Captain Marvel

And Xena Warrior Princess.

Modern Day Marvel

We begin in the middle of a battle on the rooftop of the Empire State building with a winged creature. Fighting this demon is Thor, the Mighty Norse god of Thunder. Thor’s mighty hammer, his Mjolnir, soars through the air hitting the demon vanquishing it.

"Mjolnir return to thy!" then the mighty hammer makes a u-turn flying back towards Thor. Thor holds out his hand to grab the hammer.

"I don’t think so!" Appearing with a bolt of light, Ares, the Greek god of War, appears blasting the Mjolnir with a bolt of energy. Sending it hurtling it to the street below. "Hey Thor, how’s it going?"

"Why has thee done this?" Thor asks reaching towards his estranged weapon.

With an evil laughter Ares replies, "Oh please Thor. I’d think it would be quite obvious. I’m tired of you being big god on the block! Being the big hero prancing around like you’re number one with your super-hero pansies. It’s about time to end this facade! Within 20 seconds you will transform back to your mortal form. And I will kill you."

Rick Jones, a young man destined for great things walks down the street towards the Empire State Building. He’s on a vacation in New York to get away from his marriage problems with his wife Marlo. Little did he know that this vacation would turn into an adventure when…

Thor Mjolnir comes crashing down in front of him making a huge crater in the ground in front of him. Jumping back he gasps.

"WHAT THE!!" Rick Jones looks right and left wondering where the hammer came from, he looks up seeing the sparks shooting from the sky, "oh damnit! On my vacation too! Thor I’m coming," he looks right and left again and leaps into a wide alleyway.

"Rick what’s happening?" The mental voice Genis-Vell (aka Captain Marvel) speaks to Rick Jones.

"Thor needs our help! I’m going to switch places with you. So we can help him," Rick pushes up his sleeves revealing the golden bracelets that allows him and Captain Marvel to take each other’s place in the earthly realm. And without a second thought Rick Jones slams the nega-bands together and Captain Marvel replaces him!
Now the telepathic voice of Rick Jones, which can only be heard by Captain Marvel, tells Cap what to do, "OK Genny, fly up to the roof and let’s see what’s happening."

"OK Rick," Captain Marvel flies off the ground towards the sky, "but my name is GENIS!"

Ares looks at his watch counting, "20 seconds…19…18…"

"Guess again! By the way, nice haircut!" Captain Marvel sails through the air sparkling with photon energy. He heads towards Ares and sends a punch right across her jaw.

"UGH!" Ares flies off the rooftop landing on top of a smaller building. "Oh you will SO pay for that!"

"Thor, you OK?" Marvel lands next to Thor.

"I wish I could say yes to lesson yours worries, Captain, but without my Mjolnir I will become mortal within 9 seconds."

"Genis, there’s no time to waste, fly Thor down to his hammer!"

Captain Marvel grabs onto Thor and flies down towards the street, listening to Rick’s voice. Putting Thor on the ground in the crater, he lands too only to be struck with a bolt of energy being tossed back.

"Oh no you don’t! I didn’t go through all this trouble to lose this battle," Ares snarls hitting Captain Marvel with another bolt.

"LEAVE HIM ALO—" Thor winces as he is transformed to his mortal form Jake Olson.

Ares creates a ball of energy and throws it at Jake Olson, throwing him into a wall, "I am going to enjoy this. But first I am sending your Mjolnir to a time and place where you can never use it again!" Ares holds out a hand and a steady stream of energy hits the hammer.

While worn out by the blows, but not out of the fight, Captain Marvel rushes to grab the Mjolnir. As his hand touches the hammer, energy surges through him as he and the hammer vanish from the present time.

ANCIENT GREECE

The sky fills with a loud crash and burst of light, which could only have been created by the gods. If you had thought that, you would be partially right. For that is where Ares sent Thor’s Mjolnir, and consequently, Captain Marvel too.

Captain Marvel and the Mjolnir both fly in separate directions like shooting stars, they crash into the ground. The mighty Hammer of Thor, son of Odin, crashes near a lake. Captain Marvel, however, lands in a small clearing in the middle of the woods.

"What hit us Rick?" Captain Marvel asks his "invisible friend".

To which his friend replies, "Um, Genis, I think we went back in time. I think it would be…less…I don’t know, suspicious-like if I took your place."

"Yeah, I agree Rick," doing what must be done, Captain Marvel uses the golden nega-bands on his wrists to exchange places with Rick Jones.

Now the telepathic voice is Captain Marvel, he speaks to Rick, "What now?"

"Well. Now we just, look for a town. When we were falling there was a small village near here. I think it’s that way," Rick says as he points north.

