GODLING'S WORLD # 1 : B.E.M.

GODLING’s WORLD # 1:  B.E.M.

by J. Vandersteen

 

 

– GODLING – THE ONE MAN PANTHEON & DR. PROTON in:  B.E.M. part 1

 

 

Tesla City. A lab filled with incredible high-tech stuff. Monitors and machines, computers and mechanical arms, glowing diodes everywhere. Clad in a white skin-tight suit with red boots a man is looking through a futuristic microscope.

“That’s indeed very odd, Detective Simpson. How did this bug end up on a crime scene? It’s not in any database,” the man in white tells a stocky black man in a cheap suit standing in front of him.

The black man says, “I don’t know, Doctor Proton. That’s why our crime scene guys asked me to visit you. They just don’t know what to do with it. Do you think it’s alien?”

“It’s a bit too soon to tell,” Dr. Proton says. “It might be. Tell me more about the scene of the crime.”

“We found it in a nice suburban home. The residents, a young happily married couple was found there, their hearts ripped out.”

“Yow. Superhuman involvement?”

“Only explanation I guess. No idea who, though. More and more of those super-villains are finding their way over from New Troy. Good thing we have our own superhero like they have.”

“I’m a scientist, not a superhero,” Proton says.

“Well, you kicked a lot of villain-behind, that makes you a hero in my book,” Simpson says.

Proton smiles. “Thanks, I guess. Any idea why that couple was killed?”

Simpson shrugged. “No idea. They were hard-working folks. Not involved in any shady business whatsoever. Nothing seemed stolen. No signs of break-in.”

Proton rubs his chin. “Maybe I should have a look at the crime scene.”

“Sure, you’re welcome to it. I can drive you over in my Crown Vic.”

An energetic smile appears on Proton’s face. “I can get there faster…”

A few minutes later a VTOL plane the size of a small car zips off from the roof of Proton’s spherical lab building…

*

New Troy. A building site. Godling is fighting against a creature that appears to be half-human, half bug. It looks like a beetle standing erect like a man. Godling’s hands are wrapped around two spindly legs that the creature uses like hands.

“I don’t know what you are or where you came from, but you will pay for killing those construction workers,” Godling says.

Five cops stand close to them, weapons in hand.

One of them is Officer Janson, “Can’t get a clear shot of that thing. I don’t want to hit Godling.”

The cop next to her says, “Godling can probably take care of this thing on his own.”

Godling kicks the beetle in the abdomen, sending it flying through the air. It crashes against a bulldozer.

Godling summons a lightning bolt with the power of Zeus. The lightning crackles in his hand. The beetle gets up and flies towards Godling. Godling throws the lightning bolt, but the beetle manages to avoid it. The bolt hits the bulldozer instead which erupts in flame.

“Crap, now we’ve got a fire as well!” Janson says.

The beetle has reached Godling and get its claws on him, mandible snapping at the hero’s neck. Godling headbutts it, using the strength of Heracles. The armored head of the beetle cracks, the pain making him release Godling. Then Godling grabs a wing and swings the beetle around, letting go… And the beetle flies right into the burning bulldozer. Only a cadaver remains.

Janson winces. “Fried insect, nice…”

“What the hell was that thing, anyway?” the other cop wonders.

“I don’t know. Never seen anything like it…” Godling says, scratching his head.

“Maybe one of Master Destiny’s creations we hadn’t locked up yet?” Janson suggests.

“Might be. But it seemed a bit too alien for that. Maybe that’s what it was. Of alien origin. Captain Wrakk’s attack showed us we’re not the only ones in this galaxy.”

“Yeah, I guess. So now what?”

“It might be good to investigate this thing further. I’m going to take it to Tesla City. There’s some kind of superbrain living there who might have an idea what that thing was.”

“I heard of him. Doctor Proton, right? He’s also a bit of a superhero, right?”

“According to the news. He recently took care of some of our supervillains that thought Tesla City would be an easier prey than New Troy. Apparently they hadn’t heard of Doctor Proton yet.”

“I think it must be cool for you to see how you inspire all those other folks to put on a costume and try to do some good.”

“It feels a bit weird, to be honest,” Godling says. He knows the Greek gods are happy about it, though. Inspiring people is what they want him to do, hoping it will make more people worship them again.

 

*

Doctor Proton and Detective Simpson exit the VTOL, parked in front of the house of the murder victims. There’s still some remnants of crime scene tape.

They enter the house. Doctor Proton is carrying some kind of scanner.

“What’s that you’re holding?” Simpson asks him.

Proton looks up from his device. “It scans for all kinds of stuff. Radiation, energy sources. In fact it is picking up some unknown kind of radiation.”

“Wait… Is it dangerous. I don’t want my hair to fall out!”

