Chapter One: Sorcerer of the Golden Eye
Three thousand years ago, in the age of the Golden Sun of the Desert, slaves toiled the vast deserts of Alexandria, constructing the final piece of the tomb which their Pharaoh would be laid, in the coming of ten years. Tuma-totep Khufu, Pharaoh of the Infinite Sands, sat on his throne, sculpted out of the best gold and gems in the land of Egypt. His servant maids poured him a cup of rich ambrosia, that which he shared with his courtesan, his vizier. His wife, the beautiful Chay'Ara, laid her head on him, smiling wryly.
"Greetings, noble one," she said, purring like the cat goddess Bast. "I hope you a thousand pleasures in your life. For a high priest." Pharaoh Khufu heard not the voice of his wife and turned to Nabu. Nefertiri, the head maidservant of Empress Chay'Ara, gleamed slightly at Nabu, playing coyly with her amulet, that which was shaped like the head of the Jackal God Anubis. The old man shuddered, and she turned away, disappearing into the maiden's quarters.
"So it has come, Nabu. The construction of my pyramid, southern tip facing Giza," he said, taking a sip. "It will be not long for you as well, my dearest of old friends?"
"Yes, he who is omnipotent," Nabu's hair and beard where as white as the moon the jackals howl at night, for he was one of the elder high priests of Ra, whose chariot rode him and his pharaoh to prosperity. "I too shall pass, my pharaoh. Within one or two weeks, I shall pass on to the arms of Horus, whose book of life has given birth to me as well."
Then there were no words between them. Khufu sighed, and watched the slaves labor under the heat of the sun. The light was blinding, as they laid to rest by the guards. Children were in misery, mothers were in pain. " . . . my sorcerer, you have been faithful to me. Consult Ammon-Ra about the address of my people and the Jewish slaves, for I fear we push them harshly."
The wise Nabu stood and bowed before the Pharaoh. "My lord, your words are the wind that brings the storm of sands. It shall be done." And with that, he stepped backwards, disappearing into the darkness of the palace walls.
In the still darkness of the night, Nabu the wise prayed on the altar of the almighty Ammon-Ra, whose statue rose forty feet from the ground, embedded in the finest gold. Yet, no bandit dared steal the statue, if not inducting the curse of the golden eye of the god. He who calls my eye for my protection from his grave shall receive life. He who takes my eye for their protection from his home shall receive death.
Nabu, like the other high priests, knew not to touch the statue or the eye medallion, for it brought him fear. Yet, a voice called him in his prayers, a voice telling to take the golden eye . . .
"Hello, Nabu, the wise sorcerer of my king," she said from behind him, whispering in his ears. Nabu backed away, as he was surprised that Nefertiri, the pharaoh's maidservant would be there before him. "It is you, the traitor of Lord Khufu."
Nefertiri smiled, and placed her hand on the metal dagger on her hand. "You know my secret, oh wise one."
"I know you too well," the sorcerer said, turning his back at the sight of her face. The seductive one laughed, as echoes surrounded the wide space that was for the Lord Ammon-Ra. "Yes, you saw the amulet. The emperor does not know its power, doesn't he, Nabu? Or what will become of his palace that is Alexandria once the hordes of Anubis have been summoned?"
"Silence, witch. I will tell now. I will tell Lord Khufu of the evil you have--"
Nabu turned to face her, only to be silence by the slash of the knife, the blazing malice in Nefertiri's eyes. "Sail your ship to the afterlife, Nabu," she said, wiping her hands of the blood. Throwing the knife into the stream of water that flowed from the tip of the walls of the temple. The water began to flow, bubbling from the knife red blood. Nabu's eyes began to shudder, as the light of the temple began to grow dim.
Now, more than ever, the voice in his mind called for him, beckoning him to take the golden eye. "A-m . . .mon Ra . . . " Nabu uttered, as his breath slowly drew out of his body. Suddenly, the medallion of the golden eye began to move, suddenly levitating towards the dead body of Nabu.
"L-lor . . . d . . . Sun--G . . . od . . . .Ra . . . "
Slowly, the medallion sank its way through the flesh of his hand, clasping onto forever. The voice then became nearer, calling Nabu even more than ever, his soul was trying to reach it. Suddenly, it spoke in words he could understand, and gave him a new life.
On the eve of his death, Nabu's eyes grew wide open, as he held a golden helm in his hands, and a sacred breastplate on his chest. He waved his hand one more time to check, and found that the golden eye was his.
