Post by Admin on Aug 19, 2009 15:23:49 GMT -5
Shazam!
Annual #1
Written by Mischief & KrystaleDragon
Cover by Mischief
Edited by Mark Bowers
Annual #1
Written by Mischief & KrystaleDragon
Cover by Mischief
Edited by Mark Bowers
Fawcett City
The air was calm on this day. Nothing more than a gentle breeze blew through the city that was home to the World’s Mightiest Mortal. But on this day, a pin dropped on one side of the city could be heard on the other side. The city was virtually shut down following the battle that took place almost in front of the home of Billy Batson. Not that long ago, a once quiet neighborhood was overrun with demonic creatures. Fawcett City’s finest gathered to protect its citizens from the unholy creatures. They fought side by side with some of the city’s own super-powered heroes like Bulletman. On that day, good overcame evil, but not without cost. Bulletman was injured in the battle and was still in hospital. And since that day…one family was never the same again.
Their house stood not too far from the home of Billy Batson; it was white with tan trimming and a white picket fence. On the front door was a yellow ribbon, and by the front door was a flag holder with no flag. In front of the house stood a large tree that had a homemade swing that hung from one of the large branches. Visible on the tree was a carving of a heart with the initials C.C. + D.M. with a yellow ribbon wrapped around it that swayed in the gentle breeze. A black limo pulled up to the house with two police motorcycles in front of it. A woman’s left hand that had a wedding ring on her ring finger pulled back the curtains. The young woman dressed in a black dress looking out of the window was once Diane Marshock; the current music columnist for Whiz Magazine. It had been two months since she turned eighteen and it had been six weeks since she got married and became Diane Cermack. She glanced out of the window again and saw Major John Sheppard as he walked towards the front door. She opened the front door as Major Sheppard stood at the door patiently waiting for her. She reached for her jacket that hung on the back of the door, and as she pulled it off the hanger, she saw a surprise that she had left hanging for her husband to find. A few days ago was supposed to be another special moment for them. She had left a note that simply read…’HAPPY FATHER’S DAY.’ She looked back at Major Sheppard for a moment. Her eyes started to well up with tears as her knees started to shake. Major Sheppard reached out with his arms and caught the teary-eyed brunette as she lost herself to her grief.
...I was counting on forever, now I’ll never know
I can’t even breathe
It’s like I’m looking from a distance
Standing in the background
Everybody’s saying, he’s not coming home now
This can’t be happening to me
This is just a dream
Just A Dream performed by Carrie Underwood
I can’t even breathe
It’s like I’m looking from a distance
Standing in the background
Everybody’s saying, he’s not coming home now
This can’t be happening to me
This is just a dream
Just A Dream performed by Carrie Underwood
Fawcett City Memorial Hospital
Caesar walked into a hospital room filled with balloons, which had the words ‘GET WELL’ on them, and several dozen flowers. He glanced down at the bed and saw the beauty of the young woman that he had come to care about over a short period of time. Anita Fernandez had been the student to many known and lesser known practioners of the mystic arts. She had also been the student of Julio Caesar Rodriguez or simply Caesar. They had known each other for a few years, when Anita’s mother worked for Caesar’s mother, the famed Latin singing sensation, Sandra Lopez. During that time a friendship grew between the two. Even when Caesar left Puerto Rico, they remained close to each other.
Now seeing her in this room pained him no end. He had pulled her into a world that she was not ready for. A world that was not meant for her. He stood by her bedside and reached out to grab her hand. Caesar was shocked when his hand passed through hers. Suddenly he heard laughter come from behind him. He turned and saw Anita already dressed in jeans and a Linkin Park t-shirt with her hair tied back. She smiled at Caesar just before she rushed and hugged him tightly. As they broke their embrace of each other, Caesar looked at Anita with a serious look on his face. Just as he was about to say something to her, she placed her index finger over his lips and said, “I know…and you didn’t pull me into doing anything. Just like you’re not responsible for what happened to Estella.”
Caesar hugged her again as a single tear rolled down his cheek. Anita and Caesar were about to leave her hospital room, when she looked at the room filled with balloons and flowers. She looked at Caesar and said, “What are we going to do about all of these flowers?”
Caesar glanced over his shoulder with glowing red eyes and blinked. In a flash of crimson energy, the balloons and flowers were gone, leaving the room looking as if no one was ever there. Caesar looked back to Anita and said, “Well, looks like I took care of that problem.”
In another hospital room lay someone else who was recently injured. This individual was one of Fawcett City’s first heroes. He was always answering the call when the city was in need. But this time, it was different. James Barr had donned his helmet and took flight once again as Bulletman. Always putting the welfare of others first. He’d saved the life of Adrianna Thomas from a deranged Freddy Freeman. His act of heroism spared Adrianna, but he was severely injured in the process. By his bedside continuously had been his wife, Susan. She had never left the side of her beloved husband. He had been visited by many of his costumed friends.
Walking by James Barr’s hospital room were Anita and Caesar. Anita peered in and saw the Golden Age hero hooked up to several wires and tubes. She looked back at Caesar with concerned eyes. Caesar looked into her eyes and simply stated, “This is the price to be paid for doing what is right. That’s the sacrifice of being a ‘real’ hero.”
Caesar turned away from James Barr’s room with his head hung low and a deep sense of sadness in his heart. Anita followed behind him and asked, “Julio, can’t you heal him?”
Caesar stopped, turned to face Anita and answered in a sad tone, “I can’t. He already has a spell cast on him…one that I’m not going to mess with. Remember Anita, magic ALWAYS comes at a price.”
