Chat with an Angel

Val Armor
(1/20/01 2:41 am)
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Captain Marvel nodded to himself. He wasn't looking forward to chatting with Rameriel and letting the angel know that he had failed him, but it had to be done.

With the Speed of Mercury, Captain Marvel shot forth from the cabin's door, and up into the air, moving faster and faster until he reached the speed of light....and surpassed it.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light and Captain Marvel was again in Eternity, the Rock sitting in the middle of space and time.

He entered the Rock, heading towards the throne room, where he sat on the wizard's throne to collect his thoughts. It was surprising how ..... 'right' it felt to sit on the throne. He shook his head and cleared his mind.

He clapped his hands as he said, "Historama, show me the area of the mist of Eternity that will take me to Rameriel."

Captain Marvel thought for a moment. "Also, on separate Historama 'screens' show me the location of Rameriel and the location of Kit Freeman's essence as well."

Re: Here we go again

KidEternity
(1/18/01 2:50 pm)
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The Wisdom of Solomon answered, briefly, and cryptically.
Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free.

Cap knew he needed to ponder this, but didn't have time. Thor was no weakling, and quickly shrugged off the full-nelson by hurling Cap over his back, loosening his grip, and sending Cap crashing headlong into the Chaos-Keeper.

It writhed around Cap and the Chalice, and with a voice like rusted grating cans sliding within each other it simply said I'll take that...

That done, the Chalice was pulled from Captain Marvel's grip and the Chaos-Keeper 'blinked' out of sight. Where it had gone was anyone's guess.

Where Thor was turned out to be an entirely different matter. As Cap looked up, flat on his back, Thor stood over him - ready to deliver a crushing blow with his hammer.

"For glory! For Asgard!" he screamed, a berserker rage upon him.

The hammer came down...

...and that was the last thing Cap remembered.
* * * *

Cap awoke sometime later... with the impression that hours had passed. Thor was gone, his errand for Eternity completed, and so was the Chaos-Keeper. Unfortunately, the Chalice was now missing as well.

Cap moaned, partly from the pain in his skull and partly from the realization that he'd allowed himself to be defeated by yet another 'thunder-god'. He silently vowed that, given the opportunity, it would NOT happen a third time.

He stood up, and shook off the feelings of melancholy. He had a job to do, one that was far more important than a notch in his combat belt. But how to start? Where to begin?

He consulted the Wisdom of Solomon, and a thought came to him: Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Seek the being known to you as Rameriel.

(To be continued...?)

Here we go again

Val Armor
(1/18/01 1:55 pm)
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Captain Marvel couldn't believe this. Of all the absurd situations, he was now apparently going to have to duke it out with yet another version of Thor.

Cap thought quickly, and formulated a plan.

Thor charged forward, swinging his mighty mallet like he was getting ready to smite a Frost Giant.

Moving with the Speed of Mercury and as both Solomon and Achilles directed, Captain Marvel dodged out of the way of Thor's strike. At tremendous speeds, he circled around the Asgardian a put him in a full nelson hold, one hand still gripping the Chalice that held Kid Eternity.

"Thor, listen to me," Cap began, pitting the Strength of Hercules against that of the God of Thunder. "Eternity may have summoned you, but he wasn't the one that told you to attack me. That Chaos Being Mr. Keeper did. He is NOT Kid Eternity. You don't have to do what HE told you to do. Just calm down and we can discuss this reasonably!"

Captain Marvel wished silently that he could ask the essence of Kid Eternity that was within the chalice to tell this brute to calm down. Then, a thought occurred to him. He used the Wisdom of Solomon to see if he COULD ask the Essence of Eternity to tell Thor to back off.

If not, the battle of the godlings was about to begin.

Re: By Odin's Beard

KidEternity
(1/18/01 7:46 am)
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Thor seemed taken aback, and impressed with Cap's sincerity.

"Thou art warrior and statesman it would seem. But you fail to understand what I must do."

With that, Thor unfolded his massive gauntleted arms and reached once more for his fabled hammer.

"Once called by Eternity, one must serve the boy's wishes until one is returned, or one's time is up. Verily even I, mightiest of immortals, cannot refuse."

He began to swing the hammer by a leathern strap, and advanced toward Cap with a speed that must've approached that of Mercury's.

"For Asgard! For Odin! For Eternity!"

(To be continued...?)

By Odin's Beard

Val Armor
(1/18/01 12:13 am)
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Captain Marvel raised his eyebrows in astonishment. "Holy Moley! THE Thor?"

The red-bearded warrior grinned as he crossed his massive arms across his burly chest. "You've heard of me?"

Captain Marvel nodded and in a friendly voice said, "Of course. You're a legend. Your battles with the Frost Giants of Jotunheim are still told to this day."