It had given him life.
A drifting in soul in a shell of emptiness, the body's eye twitched, sensing the evil from within the palace walls. He already saw from within his mind, the future of eternal darkness, if Nefertiri were to gain the power of the Anubis Amulet. "So, it has been sealed," he said, as he placed the golden helm on his head. "By the might of Horus and Ammon-Ra, may the spirits of my ancestors protect me from the Dark God himself."
Suddenly, in a flash of white light, Nabu, and everything that was him, was gone.
Three months later . . .
"Curse the sons of Set . . . what is this?" Chay'Ara stared down from her balcony and watched, the palace fountains began to overflow with the wine from the storage, as the pharaoh hounds lapped on its nourishment. Suddenly, they burst into a million tiny gnats, leaving only pieces of their skeleton on the brick ground. The empress screamed, and rushed down the corridor, as the gnats followed her quickly. She pushed through her wooden door, and slammed it shut, vying to escape the thousand screams of hunger. "What sort of magic is this?" Quickly, she pulled her amulets, and placed them on her. They lit up dimly, as the faint power surged through the room.
"My lord . . . ," she muttered, as she took a few steps back. Suddenly, the creak of the table startled her, as a figure in shadow appeared from behind her. Chay'Ara screamed, as the whole palace was suddenly whisked into a tremendous sandstorm, and disappeared from its place.
"So it is done," Nefertiri proclaimed, as she placed the Book of the Dark God on the stone altar she had prepared. Chay'Ara opened her eyes, and found herself within an abandoned temple destroyed by the falling rocks a year ago. A jackal-like being brought her down on her knees, as he passed the golden gourd in his hands to Nefertiri. "No longer will I be the slave of your lifetime, for Anubis has given me his power and protection . . . and the world will be brought into my hands!"
Lifting the golden gourd up, Nefertiri's amulet began to shift in form, like an omnipotent wave of destruction was turning. "Already, I have the palace in my hands . . . and the lovely wife of Lord Khufu."
"May you be brought a thousand lashes in the afterlife, Nefertiri," Chay'Ara yelled at her, trying to maintain a calm attitude. "For it is your soul you forfeited, in this game with the Dark Son himself!" Chay'Ara screamed, as the jackal-creature brought down a whiplash on her back. Howling in pain, Chay'Ara rolled over, breathing heavily.
"Yours will be a thousand deaths, for Anubis will rule this sphere."
Nefertiri closed her eyes, as the Book of the Dark God began to flip its pages, and the words became life, already a shadow that will overcome and consume the city of Alexandria.
Lord Khufu saddled his horse, for it was only a few dunes away til they reached the City Walls. "Ansolep-tumen . . . what is that?" he asked, as the dark clouds, darker than the blackest night, rolled over the skies, and the sound of fire crackled through the night. Ansolep-tumen, the captain of the guards, was silenced, for when he advanced forward beyond the dunes, he saw his world destroyed.
"Alexandria, my lord . . . it is being destroyed by something . . . "
Nervously, Lord Khufu brought himself up to pace with Ansolep-tumen, and saw the fires from the City Walls. They were shadowy figures, and the howling of jackals were endless. "Indeed, it seems to be a horde . . . "
"A horde of jackals, oh great one?" Khufu wavered his hand, as the shiny gauntlet of the Hawk God Horus burst in brilliant light. "To battle, then! Alexandria is at the heel of the Dark One himself! For Horus!"
As the battle cries of the soldiers escalated, the jackals could not but overheard their hearts running cold. Nabu, watching from top of the Library of Alexandria, the highest point of the city, set up the golden staff in which the light of the moon was reflected, and waited silently, chanting the forbidden language of the pyramids. Suddenly, beneath the feet of man and creature alike, the sands began to shift, slowly forming itself into the eye of Horus. "The lord of the dark mist has done his job well," Nabu muttered to the wind. Suddenly, through the golden staff, the light of the moon shimmered down across the air of battle, and landed on the center of the eye. "He who is the sun watcher, the rider of the golden chariot, awaken! Ammon-Ra be praised!"
Then, an explosion. The jackal beings deterred, as the sands began to quake, crashing like a tidal wave. For they were returning to the dust, as Nabu focused the staff onto the eye. "By the words of Osiris, behold!" Lord Khufu's stallion stopped in its tracks, as the walls of Alexandria burst, jackal beings heading towards them.
"Do what must, men!" He raised his machete, and cried a battle cry to as worlds collided.