Three men exited the hospital elevator all wearing U.S. Marine Corps Service uniforms. They walked in unison with purpose. The man in the center had short grey hair. The wrinkles around his eyes spoke volumes of what he had witnessed in his lifetime. He had his cover underneath his right arm. He had two gleaming silver stars on both of his shoulders. This career United States Marine was a Major General. He was accompanied by two Marines that were both ranked Corporal. They walked past the nursing station until they arrived at the room of James Barr, also known as the costumed hero called Bulletman. The corporals stood at the doorway as if as they were standing guard. The Major General looked at his old friend. He smiled and thought to himself, Time has been kind to you, Jimmy.
He looked around the room and saw a lot of ‘Get Well Soon’ cards and balloons. His wife, Susan was passed out with her head on her husband’s right hand. The Marine stood on the left side of Jim Barr’s bed. He looked down at his friend and said, “Hey, Jimmy, it’s Joe…Joe Higgins. I would ask how you’re doing, but you’re laid up in a hospital, so that is a damn stupid question. I know that it’s been a long time since we last saw each other. But I know that I’ll never forget the first time we met. Remember that, Jimmy? It was 1942 and we were at war. I was just a corporal back then and you weren’t just Jimmy Barr either. You were Bulletman.”
He pulled up a chair and continued to talk to his old wartime partner. “…together we kept those Jap bastards back. Remember those cold nights out on Attu Island, working with the boys from Castner’s Cutthroats. Those were the days, huh Jimmy, before the days of attacking aliens and the government turning against its own heroes. It was definitely a simpler time, before lunatics with green hair terrorizing the streets. Before you ever had to face a demented dark version of your buddy, Captain Marvel.” He grabbed Jim Barr’s hand and squeezed a bit and whispered again, “Simpler times.”
Home of the Batsons
Dudley Batson was the younger brother of C.C. Batson, the original Captain Marvel. He also was the uncle and guardian of Billy Batson, the current Captain Marvel. He sat quietly at the kitchen table with an opened old tin container in front of him. He had a couple of old pictures in his hand. He shuffled through the pictures of his brother. He smiled slightly at a picture of C.C. and himself fishing when they were both teenagers. He stopped at a picture of C.C. and Marilyn, when they were freshmen in high school. I knew that Mary Marvel girl looked familiar to me. His eyes narrowed as he studied the old picture. Suddenly he was startled by the sound of a ringing telephone. Dudley quickly got up and grabbed the cordless phone off its cradle and placed the receiver to his ear. . “Hello?”
Uncle Dudley heard the soft voice of Mary Bromfield. She and Billy had been friends for a long time. She even called him Uncle Dudley, like his nephew did.
“Hello, Uncle Dudley, may I speak to Billy?”
“Oh sure, Mary…hold on,” Uncle Dudley replied and walked towards the stairs to the second floor, “Billy, pick up the phone…Mary is on.”
Billy exited the room and poked his head out over the railing and looked down at his uncle. “Okay, Uncle Dudley,” Billy said as he reached for the cordless phone by the staircase. “Thanks Uncle Dudley, I got it.”
Uncle Dudley turned off the cordless phone and returned to the kitchen. He stared at the pictures that were on the table for a moment. He shook his head and placed the pictures back into the old tin container, and placed it on the top shelf in the closet underneath the staircase. He looked at his watch as he reached for his jacket. He called to Billy, “Billy…”
Billy exited out of his room and stood at the top of the staircase looking down at his Uncle Dudley’s worn face. “…I’m going to the hospital to visit Jim; you should take the time to visit him yourself,” Uncle Dudley said as he looked up at his nephew. He put on his jacket and left the house.
Billy returned his attention to his conversation with Mary Bromfield. “So, Mary, how have you been holding up?”
Better section of Fawcett City
Home of the Bromfields
Home of the Bromfields
Mary was upstairs in her bedroom lying on her queen size bed with her laptop in front of her, typing away. She was dressed in red sweatpants and a yellow t-shirt. Her light brown hair was tied back in a ponytail. She had puffy eyes from the lack of sleep she was getting these days. “Honestly, not that well. I’ve been so worried about Freddy that I haven’t been to school since he fell into that coma. Billy, he’s been in that coma for so long now,” she said with a sense of loss in her voice.
“I know, Mary, but that doesn’t mean we can’t visit him today,” Billy said, attempting to spark some hope in his friend.
“Thanks, Billy. I’ll get dressed and meet you there,” she replied with a glimmer of hope in her voice.
Mary got off her bed and glance at a reflection of herself in a mirror. She stopped when she saw her Marvel guise in the reflection. She stared at the reflection for a moment before the person in the mirror spoke to her. “Do not despair, Mary, for everything has happened for a reason. You have claimed your part of the power that belongs to you. In time you will find the truth that was hidden from you.”
Then the image faded from the mirror. She turned away from the mirror and immediately felt lost and confused. She looked down on her bed and stared at her cell phone and contemplated whether she should call Billy. She quickly shook her head and continued to get ready to meet him at the hospital.
Fawcett City High School
Inside the empty halls of Fawcett City High School, the janitors were busy cleaning the lavatories, emptying trash cans and mopping the halls. Most of the faculty had already gone home for the day, with the exception of one mathematics teacher, Mark Krieger. He was staying late grading his students’ papers. He stopped at one paper and looked at it twice. His facial expression was that of disgust as he read the name of Jeremy Brown at the top of the paper. He grabbed his red marker and wrote on his paper, ‘CHEATING WILL NOT BE TOLERATED IN MY CLASS!!!’ He put the rest of his students’ papers in his briefcase before he left his classroom. As he walked the halls, he saw janitorial staff cleaning the hallways. He reached into his pants’ pocket and pulled out a tissue. He blew his nose and dropped the used tissue in front of one of the janitors. He continued to make his way of the school with a smug look on his face. He walked over to his brown vintage Opel Olympia OL38 Cabriolet. This vintage 1940s German-built two door was in pristine condition and looked as if it had just rolled of the assembly line. He drove out of the faculty parking lot and headed north. Since he had recently transferred in from Virginia to Fawcett City, he had kept to himself. He never once talked to any of the other faculty members unless it was necessary. He was going to spend his night at a bar on the northern outskirts of Fawcett City. This was a part of the city that pretty much kept to itself. This area was known for its strong Caucasian community and the exclusion of any members of other ethnic backgrounds. Mark Krieger felt at home in this area of Fawcett City. No one bothered him or pried into his life or…his past.
