Max stood still as the golden-armored guards closed in around him. Their ornate spears tipped with a glowing metal and humming faintly were all trained on him. Each helm bearing the visage of a falcon.
Max raised his hands slowly. "This is a misunderstanding," he said calmly. "I'm just a simple traveler."
The guard who appeared to be the leader stepped forward, his voice stern and unyielding. "On your knees, foreigner."
Max sighed. "Alright, then… guess we're doing it this way."
With a flick of his fingers and a pulse of willpower, a construct formed in his hand a long, glowing green cylinder and, with a snap-humm, it sprang to life.
Max held a lightsaber construct.
"I've been wanting to test this one out for a while," he said, the emerald blade casting flickering shadows across his face.
The guards faltered. Some took a step back. Their formation held, but uncertainty rippled through the ranks.
Before things could escalate, a new voice rang out smooth and commanding.
"Stand down."
At the words, every guard obeyed instantly, weapons snapping back in perfect discipline. Their formation parted as a woman strode forward from behind them.
Slender and angular, she moved with a grace that was as fluid as it was lethal. Robes of deep violet and gold shimmered beneath the setting sun, and a golden half-mask adorned the right side of her face. The exposed side bore hieroglyphic markings etched into her skin. Twin daggers pommels shaped like coiled serpents rested on her hips.
"I apologize," she said, her voice smooth as polished obsidian. "It is obvious you are not the one we are searching for."
Max deactivated the saber and let the construct dissipate.
But the woman didn't move. She simply stared at him too intently.
Max raised an eyebrow.
Then he heard Jade's voice in his mind.
"Warning: mental intrusion attempt detected. Countermeasures deployed."
Before he could speak, the woman staggered back, as if struck by a force no one else could see. Shock flickered across her expression. Her hand brushed the hilt of her dagger before she composed herself once more.
"That wasn't very nice," Max said coldly.
She straightened, brushed herself off, and dipped her head in apology. "Forgive me. I was… curious."
The fuck…
"I am Hesi-Ra of the Kheru-Sekhem, the most elite of the Great Pharaoh's servants."
Max narrowed his eyes and then gave a polite forced smile. "I'll be going now."
She stepped forward, raising a hand not threatening, but insistent. "You can't. Please." Her eyes glinted. "The Great Pharaoh our most divine ruler would very much like to meet someone as unique and powerful as you. It would be my honor to escort you to him in person."
Maybe I should accept and see what this guy is all about, Max thought, eyeing the half-masked woman in the violet robes. She still hadn't broken eye contact unnervingly calm.
But a deeper, more urgent voice pushed back inside his mind:
What are you, crazy? You want to waltz in and talk to Kang the Conqueror? Sure, maybe he hasn't become that yet, but it's the same man. What if he has some tech something designed to counter the ring's power? He's from the future Max... think Max think.
That's a good point, Max agreed with himself.
He made his decision.
The sun had set, and a pale moon was rising in the eastern sky, casting silver light across the city. Max opened his mouth to offer a polite farewell just a few words to keep things civil before flying the hell out of there.
But he never got the chance.
THUNK.
A sharp sound—
Two guards crumpled to the stone in front of him, falling silently, crescent-shaped projectiles embedded in their necks.
"What—?" Max spun, his ring already glowing to life.
Hesi-Ra was instantly alert, her blades drawn in one fluid, silent motion. Her voice rang with anger and command:
"Come out, heretic!"
More projectiles flew from the shadows precise and silent. One struck a guard's shoulder; another buried itself in a second guard's stomach. Hesi-Ra hissed and snapped her fingers; the remaining guards fanned out.
Then—
She appeared.
A ripple in the darkness, a flicker of movement no ordinary eye could track. From behind Hesi-Ra, a figure stepped into the moonlight.
She wore a sleek white hooded cloak that swept behind her, its hem just above the ground, swaying with each graceful step like the trailing feathers of a bird. Her upper body was clad in a fitted white top, cropped just below the ribs, a glowing crescent-moon emblem resting at her collar. Around her waist hung a layered skirt, split for movement with intricate metallic plates shaped into armor. Thin, translucent panels draped from her belt like veils, catching the moonlight.Her arms and legs were wrapped in silver bracers and greaves etched with hieroglyphs, and in her hand she held a slender blade shaped like a crescent moon, glinting with unnatural sharpness.
Her face was entirely hidden by a smooth, pale mask no expression, no mouth, just glowing eyes.