Nabu stood before the near-fallen city and sighed. "My work here is nearly done," he whispered to the wind.
"Your sacrifice is indeed noble, Lady Chay'Ara," Nefertiri purred, as her bodyguards placed the empress on the stone altar, chained. "You will be the first meal my lord Anubis shall have."
Opening the Book of the Dark God once more, Nefertiri closed her eyes, and began muttering in the words of her god. The temple walls quaked with anxiety, for evil was truly abound. The shadows of Anubis loomed closer, waiting for true release. Then, Nefertiri let out a scream of agony, as the sacred Book shut instantly on her fingers.
"What sort of magic is this?!?!" Backing away, Nefertiri watched as her bodyguards dissolved into the sands, and the stone altar break into pieces, freeing Chay'Ara. "So, Nefertiri, your world is about to end," she muttered, as the columns began to collapse. Nefertiri then placed her hands on her face, only to realize that boils were beginning to form across her body. Screaming, she backed against a tar pit, only to fall into its embrace. As the quake continued, the ceiling began to collapse. Lady Chay'Ara closed her eyes, praying to her gods that she wouldn't die. Suddenly, the shaking ceased, and she found herself in the arms of Nabu.
"It is I, my empress, who has exacted the vengeance that of ten thousand whiplashes," Nabu said, holding onto the amulet of Anubis. "I believe this was Nefertiri's. The dark power still lurks within its grasp."
"Nabu . . . ? Why are you alive?"
Nabu the wise lifted his helm and placed it into Chay'Ara's hands. "Because I was given the power over fate, yet I am fated to save you."
"I do not know . . . "
"A gift, my lady. Fare thee well, for my body shall return to where it belongs . . . to my tomb in the temple of Karnak." Nabu's eyes glinted, and he disappeared, leaving Lady Chay'Ara in her palace, in the middle of Alexandria.
Dumbfounded, she stared outside, as her love, Lord Khufu, sifted through the flames and destruction. The Pharaoh turned to her and smiled, for he knew fate was kind to him for saving his beloved, yet unaware that it was that he was kind to fate itself.
Chapter Two: The Birth of Fate
1935: The Sahara Desert, near Cairo.
The legendary adventurer Doc Savage was present at an expedition by the American OSS. An expedition to find a lost previous expedition. They were all staring at a tunnel into the sand.
"This is insane!" one of the agents, Muldoon, said. "The cameras and the radar equipment all say that there's nothing there. But I see a tunnel!"
"What do you think, Dr. Savage?" the other agent, Sully, asked. "This stuff is your department."
Savage studied the tunnel entrance. "My instruments say the same as yours. That the tunnel isn't there."
"So what do we do?" Sully asked.
"Since our equipment can't tell us anything, I suggest that our only option is to go inside," Savage said. "I believe that there's a good chance that the answer to the disappearance of Professor Nelson's party is down there."
The two agents looked at each other and then agreed. Savage led them into the tunnel. They walked down for a long time. Finally, they came to a grand, shining city, deep under the sands of the desert. The three men stared.
"What is this place?" Muldoon asked.
"I don't know for sure," Savage said. "But it's disturbingly like the entrance to the legendary underground city, famed in many a story."
"You lost me," Sully said.
"Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote about the underground city of Palusidar. Jules Verne wrote about a journey to a city at the center of the Earth. Edward Bulwer Lytton wrote something similar. Legends about underground cities are not new."
"So you think they might be based in fact?" Muldoon asked.
"Perhaps," Savage said. "This does seem to lend credibility to it."
"So, Professor Nelson and his party may be down here," Muldoon suggested.
"If they're alive!" Sully said.
"We're debating in a vacuum," Savage said. "Let's go find some answers."
The men moved further into the city. There didn't seem to be anyone around.
"The architecture is vaguely Egyptian," Savage said.
They continued to search. Eventually, they found a structure with hieroglyphic writing. Savage studied it and reacted with surprise.
"You can read it?" Sully asked.
Savage nodded. "It's of an ancient Egyptian style I'm familiar with. It says 'This is the tomb of Nabu, Mystic protector of the Empire'."
"Who's Nabu?" Muldoon asked.
"A legendary sorcerer. The Egyptian equivalent of Merlin. He supposedly advised the Pharaoh Khufu during a period of reform in the empire. He vanished into legend over 3,000 years ago. His existence has never been proven. Like Merlin, most people thought he was a myth, a metaphor. Professor Nelson spent years trying to prove that it did, indeed, exist. It was his obsession. This is the first evidence that he was a flesh and blood person. It's an incredible find!"
