Doctor Fate

Hector Hall used to be Dr. Fate. Now he was just Hector Hall, stranded inside of the Amulet of Anubis and incapable of accessing the forces that granted him the power of Dr. Fate. He had met up with Kent Nelson, the original Dr. Fate who resides inside the Amulet, and the two had planned to become Dr. Fate together. Separately they were unable to undergo the change but together they stood a chance.

As they began their attempts to combine their essences into one, they were interrupted by the most evil being Hector had ever encountered. Mordru the Dark Lord had escaped from his imprisonment and walked unopposed into the Nelson's afterlife residence. Yet to become Dr. Fate, Hector and Kent stood powerless in the empty living room as Mordru made his way inside. Inza Nelson, Kent's beautiful yet equally deceased wife was there as well.

In a gallant show of chivalry, Kent pulled Inza away from Mordru as the Dark Lord looked upon her with malevolent disgust. Hector stood by motionless as Kent got up in Mordru's face.

The Dark Lord was a full foot taller than Kent and infinitely more lethal, but that did not stop the former Dr. Fate from standing his ground.

"You are not welcome here, Dark Lord," Kent stated, never faltering in his confidence. "I suggest that you leave immediately."

Mordru stared down at the man with an unshakeable gaze. After several uncomfortable moments of silence, Mordru burst into laughter.

"I would be entertained by the attempts to prevent me from staying," he said. "The likes of you and your frail wife and the pretender over there would give me little challenge if you so wish to force my exit."

Hector had been called a pretender before by the Dark Lord and it had infuriated him. He walked up to Mordru and grabbed his flowing sash. "What is your business here, Mordru?" he demanded to know. "How did you escape your prison?"

Mordru effortlessly broke Hector's grip on his sash as he removed the hand with utter disdain for the physical contact. "Without that miserable Nabu to keep me at bay, there is nothing to stop me from going where I please. I felt your presence within the amulet and would never pass up the opportunity to irritate you before I take my leave."

Hector backed off a bit. Mordru was going to escape back into the earthly plane and there was little anyone could do about it. With the Dark Lord present among them, there was no way to take the time to initiate the transformation into Dr. Fate. If Hector and the Nelsons were to stop Mordru from escaping the amulet, it would have to be as Hector and the Nelsons.

Hector shook his head. "You're too late," he stated. "My wife is dead and there is little else that you can do to ruin me. Without Lyta I am just a hollow man and without Nabu there can be no Dr. Fate. You have no reason to return to Earth."

Mordru's wicked smile increased to show his perfect teeth. "You are more of a fool than I thought if you believe you need Nabu to become Dr. Fate, pretender," he whispered. "But you'll have to do better than old, dead Kent Nelson."

"I know what's going on in the outside plane, pretender," Mordru continued. "Typhon is beginning his assault on the hidden civilization of Feithera as we speak. The Age of Chaos will soon commence unopposed."

Hector was surprised by the revelation that the Age of Chaos was beginning and he was trapped within the Amulet, both helpless and ignorant to the state of the earthly plane. If chaos took over the world, it would just be another failure to add to his tenure as Dr. Fate. After thinking for a short moment, Hector came to a realization.

"You can't let that happen, Mordru," he said with a hint of a smile. "The Lords of Chaos and their plans from the earthly plane conflict too much with your own vision. You can help Dr. Fate stop it."

"I don't see a Dr. Fate in this room, pretender," Mordru hissed in contempt. "But you are correct. I will not abide to the whims of the Chaos Lords."

"Then help us become Dr. Fate," Hector pleaded of his worst enemy. "Get us out of here and to Feithera. Confront Typhon with Dr. Fate."

"I know of what to do, pitiable Hector," Mordru said. "You will become Dr. Fate if you can catch me."

"Catch you?" Hector asked, confused. "You're right here!"

Mordru went back to his previous malevolent way of laughter. "That is what you believe, pretender," he crowed, "for that is what I wished you to believe."

