the creature with his hand-blasts, directly into the proverbial belly of the beast. It causes an unexpected reaction in the creature, making him stagger back for the briefest of moments. He crashes against the back wall, blowing some of the stained glass windows out before he comes back to his feet with a snarl emanating from his lips. "THOU SHOULDST NOT HAVE DONE THAT, GOBLIN. I GAVE THEE MY POWER. MINE OWN POWER! THOU ABUSES IT BY STRIKING AGAINST THINE MASTER. THE PROPHET'S POWER AWAKENED ME SO THAT I COULD GIVE THEE MY CHEST WITH THE COSTUME...!" "Go to HELL!" Goblin screams, and hits Tetragrammaton with yet another burst of illusion-producing energy, followed by several more until Tetragrammaton falls back to the ground with a giant "CRASH!" while Morbius flies from his grip. After the being has fallen, it shrinks back to normal size. Morbius and Goblin approach the body of The Kirk, flanking it from either side. They gaze upon the creature, and Morbius kicks the body over so that The Kirk faces upward. "He didn't deserve what he got," Goblin says, taking off his/her mask and revealing herself as the costume fades away. "Nobody ever does." "I disagree with you, Father. Everyone deserves their circumstance. It's a part of faith, or the lack of it." They both then watch in stunned silence as the body of The Kirk changes, decomposing into that of a mortal man with a giant puncture wound directly through his chest. Jehovah Kirk. "Not...guilty," he says with a final gasp. He is then gone. "Well, I guess that's that. It's over." Morbius crouches to close the man's eyes, which are fixed into staring at the sky. Morbius looks overhead and sees a painting of Jesus and his disciples. "Finally over." "NOT QUITE," a voice booms. "What the shock--?" Jennifer says as she once more dons the Goblin's mask. But as much as she tries, nothing happens. She is helpless, as is Morbius, as a legion of Morbius's followers charge in full force at them both. In their eyes is the look of evil--the look of Tetragrammaton. They speak as one. "THOU HAST TRESPASSED, DESECRATED THIS CHURCH. THINK THAT THOU COULDST GET AWAY WITH THIS? THOU THINKS WRONG. ALL SHALL PAY FOR DISOBEYING ME. THE WORLD SHALL BE RESTORED. "THOU SHOULDST UNDERSTAND MOST OF ALL, MORBIUS. AFTER ALL, THY GODS YET LIVE AND CONTROL THEE IN SOME WAYS STILL! ALL SAVE THINE OWN FALSE GOD, AND ME, THINE TRUE. THOU HAST FOUR MORE. SEEK AND THEE SHALL FIND...!" "I shall find--? NO! You're trying to deceive me! You're tricking me and I won't have it! Get out of here now! Take your legions, leave their bodies and give them back to me!" "SO THOU CANST DO WITH THEM AS THOU WILL? I THINK NOT," Tetragrammaton says, making fangs appear in the mouths of all the citizens. "I SHALL PROVE THINE QUEST TO THEE. ONE THOU HAST ALREADY ENCOUNTERED YET LET SLIP THROUGH YOUR FINGERS. ANOTHER THOU HAST SEEN A PALE AND YOUNGER REFLECTION OF RECENTLY. ANOTHER HAS KNOWLEDGE FAR BEYOND THY KEN YET OF ANOTHER OLDER AGE; AND STILL ONE MORE GUARDS HER PLACE, FROM WHENCE THOU CAME. SEEK AND THEE SHALL FIND ALL THE ANSWERS REQUIRED." "Shut up," Morbius says as he prepares to dodge the onslaught of people before him. Remarkably when they move he cannot touch them; they are quite intangible to him, but obviously not to Jennifer, as they pick her up quite easily and begin slashing at her, her clothes, her Goblin outfit, her skin. She yells at Morbius for help but he can do nothing. Finally as he sees the crowd punching and slicing freely, he orders an ending. "Tetragrammaton!! Enough! I have what you want! I'll give it to you!" "AND WHAT MIGHT THAT BE?" Morbius hears an omnipresent voice say. "Myself" Morbius stutters. "I give you the gift of myself. It's what you want, isn't it? This whole time it's been about my body and my fantastic powers. I felt you here before, and you know what sort of power is within me. I give myself, in return for the safety of Father Jennifer." "INDEED? THEN THOU ART MORE OF A FOOL THAN I HAD PREVIOUSLY FATHOMED." Tetragrammaton laughs and the onslaught on Jennifer continues. "Please. You know I mean what I say. Transfer your essence from them into me. I cannot contain you without my mind surrendering to oblivion. My powers are lost in your presence. I am powerless to stop you, if you wish. Go on. Just save Jennifer." "THOU JESTS," Tetragrammaton states. He receives no answer. Morbius waits in a cold sweat for a few moments before he feels something let go. "THOU SHALT CARRY ME INTO THE WORLD WHERE I BELONG AND PREACH MY GOSPEL FOR ALL TO LISTEN TO AND TO LEARN FROM." He feels the blackness leave the crowd and flow into him with such power that it leaves him breathless. It takes mere moments to realize that there