"It's been opened," Sully said.
"Yes," Savage responded. "It appears that Professor Nelson found his Holy Grail before . . . before whatever happened to him."
Savage went inside. He found the empty tomb. And some bodies! "Come have a look at this!"
The agents came in. Savage examined the corpses. They seemed to be both burned and mummified in some strange way. Some of them had names sewn onto their clothes. "This is Professor Nelson. The other five would no doubt be his party. Their quest came to an end in sight of their goals."
"So that's it then," Muldoon said. "A sad ending. Well, the chief told us to find out what happened to the Nelson party and what, if anything, they discovered. I guess this ends it."
"Still, he'll be excited about the discovery of an underground city," Sully said. "We'd better get as many pictures as we can. The Egyptian officials may not let us get back in here once they find out it exists."
Savage looked around. "Where's the boy?"
"What boy?"
"Nelson brought his ten-year-old son Kent along with him. His body isn't here? So what happened to him?"
"I guess we should look around some more," Sully suggested.
They looked around. "What do you suppose this place is?" Muldoon asked.
"I remember reading an Egyptian legend once about an immortal Pharaoh called the Savage one. He was rumored to have great scientific knowledge. He supposedly built himself an underground fortress, with all the luxuries that a king would want. I believe this Pharaoh was an ageless enemy I've fought before known as Vandal Savage. After Savage was driven out of Egypt, the secret of the city was lost. Perhaps Nabu really was magical and somehow learned about the city's existence. He may have ordered his servants to bury him down here when he died. That's why no one could ever find any trace of him. Professor Nelson may have been the first to discover this place."
"Very good," a booming voice said. "How clever you are. But your cleverness has doomed you!"
They three men looked and saw a robed figure hovering in the air. His face was a skull. "I am the guardian of this sacred city. Only one person is allowed to enter here. All others must die!"
The two agents started shooting at it. "No, don't!" Savage shouted. ‘It won't help! You have to run . . . "
But his warning came too late. The skull headed guardian dived at the agents. As soon as he laid hands on them, their skin instantly ignited. They shriveled up, as if they had been mummified. They collapsed, dead.
It struck Savage that there was no way that Kent Nelson, a ten-year-old boy, could have evaded this creature. So why was the boy's body not here? The only logical reason was that the guardian had let him live. But he said 'only one person' could enter this city. That led to only one conclusion.
The Guardian tried to touch Savage, but didn't take into account Savage's abnormal speed and agility. He evaded the guardian's touch several times. "So," Savage began, "this 'one person' who is allowed into your city. I take it that Kent Nelson was the one."
"We awaited his coming for centuries. We manipulated his family line, culminating in his father's obsessive interest in finding Nabu. He was not chosen by chance. Kent Nelson was meant to come here. He is the one!"
Savage dived to avoid the touch of the guardian. The guardian unleashed a powerful mystic bolt. Savage dived again, rolled to his feet and ran for cover. "Where is he?" Savage asked as he fled.
"That is not your affair, mortal. Kent Nelson is ours now. You must not be allowed to tell anyone of our existence. You must die!"
Elsewhere in the underground city, a 26-year-old man named Kent Nelson watched the scene of the battle via a crystal ball. He was concerned. ‘Master Nabu!" he called. "Master, I must see you."
Nearby him lay a golden helmet. Suddenly, the helmet filled with mystical energy and floated into the air. This was the essence of Nabu.
"What do you wish of your master, Kent Nelson?" the essence of Nabu asked.
"Are you aware of what is occurring?" Kent asked.
"Of course," Nabu answered.
"I recognize this man," Kent said. "I've seen him in the crystal ball. He is Doctor Clark Savage."
"Yes, he is."
"We cannot allow him to be killed," Kent said. "You showed me his image before as an example of what heroism is. You said yourself that he is a vital part of the war between good and evil. We cannot just let the Guardian kill him."
"His death will be unfortunate," Nabu said, "but necessary. No one must know of this place. People would come and interfere with your training. Enemies would come and try to kill you before you are prepared. You must be ready to fight the forces of chaos when the prophesied war comes."
"I've been training here for sixteen years, Master Nabu. Maybe my training here has come to an end. Maybe the next step of my training should be done in the outside world."
