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 #97

Green means STOP!

By Ralph L Angelo Jr.

"Are you ready Genis?"

"Yeah Starfox, I am."

"Good. Drax, take us out."

The Mighty Destroyer nods stoicly as the 'Rapier Wit' lightly floats upwards from the ground, taking to the sky like a feather going upwards.

"We'll be at the barrier in moments , Genis. Once we breach the atmosphere, we'll go to hyper-warp speeds and be back at Titan within an hour."

"I know, Eros, I know."

Captain Marvel sits at the back of the Rapier Wit, while Starfox and Drax sit up front, in the command area. Genis sits blankly, staring out the front of the ship, his face revealing very little of the roiling turmoil that fills his heart and soul. So much has happened to the Universal Protector of late. So much bad. His mind still reels.

"Let me know when we're approaching the 22,000 mile mark, Eros." He speaks quietly.

"I will Genis." Starfox swivels in his chair to face his adoptive nephew. "Gen, I'm very sorry about Angie. I know nothing I can say will ease your anguish. But I want you to know I'll be there for you. As will everyone on Titan."

"Just get me the hell home, Eros. If this works , I'll be more surprised then you will."

"Have faith Genis-Vell." The Destroyer rumbles, "This infernal barrier will not deter you, if you are not flying through it on your own power."

"Hey Drax, that's the plan, but I have my doubts." Genis sighs as he slumps deeper into his chair.

"We're just about at the 22,000 mile mark, Genis." Eros informs him, "I'm going to punch us through it quickly."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Eros. What if this doesn't work the way we think it might?"

"Don't worry, Captain. I'm going to get you home, no matter what."

And with that, Eros punches the throttle, as Drax looks on through slit eyes, not sure of what to expect.

The ship lurches forwards and then suddenly...

Shaaa-RAAAK!

The ship is torn asunder! As Genis is suddenly shoved backwards, through the rear of the ship, tearing the rear hull of the ship open to outer space, as Genis is thrown back behind the barrier. The 'Rapier Wit' floats haphazardly and off center, as atmosphere and debris escape its hull.

"Eros! Eros!" Genis shouts as he pounds against the barrier helplessly.

Then Drax appears at the rear of the ship. "Everything is alright, Captain. I will tow the 'Rapier Wit' back to Titan. And we will inform Mentor and Elysius of your situation."

"Is Eros okay?" He asks, still worried.

Then Eros appears next to Drax.

"Yes Captain, I'm fine. Go back to Earth. Find a place to make your own, at least temporarily, and we will speak to my father about the situation. By Chronos, we'll find way to beat this damnable barrier."

"O-okay Eros, Drax. I'll see you both soon I guess."

"Do not fear, Captain, trust me. All will be made well." Eros assures.

Captain Marvel watches quietly as Drax begins dragging the Wit into Hyper warp, as the wounded vessel disappears in a burst of light.

"I wish I had your confidence." Genis thinks to himself.

He turns and floats back towards the Earth. The hell he's been through of late has been mind numbing to say the least.*

*see our last half dozen issues.

Captain Marvel sinks towards a town inside the Arizona border. For no other reason than that it appeared to be pretty well lit from above, and he liked the looks of it. Landing lightly at a motel he spied from above, Captain Marvel enters the modern facility, mentally urging his nega-bands to rearrange the molecules of his costume into a simple pair of jeans and a blue T-Shirt Then he walks quietly inside.

The hotel lobby is filled with hustling, bustling people. Walking past them to the counter, Genis taps the desk bell.

"Hello." He intones to a pretty girl behind the counter.

She looks up and smiles at him, before finally saying "Can I help you?"

As if in answer a TV behind the counter suddenly blares the word 'Emergency' across the screen. Genis' attention is immediately riveted to it.

"Oh no." He murmurs as he looks on incredulously. "Why'd it have to be him?" he grunts as he turns and flies out the doors.