Thor seemed to take this very well.

Cap was thinking fast. He had fought another Thor before, and he had lost thanks to a bad bit of luck. He was fairly certain he could beat any version of Thor in a fair fight, but he would really like to avoid combat if necessary. Violence was only to be used if all attempts at peace fail.

He had to play this right. If he could talk Thor out of a battle, it would save on time, reduce the risk of injury to either of them and be a moral victory for himself. Besides, it was the right thing to do.

"Thor, please believe me when I say this. I'm doing this for Freeman's own good. His soul was fragmented across time and space by a being known as Mordu. Maybe you've heard of him? In any event, I'm re-collecting his essence in this chalice, and hope to recombine him into one, whole being. My Wizard and an Angel of God himself have charged me with this."

The Captain extended his free hand out, open, asking for a friendly hand to shake.

"If you know anything about me, you know that whatever I do, I do in the name of what's right and just. I wouldn't do this if it wasn't the right thing. Please believe me and let me do what I have to do. I'd like us to part as fellows."

And the Captain left his hand extended, waiting to see what Thor would do next, keeping his eyes locked with the Thunder Gods.

"Please," he thought to himself "let this end peacefully."

Re: Fast Exit

KidEternity
(1/16/01 10:30 pm)
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The Speed of Mercury was indeed impressive - though Cap was occasionally reminded that some forces in the Universe were faster.

This was one of those times.

Even moving at near top speeds, Cap saw the events as though watching a slow-motion movie. The nearer to the Kid he came, the more distorted the Kid's image became; as this piece of Freeman's essence was drawn into the holy Chalice.

Cap saw the words forming on Kit's lips... ET...

There was nothing he could do about it.

ERNI...

Even though he was easily faster than the speed of sound, something about the reality warping effect of Freeman's essence being drawn into the Chalice was altering normal space/time laws.

...TY!

There was a blinding flash, as Freeman's soul-essence was fully captured within the Chalice. The movie in front of him returned to full speed, and it was all Cap could do to avoid slamming through the wall.

Braking in front of the Chaos-Keeper, Cap stopped long enough to grin a smile of victory. This wasn't how he'd intended to get Kit to go with him... but the end result was satisfying nonetheless.

"You see? Those who are just will always prevail."

The Chaos-Keeper would've smiled, if it had had a mouth in this form. "Really." It drawled, with a voice full of writhing worms.

"I suggest you take that up with him." it concluded.

Sensing a new presence in the room, Cap turned to face what could only be...

..."Thor, god of thunder, at your service!" the burly red-bearded warrior bellowed.

"Release the Kid, or taste the wrath of MJOLNIR!"

(To be continued...?)

Fast Exit

Val Armor
(1/14/01 12:19 am)
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Cap assessed the situation quickly... if he was going to do anything about Kit's spiritual essence, he needed to do it soon, before this creature could remove itself and the boy's essence to the planes of Chaos for 'training'.

Cap had to act quickly.

Luckily, when Mercury has ‘your back’, quickly was the Captain’s middle name.

In a flash, the Captain’s decision was made. He had to get Freeman out of there. He would grab the boy’s essence and get as far away from Mr. Keeper as possible, take him back to the Rock of Eternity and explain to the poor boy what was going on.

And with that, Captain Marvel dashed towards Kid Eternity, one hand still gripping the chalice, the other reaching out a hand to take the boy away from this being of Chaos and to safety.

Re: An Attempt at Diplomacy

KidEternity
(1/13/01 1:50 pm)
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Mr. Keeper's form then changed from that of a kindly old cherubic angel to something...

...indescribable. The Wisdom of Solomon let Cap know that this was a being from the Planes of Chaos. Not inherently evil, nor was it by a long shot inherently good.

As the Keeper's chaotic form shifted and writhed without ceasing, it spoke one last time.

"You may know what I am, Captain Marvel, but you do not know how to stop me."

Kit Freeman's eyes widened, and it became apparent that he could see the change as well.

"Mister Keeper!" he whispered, frozen in shock.

Cap assessed the situation quickly... if he was going to do anything about Kit's spiritual essence, he needed to do it soon, before this creature could remove itself and the boy's essence to the planes of Chaos for 'training'.

(To be continued...?)

An Attempt at Diplomacy

Val Armor
(1/13/01 12:16 pm)
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Captain Marvel stood up slowly, so as not to make things more volatile than they already were. With one hand, he placed his open palm towards the Keeper and Kid, in a calming apologetic gesture. In the other hand, he kept a firm grip on the chalice.

“I truly meant no offense, Mr. Keeper, Kit,” the Captain said sincerely “and I’m sorry if I have offended you.”