Hector could only watch as Mordru disappeared from the room. He was never there in the first place. He turned to Kent and Inza. Kent had a huge smile on his face as he walked towards Hector.

"You stood up to the Dark Lord, Hector. You talked him over to our side," he said in congratulations. "We'll need to become Dr. Fate at once and find Mordru."

Hector did not share Kent's feelings of triumph. He knew that an enormous sacrifice would have to be made if he wanted Mordru's assistance. As he looked at Kent and Inza Nelson as they prepared once again for the attempted transformation into Dr. Fate, he knew he did not want them anywhere near the Dark Lord.

"No," Hector stated. "The both of you need to stay away from Mordru. You've already done too much for Nabu and the world. You need to enjoy your eternity now that you have it."

Kent and Inza's expressions turned to that of sorrow. "We know, Hector," Inza stated. "But it doesn't hurt to want to help."

Hector smiled grimly. "Thank you both," he said. "I need to do this alone."

As Hector left the house, Kent and Inza felt that they would never see Hector again.

Outside the house was completely different. Mordru's presence had altered the environment with his madness, shaping the world inside the Amulet into a warped vision of a dark world. The blackened sky rained murky liquids and the leaves of the twisted trees grew in warped patterns around a barren trail. The earthen trail was lit by the purple light that emanated from deformed light posts, leading the way to Mordru.

Ready to face his mortal enemy, Hector Hall set off down the path. He had no idea what was in store for him and was unsure what awaited him once he tracked Mordru down. As the house behind him disappeared from his line of sight, he saw a figure down the trail waiting for him. Too physically small to be Mordru, Hector continued onward with caution.

Hector walked slowly up to the shadowy figure and eventually discovered the person to be an old ally. Although Henry King was dressed in a new costume, he was still recognizable to Hector that Brainwave was waiting for him.

"What are you doing here, Henry?" Hector asked as he smiled at the sight of his old friend. "You're supposed to be on the earthly plane."

"I'm supposed to be in Arkham," Brainwave replied, "as befits my destiny. But I'm not anymore, Hector. They took me from my home and removed my straightjacket."

"Who?" Hector asked. "And why are you here?"

Brainwave smiled. "The Anti-Fate is my new master, Hector, because you did nothing to remove me from my straightjacket. You never helped me when you could and now I'm under the control of Chaos."

Hector was confused. "What are you talking about, Henry? You're not under the control of anyone."

"How simple your mind works, false Fate," Brainwave hissed. "I am at the side of the Anti-Fate now, working through his Medallion and Helm he created from the remains of your old Helm and the flesh of your dead wife. I have been asked to destroy you and the world within the Amulet of Anubis."

"You're a lunatic!" Hector stated. "You can't string together a sentence let alone send your subconscious mind into one of Fate's artifacts! You're only a construct of Mordru's warped scheme, created to throw me off the trail!"

"Think what you like, Hector, but you will be dismantled no matter what you believe is happening."

"Then why don't you shut up and bring it?" Hector asked as he lunged forward to attack.

Mordru stood alone in his featureless prison, surrounded in all-encompassing blankness. He had plotted and schemed against Dr. Fate since his capture and imprisonment and now it seemed that his efforts for his own good were compromised by the actions of the Anti-Fate and the growing influence of Chaos in the mortal realm. He was going to have to do something totally unexpected in order to gain freedom and take earth as his own. He could not sit in captivity while Chaos reigned upon the planet.
"You will not join me, Dark Lord?" a voice said through the darkness. "You do not understand what you are refusing."

Mordru was deadly serious and intensely morose. "I know exactly what I refuse, Stoner," Mordru answered. "I suggest you leave me to my solitude while you can. You have no business existing in my presence."

"My, what an arrogant Dark Lord you are, Mordru," the voice of Dr. Benjamin Stoner said. "Of course you must know that by not joining the Army of Chaos you are agreeing to lie down and die miserably at the hands of Typhon."

