His father was the greatest of Heroes, saving the entire universe from subjugation time and time again! Now he must continue that tradition , his powers are the same, but his outlook is different. He wields the mighty Nega bands and has the Celestial insight of Cosmic Awareness. The universe is his inheritance, for he is its Protector as he struggles to find his place amidst the Heavens, his buds call him Genis, but he's known and feared by his enemies as....

The Sensational Captain Marvel !

Captain Marvel #95

betwixt and inbetweener

By Ralph Angelo

Captain Marvel sits on the edge of the Grand Canyon, plinking stones over the edge with a snap of his fingers. Only difference between what you or I would do is that the stones he's plinking weigh tons , and they crash to the canyon floor far below in ground shaking rumbles that split the air like thunder.

His face is a blank mask, as hidden emotions play across it. He's just been through hell and back, literally.* His battle with Mephisto revealed that his girlfriend , Angie Bourdelex was actually Mephisto's daughter, Mephista. And the conclusion of that battle was far, far from his liking.

*See the last 3 issues

"Angie." he sighs sadly, and resignedly.

Angie/Mephista ended that battle trapped in a hellish amber in the stygian pits, while the Silver Surfer alongside Genis were callously expelled from hell, and completely blocked from returning on their own.

So now, Angie is seemingly forever lost to Captain Marvel.

"How could things get worse?" He muses to himself

Cut to Titan, the world of the Gods, or at least those who are mistaken for them!

BA-THROOM!

The planet shakes as titanic forces are unleashed against a horrible, unstoppable foe.

"Mentor!" Shouts Elysius as she lands at Mentors regal home astride her winged griffons, behind her explosions rip the air, as over head, Firelord and Drax the Destroyer streak towards the sounds of chaos!

The old titan leader emerges from his domicile angrily. "Who dares? Is Thanos returned yet again?" He rages as his hands glow.

"N-no, Mentor." The mother of Captain Marvel stammers, it's someone far, far worse."

"Who, child, tell me?" He grasps her arms , shaking the fright from her, clearing her vision instantly.

She stares into his eyes, frightened , "It's a being who calls himself the Inbetweener, and he's seeking Genis, he's looking for my son!"

Ba-KROW!

They both turn towards the explosive sound, as Firelord hurtles past them like a rag doll, only to right himself in mid flight, and return towards the battle , angry flames sprouting from his staff!

Back on Earth...

Genis-Vell sits and stares out over the Grand Canyon. His demeanor is blank at best. Behind him a figure floats downwards, its green skin and regal cape flutter about the large, powerful body as the creature begins to speak.

"Greetings Captain Marvel. Are you in need of aid?"

Captain Marvel turns at the voice, his eyes widen momentarily, then relax.

"Who are you and what do you want, Skrull? You want to fight? Go bother someone else. I'm sure the Hulk's around here somewhere."

The Skrull lands lightly next to Genis and then begins to speak.

"No Captain Marvel, I'm afraid you misunderstand. I mean you no harm. I am called the Ambassador, and I am the field leader of the Superteam known as Strikeforce: Freedom. We have our headquarters hidden nearby, and as such are aware of everyone who visits our neighborhood as it were. It seems you've been sitting here for days now. Are you in need of any help?"

Genis turns towards the Skrull and weakly smiles.

"No , Ambassador, No help needed. Ya' see , I lost my girl a few days back, and it was in a way that was really about as final as death, without it being so." He stands and stares at the Skrull before continuing, "She's in Hell, literally. Mephisto turned out to be her father, and she defied him freeing me from a vow I made to her. So he threw both myself and the Silver Surfer out of his realm , and locked the door behind us. So unless you have a sorcerer capable of breaking those locks on your team, there's nothing you can do to help me. Or her for that matter."

The Ambassador says nothing, as he turns away and merely stares out over the Grand Canyon at Genis' side. Finally after a moment he continues.

"It is beautiful here , Captain. So much like my home. Ah, for the yellow sands of Skrull-prime. Forever stilled by the world eater, Galactus. I miss my world. A world I shall never see again. Forever are my people, the Skrullian Eternals, removed from my grasp, by the death of my world. I am certain some do still survive, but we are scattered across the cosmos. It may take me centuries to find them, or them me, if any truly exist. You see, we must hide from the supposedly normal, mainstream Skrulls, as they would seek to destroy those of us who still live."

The big Skrull again turns towards Captain Marvel , "But Captain, my world, my people will forever be alive here, in my heart." He taps his chest with his finger as he speaks, "Alive, honored, and not forgotten. This is why I seek to clear the Skrull name as a member of Strikeforce: Freedom."