“You can relax. It’s not strong enough. A regular Geiger counter wouldn’t even pick it up. I’ve never seen its particular wavelength before, however. That’s odd.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, for lack of a better term… It seems to be alien.”

“Crap! No kidding.”

The floorboards suddenly break and from underneath the same beetle-like creature Godling fought pops up.

“You figure that’s alien too?” Simpson asks, distressed.

“It might be,” Proton says and barely manages to avoid the beetle’s claw that slashes at him, smashing a chair in the process. “Let’s call in the cavalry.”

Doctor Proton uses his superhuman ability to split himself up in smaller copies of himself. More and more appear until there hundreds of him, the size of a mouse. The Protons surround the beetle.

“Time for some pest-control,” the hero says.

 

TO BE CONTINUED….

Hope you enjoyed the first issue of this new series. It is partly based on the Invincible Universe and partly on Marvel Team-Up and gives me the chance to show more of Godling's world and introduce some new heroes.

 

GODLING # 23: Scorpion God

GODLING # 23: Scorpion God

– GODLING – THE ONE MAN PANTHEON: SCORPION GOD


Six men stand around a dark being in an old warehouse. They wear robes
and carry scimitars.
The dark being has a human shape but with a long scorpion tail. A
better look shows it is made up entirely from living scorpions,
skittering around
"Who has summoned me here?" the being asks.
"Scorpion God, we are the Scorpion Cult and have been worshipping you
for years," one of the men speaks. "My name is Jeremiah."
"Why did you summon me?" Scorpion God's voice rumbled.
"We want you to rule this city and after that this country, then the
planet, creating the chaos needed to rebuild it."
"Where do I start?"
"I think you need to establish your reputation first. I have a great
opportunity tonight for you to create the carnage necessary to make
the people of this city to bow for you."

*

The Troy Coliseum is the place to see new bands in New Troy. Tonight
The Cash headlines. They are on stage, clad in leather jackets and
Johnny Cash shirts, playing their instruments.
There's a pretty big audience. Among the audience are officer Janson
and professor Quentin Alexander. She is wearing a Johnny Cash T-shirt
and jeans. Quentin is wearing slacks and a short-sleeved shirt.
"Aren't they great?" Janson says to Quentin.
"They're a lot louder than Johnny," Quentin says.
"Yeah, that's why they're a punk band. Can I get you another Coke?"
"I'll get it. You want another beer?"
"Would love to," Janson says and holds up an empty bottle.
Quentin walks over to the bar, thinking, "What great girl. Such a
lively spirit. And I must say she looks pretty good in those jeans.
She's almost as attractive as Monica. Maybe I really shouldn't..."
His thoughts are interrupted when one of the walls breaks down and
Scorpion God gets on stage. Panic breaks out, people start to run
everywhere.
Scorpion God impales the guitarist of the band on his tail and breaks
the singer's neck with his hands.
Quentin uses the confusion to change in Godling, thinking "I don't
know what that thing is, but I need to stop it, fast!"
Janson grabs her cell phone and calls the police, screaming, "There's
a monster at the Coliseum. Sent a SWAT team, fast!"
Scorpion God leaves the entire band bleeding on stage and walks into
the audience. His tail and fists has the blood and even body parts
flying. Janson throws a bottle at him, but that just breaks without
hurting him. He focuses his attention on her now, however, walking
straight to her.
She gulps.
He grabs her with his tail and lifts her from the floor. Godling
rushes over, hitting Scorpion God in the side. Scorpion God drops
Janson.
"Who are you? I felt that," he says to Godling.
"I am Godling, protector of this city."
"I am Scorpion God and will be your DOOM!" Scorpion God says and
swings his tail at our hero. He holds up his arms to ward off the
blow, but it is so powerful it still sends him flying through the
room, first knocking over people in the audience, then ending up
knocking over bottles behind the bar.
Winded, he gets up. Blood is coming from his mouth. "I do not know
from what pit of hell you came from, but I am sending you back!"
"Try," Scorpion God says and moves towards Godling, throwing members
of the audience left and right to clear a path.
Godling tears out the bar and hits Scorpion God with it. The blow
makes the little scorpions skitter away from each other, temporarily
breaking up Scorpion God's body. Like a madman Godling uses the speed
of Hermes to crush the scorpions under his feet. He yelps as one of
the scorpions stings him, slowing him down.
He has to use the power of Asclepius to take care of the poison. Since
he can only use one superpower at the same time he can't use his
speed. That enables the scorpions to gather again and form a slightly
smaller version of Scorpion God.
"You cannot defeat me!" Scorpion God says and takes a swing with his
tail. Godling grabs the tail and swings Scorpion God against the roof,
using the strength of Heracles. The roof cracks, but stays intact.
Scorpion God falls apart once more.
Channelling Hephaestus Godling sets the scorpions afire, burning them
to crisps.
At that moment Wade Hudson walks in, accompanied by his SWAT-team. He
is shocked by the carnage he encounters.
"Call in the paramedics, your services are not needed anymore,"
Godling says and runs off.
"Good Lord, what happened over here?" Tyler says.
"It was terrible," Janson says. "That monster just appeared on stage
and started slaughtering people out of nowhere. If it hadn't been for
Godling..."
"Yeah, yeah," Wade cuts her off. "He's friggin' great. It's just that
this thing is another in a long line of freaky things to appear in
this place since his first appearance. I'm starting to wonder..."
Quentin walks to Janson. She runs towards him and gives him a big hug.
"You're all right! Thank God, I was so worried."
Their eyes lock, lips move closer and they kiss.
"Well, what do you know," Wade says. "And here I was thinking our
professor didn't like girls."