Krieger stopped in front of a bar called Borize’s Pub. He stepped out of his vintage vehicle and walked into the late night establishment.
Kahndaq
Inside one of the hidden tunnels in Kahndaq were two individuals that were blessed by the gods. One was Teth-Adam, who long ago had been bestowed the powers of Shu, Hershef, Amon, Zehuti, Anpu, and Menthu, and was now known to the world as Black Adam. The other individual was the reincarnated form of the Egyptian Queen Pharaoh Hatshepsut who ruled in the 18th Dynasty, who was empowered by the powers of the goddess Isis. In the brief time since they were reunited, they had attempted to aid the people of Kahndaq, but had been called away to battle the deranged evil side of Freddy Freeman, Marvel Man. During that battle, Isis lost access to her powers and reverted back to Adrianna Thomas. She would surely now be dead if not for the heroic sacrifice of Bulletman. Since that time, both Adrianna and Black Adam had been secluded in these tunnels.
Adrianna laid in a large bed as an impatient Black Adam paced in front of the bed. She smiled up at him as she reached out to touch his arm. He stopped and gazed down at her beautiful naked body and smiled. He sat on the corner of the bed, and said, “It has been a few days since we arrived here and you lost consciousness.”
“Strange, the last thing I remember was battling that perversion of the wizard’s powers and now I awaken here with you,” she stated as she looked at her surroundings.
“Well, you passed out in the heat of battle. You were turning the battle in our favor, before we were able to take his powers for our own,” replied Black Adam.
Adrianna Thomas’s naked body stood up in front of Black Adam as she said out loud, “I…AM…ISIS”
Adrianna’s naked body was engulfed with brilliant lights as she was once blessed with the powers of the goddess Isis. Black Adam felt like his heart had leapt out of his chest at the sight of beauty that was Isis. She smiled at Black Adam. Just as she was about to speak, she fell to the ground. She gripped her stomach as she felt immense pain rip through her body. Black Adam moved with the speed of Heru to Isis’s side. He held her in his strong arms and stared into her beautiful blue eyes as they faded to a grey tone. Isis was calm and at peace in Black Adam’s arms. She whispered to him, “Adam, I can feel it…she is gone from us, the thing that connects us together…without her, without the spirit of the Earth, we are weak. I can feel him…he is coming for us.” She gripped the back of Adam’s neck and pulled him in close to her. “He is coming for us all.”
Fawcett City General Hospital
Caesar and Anita exited the hospital. Caesar reached into his inside pocket and pulled out a matchbox car. He looked at Anita as he tossed the toy car in front of them. His eyes glowed red as he spoke, “Regresa lo que es un juguete a sus legítimos forma.”
The little toy car was instantly transformed into a sparkly silver-colored vintage Aston Martin. Caesar walked up to the passenger side of the vehicle and opened the door for Anita. As she sat down in the vintage automobile, an envelope magically floated out of the glove box and into Caesar’s hand. He suspiciously opened the envelope and read the letter that was within it. He looked down at Anita with concerned eyes. He handed the letter to Anita and said, “Your journey has begun, my little Empress.”
Fawcett General Hospital Critical Care Unit
Freddy Freeman lay in the critical care unit at the hospital. He had been hurt pretty badly in the fight, and though he had held his own against quite a few, in the end it was a fight that he couldn’t win. Lord Satannus had pulled back to Hell and left Freddy holding the bag, responsible for all that had happened.
Freddy currently had four broken ribs; a broken left leg and a compound fracture in his lower right arm. He also suffered a massive concussion from the fight. He was slightly aware of things going on around him though he wasn’t sure what it was that was happening. His mind started to fade to a special time. It was a time when he was nervous and excited at the same time. It had happened before the Evil Within had ruined everything.
Billy Batson’s Bedroom
Billy lay on his bed playing a handheld video game, while his best friend, Freddy Freeman, stared at himself in the mirror. He had been staring at his reflection for an hour. His sweaty palms pressed against the front of his blue collared shirt. He turned slightly to see his back in the mirror, making sure there were no wrinkles in his shirt. He looked down at his khaki pants, searching for any type of imperfection. He looked down at his bare feet and then looked over at Billy, who was giggling, trying to cover his face with his handheld video game. Freddy grabbed a rolled-up sock and threw it at Billy. The sock bounced harmlessly off of Billy’s head, causing him to roll off the bed. “What’s so funny?” Freddy asked as Billy remained on the floor laughing aloud at him.
Billy slowly got off the floor, trying to stop his laughter. “Freddy, I know this is your first date ever and I’m not one to tell you what to do, ‘cause I don’t know either, but this is Mary. You know her. She is not a complete stranger to you. So dig deep and get some courage of Achilles and get your shoes on. You’re supposed to meet Mary at the Willie Parker Malt Shop in about half an hour and the bus will be here soon.”
Freddy rushed to put on his shoes. He almost tripped over his own laces and Billy just watched and smiled. Freddy ran past Billy as he left his best friend’s bedroom. Billy reached down and grabbed Freddy’s blue denim jacket that he’d left behind on Billy’s bed. Billy held his right hand out with his fingers extended, counting down from five in his head. When he finished counting down, Freddy returned to Billy’s bedroom and grabbed his jacket. Billy smiled and shook his head in amusement.