He looked at Mr. Keeper. “However, you seem awfully threatened by a chalice that was given to me by an ANGEL of GOD,” he said, emphasizing the last part.

Kit’s eyes widened. “And angel of God?”

Before Mr. Keeper could say anything, Cap began again. “Kit, I’m aware of your ability to summon beings by speaking the word ‘Eternity’. I know how we can settle this quickly. Have you ever heard of King Solomon?”

Kit nodded.

“Well, if you summon him here, I’m sure someone with his legendary wisdom can settle any disagreements we might have.”

Cap noticed Mr. Keeper didn’t seem to like that idea. Captain Marvel focused on Mr. Keeper, and examined him with all the Wisdom of Solomon and the Power of Zeus, the former which allowed him to realize when he saw a lie, the latter letting him see things mortals could not. If this Mr. Keeper was up to something, Cap had to be careful. All of reality depended on him reuniting Kid Eternity.

Re: Tea Time

KidEternity
(1/7/01 8:47 pm)
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With the appearance of the Chalice on the table, 'Mr. Keeper' seemed to flinch, a fire growing in his eyes that hadn't been there before, and with an unsteady voice, he asked, "Why do you come to us with weapons?"

Kit Freeman jumped away from the table, looking around quickly, and asked "What weapons, Keeper?"

Mister Keeper never took his eyes from the Chalice.

"Never mind, Kit... it's something we adults should discuss."

Though Cap never took his hand from the Chalice, it seemed to grow hot in his grasp, and seemed to pull from his grip.
He held onto it, however, wishing to learn more.

"I wasn't aware that this was a weapon..." Cap said, truthfully... "though if it is, and if you're truly what you claim to be, I would imagine that you have little to fear from it."

Mr. Keeper rose from the table as well, and took on a more threatening aspect.

"I have not claimed to be anything, as far as you are concerned, Captain. Perhaps you should leave now. You have overstayed your welcome."

Kit Freeman bristled, picking up on Mister Keeper's tone, and said, "Say the word, Keeper, and I'll say the word!"

(To be continued...?)

Tea Time

Val Armor
(1/5/01 8:53 pm)
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Mr. Keeper turned to the boy’s essence. “He’s a friend, Kit, someone I think you’ll enjoy meeting.” Keeper turned to the Captain, smiling again. “So, tea?”

Captain Marvel merely returned the Keeper’s smile. “Some tea would be great, if you don’t mind.”

Captain Marvel walked in slowly, no longer surprised by what was going on. This whole adventure had pretty much been one big surprise after another, and he was learning to cope with the unexpected.

Mr. Keeper was inviting him into this shack, after taking the boy’s essence from the angel that apparently should have escorted the boy back to Heaven. Neron said he had the boy already, but that he wasn’t in Hell.

Curiouser and curiouser.

Cap sat down at the table across from Kit Freeman’s essence. The boy’s spirit seemed very friendly, much like the Freddy Freeman Cap had left back in modern day Fawcett.

“So Mister, what’s your name,” the boy asked.

Cap smiled his friendliest smile while Mr. Keeper prepared the tea. “My name’s Captain Marvel. What’s yours?”

“Kit. Kit Freeman. Are you a superhero?”

Cap nodded. “Not only a superhero, but I come from the future as well.”

Kit’s eye’s opened wide in surprise. “Really? Wow, what adventures have you had? Could you tell me about them?"

Cap noted the look of awe and wonder and excitement in Kit's eyes. It's not a look he could forget, as the Captain saw it in the mirror every day when he was truly 'himself'. Cap chuckled to himself and began to tell Kit a few of his adventures to pass the time until Mr. Keeper was done making the tea. When the ‘old man’ came and offered Cap his cup, Cap accepted it and sipped it slowly. Very good tea.

As Mr. Keeper sat down, Cap looked at him. He seemed a nice enough fellow, but there was definitely more to him that met the eye. Cap took out the holy chalice placed it on the center of the table, never taking his hand off of it.

“I believe,” the Captain began, directing the question to Mr. Keeper “that you have some explaining to do.”

Re: A Distraught Hero

KidEternity
(1/4/01 1:15 am)
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Cap concentrated, and then realized he was concentrating too hard. He remembered that, if everything he'd been taught were true, he didn't need the chalice or the Power of Zeus or anything else to do this. Just the silent request of the little boy inside the man.

And when he did that, he almost thought he could feel Solomon's Wisdom nodding approval. He quieted himself, and 'listened' within.

And a small, still voice replied.

It wasn't Solomon's Wisdom... and it wasn't his own consciousness... of that much he was sure. It wasn't even a voice, really, but more of a knowing.

You already know what you must do.