"Fucking Moon Knight," Max almost yelled, awe rising in his voice as he watched her move. She was a blur of white and silver. One moment she hurled crescent-shaped blades that embedded with surgical precision into the guards; the next she was up close, wielding twin crescent daggers and spinning batons with terrifying ease.
Guards fell around her in droves. One tried to strike her with his spear. A blade found his throat. Another lunged, and she swept under the strike, slashing through the joint of his knee before driving a dagger into the side of his helm.
She was just too fast.
Only when one of her blades struck a guard's head and, instead of blood and bone, wires and circuitry spilled out did Max realize the truth.
They're not even human.
They're robots…
Sure enough, as she ripped the head off another, sparks flew, revealing twisted metal and an artificial spine.
Hesi-Ra soon joined the fray. Her golden half-mask caught the light as she clashed with Moon Knight in the center of the square.
"I have completed my assessment of Hesi-Ra," Jade chimed in his ear. "She is enhanced with cybernetic augmentations."
"Huh!," Max replied. "I thought she was a mutant at first."
"Are you going to assist?" Jade asked.
Max watched a second longer as Moon Knight spun past Hesi-Ra's strike and drove both batons into her chest plate, sending her sprawling. "I think she's got it handled."
But Jade's voice returned urgent. "New hostiles incoming. Thirty additional units and… one with the same augmentations as Hesi-Ra."
Max glanced in the direction Jade indicated. She was right: an army of falcon-headed robot guards was approaching. Behind them loomed a massive brute in gilded armor, carrying a hammer the size of a small man.
"Yeah… okay, time to go," Max muttered; he didn't want to fight in the city and risk hurting innocent civilians.
With a surge of green light, Max shot into the air. He hovered for a moment, tracking Moon Knight's movements, and just as she gained the upper hand against Hesi-Ra he raised his hand and encased her in a glowing emerald sphere, lifting her swiftly into the sky before the strike could land.
He rocketed westward, the construct-orb trailing behind. She struck it once, twice, three times until fine cracks spider-webbed across its surface.
"Shit," Max hissed. "She's actually breaking it?"
Jade replied coolly, "You underestimated her."
Max flew fast and high, leaving Thebes behind. Below, beyond the city's outer limits, a long stretch of barren highland spread out jagged stone formations and distant ridges that would one day become the famed Theban Necropolis.
Moon Knight hammered the construct relentlessly, and suddenly it shattered.
"Idiot!" Max yelled as she tumbled free. He dove after her, twisting mid-air and creating a soft platform beneath her fall. She hit it, rolled once, then sprang to her feet in a blur.
Max landed beside her to check if she was all right.
Crack!
Her boot connected squarely with his jaw before he could react.
He staggered back, rubbing his chin. "Ow. Fuck."
Moon Knight dropped into a fighting stance, batons drawn, eyes narrowed. Max could feel the anger radiating off her.
Max raised both hands. "Hey, easy! I just pulled you out of an ambush."
The white-cloaked warrior didn't respond she lunged forward without hesitation, batons slicing through the air with deadly precision.
With a sigh, Max clenched his fists. Green energy surged over his body as his Green Lantern suit re-formed over his clothes. In both hands he conjured twin short lightsaber constructs.
Their weapons clashed with a sharp, vibrant crackle. Her batons struck with blinding speed, but Max matched her move for move, parrying and redirecting each attack.
I'm so glad I took those lessons from Odin, Max thought, ducking under a spinning strike that narrowly missed his head.
"I will kill you!" she shouted, fury burning behind her mask. "I was so close!"
"I saved you, woman!" Max shot back, sidestepping as her baton came within inches of his face again.
She screamed furious and her assault redoubled, faster and more precise, forcing Max onto the defensive.
"Enough games," he muttered. With a quick gesture he conjured a glowing shield to intercept her next strike. Then, with his other hand, he formed a massive green fist construct and hurled it forward.
It slammed into her chest, knocking her back several metres and sending her skidding across the dust.
Max exhaled and stepped forward. "He has to be here," he said.
"Who?" Jade's voice chimed in his ear.
"The moon god…Khonshu," Max replied, eyes narrowing. "Scan for interdimensional anomalies these 'gods' are just interdimensional beings."
"Scanning now," Jade responded. A moment later: "Signature detected. Data feed incoming. You'll be able to see him."
Max looked to the sky where the signal pointed.
There he was Khonshu.
He floated, cloaked in white robes like his champion's, but taller. His head was a skeletal avian skullelongated and curved like a falcon's beak hovering above his shoulders as if suspended by invisible strings. In one hand he carried a tall crescent-headed staff that pulsed with power.