*

On the street, in front of the Coliseum Jeremiah stands, in his robe.
He muses, "The omelette has been made, too bad about the eggs. What
needed to happen has happened." He pulls off his hood, showing the
face of Godling, wearing an eye patch underneath.
His image starts to shimmer and then he's gone.


NEXT: THE COALITION OF DOOM!

GODLING # 22: Round ‘em up!

GODLING # 22: Round ‘em up!
by J. Vandersteen
– GODLING – THE ONE MAN PANTHEON: ROUND ‘EM UP!


The supervillain called Nuclear Warrior, clad in a red and yellow
costume with a radiation symbol on it, flies through the sky,
manoeuvring between the tall skyscrapers of New Troy. Godling is
following him, using Perseus’ power of flight.
I’m not going to let him get away, Godling thinks. There’s too many of
Master Destiny’s thugs that escaped (last issue, ed.) for me to let
any one of them get away when I see one.
Suddenly, Nuclear Warrior turns around and blasts Godling who just in
time manages to channel the invulnerability of Achilles. The power of
the blast smacks him right through a building.
He ends up on a desk of a very full office. There’s a lot of panic
among the office workers. Nuclear Warrior flies into the office
through the hole the hero left. Godling gets up, just in time to avoid
one of the supervillain’s blasts.
Using the power of sun god Apollo he blinds the villain with a bright
blast of light. He follows that up with a roundhouse right, using the
strength of Heracles. Nuclear Warrior is knocked out.
“All right people, everything is in control. No need to worry. I’ll
come by later to repair the damage,” Godling said to the office
workers. There was a moment of pause and doubt, but finally he was
rewarded with applause. The people of New Troy had all been witness of
how Godling freed the city from Master Destiny.
Godling picks up the villain and flies off.

*
DA Linda Cooper is giving her opening statement to the judge when all
hell breaks loose.. On trial is the supervillain called Mr. Gator,
half human, half alligator. The villain suddenly rises from his chair
and attacks her. Luckily, there’s extra security there and they all
jump on the villain, prying her off the DA. He knocks them off his
body however and runs for the exit. Guns are fired at him, but his
scaly hide is not penetrated by the bullets and he walks out of the
Court Building.
Just as he leaves, Wade Hudson gets out of his car and spots him.
Without hesitation he gets back in his car and drives into Mr. Gator.
Wide eyed the villain sees the car coming but he’s too late to avoid
it and ends up on it’s hood, uncounscious.
Hudson gets out, 9mm handgun aimed at the villain.
Linda Coopers exclaims, “My God! Haven’t you ever heard of excessive
force?”
Hudson says, “That only works for normal perps. These superpowered
crazies need excessive force. In fact, did you ever wonder how we’re
going to keep these thugs from breaking out of the Court Room?”
“Maybe we should ask Godling for help?” Cooper offers.
Hudson crosses his arms defiantly. “Are we going to keep turning to
that showboat for help? Isn’t it time we started to fend for
ourselves? What if something happens to him? We need to be able to
fight back against these crazies. Without Godling.”