"Yeah, there’s a town up ahead," a man chuckles, as he walks out of the brush into the clearing with a group of nine men following. "In fact, we’re going there right now. And we need some money to buy some food and drink," he points to the nega-bands on Rick’s wrist, "I betcha those cost at least 50 dinars."

Another voice, from across the clearing speaks out, "why? Are you willing to pay for it?" This other group is a group of three, two women and a man. The first woman is tall, with black hair wearing warrior armor, the other average height, with short blond hair. The third member of the group…is just plain goofy.

The gang leader spits and kicks the ground snarling, "IT’S XENA! GET HER!" His small horde of men runs towards Xena and her group. And in their way, is Rick Jones.

"Aaah!" Xena yells out, not a fear scream, but an attack yell and she unclasps the chakram from her belt and throws it towards the men, who are know drawing their swords. It hits one of the men’s swords and cuts it in half, being reflected onto a tree and bouncing back straight towards the head of the men.

"NOOOOO!" The gang-leader yells, but the chakram has a different target. It splits in 2 knocking the swords of two other men out of their hands and is reflected onto two trees, being sent back towards Xena where they slide together in time for Xena to catch the chakram whole.

"Whoa!" Rick, not being one to be left out of a fight, picks up the 2 swords off the ground, and swings them in the air skillfully.

Xena flips into the air drawing her sword letting out her battle cry, "alu lululululu," and she comes down kicking to men in the face and slashing another in the gut.

Gabrielle and Joxer decide to join in the fight and they charge forward. Gabby takes her sai’s jabbing them into one man’s gut.

Joxer grabs another guy slamming his head into a tree, wiping his hands off confidently, only to have his head bashed into a tree by one of the gang members. As a silly look crosses his face and his lips twist together he falls to the ground.

Rick on the other hand, battles gracefully with his sword, clanging it against two other warrior’s swords at a time. He slyly outsmarts the gang members, slamming the flat end of the sword on their heads knocking them out.

Gabby takes her sai slashing a man across the neck letting him drop. While Xena rams her sword into the gut of the last foot-soldier, and she steps up to the gang leader placing the sharp edge of the chakram against his neck, "Draco….I thought I warned you about scavenging these parts?" Xena threatens to cut of his head nudging the chakram against his neck even harder.

Marvel’s voice, which had stayed silent all along speaks up to Rick, Rick you’ve got to stop her."

"I know," Rick walks up to Xena dropping the swords he was holding, grabbing her wrist lightly, "’Xena’, no more killing today. Besides it’s more fun to watch them run away in embarrassment."

Xena narrows her eyes, and pulls her arm away, "yeah you’re right," she’s not sure why she did it. But she does it anyway. As Draco turns to run the other way Xena slashes Draco’s pants and they fall to his ankles as he retreats.

Gabrielle tends to Joxer’s head wound as Xena talks to Rick, asking him question after question, "OK what’s your name?"

"I’m Rick Jones," he replies.

"And, ahem, where did you get those ridiculous clothes?" Xena refers to the 20^th century style of NYU sweatshirt and blue jeans.

"Um…K-Mart?"

Xena shakes her head, stifling back a laugh, "OK whatever. We’ll get you a change of clothes as soon as we get into town. One more question…Where are you from?"

"I know you probably won’t believe this, but…the future." Xena and everyone else go silent. Gabby stops nurturing Joxer’s wound and looks towards Xena and Rick.

About an Hour Later

Gabrielle walks into the room they got at the inn carrying a basket filled with some clothes, "here Rick, I got you some clothes."

"Thank you Gabrielle," Rick takes the basket smiling.

Xena and Joxer walks into the room, "OK Rick, it’s time you tell us what you’re doing here, and how you got here," Xena said.

Rick replies, "I, I mean, my friend Thor was fighting a tall guy. Black hair. A beard. I don’t know who he was. Anyway, they were fighting and…"

"Wait," Rick is interrupted by Joxer, "waaaait a second. Did you just say Thor? Isn’t he the god of Thunder in the Viking religion?"

Rick nods, "anyway…he…"

Rick is interrupted again by Joxer, "OK why does a mortal like you, have friends like Thor?"

Rick says again, very annoyed, "because I do! Now on with the story, I was watching them fight when --"

Once again, Joxer opens his big mouth, "you don’t sound or look like a Viking…"

Xena groans and grabs Joxer shoving him out the door.

"What?" Joxer groans as he is shoved outside, he throws his arms up and walks out towards the local bar.

Xena smiles with a proud grin on her face, "go on Rick."