"Typhon can try as he wants. He will fall to my feet when he does."

Dr. Stoner's voice began to laugh. "As much as you hate the Lords of Chaos, you are more alike than you may realize. You will be consumed by the Age of Chaos as will this Amulet in which you reside."

Mordru failed to be convinced by Stoner's threats. "I am the Dark Lord, feeble man," he stated. "I am nothing like your Chaos Masters. I surpass them. They will fail in their earthly attempts and I will vanquish them from existence as they lie defeated."

"You're pretty good at taunting, Mordru, but we'll just have to see," Stoner said with a faint laugh. "The Lords of Chaos were never born nor ever will they die, never created and therefore unable to be destroyed. As are you."

"You are wrong about that, Stoner," Mordru declared. "They will die. They will be destroyed. As will you also be destroyed."

"And just how are you going to go about doing that?" Stoner's disembodied voice asked.

"I won't have to do anything, Stoner," Mordru said, cracking a hint of a smirk. "Dr. Fate will do it for me."

Dr. Stoner's voice was silent for several seconds before Mordru spoke again. "Now you will leave," Mordru demanded. Stoner said nothing else as he pulled his essence out of the Dark Lord's prison and was gone. Mordru's plots and schemes were salvageable and with the unforeseen opportunity on its way to his prison, he was soon to gain his freedom.

If there were ever two men more ill suited for hand-to-hand combat, it would be Hector Hall and Henry King. Even before Hector was Dr. Fate he was the Silver Scarab, who flew around and blasted his enemies with solar blasts, avoiding physical contact. As Brainwave, Henry King did not even have to move, let alone punch anyone. Now, the two were fighting each other, former comrades and teammates now on the opposite sides of Balance.

Bereft of any power, Hector swung his arm as hard as he could at Brainwave. Although Brainwave was but a mere psychic manifestation, he was as physically present as if he were actually there. The punch landed on his cheek, spinning him around on his heels. He had never been hit so hard before.

Hector shook the pain out of his fist as Brainwave immediately recovered and attempted to counter Hector's attack. He barreled towards Hector's torso, intent on tackling him. As he was in mid-charge, Hector realized that Brainwave's presence within the Amulet was leaving him unable to use his potent mental abilities. If Brainwave were able to use his powers, Hector would have already been defeated.

Brainwave screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran into Hector's midsection. The force of the charge knocked them both to the ground, where they commence to wrestle around in the dirt. Not trained and certainly not adept at such a scuffle, both men just tried to subdue one another any way they could.

Brainwave was grunting with effort as he tried to ram his thumbs into Hector's eye sockets while Hector was busy whaling away at Brainwave's ribcage. The continued assault on each of them caused them to weaken quickly. Hector pushed Brainwave off of him and rolled a few times to the side to attempt to get to his feet. Brainwave was having trouble breathing from the chest contusions. They both breathed heavily from the physical effort that both of them were so unaccustomed to exerting.

"Why don't you leave me alone?" Hector asked. "You don't want to do this. You can stop any time you want."

Brainwave smiled through his discomfort. "You don't understand, Hector. They freed me. They want to help me get better. They want the whole world to get better."

"No, Henry," Hector contradicted. "The Lords of Chaos are just using you and your brain. You know that. Why are you really doing this?"

Brainwave's demeanor sank. He had been lying. He had no reason to work with the Anti-Fate beyond his one true selfish goal. "They're going to make Jennie love me," he stated. "In the Age of Chaos, Jade will be mine. That is why I'm doing this. That is why I'm going to kill you."

Hector began to cautiously approach Brainwave. "You know that Jennie doesn't love you, Henry," he said. "What you're doing is wrong."

Brainwave stared at the ground in shame. "I know," he admitted. "But I want her so much."

"Then stop this," Hector demanded. "Stop and go back to Arkham. It's not too late for you. You can get better on your own."