*
Godling lands at Tartarus II, the prison he made with the power of the
Spear of Destiny, Nuclear Warrior in his arms. The gates open and he
is greeted by one of the robotic guards, one of the New
Hekatoncheires.
“New delivery,” Godling tells it.
“I will take care of it,” say the robot and takes Nuclear Warrior out
of the hero’s arms with its tentacles.
“I will pick him up when he’s ready to go to trial.”
“Affirmative.”
The robot carried the villain further inside. Tartarus II was filled
with cells that were able to deal with the many superpowered thugs
captured when Master Destiny was arrested. There were bars made from
mythical steel, and some cells were filled with water, others with
fire. There was no escape possible.
Godling felt a little bad about what he had used his powers for.
Imprisoning people seemed wrong to him, even if it were all criminals.
It was the only way to keep New Troy safe from them however.
Godling flew off.
*
Master Destiny was sitting in a normal prison cell, in New Troy’s
regular prison. After all, without the Spear of Destiny he was just a
regular human being.
There was a doctor with him. Master Destiny looks about about ninety
years old.
There’s also a guard with the doctor, saying, “I don’t get it. When he
came in hear he looked to be about forty years old.”
“I can’t help you. I’ve never seen anything like this,” the doctor
says.
Destiny says, softly, “The Spear kept me from aging, without it I’m
slowly aging again. I will die in this cell. I swear however, death
will not be the end of me!”
His eyes closed.
“He’s dead,” the doctor says.
“What was that stuff about death being not the end?” the guard says.
“It creeped me out.”
“Ramblings of a dying man,” the doctor says.
They don’t notice the strange shadow on the wall. The shadow that
seems to be the shape of a devil. It’s there just briefly and gone in
seconds.
*
Godling lands at the Coffee Pit, one of New Troy’s coffee bars. As
soon as he’s landed he changes into professor Quentin Alexander and
walks in.
Officer Janson is already waiting for him at a table. She is out of
uniform, her hair loose, wearing a tank top and a skirt. She looks
sexy.
“Hi,” Quentin says. “Finally, the cup of coffee we planned on having.”
“Yeah, my sick leave gives me the free time to catch up on my social
life,” Janson says.
Quentin sits down. “How are you doing?”
“Well, okay I guess. The department issued Darlene and me some pretty
good shrinks. Although Darlene seems to have little need for one.
She’s already back on duty, taking out her anger on the bad guys.”
“It must have been terrible for you, to be so helpless against Master
Destiny.”
“It could’ve been a whole lot worse if it wasn’t for Godling. But
enough about that. Let’s leave it at the fact I’m feeling better by
the day and hopefully will be back on the job soon. I want to get to
know you a little bit better.”
“Same here,” Quentin says with a smile. “I’m afraid I’m not as
interesting a person as, say, Godling.”
“I doubt that. Tell me, did you always want to become a teacher?”
“Not exactly. I’ve always been interested in mythology however. Not
much to do with an interest like that but become a teacher. What about
you? Did you always want to be a cop?”
“Ever since my sister got killed.”
“Your sister got killed? That’s awful!”
“I was just a kid, ten years old. She was just an innocent bystander,
killed in a drive-by shooting. Since then I guess I felt the desire to
protect people. I didn’t want other kids to go through what I went
through.”
“Doesn’t sound like an easy childhood,” Quentin says.
“Yours was eve worse. I don’t feel at ease with you feeling sorry for
my past.” She was probably talking about the death of Quentin’s own
parents and the fact his brother was in jail.
Quentin sighs. “Let’s just say we both have some baggage to carry
along. But let’s talk about nicer things, get to know each other a bit
better on another level. Like, what sort of music do you like?”
“I love folk punk. Street Dogs, Dropkick Murphy’s, Flogging Molly,”
Janson says.
Quentin gives her a blank look. “I have absolutely never heard of
them. I’m more of a Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash lover myself.” That was
probably the age difference talking there, Quentin thought.
“I love Cash! Especially the American Recordings. In fact, there’s
this Cash-tribute band playing tomorrow night, right here in New Troy.
Would you like to go there with me?”
Quentin smiles a big smile. “I’d love to.”
“Great!” Janson exclaims and gives Quentin a quick peck on the cheek.
“Hi,” someone says at that moment. It’s Monica Sawyer, she’s just
walked in.
“Monica!” Quentin says and thinks, I almost feel like she caught me
cheating on her or something, how stupid is that?
“Hello miss Sawyer,” Janson says.
“I just felt an urgent need for some frappacino,” Monica says. “I
didn’t know you two were seeing each other.”
“Well, it’s not that exactly… I mean, I --,” Quentin stammers.
“He means today is the first day we’ve been seeing each other without
me handcuffing him,” Janson says.
“Kinky,” Monica says.
Quentin and Janson both get very red.
Here I am with this lovely young woman and Monica walks in and
suddenly I can’t think about how good Monica smells, how great her
smile is, Quentin thinks.

*
At the other side of the city, in an abandoned building six men in
dark robes stand in a circle. Above their heads they hold gold swords
as they chant. “Ikway-chai-da-way. Ikway-chai-da-way. Ikway-chai-da.”
From a dark hole in the middle of the circle a giant scorpion tail
slowly appears.
“Welcome, Scorpion God,” one of the men in robes says. “We welcome you
to our dimension which we offer for you to take. Soon, Earth will be
yours.”

NEXT: SCORPION GOD!