Mary Bromfield’s Home
Mary Bromfield entered her bedroom, wearing a bathrobe, with a smile on her face. She walked over to her closet and pulled out a red dress. She twirled around holding the dress close to her body. She was listening to the Jonas Brothers’ album ‘A Little Bit Longer’. She danced to the beat of ‘Burnin’ Up’. She glanced at the black and white kitty cat clock hanging in her room, seeing that it was almost time for her mother to drop her off at Willie’s Malt Shop. She finished getting dressed and put a beret on her head. Nora Bromfield knocked on her bedroom door with a pleasant smile and complimented her daughter on her outfit. Mary hugged her mother and then grabbed a white jacket.
In the car ride over to the Malt Shop, Nora asked Mary, “So, Mary, this boy Freddy is the one that lives at the orphanage, right?”
Mary shook her head and replied, “He does, but he’s a good guy, Mom…”
Before Mary could finish her thought, her mother interrupted her, “Sorry to cut you off, Mary, but I know that he is a good boy. I’ve spoken to Billy’s Uncle Dudley at the market a few times. Dudley speaks highly of that boy, so he must be good. So you have a good time with him.”
Willie Parker’s Malt Shop
Freddy stumbled as he exited the city bus. He ran his hands down the front of his pants, trying to dry off his sweaty palms. His nervousness was like a blip on a radar screen, and was visible from miles away. I’d rather be at a dodge ball game and be the sole target, Freddy thought to himself.
He felt a cool breeze pass him. He turned and saw Mary behind him, exiting out of a silver BMW 525. The world seemed to slowed to a stop as she walked towards him. His mouth dropped open as his eyes stared in absolute amazement. Freddy had had a crush on Mary Bromfield for a long time but he’d never seen her look this beautiful before. An eternity seemed to have passed till Mary was close enough for her to give him a big hug. All Freddy was able to utter was, “You look stunning.”
After the hug, Mary looked over Freddy and said, “You are looking very handsome there yourself, Freddy.”
Freddy reached for the door to the malt shop and opened it into his foot. Mary put her hand on his shoulder and said, “It’s okay, Freddy…I’m new to this too. So let’s take it easy.”
They entered and ordered a large root beer float. They sat by the window with two straws coming out of the same cup. They smiled at each other often, and held each other’s hands. They talked about school, hobbies and the Jonas Brothers. A few hours flew by without either one of them realizing it. Suddenly they heard a car horn outside and saw that Nora was outside waiting for Mary. They left the malt shop and walked up to Nora’s expensive car. Nora said to Freddy, “Freddy, do you need a ride home?”
Freddy declined the kind offer from Mary’s mother. Mary hugged Freddy, but before they parted ways, Mary leaned close to Freddy’s face and kissed him on the lips. The kiss was over in about a minute, but the moment would last forever in both their memories. Freddy stayed in the same spot till he no longer saw the tail lights of the foreign car. Freddy shouted with glee the words that called forth the lightning that transformed him into Kid Marvel. He flew straight up into the sky, yelling aloud, “YAHOO!!!”
Freddy Freeman’s Hospital Room
Mary Bromfield entered the room as a nurse left the room. She had a small gift bag with her. She sat in a chair beside him and said, “You are missing all of Mr. Burchette’s history homework and tests. But they will be waiting for you, so you can’t escape them.”
She reached into the gift bag and pulled out two stuffed animals. One was an orange tiger and the other one was a white bunny with long ears. She shook the tiger in her left hand and then the bunny in her right hand. “This is my stuffed tiger, I call him Tawky Tawny. I’ve had him since I was a baby. I’m leaving him here with you, so you are never alone. And I got this bunny for you, and I’ll call it…Hoppy, ‘cause any day now you’re going to hop out of this bed.”
Her voice cracked as she finished her sentence. She placed the stuffed animals on the nightstand. She wiped her tears from her eyes before they could roll down her cheeks. “You have to get better soon…I miss you so much.”
Kahndaq
Black Adam held Adrianna’s unconscious body in his arms. He looked to the skies and saw dark clouds forming over the city of Kahndaq. He was puzzled, but not concerned with the skies or the city. His only concern was for this beautiful woman that he was falling in love with again. Suddenly he heard a familiar voice that said to him, “The time has come for you to return to me, my first champion. My champions must reunite to confront an upcoming evil.”
“I am familiar with you, and I will not be your slave again,” Black Adam snarled at the Wizard Shazam.
He held Adrianna’s body close to his own as he whispered with a crack in his voice, “My only concern is for my beloved, Adrianna. The world be damned…she is all I have and I will not lose her…again.”
“Isis’s ailment is connected to this oncoming storm, Teth-Adam. You must confront it, or she, like so many others, will fall to the great darkness. I can preserve her, inside the Rock of Eternity, until her strength returns. I can do this if you join me once more.”
“For her, I will join you,” Black Adam answered the wizard’s call. He stood up with Adrianna in his strong arms as a doorway of pure light opened up in front of them.
Fawcett City General Hospital
It was around ten o’clock at night when a flash of red appeared in Freddy’s room. A man wearing a red cape appeared in the room with a smile on his face. "So, Mr. Freeman, it seems that your lord Satannus has gifted you with a most prized possession. And it seems that my master wants it, so that, Mr. Freeman, means I am here to take that possession from you,” he said as he moved towards the bed of Freddy Freeman. He placed a hand against the boy’s chest. "Asperta Mertinea Careintina Heartina ovatina Darkina,” he said in a barely audible whisper and then there was a flash of red light and the body of Freddy Freeman began to convulse and rise up into the air as something within Freddy began to ascend though his body and suddenly there was what appeared to be an object wanting to bust out of his chest. "Carentina Esfore," the figure said and then there was a tearing sound and a large black object that glowed with a blood red inner light burst through Freddy’s chest.