At first Cap wanted to be perturbed. What was that supposed to mean? But then he felt a wonderful feeling... and realized he'd been missing something important for a long time now. He bowed his head, in respect, and determined himself to do this again - soon - whether he needed something or not.

But the realization that he had work to do reminded him to refocus on his task. He had asked, and had been answered. It was enough to know for now.

"But what does it mean?" He wondered aloud. And the Wisdom of Solomon prompted him. The chalice was given to find and collect the essence - this is what you already know how to do.

"Of course..." thought Cap, aloud again, as he held the chalice in front of him again, and felt the slightest pull - back down toward the city below.

Cap allowed the chalice to pull him along, gently, until they descended to earth on the outskirts of Fawcett. There amid the slums and tenements left over from the recent Depression, was a tumbledown shack which looked even worse than the others. This was the structure the chalice was pulling him toward.

There was filfth in the street, and children crying from hunger. There was a woman on the corner, obviously selling herself. This was not the Fawcett Captain Marvel wanted to see.

Cap strode up onto the falling porch of the tenement shack. But before he could knock on the door, it opened... and the cherubic Mister Keeper grinned in his face.

"Well, I was told you were to be expected. Come in! Come in! Join us for some tea?"

Behind the 'angel', Cap could see the spirit essence of the boy named Kit Freeman... or a part of it... 'sitting' at the table, and smiling.

"Who is it, Mister Keeper?" called the boy.

(To be continued...?)

A Distraught Hero

Val Armor
(1/3/01 11:18 pm)
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“Holy Moley,” thought to himself. To be sent hurtled back in time like that, with a gesture! Neron was powerful, but to do that.......

Cap quickly cut shot his revere, when he noticed that he was quickly becoming the object of attention for the 1942 version of his home city. He was standing in the middle of the street.

“Sorry about that folks,” the Captain said, trying to sound reassuring and calm. He quickly took to the skies, faster than the eye could follow, finding a nearby cloud bank to ‘hide’ in. He had to think this through, but think it through clearly.

First off, there were no recordings of a Captain Marvel in Fawcett during this period (Billy Batson’s a bit of a history buff, and Solomon does his part to pitch in). He had to be careful not to disrupt the time-stream anymore than it already had been. If he did too much here, he could wind up preceding himself by more than 40 years!

Then again, time travel wasn’t the problem. All it would take would be a quick use of the Speed of Mercury to go to the Rock of Eternity, and then he could be anywhere or anywhen he needed to be.

The question now was whether or not he was already where and when he needed to be.

Neron had said that Freeman’s essence was in the Planes of Chaos, but Neron was the Lord of Lies, the Prince of Deception. That could merely have been a ploy to get him away from Hell while Neron went about his diabolical scheme. Or, perhaps that was only PARTLY a falsehood. Perhaps PART of Freeman’s essence was here, in 1942, and other parts were in the Planes of Chaos, while another was in Hell.

He could go back to the Rock of Eternity and use Historama, it might or might not be able to tell him where to go, where Freeman's essence was.

Cap was not happy. These were all ‘might be’s’ and ‘maybe’s’. He needed a plan.

He knew he had to find Mr. Keeper, find Freeman's essence and recombine it before all of reality collapsed around him, but he was unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, the Captain had an idea, as he remembered something he had spoke to Neron. “People turn to the Lord in times of great need,” he had said. He smiled to himself. He should take his own advice.

He held the chalice before him, briefly admiring the heavenly beauty about it. He held his arms straight forward, gripping the chalice with both hands. Then, he channeled the Wisdom of Solomon, his connection to the Presence, and prayed. Prayed for help, from Solomon, God, the Angels, to anyone who was listening. And to the chalice in his hand, he channeled the Power of Zeus, the divine power of another being who had been touched by God’s power, and hoped that with the extra power flowing through it, the chalice could help lead him to the essence of Freeman.

And for long moments, the World’s Mightiest Mortal prayed to a force far, far beyond mortal ken, like a child respectfully asking his parents for help.

"Where do I need to be?" he asked silently.

Re: Re: Out of the Frying Pan..............

Val Armor
(1/2/01 12:07 am)
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Captain Marvel was DEFINITELY worried now. Neron was talking about tearing the multiverse asunder and letting Chaos have free reign over the universe. The Captain realized that chaos was a necessary part of existence, adding flavor and uncertainty to the universe, but to have it completely overwhelm and take the place of Order and reliability? The Captain shuddered at such a thought.

“Neron," Captain Marvel boomed, his voice coming like thunder "that’s insane, even for someone as demented as you. If Hypertime unravels, the Chaos would spread down here as well! There’s no telling what would happen. You might find yourself on the receiving end of some of the torture you’ve been inflicting on the souls down here. You could make things worse for you than they already are!”