Rick continues in confidence, "OK so this guy, I think he might have been a warlock, or even a god or something. He knocks Thor’s magical Mjolnir out of his reach. And when Thor’s hammer is away from him for 20 seconds, he turns back into his mortal form.

"I tried to help him, but as a mortal what could I really do? Thor changed back to a mortal, and I reached for his Mjolnir, I don’t know why because no one who isn’t worthy can lift the hammer, but I touched it the same time this guy sent the Mjolnir back in time to keep it from Thor. And that’s how I got here I guess."

Rick looks towards the mirror on the vanity, seeing Captains Marvel reflection in it, Marvel begins talking to him, "Rick why don’t you tell him about me?"

Rick whispers the words to Captain Marvel, "I...can’t."

Xena looks at him, "can’t what?"

"I can’t tell you about somebody…"

Xena looks at him directly staring into his eyes, saying in her trusting voice, "Rick…if you can’t tell us everything, then how can we trust you?"

"Oh-OK! There’s a friend with me. I think he’s in town right now. His name is Genis...he’s from the future too. In fact…maybe we should, Um, go look for him?"

Xena nods, "OK…Gabrielle let’s go. Rick you coming?" Xena asks.

"No I’ll stay here for a while. If you don’t mind," he replies.

Xena walks out of the room and Gabby stands up smiling, "Rick, this will be your room, oh and your friends too, when we find him. When we find your friend we’ll send him here."

"Thank you Gabrielle. You’ve all been so nice."

Around Dusk

Rick Jones looks at the large mirror, at Captain Marvel’s reflection arguing with him, "no Genis I will not let you out!"

The reflection replies in a voice only Rick can hear, "Rick please, I want to help Thor look for the Mjolnir."

"Genis! Xena and Gabby are taking care of it. We can’t risk making people suspicious."

"ahem – and that good Joxer is taking care of it too."

"I. See your point. But that doesn’t matter. Where do you think that bathroom is?" Rick asks looking around.

The reflection in the mirror grins, "I don’t think they have indoor plumbing yet." Captain Marvel’s reflection crosses his arms over his chest grinning.

Rick’s face turns white, "you mean?"

"Yep, you have to go outside. Then again…if you change places with me you won’t have to --"

Before Captain Marvel utters another word Rick Jones stands up, and he takes off the clothes Gabrielle gave him and hangs them up. Then, slamming his wrists together and a huge burst of light and energy appears, and Captain Marvel replaces Rick Jones.

"That’s better," Captain Marvel smiles, powering down his face turning to normal and his hair becomes blond. He puts on the clothes that Rick had hanged up and he sits on the bed stretching.

The door opens and Gabrielle walks in, "Oh Rick – Oh I’m sorry. I thought that this was someone else’s room."

Genis (AKA Captain Marvel) stands up, "oh no Gabby, I’m Genis, Rick’s friend. I saw him in the bar down the street, and he told me to come here."

Gabrielle exhales, "oh…you’re Rick’s friend he told us about. You already know my name," she smiles brightly.

Genis sits down on the bed, and Gabby sits next to him. Genis turns to talk to her, "you know…Gabrielle you’re very pretty."

Gabrielle blushes, "t-thank you." Gabrielle looks into Genis’s caring blue eyes, and can’t help but feel safe around him, she touches his cheek and leans over and kisses him. Genis In return, touches Gabrielle’s cheek with his hand and returns their passionate kiss.

"Gabrielle…what can I say…?" Genis says softly under his breath.

"Don’t say anything," Gabrielle pulls him closer and kisses him again. She pushes him away gently and reaches to grab the bottom of her top and pulls it off and embraces Genis.

"Gabrielle…" Genis reaches over and blows out the single candle illuminating the room.

The Next Morning

"Rick?" Xena’s voice says softly as she opens the door, "Rick have you seen Gabrielle she—"

Gabrielle lies in the bed under the cover her arm sloped over Genis’s chest, she slowly awakes and sits up pulling the covers over her body. In doing so she wakes Genis up, and he sits up against the bed frame with her.

Gabrielle smiles innocently, "heh…Xena, this is Genis. Rick’s friend."

Xena nods to Genis, "why don’t you two get dressed and meet me and Joxer outside?" They both nod to Xena’s request and look at each other uneasy. Then Xena left the room.

Gabrielle stands up and puts her clothes back on, "Genis, did Rick get back last night?"

"Um…yeah he did. He came while you were asleep and he said he’d stay out all night. He’s probably at the bar in the lobby. Gabrielle I’m feeling tired. I think I’m going to stay in today, get some rest," Genis didn’t like lying to Gabrielle, but he knew he had to so he could keep their identity secret. For now.