Freddy’s eyes went wide. Outside the hospital room bolts of lightning raced across the sky as the person dressed in black held the object up to the light, cried out in agony, and then disappeared in a puff of red smoke. The hole in Freddy’s chest healed quickly, but the pain did not.
A second later the machines that were hooked up to Freddy Freeman started to go haywire as he began to flatline. Doctors and nurses rushed in and saw the gaping hole in Freddy’s chest and immediately rushed him to the operating room to try to save his life.
The Rock of Eternity
Caesar appeared before the ancient Wizard Shazam, holding in his hand the Heart of Darkness that once was inside young Freddy Freeman. As he stood in front of the wizard, the crimson of the heart of darkness pulsed with fire and brimstone. Caesar’s brow was wet with his perspiration as he struggled to keep the corrupted power at bay. The wizard looked at the inexperienced mage and said, “Your journey has not ended yet. As promised, your sister awakes now in Nanda Parbat just as your apprentice arrives.”
The wizard waved his hand in front of Caesar and a mist trailed after his hand. The mist showed a vision to Caesar of his fifteen-year-old sister, Estella Maria Rodriguez, waking from her coma. A tear rolled down his cheek as he saw in the mist his sister standing up and hugging Anita Fernandez. That moment of happiness caused Caesar to lose focus on the heart of darkness that was beating rampantly in his hand. Dark force energy spouted out of the evil item. Caesar fell to his knees as he tried to focus again on the Heart of Darkness. The Wizard Shazam walked over and reached out for Caesar’s neck, and from that neck appeared a gold chain with a gold cross with inlaid ruby gems at the corners. “The love of your grandfather will be the counter balance to the Heart of Darkness,” said the white-bearded old man.
Before Caesar was able to catch his breath, a red mystical portal opened up. The wizard walked away from Caesar and sat in his stone chair with his hand on his brow. Caesar looked at the wizard with puzzled eyes. He turned and through the portal saw Fawcett City. His eyes narrowed as he noticed that it was not the same Fawcett City that he had left. The cars were about fifty-five years older than what he’d remembered seeing there. The Wizard Shazam waved the hand that had been on his brow, and Caesar was suddenly sucked into the portal and disappeared. “Go and separate my champions as they are now,” said the ancient wizard.
The Wizard Shazam turned his attention back to the unconscious Adrianna Thomas. He snapped his fingers and Adrianna instantly awoke. She looked around searching for her suitor, Black Adam. Shazam said to her with calming voice, “Worry not, my child, for if you wish to remain the equal of Black Adam, you must regain the powers of Isis.”
Adrianna leapt to her feet and stood before the great wizard. “Whatever it takes to stand beside him again, I’ll do it,” she said, before she disappeared in a flash of light from the Rock of Eternity.
“Isis and the tablet of Ma’at”
*****
FAWCETT CITY MUSEUM
Adrianna Thomas woke up and she was in her office, or what was left of it. She’d started looking for some information that might help her, when there came a knock on her door. She looked up to find a man standing in the doorway.
“Adrianna Thomas, I presume?”
Adrianna looked at the man, who was wearing a golden helmet and holding a staff that had a golden symbol as its head. The scarab of Isis flared for a moment and she knew then that this man was no danger to her. “Yes, I am Adrianna Thomas. May I help you, sir?”
The man stepped closer to her. “You know me, don’t you? We are long friends, you and I.”
Adrianna stood there, looking at the man, not sure who or what he was, then an image flashed into her mind of this man and her talking and joking around as children. She looked up at him and smiled. “Yes I do know you. You’re Prince Amentep, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that was a name I went by in a long ago time. Your mind is as sharp as it has ever been, lady. It is good to see you again my friend and queen,” he said as Adrianna smiled.
“Though I don’t really remember you too well, I can tell that Isis does,” she said to Prince Amentep. “Is there something that I can help you with?” she asked wondering why someone from her distant past would show up now that she was getting ready to set out on her quest.
“First off, I am no longer called Prince Amentep; it is Ibis the Invincible now. And I have come to help you in your quest. Like you, I also know that if the one that possesses the tablet isn’t stopped the world will be destroyed,” he said and took a step closer to Adrianna.
Adrianna looked at Amentep and then nodded. “Alright then, Ibis, what do you know about what is going on now?”
“I know that someone has found the tablet and has been attempting to read it, but beyond that I don’t know much, lady,” he said and looked at her.
“Well then, perhaps I should fill you in on what I know. The tablet is in the hands of someone that doesn’t understand what it is and you are right, they are attempting to read it and I fear it is only a matter of time before they understand what it is that they are reading and then the fate of the world will be at stake,” Adrianna said.
“Hmm, so what are you doing here then, lady, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“I am actually looking for some information that I had seen earlier about the tablet,” she said as she continued to go through her files on her desk, then, finally finding what she was searching for, she held the file up and looked through it really quickly. “Here, read this. It is the information that I was looking for,” she said as she handed the file over to Ibis and then moved a bit away from him. “I am ISIS!” Then there was a flash of pure white light and Isis was now standing in the spot where only moments before was Adrianna Thomas.
“Amentep could that really be you?” Isis asked as she stood there staring at the prince she knew when they were younger.
“It is, my lady Isis, but I don’t go by that name any longer; it is now Ibis the invincible. And I have come to help you in your search for the tablet. I have an idea I know where it might be but I am not sure,” Ibis said and Isis looked at him.
“Any information would help, as the sooner we get the tablet back the better the chance that whoever has it will not be able to figure out its secrets,” Isis said.
“I agree. Come, I believe the person who has the tablet is on the far side of the city and it would seem he is beginning to read it,” Ibis said as his staff glowed and Isis and Ibis took off for the area where the tablet was.
The two ancient friends landed in the richer side of Fawcett City and looked around, but nothing stood out. “I think we need to go this way,” Isis said as she started heading towards the left, as if being drawn by the tablet itself.