The Captain thought quickly, wishing to press his debating advantage, and see what he could learn from his situation. Thankfully, Solomon ‘had his back’.

“Besides, there’s no guarantee that Kit Freeman has the power to destroy the Hypertime. True, he can call beings forth from Hypertime, but that’s not the same thing as destroying it utterly. For all you know, you could have an ‘unloaded’ weapon on your hands.”

Another idea occurred to the Captain.

“And if he does have access to that power, which is very questionable, just what makes you think you can make him do your bidding? How would even you make him do something that deplorable? You have great power, Neron, but even you cannot force someone do something they don’t want to do. Just how are you planning to do this heinous thing?”

“And,” he added “what makes you believe that this won’t just end up exploding in your face like every other plan you’ve concocted? People turn to the Lord in times of great need, and with all the Chaos you’d end up churning up, you would give them reason more to turn to God for help. You’ll just end up making the faithful stronger and might even turn people TO God. Chaos is, after all, very, very unpredictable, as are the people you are seeking to tempt.”

Re: Out of the Frying Pan..............

KidEternity
(1/1/01 6:54 pm)
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"As for your questions, they are pointless." Neron began. Hhe waved a hand dismissively, and Cap couldn't shake off the impression of demonic claws.

"They are pointless," Neron continued, "because I have what I need. Although it's true, I do so love to bargain... as you well know... there's nothing you can offer me that would surpass the prize I have in Kit Freeman."

Captain Marvel arched his eyebrows in curiosity. "Nothing?"

"Not even your own immortal soul." Neron chuckled, gleefully.

"Then at least tell me why you want Kit Freeman. I know he has the power to access Hypertime, but I would think a being of your power would be able to on his own."

"You flatter me, Captain," smiled Neron,"but it's not the boy's potential to access Hypertime that I need. It is his ability to destroy it."

Captain Marvel grimaced. Neron might be a liar most of the time, but this didn't sound like one of those times.

"So what does the destruction of Hypertime gain for you?" asked Cap. "I thought you were in the corruption business... not the destruction business."

Neron laughed once more. "They are one and the same, Captain, one and the same. For you see, when bad things happen, ordinary people question their Maker. How much more will they question him when their very lives unravel from each end, and Chaos rules the Universe?"

(To be continued...?)

Out of the Frying Pan..............

Val Armor
(12/31/00 11:33 pm)
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Captain Marvel has the Courage of Achilles. As a result, nothing really scares him. Even when he was just Billy Batson, his courage was great, greater even than many heroes.

However, he had just found himself in Hell, staring at him that was one of the most powerful and evil beings in the Universe.

You'd be nervous too.

"Neron," the Captain exclaimed more than a little surprised to find himself in the bowls of Hell.

The Arch Duke of Hell merely laughed, and made a subtle gesture with his right hand.

Cap suddenly realized that he and Neron weren't the only beings in the local area. Several large demons, 10 feet tall or taller, began to make their way towards the Captain. They were large, fearsome beasts, and they seemed eager to tear our hero limb from limb.

"Good grief," Cap thought to himself. "Like I didn't have enough to worry about without a 3rd trip to Hell."

The demons leapt at the Captain, only to find that he wasn't there anymore. They looked about confused, for their prey seemed to have vanished into thin air.

"Fools," Neron mumbled lowly. "He's above you."

Sure enough, the scarlet clad figure of Captain Marvel was several dozen feet in the air, hovering over the monsters, the Speed of Mercury having bore him up faster than the demons eyes could follow.

"Listen to me," the Captain spoke, his voice booming like thunder. "I have no wish to fight any of you. Just leave in peace and I promise no harm will come to-"

The demons flapped their leathery wings and began to ascend to Cap's level.

"-you," the disappointed Cap finished. "Well," he thought to himself "I tried to do it the easy way."

With that, Cap streaked down towards the demons. He resolved that, if he couldn't end this peacefully, he'd end it quickly and mercifully. With the Speed of Mercury, backed by the Strength of Hercules, Captain Marvel struck each demon once, very quickly and very HARD. The creatures all landed on the ground, unconscious before they struck the scorched wasteland.

Captain Marvel floated down to the ground very gracefully, and stood defiantly before the Prince of Darkness. Cap remembered how this detestable being had once sought after his soul, supposedly because it was the purest in all existence. Cap wasn't sure if he rated his soul THAT high, but he knew that he wasn't about to let this being of evil get his hands on his soul or Kit Freeman's soul. Not if he could help it.

"NERON," Captain Marvel said, his voice filled with authority one possesses when you've got the abilities of Gods. "Tell me what's going on here. What do you want with Kit Freeman's soul and is it in this realm? And why did your demons attack me?"