"You dare to question my training methods, Kent Nelson?" Nabu roared. "I know what needs to be done."
"I do not question you, Master. I only suggest that maybe I am more ready than you suspect."
‘If you go outside this city, the Lords of Chaos may discover your existence. They will try to eliminate you. I do not know if you are completely prepared to battle them yet. It may take another year or two."
"But when I put on the Helmet of Nabu, our minds are combined. We become a hybrid personality. You have as much control as I do. And you are certainly ready."
"Our training tells me that you still have a tendency to try to be - what do the mortals say - 'Hands on'. You still try to fight your own battles. You have not yet learned to fully give in to my dominance during battle. If you insist on doing the spells yourself, you must be flawless at the execution."
"Very well, Master," Kent said. "I will do what you want. I will give up control. I will allow you mastery of our form when we battle."
"I am not certain that you can do that," Nabu said.
"Try me," Kent said. "Test me now!"
"Very well, Kent Nelson. Put on the helmet. Once again, we shall become . . . Fate!"
Doc Savage was still trying to evade the Guardian, hoping to find a weakness that he could exploit. He was surprised when another figure appeared. This one wore a golden helmet, as well as a golden cloak and amulet. He floated in the air. There was an air of majesty about him.
"Hold, Guardian!" the man in the helmet commanded. "Heed the words of Fate!"
"Is it time, then?" the Guardian said.
"Yes, Guardian. Test me. Hold nothing back. Try and kill me!"
The Guardian unleashed a torrent of mystic energy at the helmeted man called Fate. Fate easily blocked the assault with his mystic defenses. He retaliated and hit the Guardian with a formidable arsenal of magic. The skull headed Guardian screamed and exploded into nothingness.
"At last!" the man called Fate said. "We are ready. We are prepared for battle. We can now do what we have long prepared to do. We are now the Avatar of the Lords of Order. We are now . . . Dr. Fate!"
Doc Savage was watching all this curiously. "Dr. Fate, is it? Or is it Kent Nelson?"
Dr. Fate landed in front of Doc Savage. "We are both. We are neither. I am more than you can know. Call me life. Call me death. Call me man, and more than a man. I am justice. I am order. I am Fate! Dr. Fate."
"I see," Savage said. "You have obviously been prepared by some mystic beings to be a mystical weapon against some expected magical foe. But you were once Kent Nelson."
"That does not matter, Dr. Savage."
"You realize that these . . . these beings who have kept you here and forced you to serve them, killed your father."
"There are things that need to be done, Dr. Savage. Unpleasant things."
"And the ends justify the means?"
"To a certain point," Fate responded.
"And what determines that 'point'?"
"Fate does."
"I can see that we are going to get nowhere in this argument. I am leaving, unless you intend to kill me too," Savage said.
"No. You are a great hero. I respect you. Leave in peace."
"It's too bad the people who came with me can't leave as well" Savage said. "But they're dead."
"I am sorry. I cannot undo what has been done. Just know that it was done in the service of a greater goal."
"And if I choose to tell people of this place?" Savage asked.
"This place will soon no longer exist," Fate said. "As soon as I live, it will be wiped from reality, as if it never existed."
"And what of you, Dr. Fate? Where will you go? What will you do now?"
"I am now the champion of order. I will go where I am needed. I will preserve order. And now, go Clark Savage. Goodbye."
"Very well. Goodbye, Dr. Fate. I hope that in the future your judgments will be better than what I have seen so far. I hope that the human heart and soul of Kent Nelson tempers the heartless logic of your inhuman masters. Because justice requires compassion. And without even a small dose of it, you will lack the good judgment to be a representative of order. Be a protector second, and a human first."
Doc Savage exited the city. Dr. Fate took a last look around at the place which had been his home for over a decade. He cast a spell. The place started to fade, as if it never existed. Dr. Fate vanished as well.
Dr. Fate flew over Salem, Massachusetts, heading for a specific dwelling. He finally landed in front of a small tower. An elderly man in priest robes came out. "I have been awaiting you all these years, great Nabu. I have maintained the dwelling that will now be your home. I have collected hundreds of mystic artifacts over the years. They are at your disposal. I wish you success, my lord. And now, I go."
"Where will you go, faithful one?" Fate asked.
"It is finally my time to die. I have lived too long. I look forward to the state of being. I am tired of this one. Goodbye, lord Nabu."
The old man strolled off. The man called Dr. Fate, avatar of order, walked into his new home.
Next issue: The Three Swell Guys!