On the TV screen, which has drawn everyones immediate attention, a reporter is seen quickly running towards a mobile reporting van, jabbering away nervously, and excitedly. Behind her a scene of oncoming destruction blurs the screen, as the cameraman from the Super channel Network leaps into the van with the young woman, all the while his camera locked on the whirling miasma that tears through the street like a ground bound tornado. Buildings shred as do cars and anything else in the walking, thundering engine of destructions path.

Then finally, as the van backs away quickly from the ravaging carnage, the cause of it all is finally seen, as his voice roars above the din of destruction about him . "Hulk Smash!"

Above Genis stops momentarily, instinctively trying to use his Cosmic awareness, only to be once again reminded that that ability has been stripped from him.

"Damn." he yells aloud, anger welling up within him. "Where the heck is he? How am I supposed to pinpoint him now , without my Cosmic awareness?"

Captain Marvel dives across the area, circling in hundred mile arcs further and further away from where he was, until finally seeing lights and mayhem at the far end of a small old town on the periphery of the desert. "That's gotta be him. No wonder why that town looks empty, they all ran for the hills, literally."

He streaks towards the cause of the fear and turmoil gripping this city, and his heart stops in his throat as he finally sees his target.

The Hulk stands in the streets center, holding a bent and destroyed tank above his head! Roaring like a besieged animal, he hurls the tank at Genis as he approaches.

"Okay, I'll just blast the tank with a photon beam, that should break it up nicely." But as he aims, Captain Marvel suddenly thinks, "wait a minute, I can't do that, what if someone is in there? I can't use my cosmic awareness to find out any more, either."

He dives under the falling tank, catching it and lightly lowering it to the ground, two blocks from the Hulk . An instant later, he's verifying the tank is empty

"Well at least that worked out alright." he thinks as he flies upwards again.

"I hate taking on this guy. This is the second time I've had to fight him."*

* the first being in the New Warriors title recently.

Captain Marvel rockets in from above, and then he dives at the Hulk like a streaking meteor, fists forwards, to impact with earth shaking results!

Ba-KOOOM!

The Hulk tumbles through a dilapidated building, before immediately regaining his feet "Bah, go away , little man! Hulk will break you!"

Thoom!

The Hulk slams Genis away like a rag doll!

"I don't believe it! I hit him with everything I had! He should be buried a half mile beneath the Earth right now, but he's not even fazed! " Thinks Genis as he rights his flight, to streak back and.

slam into the Hulks legs in a flying tackle, knocking them out from under the green behemoth!

Ta-KOW!

"Now you make Hulk mad, little man. Now Hulk squash you like bug!"

"You have to catch me first, you stupid idiot."

Genis rockets upwards, a photon trail coloring the sky behind him.

"Bah, Hulk will flatten you like worm, then he will show you who is stupid!" The green goliath leaps after Captain Marvel

"He may be right about me being the stupid one. Antagonizing the Hulk like this can't be to brilliant, or healthy. Hopefully I can get him away from the city without him causing anymore damage. Then I can turn up the heat."

Genis stays just ahead of the Hulk, as the green goliath furiously leaps after the Cosmic Protector.

Genis turns in mid air, avoiding the Hulks awkward lunge easily "Hey Green teeth, what's the matter, you can't catch me? Why don't you try a little more, moron."

"Arrrgggh! Hulk smash you!"

Angrily, the Green goliath slams his hands together, creating a massive shockwave that knocks Captain Marvel from the sky, like a bug against a windshield

Ba-ROOOM!

Genis pulls himself up from the desert floor immediately "O-kay, that hurt."

Ba-KOW!

The huge green fist slams into Genis with frightening speed! His mind whirling, Captain Marvel instinctively arcs upwards, even as his body protests in pain, and his mind almost blacks out!

"Unnngghh! I-I can't believe he got to me that fast. I need all the power I can absorb!" Instantly, the young hero begins to glow as he absorbs ambient solar energy from the stars above, healing his broken body and charging his physical power to its ultimate limits!