Neron rose from his throne, and even with his faith in himself and his abilities, Cap couldn't help but shudder at the sheer evil this man radiated.

"Why my dear Captain," Neron said, as if he were addressing a long lost friend "the demons were merely a momentary diversion, something to get your blood pumping. An exercise, if you will."

Neron smiled. Now Cap was officially worried.

"As for your questions......"

(To be continued?)

The Angel of the Host

KidEternity
(12/31/00 2:02 am)
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Rameriel, though a guardian angel, was an angel of the Heavenly Host nonetheless. Something akin to a smile played across his eyes, as he regarded Captain Marvel, and his voice took on a timbre of confidence.

Captain Marvel looked again at the angel and saw, for the first time, the spiritual radiance of this heavenly being. Immediately he remembered the difference between this entity, and the one known to him as Zauriel: Zauriel had chosen to walk the earth - separating himself from the Source, the Presence, the Creator. Zauriel could not hope to impart the majesty that Cap now recognized fully in this being.

Zauriel was earthbound. But Rameriel was walking in the service of his Maker.

The Wisdom of Solomon whispered...
This is a servant of the Most High. It would be wise to display your reverence.

With that, Captain Marvel remembered his place, and 'fell' to his knees, hovering just above the water.

Rameriel spoke, and this time it was the voice of a Heavenly Messenger.

"The boy's essence is the key to unlocking the Chaos of Time. Your Enemy will subvert the boy's gifts through lies... but will be unable to use him before he dies a second time in your time."

Captain Marvel, even with the Wisdom of Solomon, took a moment to process this information. In 1942, the events would have happened in the future... but in his time they had already come to pass. Then the angel continued.

"Thus the Lord works in ways seeming misterious to mortal men, but are in truth the only ways. And you will be given the power to thwart the Enemy, if you hear and obey."

Captain Marvel nodded, speechless, and powerless to do more than listen.

"It is true that his spirit is a doorway to Eternity, and the key to what you know as Hypertime. It is also true that, should you fail, Eternity will implode into the Chaos of simultaneous Hypertime for All Realities. Chaos would reign, and only the Creator Himself could put that aright. But you have been chosen as a soldier... to go and battle for Creation."

Cap stayed in awe of the power of that voice, as Rameriel continued, producing what looked like a golden chalice from within his robes.

"With this you will be able to collect the boy's essence, and return with it to your time. The chalice will know what to do... but you must not be tempted by the Enemy on the wayside, or the chalice will be lost, and your mission will be fruitless. You must follow the one who calls himself 'Keeper', and more I cannot say." And with this, the angel placed the chalice in Captain Marvel's hands, and rose into the sky.

As Rameriel took to the air, faster even than the Speed of Mercury, he cleaved the sky with a sword of flame, and entered an otherwhere of heavenly light. The rift closed behind him, and the world seemed to return to normal.

Cap stared after the heavenly being for a moment in awe, before the Wisdom of Solomon whispered, A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.

Cap paused once more to consider this, and set off silently in pursuit of the false 'angel', Mister Keeper. Though he could not see through the Mists of Time, the chalice seemed to know the way, and Captain Marvel let it 'pull' him after.
* * *

He emerged in a place not of darkness, or of light, and heard wailings and gnashings of teeth. He had the distinct impression that he'd been here before.

The impression was confirmed, when he peered through the smoky haze to see a leering figure seated upon a mighty throne.

And it spoke. "Welcome, Captain. I believe I have something you want?"

Cap's eyes widened in horror, as he exclaimed:

"Neron!"

(To be continued...)

The Captain's Commitment

Val Armor
(12/30/00 7:05 pm)
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Captain Marvel considered himself an optimist, and was perhaps the last great optimist of the free world. He believed strongly in the ability for good to triumph over evil and genuinely believed that the ‘no-win situation’ did not exist. He believed that he could overcome any obstacle if he put his mind to it. As such, there was little that worried or frightened him, especially since he had Solomon and Achilles in his mind and heart.

What he saw before him, however, made him very worried.

A Guardian Angel of God was crying tears of light and music.

Mere seconds before, Captain Marvel had seen a being that the Wisdom of Solomon had told him to be Mr. Keeper come by and take the soul, the essence of Kit Freeman away, a fleeting instant before the true angels had come to carry the souls of their charges to the great beyond.

However, the angel before him was alone, its face buried in its hands, softly moaning over and over how “he was the boy’s keeper”. The Captain had a very bad feeling of what this meant.

He flew down to the area where the angel was, not surprised to see that the angel was kneeling down on the water, the smooth liquid supporting the angel as if it were solid ground. Cap had seen angels before, and now that he was once again a member of the JLA, he worked with Zauriel on a regular basis. However, this angel was different. It was a guardian angel, a protector and gatherer of souls. It had no sex per say, but was still very beautiful, radiating warmth and holiness. However, the good Captain was well aware of the speed and power these angels possessed. The being that had taken its human soul from it must be powerful indeed.