The two came to the gates of a huge mansion and were standing there. Isis had her eyes closed and Ibis was concentrating on the tip of his Ibis-stick. It was glowing in an almost-pulsing manner. “Yes, lady, this appears to be the place. How do you expect us to get in?”
“I am not sure but I do have some ideas,” Isis said as she looked around the property and then she smiled. “Come, let us get out of the plain view of everyone,” she said and the two walked around the side of the property. Isis turned to Ibis and smiled. “I can get us inside the fence. Can you put everyone to sleep inside so we don’t have too much to worry about?” she asked him.
Ibis looked at Isis and smiled. “Alright, that is easy enough to do,” Ibis said and he looked at his Ibis-stick. “Allur innan this girðing bylta sofandi peningaskúffa ÉG hluti þessir landslag og ekki muna hvaða hefur kvisast út this dagur.” (All within this fence fall asleep till I part these lands and do not remember what has transpired this day.)
Then within a few moments the guards on the walkways started to fall over, as did the others throughout the premises. All except one. This one being didn’t fall over in the deep slumber that the rest of the humans around the grounds fell into because he wasn’t human, not any longer. This one now had a master who had used his magic and other powers to bring this one back to life, or as close to life as this one was.
Isis and Ibis however didn’t know about this and the two ancient friends entered the property and started their search of the grounds. After a while, the two caught up with each other again and shrugged their shoulders.
“Ibis, the tablet is here, but where? I know it is here,” Isis said.
“Perhaps we need something to show us where it is,” Ibis said, looking around, and then he moved to pick up a small book, and said, “Izraditi ovaj knjiga pokazivanje mene put to pločica od Ma’at.” (Make this book show me the way to the tablet of Ma’at.)
The book glowed a bright bluish green, then, of its own accord, the book took off and started to fly through the air and ended up coming to a stop at a door. Ibis looked at Isis and the two smiled.
“Did you check this door?” Ibis asked Isis.
Isis shook her head. “No, actually I didn’t. I wasn’t sure if you had checked it or not.” Slowly she opened the door. They saw some stairs and headed down them following the still-glowing book.
They came to a door at the bottom of the stairs and opened it. Again the book headed off and the two followed it. They came to another door and opened it to find that they were now in a room that was solid black marble with two giant thrones of gold inlaid with gems. They saw a circle on the floor and as the book neared the circle its glow started to dim. As the book came to the edge of the circle it fell to the floor.
Ibis looked at Isis and shrugged. “I guess it is a dead zone for magic, or it is another type of magical zone that our type of magic can’t work in, so I would suggest that we stay away from that area,” Ibis said with a shrug.
The two walked around the magical circle and found that there was another door on the other side of the circle and they entered through that door and saw someone in a long dark navy blue robe with silver symbols stitched into the material. He seemed rather distracted and as Ibis and Isis got nearer he turned and looked at them with eyes that were there but seemed almost glazed over in confusion and blind to everything but what only they could see. He was mumbling something.
“Mot nord i hjertet av Isen er hjemmet av det gods. Hvis du lage den igjennom hjemmet av det gods du ville finner palasset av isen Dronning med inne palasset er artikkelen det alle barn elske.” (To the North in the heart of Ice is the home of the gods. If you make it through the home of the gods you will find the palace of the Ice Queen, within the palace is the item that all children love.)
Isis gasped as she saw the man writing something down and, as she moved closer to see what it was, she gasped again as she was able to read what he was writing. She turned to Ibis. “We need to get the tablet and get it now. He is able to understand what it is that the tablet contained,” she said.
“Yes I would have to agree, Lady Isis,” Ibis said and the two moved closer to the table and there, on the far side, was the stone black onyx tablet. As Isis got nearer to the tablet it began to glow slightly. “It would seem that it recognizes you, lady,” Ibis said.
“It should. I am its guardian,” Isis said as she reached out her hand to the tablet and it glowed bright white and moved to the hand that guarded it.
“Távoli -hoz Kelet tetején -ból világ -ban egy templom mint régi mint ez tabletta van kibír amit kígyók akar szerelem.” (Far to the East, at the top of the world, in a temple as old as this tablet, there is a stick that snakes would love.)
Isis again gasped as she heard him translate the second part of the tablet and she looked at Ibis. “We need to get out of here before he figures out the third passage,” she said to him.
“If we take the tablet out of proximity from him maybe he will not remember what was written on it.”
“Yes, that is part of the way the tablet works. As long as it is near them they will remember what is on it but as soon as it is away from them they forget everything,” Isis said as she and Ibis were walking out of the room and into the marble room and then heading up the stairs and out of the building. Once outside Isis grabbed onto Ibis and the two launched into the air and headed back to the museum.
“We need to put that somewhere that no one will find it. What are we going to do about the tablet?” Ibis asked.
“I am going to put it somewhere that it will be safe, and where mortal man cannot go,” Isis said and she set the tablet down and then she looked up at Ibis.
Ibis then closed his eyes and when he reopened them he looked up at Isis. “I must go. It seems that there is something that needs my talents more so than this. I will send someone to help you in your search for the items,” Ibis said to Isis.
“I hope that whatever it is that you need to go and do turns out well, my friend,” Isis said to him.
Ibis looked at Isis and smiled. “So do I, as what I go to do could change the fate of the world as much as your journey does. Take care, Isis, and I shall see you later,” he said to his friend and he popped out of the office.
Isis looked at the spot where Ibis had been and she sent a silent prayer to the gods to watch over her friend. She then grabbed an almanac and the tablet of Ma’at and twalked out of the museum again and took off for the North Pole.
Isis, being the protector of the tablet and the four sacred items, was able to get through the different traps and into the palace of the Ice Queen. She was then able to get the Rattle of Nephthys. With the Rattle, Isis made it to the Himalayas and found the Sceptre of Set.