Genis smiles slightly and extends his hand to the Skrull Eternal. "You know, I have Eternal blood in my veins as well as Kree. My mother is an Eternal of Titan, which means she's related to the Eternals of this planet."

The Ambassador and Captain Marvel shake hands.

"Then you share the honor and heritage of the Eternals as well as the Kree. Interesting. Honor your lost lover, Captain. As long as she is alive in your heart, she is never truly lost to you."

The Ambassador begins to lift off the craggy canyons lip, floating upwards.

"I hear what you're saying, Ambassador, but sometimes these things take time, time that hasn't yet passed for me."

"I understand my friend. Salutations." And with that, the Skrull flies away.

And then Genis-Vell sits back down, and stares into the sunset."

"Angie liked sunsets." He muses. "I never even noticed 'em till she was part of my life. Now they're all I can think of , 'cause they remind me of her."

Suddenly a whooshing sound attracts Genis' ears behind him.

"What'd you forget, Ambassador?" Genis asks before turning. But the voice that answers him is decidedly un-Ambassador-like. A hollow, almost double sounding voice, as if it were an echo of some kind.

"You have been tried, and convicted Captain Marvel, of usurping abilities that were not rightfully yours. As such, you must pay the price for your crimes."

Captain Marvel whirls, and faces a bizarre being, one who appears half black, and half white in a checkerboard pattern across his body.

"Who the heck are you?" Genis asks wide eyed.

"I am the Inbetweener, the instrument of your punishment. Prepare for judgement."

"Judge this, freak!"

Genis fires a massive blast of photon power..

Shaaa-RAAK!

that merely passes through the Inbetweener harmlessly.

'No amount of physical force can harm me , Captain."

"That's good to know." Genis speaks as he rips skywards, the Inbetweener floating upwards after him.

"So, who sent you cookie face?"

Captain Marvel dives beneath the Inbetweener' questing hands, punching him in the back of the head as he streaks upwards and around, but his hand merely phases through the bizarre beings skull harmlessly.

"I told you, Captain Marvel. There is no escape from my sentence."

"Well don't fault me if I try." Yells The Cosmic hero as he doves low, into the Grand canyon itself, with the Inbetweener following in his bizarre walking on air way.

"I've tried using my Cosmic awareness on him to see what his weakness was, but I got nothing from it, like he wasn't even there. This is not good."

As he thinks, Genis rakes the cliff side above the Inbetweener with photonic power, shattering untold tons of rock, sand and stone atop the unstoppable hunter.

Cha-KOOM!

But the Inbetweener merely continues to walk through it all, unfazed.

"You delay the inevitable, Captain. "

"Maybe , maybe not Checkerboard square. Lets see what you've got."

Then, Captain Marvel accelerates. Streaking space wards in a flash of photon trail.

"There's gotta be a way to stop this thing. I refuse to believe that it's so unstoppable. It's no God, is it?"

At the edge of space, a rift shimmers before Genis' eyes, and the Inbetweener steps forth from it, hand outstretched to touch Captain Marvel, and Genis' pulls up short, arcing away at the last instant.

"Man, this is getting ridiculous." Thinks Captain Marvel ,as he heads back towards the Earth. "I can't outrun him, I can't outfight him. What can I do?"

As if in answer to Genis Thoughts the Inbetweener instantly appears again before him. "You can not escape me , Captain. I am your fate, your destiny. With one touch, I pass sentence upon you."

He grasps Genis by the throat, and instantly a wave of pain encompasses Captain Marvels entire being.

"I am the Inbetweener, Captain Marvel. I exist between all concepts, such as good and evil, reality and fantasy, love and hate and all others. None on the mortal coil may harm me. I am the instrument of the Cosmic Unity, and I hear by deliver their sentence. You will no longer be able to ply the stars. You will remain trapped here upon the world known as Earth until such time as the Cosmic Unity decides your sentence is commuted. Further, your cosmic awareness will be removed from your body for all time, or until the Unity deems you worthy of it."

Genis drops to the ground, his very being spasm ing madly as he fights his way to his knees.

"Your sentence begins now , Captain. The sentencing is over." and with that, the Inbetweener fades from view, but not before Captain Marvel speaks painfully, in a voice the cosmic entity hears .

"This isn't over, monster...this is just...beginning.."

And with that, Captain Marvel mercifully passes out...

Next: Wonder Man

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