His father was the greatest of Heroes, saving the entire universe from subjugation time and time again! Now he must continue that tradition , his powers are the same, but his outlook is different. He wields the mighty Nega bands and has the Celestial insight of Cosmic Awareness. The universe is his inheritance, for he is its Protector as he struggles to find his place amidst the Heavens, his buds call him Genis, but he's known and feared by his enemies as....
The Sensational Captain Marvel !
Captain Marvel #103
Planet of Gods
By Ralph L. Angelo Jr.
Genis-Vell wraps his arms around the sleeping girl next to him, as he pulls the sheets tighter around them both. Her bare skin is almost as red as a fire truck, and her waist length brown hair smells of flowers and fruits native to her world. Genis inhales her scent deeply, and then exhales with a smile as he hugs her tighter. She giggles slightly and shakes her head as she awakens beneath him.
"Genis, what are you doing?" She asks groggily. "Can’t you sleep?"
"If I wanted to, I would, Leilana. But right now I want to simply look at you."
She runs her fingers through her dark mane of hair, as she turns almost feline eyes upon him. "Well don’t look at me, I’m a mess, and it’s all your fault." She jabs him in the chest playfully as she speaks.
"Oh, it’s all my fault, huh?" He counters, smiling. "Like you had nothing to do with any of it? Hhhmm?"
She giggles and begins tickling him, when suddenly he bolts upright, the playful expression gone from his face. "Leilana, you have to go wait in the next room."
"What? Why? "
"Just do it, please." Genis answers, as he turns away, facing the wall, his face suddenly reflecting the cosmos. "I think I’m about to have a visitor."
The girl grabs the sheets around her body, and angrily storms out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
"Alright Eon, you can come out now." Genis grunts between grit teeth.
"Ah good Captain Marvel, I see you are finally alone." The bizarre creature known as Eon answers, as it shimmers into view.
"What do you want, Eon? You just ruined a perfectly good morning, that was part of a perfectly good evening."
"Perfectly good Captain? You were in the midst of an evening spent with a girl you had just met, who immediately decided to spend the night with you. How could you want to spend time with such a woman?"
A door slams outside the next room in the hotel suite, Genis immediately flashes his cosmic awareness yet again, and turns an annoyed glare in Eon’s direction, then walks towards a window, to see Leilana hail what passes for a cab on this world, and fade away into the sea of moving vehicles.
"Well thanks Eon. You screwed that up for me nicely. You couldn’t wait till later? What, is the universe in danger yet again? What was it this time?"
Eon ignores Genis’ obvious ire and begins to speak. "Nothing so huge as a universe ending threat, Captain. The cosmic unity is merely calling on you to be an observer on a world some distance from here. A rather unique planet as it were, but still, this is no combat mission. "
"So let me get this straight." Genis angrily almost spits out, "You interrupt a perfect date with the first girl I’ve liked since I was dancing with the devils daughter*, and then it’s not a life or death situation for anyone?
*Genis is referring to his sad romance with Angie Bourdolex, who turned out to be Mephista, unbeknownst to either of them.
"Again Captain, I cannot comprehend your attraction to a woman who would give herself so willingly to a man she just met the night before."
Genis drops his angered demeanor a moment and stares dumbfounded at Eon, before speaking. "You’re serious? You have no idea why I’d want to spend time with a girl like Leilana? Because she’s fun! Heck, it’s not about finding a girl to bring home to mom."
"Ah, I begin to understand, you prefer to have a woman your mother would not approve of to get back at her for something?"
"No Eon, you’ve got it all wrong. I guess being an asexual whatever you are you can’t grasp this. But I’ll try again. Leilana is the perfect girl to hang out with because she’s not the girl next door. She’s wild, and impetuous, and beautiful, and maybe just a little bit dangerous. In a nutshell, she’s exciting and intoxicating."
"And your mother would not like you to be with someone like this, why?"
"Oh man, you are not going to get this ever, are you? Look Eon, this really has nothing to do with my mother. I’m not getting back at her by hanging with a girl like Leilana, but mothers tend to look at girls for their sons differently then guys do. Mothers want their sons to marry young, and hook up with a girl who is not going to be dangerous. One who is going to be content to sit home and bake brownies, take care of the kids, and basically run the whole show, while letting the guy think he’s in charge. Guys tend to go for girls who are exciting, even argumentative sometimes, and mostly wild in other, ahem, regards. It makes life spicy, y’know?"