is something to fear here...something very powerful to fear. Tetragrammaton is taking control. Meanwhile Father Jennifer looks onward, staggering back to her feet. She sees the blackness envelop Morbius, making his eyes glow bright red, making him grow slightly to harness the power. No. This cannot happen. Morbius cannot submit. She thinks frantically of something to do. She sees the mask on the ground. The Goblin's mask. The costume is on her body, tattered and trashed. Her adrenalin runs high. She cannot let Morbius give his body over to the demon. She also somehow recognizes that when she was the Goblin (as she is unconscious when she becomes the creature) his blasts were the only thing that could hurt it. She concentrates hard, and clenches her fists, praying for a sign from above. She applies the mask to her face. And the Goblin is once more a force to be reckoned with, by sheer force of will alone! "Do it ... Jennifer!" she hears Morbius say even as he slips further away. Her/his blasts killed The Kirk; can she take the same chance with Morbius? She/he decides that she/he must, for a dead Morbius at least is better than the consequence. She/he aims the powerful energies in her/his hands at Morbius, and lets fly a concentrated stream of pure ethereal energy. She/he pumps more and more into him, pouring it inside making Morbius seemingly swell like a balloon. She/he stops for fear she is killing him, but he ushers her/him to continue. She/he honors his wishes and makes a veritable plethora of colorful energy flow into him. Morbius looks as though he is about to explode himself. He feeds on energy, yes, and that is his theory--but never has he attempted to hold such energy inside himself. He feels like a sponge filled to its maximum, saturated, like a cloud waiting to burst. He can feel Tetragrammaton hammering at his resolve, threatening to turn him against himself, use the energy to build to his already- powerful self. But no, he must push the Tetragrammaton only to merge with the energy the Goblin has pumped into his system, and then...then...THEN HE CAN LET IT ALL GO!!!! Morbius exhales as the energy once known as Tetragrammaton plumes outward from his fingertips, jettisoning down toward the sacred ground of the church, down where the beast had been trapped for so long. The energy builds up below as Morbius continues to release it downward, out of his body. He cannot feel the beast anymore, and so assumes that the energy expelled is the Tetragrammaton. Therefore the Tetragrammaton is defeated. The energy continues to build, and the ground underneath them begins to pulse. He hears Goblin tell everyone to leave right then and there, and then Morbius himself is picked up by Goblin, who flies him through the roof of the church just as the last of the energy is expelled. As they rise further upward, they see the brightest flash of rainbow-like energy as Saint Patrick's Cathedral explodes in a blaze of colored light. The threat of the Tetragrammaton is ended. Goblin and Morbius land a few blocks away, and Morbius notices something different about the man/woman. "What happened..?" Morbius asks. "I no longer need someone else to protect me. You were right. Everyone deserves his or her fate in life. I think I've finally accepted that. The Tetragrammaton is finished. I am set free to do as I wish. I know now what must be done. My beliefs in God the Father have been strengthened. I see a mission that needs undertaking now that my church is destroyed. I will carry out that mission!" With that, the Goblin flies away. "Be careful, Father, for I fear the path you tread is a dangerous one. Moreso than mine, for you walk the thin line between servitude and heresy to Him." Morbius looks upward and sees wings, also hearing them flap--but this time, he is sure, what he hears and sees, having broken free of the demon that inhabited the church, is feminine in form and even elegance--but no less deadly. She has found her religion, or has she? Morbius does not know, but he feels at last satisfied with himself and his own beliefs. He checks his pocket and finds an object planted there--a crucifix. To the night air: "Our Father, who art in Heaven..." NEXT ISSUE: A very special story called "View Points" examines the lives of several people in Morbius's world as well as Morbius himself. We'll visit past sub-plots and characters as well as set up a stunning sub-plot that will have startling ramifications in months to come! It all begins when the mist rolls into New York...continues when a certain character wakes up in Europe under the strangest of circumstances...and comes crashing down when the most curious man visits the city! MORBIUS #8 cometh in two more weeks! |