Isis then thought about whether or not she should try to move the Ankh of Osiris. She wasn’t sure if the creature was able to translate its location before she had removed the tablet or not. So she made up her mind that to be safe she would move the Ankh.
Isis made it to the Amazon Rain Forest and as she was searching the ruins for the Ankh she found that it was missing. “Oh no, this isn’t good not at all,” she said as she looked around and then she made her way out of the temple and headed straight for the Rock of Eternity.
*****
Rock of Eternity
Isis arrived at the Rock of Eternity and, with the Tablet of Ma’at and the Rattle of Nephthys and the Sceptre of Set in her hands, she moved into the room where the Wizard Shazam was. She smiled as she saw him.
“Wizard, I have come to you because I have not only a problem but also a favor to ask of you,” she said to him, and he looked up at her and nodded his head.
“Yes, my child, I know. The Ankh is missing and it has fallen into his hands, and you also wish to hide the Tablet of Ma’at and the Rattle and Sceptre here with me.”
Isis simply nodded. She knew that he had his ways of knowing things and as such she wasn’t going to sit there and question the ancient mage. “Yes, that is exactly it. I also fear that which the Ankh can do now that it is in mortal hands,” she said to the wizard.
“Yes, my child, I too fear that. Like your Scarab, the Ankh has powers that no mortal should wield. That is why it had been watched by the Incan Indians. Too bad they were all killed, leaving it unprotected, though I was happy that it stayed hidden this long. You, with the help of one other, must get the Ankh back before it is awoken or there may be dire consequences for the world, my child,” the wizard said as the Tablet of Ma’at, the Rattle and the Sceptre all floated over to the small table next to where the wizard was sitting.
“How am I supposed to find the Ankh though, Wizard? Now that it is in the hands of a mortal I can’t track its whereabouts,” she said to him and looked down at her scarab.
The ancient wizard stood up and smiled at Isis. “You are right, your Scarab can’t track it, but there is one who walks the face of the Earth who does have the power to track it. Seek him out, his red powers will help you,” the wizard said as he looked at Isis and then he turned and sat back down. The wizard smiled up at Isis and then turned to his Historama. “I hope Adrianna succeeds in the journey that she will go on soon,” the wizard said.
Isis looked at the wizard in almost utter confusion. She had no idea what he was talking about; as far as she knew Adriana wasn’t going on any journey.
“Um, alright, I shall let her know this,” she said as she turned and left the Rock of Eternity.
To be continued
*****
[/b]Outside the Pyramid of Anuket
[/b]As Adrianna moved closer to the pyramid she looked up at it and then turned to one of the workers. “What pyramid is this?” she asked.
An elderly man turned to her and smiled. “Are you dim? This is the pyramid to the great goddess Anuket, the protector of the Nile River, the one that brings us life each year,” he said and then continued on with his work.
Adrianna looked at the pyramid and then back at the man. “Thank you for your help,” she called out to him as she looked around. She then spied a gazelle off to the side and it was lying down on the ground. As Adrianna got closer to the gazelle she saw that it seemed hurt. “Oh, you poor thing, you’re hurt. Oh, it is alright, I will not harm you. Now, hold still and I shall see if I can help you,” she said as the gazelle looked up at Adrianna with what could only be constituted as pure fear.
Adrianna looked at the gazelle and saw that it had what appeared to be an arrowhead sticking out of its upper left leg. She pulled the arrowhead out and the gazelle made a sound that sounded like a scream. Adrianna then ripped off part of her shirt sleeve and tied it around the gazelle’s leg.
“There, that should at least help a bit. I would be careful of hunters from now on if I was you. The next time I might not be around to try to help you,” she said to the gazelle.
The gazelle stood up, getting onto its hind legs, and Adrianna backed up a few steps to look at it. She could tell that it was actually a woman with the head of a gazelle. “Thank you, Adrianna Thomas, I am Anuket. You have been selfless and helped me when you could have just turned and walked away,” the goddess said to Adrianna and she held her hand out to her.
Adrianna moved her hand to the goddess’s hand and, in utter shock and amazement, she took what Anuket was handing to her. After her hand gripped the gazelle horn, Anuket disappeared.
Adrianna shook her head in amazement. “Wow, that was like amazing. Not only did I help a goddess but she actually talked to me,” she said as she looked down at the horn and smiled. “I don’t know what I am supposed to do with this but, oh well, I shall hold on to it as Anuket gave it to me for a reason,” she said as she continued to walk.
*****
[/b]Outside the Pyramid of Apis
[/b]As Adrianna continued to walk, she spied another pyramid and she saw people going in and out of it. She walked over to one of the people there and again asked them, “Who is this pyramid built to honor?”
A middle-aged woman stopped and turned to look at Adrianna. “It is to the goddess Apis. She is the goddess of grain and of the herds.”
Adrianna nodded her head. “Thank you, lady, I shall go inside now and honor the goddess Apis,” she said as she entered the pyramid. As she entered the pyramid she noticed that the people she saw entering only a moment before were not present; instead she spied what could only be priests and priestesses standing in a circle around an altar. On the altar was a man with a cow’s head over his own.
One of the priests turned to Adrianna and smiled. “My lady high priestess we have been awaiting you. The king is ready for you, my lady,” he said as he bowed and took Adrianna by the arm and led her to the altar where she could see the wide eyes of the king under the mask of the cow.
Adrianna looked up at the priest who still held her by the hand. “What am I supposed to do?” she asked him.
“You are to perform the sacrifice of the king. The land is suffering and it is his holy task to die so that the suffering of the land may be eased,” he said to Adrianna.
Adrianna looked down at the king under the cow mask and then nodded her head. “I am sorry but I must ease the land’s suffering,” she said as she raised the horn of the gazelle over her head and closed her eyes and stabbed the horn deep into the king’s chest till it wouldn’t go any further.