Cap floated down to the water slowly and gently, the wind making his cape and draping ends of his sash billow. He hovered a few feet above the water, and went to the angels side. Not knowing what else he could really do, he gently laid his hand on the angelic beings shoulder, an action of comfort to one who was obviously distressed.

“Is there anything I can do to help,” the Captain asked as gently as he could.

The angel looked up slowly, it’s eyes flying wide when it saw who was offering his condolences. It rose up quickly, and grasped the Captain by the shoulders.

“Captain Marvel,” it asked, as it suddenly looked very hopeful. “Praise the Presence! Perhaps one with the God granted Wisdom of Solomon can help me.”

For a moment, Cap was stunned that this angel knew of his existence. Then he realized that this was an angel that he was talking to. Time existed differently to them, and they did hang out with God.

The Captain nodded his head, a reassuring smile forming on his face. “I’ll do everything I can to help you. But first you need to calm down a bit.”

The angel nodded, and Cap blinked a bit. Were it not for the Power of Zeus and the Wisdom of Solomon, he likely wouldn’t be able to see the angel, and if he did, he would have been too overwhelmed by the angel’s purity to speak coherently.

“Yes, yes of course Billy. My name is Rameriel, and I am a Guardian Angel of the 579th quire. For all his life, I have watched over the soul of Kit Freeman and have done my best to guard over his soul. However, today, something happened. He died before his time. I was coming to bring his soul up to Heaven to see what was to be done about this, but when I arrived, his soul was already gone!” Rameriel was visibly shaken by this. Captain Marvel could imagine how devastating it must be to a guardian to not know where his charge was.

Cap quickly related what he had witnessed to Rameriel, who absorbed all of what the Captain said and looked very unhappy.

“Basically,” the Captain continued “Kit Freeman’s essence ahs been abducted by some party other than the Guardian Angels. The power it would require to do that suggests a few likely suspects. The Lords of Order and Chaos are likely capable of doing. Many of the Sky Fathers like Zeus and Odin could do this, but they likely wouldn’t have any interest in Kit’s soul. There are the denizens of Hell, but I don’t think they would pull something like that for fear of coming into conflict with the Presence.” Cap mentally thanked the Wisdom of Solomon for its invaluable assistance. “So, our only real suspects are the Lords of Order and Chaos. And since the Lords of Order aren’t interested in souls, per say, the Lords of Chaos are our only real suspects.”

Rameriel scowled, which was very unnerving to see an angel do. “But why would they be after the soul of Kit Freeman?”

“According to all that I’ve observed, the Lords of Chaos supposedly turned Kit into an agent of theirs, named Kid Eternity. However, in my time, the Kid was dispersed across time and space by the mad sorcerer Mordru. I’ve been sent on a quest to reunite him. Apparently, I could use his original core essence to help me recombine my time’s Kid Eternity back together. However, the problem is that I don’t have his essence. ‘Mr. Keeper’ does.”

Rameriel looked concerned. “What will you do?”

Captain Marvel looked off in the direction Mr. Keeper had flown off in, well aware that his journey had just been lengthened considerably. “Get Kit’s soul back at all cost, even if it means coming into conflict with the Lords of Chaos themselves.

Internally, Cap shuddered. During an early adventure with the Justice League, he had fought and been defeated by an agent of the Lords of Order known as the Gray Man. Cap had ended up being possessed by the Grey Man and had been forced to battle his teammates. Luckily, he had been able break free before he hurt anyone. However, on some nights, he would still have nightmares of his possession, how he had been bested by a mere agent of the Lords of Order, and how he could have hurt someone if he hadn’t broken free.

Captain Marvel pushed his fears aside, with a little help from Achilles. That was a different Captain Marvel, one who had possession of the power of Shazam for only a few weeks. He had grown since then, and the universe depended on getting Kit’s soul back. And if that meant invading the Planes of Chaos, then so be it.

Re: Watch out for that first step.....

Author - KidEternity
(12/29/00 3:33 pm)
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Yes, Cap suddenly spied something.

Actually he spied multiple somethings.

An otherwise invisible angelic messenger... fat, balding, wearing a gown that Clarence from "It's a Wonderful Life" would have been ashamed to be seen in... Obviously, this was Mister Keeper - the entity which Cap had been warned to look for.

Or was it? This 'angel' was observing the scene being played out below, and finally swooped down to collect the boy's soul-essence. Cap overheard as Mister Keeper tut-tutted about a mistake having been made... that it was the grandfather's time to die, not the boy's.