Eon quizzically looks at Genis, then merely shakes its head. "Not really Captain Marvel, but I will endeavor to understand what you are trying to explain to me."
Genis shrugs and turns towards the window once more, peering into the bright sunlight, provided by the dual suns overhead.
"What is it you want, Eon. Let me have the details, then hit the road."
"Very well Captain. You see, there is a world called Monamus prime. It is the single world of its solar system." Instantly an image of a lush green world forms before Genis’ eyes, as well as the star it circles.
"Okay, what about it, Eon."
"This world was placed here by the cosmic unity many millennia ago."
"Why?"
"Because Captain, the unity fears this worlds inhabitants could become the most horrific force the universe has ever known. "
"But they haven’t yet, so the Unity wants me to go check it out and find what the deal is with this place, if it’s people are really that dangerous or not, right?"
"Correct Captain. The Unity placed that world far from inhabited systems to safeguard the rest of the universe from the possibility that might exist there. "
"Let me get this straight, these people have done nothing to anyone, and have not been perceived as a threat, even to themselves, but the Cosmic Unity decided to make them believe they are alone in the universe, and they want me to see if they were right in doing so? They’re looking to pat themselves on the back for isolating an entire race? Sounds pretty lame to me Eon. I’ll do it, but I’m not happy about it. Personally I think the lot of you should keep your meddling hands out of others business. In fact I think you should leave here now. I’ll do your mission, but I really don’t want to see you hanging around here in mid air, especially since you chased out a babe I really dug."
"But Captain, I have more to tell you…"
" I don’t need to hear it, Eon, just go, will you? If I need you, I’ll call."
"Very well Captain." Without another word, Eon fades from view.
Genis-Vell shakes his head in minor annoyance, as he dresses, remembering the girl whose company he so enjoyed.
After a quick shower, Genis throws a few items into a bag and tosses it over his shoulder, then exits the suite. Heading for the otherworldly elevator on this planet of red skinned people.
‘Chanet’ He muses to himself. ‘This place is named Chanet. Damn Eon and his pain in the neck cosmic muckety mucks. Next time he pulls something like this, he gets a face full of photons.’
He makes his way to the front desk and pays for his room for the past evening, in galactic credits, then exits the hotel.
Out on the street he takes a deep breath of the fresh, clean air, filling his chest out then expelling it. He takes a look around himself, and says ‘Why not?’
Ktang!
Genis slams his nega bands together, and instantly his garb changes to that of his familiar costume, and he rockets into the early day sky, glittering photon trail coloring the heavens in his wake. Below him, denizens of the alien city ‘oohh’ and ‘ahh’ at his passing, immediately recognizing the famous Captain Marvel.
Genis lands softly at the spaceport, touching down light as a feather at the ‘Rapier Wit’s bow. A male attendant walks up quickly in a black uniform and cap to unlock the landing gear, and receive payment for the nights parking.
"How ya doin’?" The red skinned alien asks.
Genis nods and smiles, still lost in thought as he hands the man a few credits, "Thanks" is all he says as he boards the ‘Wit’.
"Now where is this world they want me to visit?" He muses aloud as he thumbs the ships starter, the anti-matter engines humming to life instantly.
"Time to fly."
He pulls the yoke back towards him; the ‘Wit’ rises straight upwards, then with a push of a floor pedal, rockets away towards space.
In the ether between worlds, Genis calms himself then focuses his cosmic awareness once more, seeking the world known as Monamus Prime.
‘Wow, he wasn’t kidding. This place is really off the beaten path. I don’t get it, what is so dangerous about these people? From what I’m sensing, they’re basically like a 1960’s Earth culture. Not advanced enough to go to space, and basically still taming their own world. Looks to me like they wouldn’t want to be bothered with anyone else in the first place. I might as well get some sleep, and see if I can figure out a way to make this up to Leilana at all. I know she heard Eon talking and 3was insulted by what he said’
The rest of the journey is a quiet one for Captain Marvel, as he sleeps restlessly, awaking frequently from dark nightmares. Images of worlds dying, and night dark tentacles reaching over and engulfing galaxy after galaxy.