Gabrielle smiles and walks over to the bed, and kisses Genis on the top of his chest, "I understand. Have a good rest my love," Gabrielle walks waves and steps out of the room.

"Goodbye, I love you," As soon as Gabby leaves Genis stands up and walks to the mirror, "good morning Rick," he speaks to the reflection in the mirror.

"What are you doing?" the reflection asks him in a violent tone.

"I…I love Gabrielle," he replies.

"That’s just too sad. Because you know we’re going to be leaving soon."

Genis nods, "I know…that’s probably why we didn’t wait Rick. We both felt – that we were made for each other. Like lightning. Do you know what it’s like?"

"I do. I feel the same way about Marlo. Come on, let’s switch back so we can finish this."

Genis uses the nega-band to trade places with Rick Jones once more and Rick puts on his clothes and walks to the lobby meeting Gabby, Xena and Joxer.

The four walk outside and down the dirt road talking about what they had learned when they went bar hopping last night. Xena is the first to reveal what she found out, "On the other end of town there’s a rumor that a giant hammer fell from the sky and no one yet has been able to lift it."

Rick’s face lit up, "that’s it! That’s Thor’s Mjolnir."

Gabrielle stops them, "then we better hurry…so you guys can go home and save Thor," Gabrielle takes a deep breath, sighing softly under her breath. Of course she doesn’t want them to find the Mjolnir, because when they do, Rick and Genis will be leaving.

Joxer swings his hand through the air, "right! Let’s go!" He starts speeding up and running down the road.

Rick raises a brow, "excuse me? When did he become leader?"

Gabrielle grins, "oh we like to humor him sometime. Come on let’s go," Gabrielle wipes a small tear from her eye before she begins running after Joxer.

The group of heroes comes upon the lakeshore just in time to see people scrambling to get away from something, or someone. As the people cleared they see Ares standing over the hammer, which no one, not even Ares, can lift.

Rick points at Ares, "that’s him! That’s the one who was fighting Thor in the future!"

Gabrielle pulls the sai’s off her belt, "oh no! That’s Ares the god of war!"

Joxer steps up to Ares, "well oh well, so it wasn’t enough to betray and try to destroy your own kind, but the Norse gods? HAH!"

Ares facial features appear bewildered, "who is this wiggler?" Ares points at Joxer and he’s sent flying into a wall. "Come on Xena! You think you can take the hammer away from me?" Ares waves her towards him.

Xena un-holsters her sword walking towards Ares and flips towards him swinging her sword down onto his head, "alu lululululu," and she yells her battle cry.

"Oh please Xena," Ares raises his sword blocking the blow, "when I say I want to be the last remaining god, I mean the LAST of the last. I’ve been planing this for many many years." Ares takes a swipe at Xena’s legs.

Back flipping off the ground to dodge the blade she swings her sword at Ares, "so you’ve been waiting for Thor’s hammer to appear here because you knew someday that you’d destroy him," Xena sends a quick fist to Ares face. "And when you saw his Mjolnir appear you knew you finally conquered the great warrior?"

Ares stumbles back from the punch, "oh you’re good. You’ve got me all figured out. So no use to continue this battle," a ball of energy appears in his hand and he blasts Xena through the air, knocking her into the crater with the Mjolnir.

"And now for your friends…mwahaha," Ares laughs ominously getting ready to hit them with a bolt of energy."

"Rick there’s no time to waste change now!"

"Right Genis!" Rick replies to the voice only he could hear by slamming the nega-bands on his wrist together and he explodes with energy and it seems to flow over him. And when he leaps into the air and flies towards Ares, it’s apparent that Rick Jones was replaced by Captain Marvel.

"Ares! Watch out for the power of CAPTAIN MARVEL!" Captain Marvel announces as he swings his fist knocking Ares across the jaw, just as he had done back in the 20^th century.

"Rick…?" Gabrielle covers her mouth in awe. "If you take those stars off of your face, ‘Captain Marvel’ you’d look exactly like…no…Genis!"

Ares slams a fist into Captain Marvel chest knocking him into the ground. Captain Marvel skids across the ground hitting into a tree, which doesn’t stop him. And he keeps going through four more trees before he stops.

"Ow…" Captain Marvel groans as he flies up into the air again. He holds his wrists out and blasts Ares with a concentrated beam of photon energy knocking Ares through the air.

"Grrrrr, take THIS!" Ares returns his own solid beam of crackling energy and is met by another beam by Captain Marvel. They meet both ways. At first it looks like Captain Marvel is getting the upperhand, then it looks like Ares is winning. The battle goes back and forth.

But in the ditch, Xena looks down at Thor’s Mjolnir and reads the words engraved in it. She reads it out loud to herself, "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of…THOR."