Adrianna then crumpled to the ground in tears. She then saw a bright golden light and looked up and standing in front of her was the king with the cow head. “Do not cry, my child, you have released me from my human prison and have stopped the land’s suffering.”
“I…” Adrianna started, and then nodded her head and wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Yes, you have, child, now here, take this, it will help you,” he said to her and held his hand out. As before, Adrianna reached out and took the item from Apis’ hand.
Adrianna looked at what was in her hand and she saw that it was a skin containing some liquid. She opened the skin and sniffed it and found that it was milk. She smiled and then turned and exited from the pyramid.
Adrianna then began to once again walk and she found that as she walked the scenery began to change and, as she stopped and looked around, she found that she was now standing in what appeared to be a castle in the dark ages.
*****
[/b]Cadbury Castle England 480 AD
[/b]Adrianna looked around and then she saw someone at the end of the hall running around. She decided that perhaps she should go head down there and find out what was going on. She got to the end of the hall and found that there was a rather large wooden door. She pushed the door open and saw that there were several women standing there, most of them were crying in what seemed like despair.
“What are we going to do now? With the lady mother dead, the babe will surely not survive with no milk to drink,” one of the women said.
“Yes, we need to get some milk for the babe and soon, and hope that it will hold till we can find a wet nurse for the child,” another woman said.
Adrianna looked down at the skin of milk in her hands and walked forwards. “Perhaps this will help hold the babe till a wet nurse can be found.”
The large woman, holding the male baby, looked up and smiled. “Oh, may the mother bless you, child. This shall certainly work and there is enough here that it shall hold Arthur over till tomorrow when the wet nurse can be brought up from the neighboring village,” she said to Adrianna.
Adrianna looked at the woman and handed her the skin of milk and then she looked at the dead woman lying prone on the bed, then to the baby. “What is the child’s name?” she asked the woman.
“Don’t you know, child? This is the Lady Igrain, mother to Morgaine and Arthur Pendragon,” she said and Adrianna blanched almost pure white.
“You said Arthur Pendragon?” she asked and Adrianna backed up a few steps as the shock of what and where she was struck her hard in the gut. She had just given a skin of milk to help the baby Arthur Pendragon survive till a wet nurse from the village could be brought up to take over feeding him since his mother, the Lady Igrain, had died during child birth.
Adrianna continued to back up till she backed into the wall, her eyes never leaving the infant form of the baby that would become King Arthur. The room emptied and then there was a male standing there with a frog in his hand looking at Adrianna. “Thank you for your aid, lady, without your gift I would surely have died as an infant and all the good that I had done would never have been done,” he said and he threw the frog towards her.
The frog sailed through the air towards Adrianna and, as it flew, it changed into a woman. The woman walked over to Adrianna and smiled. “You, my child, have shown a great love in helping the infant Arthur. Without your aid he would have died. I can see that you have an intense desire to protect children. Here, take this, it shall help you,” she said and she held out her hand as the other two had done.
Adrianna stepped forwards, once again, and took the item that the goddess handed to her. She looked up at the goddess. “Who are you, lady?” she asked the goddess.
“Dear child, I am the goddess Heget. I am the goddess of childbirth and fertility,” she said with a smile and she was gone.
To Be Continued
Present
It was early in the morning when Billy exited the city bus with two red roses in his hands. He wished the driver a good day once he was off the bus; the driver just nodded and smiled. The sun was bright in the morning sky. He smiled as he felt the rays of sunshine on his face. He walked through the large gates of the cemetery named after the founder of the city: Roscoe Kent Fawcett. He walked through the cemetery until he reached a familiar gravestone. He bent down on one knee and placed the roses on the ground in front of the gravestone. “I know that it’s been a while since I’ve been out here. But this is your anniversary and I’m here to say…Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad. I know both of you would be proud of me and how I’ve maintained the family ‘legacy’ with everything that has happened,” Billy said aloud.
Billy stopped as he heard steps behind him. He didn’t need to look over his shoulder. He was expecting only one person. A person that was inspired by his father to be the man that he eventually grew up to be: Superman. “I’m happy you could make it, Mr. Kent.”
“It’s Clark, Billy. I know what this day is and how important it is. It’s important to remember those days. And remember what they taught us. And with that, they are never gone,” Clark said as he pushed his glasses up his nose.
Billy smiled at Clark Kent and replied, “You’re right Mr. Kent. And I know that they are watching over me.”
They left the cemetery together, but as they got to the main gates, Billy looked back at his parents’ gravestone and smiled as he saw the spirits of his parents. They waved at him as he heard his father’s voice, “We have been and forever shall be…watching over you.”
Rock of Eternity
Billy appeared in a familiar tunnel, one that led to the main chamber room of the Rock of Eternity. He had a look of confusion on his face as he called for the lightning by speaking the word ”SHAZAM!”
Black Adam emerged from the doorway of pure light with Adrianna in his strong arms. He placed her on a long smooth stone table. Black Adam turned and faced the ancient wizard, before the he spoke a word; the Wizard Shazam said to his former champion, “She will be safe here for the time being.”
Captain Marvel emerged from the tunnel leading into the main chamber room. He entered the main chamber room and saw Black Adam with the Wizard Shazam. Captain Marvel smiled and extended his hand in friendship to Black Adam. Black Adam stared at his hand for a few moments before shaking his hand. “The Brothers of Lightning reunite again to battle a common threat.”
To Be Continued In DC2 Nemesis
Sometime after both Black Adam and Captain Marvel left, the wizard was visited by a new champion of the lightning. The wizard smiled as he turned and saw the beauty that stood before him. She said confidently to the ancient wizard, “Mary Marvel is ready to step up and protect Fawcett City…twenty-four-seven.”
Shazam simply spoke, “A new era has just begun.”
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