Brainwave shook his head negatively. "There's no going back from where I am, Hector," he explained. "It would be best if you did away with me right now. Kill me and get it over with. Put a kink in Stoner's armor. All you have to do is strike me down."

Hector stood a few feet away from Brainwave. He felt sorry for the man he once knew that was now so far away from sanity. He wished he had the time to help him, but more important things were of immediate concern.

"I'm not going to kill you, Henry," Hector said. "But I do you need you to get out of my way."

Brainwave stepped aside. "Go, Hector," he said. "And I apologize in advance for what I will be forced to do when we meet again. I will not be under my own control."

"We'll deal with that as it happens," Hector said as he walked away from Brainwave, down the path that would lead to Mordru. "Thank you, Henry."

"You're welcome," Brainwave replied. "Just don't expect to actually stop us."

Hector refrained from replying as he left Brainwave alone on the path. As Henry King watched his former ally and future adversary shuffle into the distance, he knew one of them would not be coming out of this alive. Having failed in his task to destroy Dr. Fate, Brainwave exited the Amulet and returned to the side of Dr. Stoner, the Anti-Fate.

Distance was relative within the Amulet of Anubis. Once Hector realized that space was not something to concern himself with, he arrived at the enormous ebony bubble that held Mordru as his prisoner. He paused for several minutes to compose himself before he attempted to enter and confront the Dark Lord. He did not want to appear as the neophyte weakling that Mordru had made him out to be.

He tried to enter through the unseen entrance but learned that it was blocked. Something, probably Mordru, was blocking his way. Suddenly, Mordru's voice erupted into Hector's head. The volume was intense and gave Hector an immediate headache.

"Are you ready to stop being a pretender?" Mordru's voice asked. "Are you willing to be Dr. Fate?"

Hector struggled to stay on his feet. As much as he did not want to be Dr. Fate, he knew he needed to be Dr. Fate, not just to save his wife, but to save the world from the Age of Chaos. "Yes, Mordru," he muttered with as much conviction as he could muster. "Now let me in."

"You sound unsure, pretender," Mordru coaxed. His voice was intensifying the pain in Hector's head. Hector swallowed his discomfort and again attempted to enter the prison. His hand passed through the surface of the structure and he immediately felt the cold darkness within. He set aside his fears and entered the prison.

Mordru stood before him, smiling down at Hector as if he was a jealous god and Hector was a mere insect. "I see that you've made it," he said. "Now we may begin."

Hector was now completely without pain. His sudden headache brought about by Mordru's mental projection had disappeared without a trace. He looked at Mordru with extreme disgust. "What do you propose, Mordru?" he asked.

"You've been assuming that you are Dr. Fate for months now, Hector," Mordru started. He rarely called Hector by his name. The use of his proper name as opposed to "pretender" or "False Fate" was something that surprised Hector, which in turn made him realize the seriousness of Mordru's words. "I propose that you finally become Dr. Fate."

Hector did not know what Mordru was insinuating. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Mordru held out his hand. The taunting smile that we sported a majority of the time that he dealt with Hector was now a grim frown of absolute gravity.

"Take my hand, Hector."

Hector Hall knew what he wanted. He had no other options. He reached for Mordru's outstretched hand. Upon contact, nothing was as it was before. In a dark metamorphosis of extraordinary sorcery, Dr. Fate was once again.

As Dr. Fate, Hector stood alone within the now empty prison. He felt unlike he had ever felt before. He knew now what it felt like to be Dr. Fate.

A voice in his Helmet addressed his psyche with a whisper. "There will be no Age of Chaos, Dr. Fate," Mordru said from within the helmet. "We are unstoppable." Remaining silent, Dr. Fate opened a portal within the dark ether. He stepped into it and was transported to the nexus of the upcoming conflict. Feithera, an ancient civilization of humanoid bird people, was falling to ruins at the hands of the Anti-Fate. Dr. Fate had been out of action for too long. It was time for all of this to end.

To Be Continued...

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