Slowly she reaches out grasping the handle of the Mjolnir, her hand trembling. She tugs on it trying to lift it, and she pulls it off the ground holding it above her head. Lightning crackles around her as she is energized by the power of Thor.

"I’m worthy!" Xena cheers as she grasps the unbreakable leather strap on the Mjolnir and throws it into the air being pulled by it she goes flying out of the hole landing next to Gabrielle.

"Xena, is that you? What happened? You’re holding the hammer! You’re worthy of the power of Thor…wow!" Gabrielle looks in amazement, then frowns again. He points at Ares and Captain Marvel’s seesaw battle.

Gabrielle explains, "Rick Jones somehow changes into that guy, with the starry face…who happens to be Genis…the man I made love to last night. I’m so confused."

"I’ve got to end this battle," Xena raises the Mjolnir up into the air and she commands it to fire, and a powerful bolt of lightening is sent crackling through the air blowing Ares into the ground."

Ares throws his hands up looking at Xena, "what the HELL was that?" Ares looks closer seeing Xena is swinging the Mjolnir over her head getting ready to throw it. "Oh I see…you’re ‘worthy’. Well…worthy is a subjective term."

"Xena now we can open a vortex and save Thor!" Captain Marvel cheers.

Ares laughs, "that’s what you think! The Mjolnir only has enough time-travel energy left in it to send you back to the exact moment future me sent it back. Which is too late to save Thor! And then how would you get back Xena? Have fun!" Ares vanishes and a blur of white light.

Captain Marvel flies down to Xena and Gabrielle. He reaches out taking Gabrielle’s hands in his and pulls her close, kissing her deeply, "Gabrielle, this will be the last time we see each other…goodbye and I will always love you."

"And I will love you," Gabrielle wipes her eyes, sniffing.

Xena holds out the Mjolnir and the wind blows violently as the time vortex opens. "Come on Captain Marvel, we’ve got to go."

"Goodbye Gabrielle!" Captain Marvel leaps into the vortex with Xena and it vanishes.

Modern Day Marvel

Exact Instant That Captain

Marvel Had Left

Ares raises his hand with the ball of energy in it, "Thor – prepare to die!" A evil feature covers over his face as he prepares to do away with the warrior god, who has transformed into his helpless mortal form of Jake Olson.

Out of no where, Thor’s Mjolnir is sent flying towards Ares, and hits him head on sending him flying into the side of a building. It then turns around and flies into Jake Olson’s hand. With a crackle of lightning the mortal man is turned into the Son of Odin!

Captain Marvel flies from the same direction as the Mjolnir did uppercutting Ares and elbowing him in the face. He knee’s him in he gut before throwing him towards the sidewalk below.

Ares lies on the ground groaning, then he stands up and yells, "DAMN! IT! XENA YOU’VE DONE IT AGAIN!" And with that statement, Ares vanishes without a trace.

Captain Marvel lands next to Xena, then and Thor quickly walks up to them, "Ah great thanks to you Captain Marvel and Xena Warrior Princess. Thou bravery and quick thinking hath saved my life."

"Excuse me Thor," Xena speaks up, "I need a quick trip back to Ancient Greece, but Ares told us that your Mjolnir didn’t have enough time travel energy to send me back."

"Ahaha, there is where thou Ares hath maken his mistake. For he miscalculated dearly. There is a little energy left in the Mjolnir which thy shall exploit and send you home!" Thor nods and swings the Mjolnir over his head creating a vortex, "art thou ready?"

"Hold up a bit Thor," Captain Marvel says as he walks to Xena, "Xena, can you give this message to Gabrielle?"

"Of course I can Captain Marvel," she replies.

Captain Marvel hands her a scroll, "this explains everything she needs to know about me," he takes a deep breath, "and please tell her that I love her."

"Will do," Xena says as she walks next to Thor.

Thor nods and stops swinging his Mjolnir and slams it down on the ground and the energy forms a time vortex sending Xena back to Gabrielle and Joxer in her own time.

Back in Ancient Greece

Xena appears from the vortex. She walks over to Gabrielle, who again is tending to Joxer’s wounds. "Gabrielle, Capta—I mean Genis wanted me to give this to you." Xena hands Gabrielle the scroll in her outreached hand.

"Thank you Xena," she stands up walking over by herself, opening the scroll. She reads it, tears dripping down her face leaving water droplets on the parchment. She wipes her eyes and places the scroll close to her heart. And sighs.

The End

What did Captain Marvel’s note say?

Will Captain Marvel and Gabrielle ever meet again?

What will happen next?

Find out soon!