"Here I come, big guy, I hope your ready." Genis rockets In and cocks his right hand back powerfully, his hand glowing like a star, as he ducks under the Hulks crazed left roundhouse, he unleashes his own ultimate punch into the Hulks solar plexus, with every erg of strength he could absorb!

BA-da-da DOOOM!

The Hulk is heaved easily a mile through the air, as Genis flies after him instantly! "I can't let up, I have to press my advantage now, he's to strong! Even at my ultimate strength level, I can't match him. I have to use my powers wisely against him."

Even as he's thinking, Captain Marvel is firing twin photon beams at the Hulk, hammering him into the desert floor, driving him down with the force of a small nuclear explosion!

Sha-KOOOM!

Captain Marvel soars through the air above the buried Hulk.

"I hope I didn't kill him." As if in instant answer, a massive green hand rips free of the Earth and grasps Genis by the leg, then it slams him into the ground with an almost incomprehensible force!

Tha-BOOM!

Genis rolls over, barely conscious, but still fighting. "T-that REALLY hurt." He moans.

The Hulk leaps upwards from the sand where he was buried, wobbling slightly on unsteady legs, the green gargantua approaches Captain Marvel , fists clenched ,and anger dripping from his frowning visage

"Now, Hulk crush you like bug, like he told you before he would!" The hulk lifts his incredibly powerful hands above his head, clenched together to bring them down as one. Suddenly he strikes, his fists driving down with the force to smash mountains!

Ka-KOW!

But Captain Marvel is not there! He flies away instantly as the Hulk strikes! Circling around to grab the Hulks ankle and rip skywards at dizzying speed.

"If I hold him this way he can't get a grip on me." he thinks as he streaks over head at incredible speed, to finally fling the wildly gyrating Hulk to the ground, miles below him, with a thunderous finality!

Pa-da-ka-toom!

The Hulk lies still, only his powerful legs showing above the sand where he lies buried. Genis circles overhead, making sure the Hulk is not moving anymore, and then he lands.

"Whew! I didn't think that would ever end"

"Yeah, well ya showed me enuff kid , ta know that you got the right stuff."

Genis whirls towards the sound of the voice as an older man stands , leaning against a Humvees door, lighting a cigar that illuminates his greying temples and eyepatch.

"Wait a minute, I know you." Genis stammers as he quickly approaches the man before him.

"Yeah kid, the names Fury. Nick Fury, agent o' Shield, and I got a mission for ya."

"Why would I go with you , Fury? Give me a reason I don't just jet out of here."

Then, a massive green hand lands on Genis' shoulder, as a thunderous voice begins to speak "Cause kid, Then I'd have to go after you to bring you back to hear what the man has to say."

Genis pulls free and spins on the Hulk. "You're not a moron? What's going on here? You two are playing me?"

Fury steps closer, "Like I said kid I got a mission for ya, and ol' green skin owed me one."

"Of which we're now even, Fury." The Hulk intones as he begins to leap off, "As in don't call me, and I won't knock your Helicarrier out of the sky." Then as he's about to leap away, he turns his head back towards Captain Marvel "Not bad kid, but I coulda taken you." Then as an after thought, "Watch your back with this guy ." He thumbs towards Fury, and is gone in one powerful leap.

Captain Marvel stares at Nick Fury before speaking. "What do you want, Fury? Why'd you wreck several city blocks just to get my attention?"

"First Captain, those blocks were set for demolition, second I hadda test you out, make sure you had the right stuff. I gotta tell ya, I'm impressed. Personally, I think you coulda taken him." He points his cigar in the direction the Hulk disappeared in .

"I did take him, Fury. Now what do you want?"

Fury begins to climb back into his Humvee ,and gestures for Genis to use the other door.

"Siddown kid, lets palaver."

Next: The mission!