Hours later he awakens and quickly walks over to the command section, regaining control from the autopilot.
"Let’s see where we are." He speaks quietly under his breath.
Cosmic Awareness plays across his visage as he settles into his chair, and quickly disappears.
"Damn, I’m at maximum hyperwarp, and still hours away from this place. They weren’t kidding when they said they moved it off the beaten path."
Hours later, the Rapier Wit enters the planets gravity field, where Captain Marvel ‘parks’ it in a stationary orbit above the seemingly quiet world.
"Time to fly." He says aloud as he exits the ships air lock, streaking through space towards the planets surface.
"Now lets see, where’s there a concentration of life?" Again he triggers his cosmic awareness, and again he’s rewarded with the result. He arcs across the blue sky, dropping low quickly to avoid radar detection, and then at a mere hundred feet above the ground, he streaks across the worlds surface for thousands of miles, before finally approaching a huge city of glass, concrete and steel.
‘Looks almost like New York City’
Genis touches down in a park, quickly slamming his nega bands together, to change his garb.
‘I can’t believe how much this looks like New York. I mean the buildings are all different, and this isn't an island city, but it's about as big, and definitely as populated.’
Suddenly a woman’s scream erupts from beyond a stand of trees.
"Eeeeeeeeeee!!"
"Now what?" he races through the trees to find a woman and her baby being menaced by three punks with sharpened daggers. They all appear perfectly human, as if they came from Earth itself. The thugs are leather clad, and like all punks, filled with bravado before the helpless woman.
"I toldja not ta scream." The obvious leader threatens as he rushes towards the woman, dagger gleaming in the mid day sun.
Suddenly Genis is there, grabbing the punks arm and stopping the daggers plunge. "Hold it tough guy."
All three turn towards him. "Who’re you? Get outta here. We got business ta finish with this hag. You don’t wanna be next, you’ll run now." The leader growls as Genis continues to hold his arm.
"I don’t think so, curly." Genis tugs on the toughs arm, and suddenly realizes that it’s not moving. "Wha?"
"Get outta here ya dope." The punk grunts as he simply moves his arm away, tossing Genis a block length through the park!
Thoom!
He lands in a heap, dazed and disoriented.
"What just happened? No way is that right. No more playing around."
Genis streaks through the air, ramming into the entire group of thugs, smashing them away from the woman in one motion. ‘Get out of here lady, I’ll handle these guys." He shouts over his shoulder as he delivers a crushing blow to the nearest punks jaw. A blow that would have taken an Earth mans head off, and the punk he just hit merely laughs it off.
"You gotta be kiddin’ me blondie. You think you’re gonna stop us? Heck, I know babies stronger ‘en you."
Ra-KOOM!
He backhands Genis, smashing him through a stand of trees, his body easily crushing several trees in the attack.
‘This can’t be happening’ Genis thinks to himself as he slaps his nega bands together, reverting to his costume once again. ‘I’ve got to amp myself up.’
He begins to draw on the power of the stars through his nega bands to increase his strength to its ultimate level.
"Time to get serious, boys."
The head punk merely laughs "We wuz wonderin’ when you was gonna do that. Let’s take ‘im apart boys."
They converge on Genis, as he throws a left cross, this time not holding back at all. Hitting the leader with everything he’s got.
Ba-BOOM!
This time he sends the thug tumbling end over end, for over half a mile, where he smashes through cars (Or what passes for them here) and into a buildings façade, crushing the concrete like it was paper. The punk merely stands, brushes himself off, and leaps back towards the battle as if he was the Hulk.
In the park, Genis connects with a lunge punch to one of the others jaw, but is kicked in the back simultaneously by the remaining thug. He drops to one knee, gasping for breath, as the first punk he hit lands before him, and without another word, kicks him full in the face with the force of an atomic piledriver!
Ra-KOOM!
Captain Marvel slumps to the ground unconscious, as the three leather-clad hoods continue to pound his prone form.
Finally the leader stops the other two. "That’s enough, you mooks. I think we got our lesson across."
"Hey Zorn." One of the others calls, "I kinda like these things he’s got on his wrists. I want ‘em. But they won’t budge."
"Then use yer head Clievo. If you can’t get those arm bands past his hands, cut his hands off." And he tosses Clievo a knife as he says it…
Next : Planet of Gods, part II
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