And then the pair sped away... or otherwhere... before even the Speed of Mercury could react. Cap was momentarily stunned at how quickly things had gone, and had begun to berate himself mentally for letting his opportunity pass. It was then that Cap realized that he was - somehow - not fully within the reality of this time-space-continuum.

The Nazi U-Boat sailed away, as quickly as the alleged angelic messenger. And even though things within the panorama below played out at enormous speeds, the sun seemed to stand still in the sky!

Immediately Cap consulted the Wisdom of Solomon, but this was beyond the ken of mortal men... even the wisest mortal ever to live. The inner voice of wisdom only counseled Patience.

So Cap continued to watch as the scene before him changed... the light over the world seemed dimmer... and the sky seemed to rip asunder with a supernatural light. Through the rift swept innumerable beings of holy power...
...beings Captain Marvel instinctively knew to be true entities of the Angelic Host.

They swooped and swirled through the skies, with wings of fire and energy, and set up a song of mourning. One descended to the site of the murders, saying over and over I was the child's keeper.

Then the rest of the Host returned through the rift, leaving the lone guardian angel to mourn the loss of its charge.

Then, the scene before the Captain seemed to return to normal... except that the angel remained at the site of the murders.

(To be continued...?)

Watch out for that first step.....

Author - Val Armor
(12/29/00 3:13 am)
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"Well," the good Captain thought to himself "time to get going."

He strode towards the very edge of the Rock on which he walked, and stared over the edge, down into Eternity. A sheer fall straight down the side of a mountain taller than planets, from a height nothing less than infinite.

"Watch that first step," Cap commented to himself as he grinned "it's a lulu."

'You realize that you're merely stalling the inevitable,' the voice of Solomon spoke, carrying with it the air of authority that befit a king.

Cap nodded. "Yes, but what can I say, the view's spectacular." The ever present grin on his face broadened, and once again, the Captain looked very much like the boy he truly was. Still, though he literally had all the time in the world (an Eternity, actually) Cap took a deep breath (even though he didn't need to breathe) and left Eternity, and embraced Infinity.

With the speed of Mercury, Cap flew majestically towards the mists of time and space, looking very much like the man-god that he was. And even as he entered the section of the mist that would take him to the point he needed, Cap couldn't help but revel in the awe and wonder of the Power of Shazam. Flying was definitely his favorite power. Although he understood what true freedom was, and could give you several definitions and debate you philosophically on the subject of freedom for years without end, Cap still couldn't help but feel that flying was freedom in its purest form.

Once fully immersed inside the mists, Cap focused on the task at hand. The Wizard wouldn't have sent him on this mission unless it was of the utmost importance, and Cap mentally promised both himself and Shazam that he'd get the job done as best he could. The mists broke before him, as he cut through them like a bullet through the air, moving at speeds no mortal device could match, moving through that which no ordinary mortal could fathom. And as Cap looked ahead, with vision unparalleled, he saw a white light at the end of his tunnel of time.

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The year is 1942. The exact date is unimportant, for on this day, nothing extraordinarily remarkable happened. At least that's what the newspapers would say.

One scarlet clad hero knew better.

There was no explosion or gate or phenomena that preceded Cap's entrance into this time period. Unlike most forms of time travel, which were accompanied by bright flashes of light or vortexes of energy or (aptly enough) lightning, travel through the Mists of Eternity was a natural method of time travel. Cap simply phased into that time period as naturally as a person breathes.

Captain Marvel soared through the skies of the 1940's, quite satisfied by how that had gone. He had never time traveled before, and was relieved that the experience had gone over well.

"Now, let's see," he thought to himself. "The first order of business is to find the Freemans. And if I remember correctly (which he did, thanks to Solomon) the ship they were sailing on should be right over......THERE!"

Cap streaked across the sky, careful not to cause any sonic booms to alert anyone to his presence. He was an observer here, and had to be sure that he didn't unbalance the time-stream anymore than what had already happened. Mordu had messed things up enough as it was. Cap frowned to himself. He wished he could have taken a crack at that would be tyrant.

In mere seconds, Cap was over the sight of the events Shazam had foretold, arriving just in time to actually see the ship get attacked. Cap scowled, a look that was very out of place on his face. He hated this. Having to stand (well, fly) by as innocent people were murdered. He knew that they were technically already dead, and had been dead for 60 years in his own time period, but that didn't ease the pain he felt. The reports had said that all aboard the ship had died, and for all his power, there was nothing the Captain could do as he watched them die, tears filling his eyes.

Those same eyes had the Power of Zeus running through them, and could see things no mortal could, mistic things beyond mortal ken. And out of the corner of those eyes, Cap suddenly spied something.