Max's eyes glowed as they locked with the god's. A grin spread across his face. "I… see… you."
Khonshu recoiled in surprise. "What the—"
He never finished.
Max shot forward like a green comet, crossing the distance at near-light speed. In a flash he was beside the god, and with a thunderous blow of concentrated will he struck Khonshu square in the chest.
The impact sent the stunned moon god hurtling earthward, crashing into the sand and carving a crater not far from his downed champion.
Max didn't waste a second.
With a flash of emerald light he formed a suit of sleek battle armor around himself—styled after elite Shi'ar warriors, all angular plating and glowing energy seams. On the ground where Khonshu and his champion lay, he summoned ten towering mech constructs, weapons primed and aimed.
He hovered just above them, his silhouette outlined by moonlight, eyes glowing.
Khonshu rose slowly, brushing off the attack his pride more injured than his body. His voice was thunderous, indignant—divine.
"You dare strike a god?"
"Let's not do this moon god," Max cut in coldly.
"The gall," Khonshu snapped.
"I don't want to fight," Max said. "You're not my enemy unless you make yourself one. But if it comes to that…" He gestured; the green constructs around them pulsed ominously. "I've run the numbers in my head...I can take you."
I can take him, right? Max asked Jade in his mind.
Barely, Jade answered.
Khonshu straightened. "Then let us test it."
Max's voice dropped a pitch. "Really? Right here? You really want to fight and alert everyone maybe even your old friend the Pharaoh? From what I've seen, he doesn't like you gods very much…"
Silence.
Khonshu's beaked skull tilted slightly. Then, with a low growl, he relented. "Let us come to an accord."
Max smiled and slowly floated down, his boots touching sand. The constructs didn't vanish, but they stepped back, standing guard like silent sentinels.
Moon Knight, still crouched in the sand, bowed her head. "I failed, Great Khonshu."
"Only because of this one's interference," Khonshu said, glancing at Max.
Then he turned fully to face him. "You. What are you?"
Max gave a wry smile. "What the all-powerful moon god doesn't know?"
"Do not test me," Khonshu warned, his crescent staff pulsing faintly.
"Green Lantern," Max said simply. "Just arrived in this world… about a week ago."
Khonshu's glowing eyes narrowed. "Liar. You're human, and that" he pointed at the glowing ring "that is what gives you your power.
Max stayed silent.
After a moment Khonshu spoke again, tone contemplative. "Perhaps you can help. You and the other four together you might finally turn the tide against the interloper."
"Rama-Tut," Max said.
Khonshu's head swivelled toward him, nodding. "We will finish 'this' after" he added.
He turned to his champion. "Khenmet, take this one to the hideout."
Khenmet now named rose to her feet, lips parting to protest—
But Khonshu was already fading, his form dissipating into silver mist under the moonlight.
"So, Khenmet that's your name," Max said as the moon god disappeared.
Khenmet only glared at him. Her mask dissolved like strips of cloth, revealing her face. Max's eyes widened; she was beautiful, but her features told another story an old burn marred one cheek, scarred and raw against otherwise flawless skin. Her eyes shimmered in the moonlight as she continued to glare.
"Come," she said curtly, then turned to walk.
Max floated into step beside her, matching her pace effortlessly. "You know," he said casually, "it would be easier to fly."
"No," she replied flatly, without even looking at him.
He raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I could trap you again, like before."
Khenmet stopped dead in her tracks and turned to stare him down, jaw clenched.
Max held up his hands. "Okay, okay truce." With a wave, he conjured an ornate emerald chariot beside them, its sides etched with glowing patterns worthy of a royal procession. Four majestic green horses, their manes flickering like starlight, materialized in harness. Bowing low, he gestured gallantly.
"Your ride, my lady."
Still scowling, she stepped into the chariot with reluctant grace. Max climbed in beside her and took the reins more for flourish than necessity. Grinning, he called out, "Fly, fly!"
The horses leapt skyward, the chariot's wheels lifting smoothly into the night.
"Where to?" Max asked.
"West," she said her only word for the entire journey. Every attempt at conversation met her unblinking glare.
Half an hour passed. The flat desert gave way to craggy ridges and finally a massive canyon, dark and sprawling beneath them.
"There," Khenmet said at last, pointing to a break in the rocks.
Max guided the chariot down, letting it hover just above the sand before he dissolved the construct into emerald sparks. They landed, and Khenmet led him toward a narrow cave mouth at the canyon's base.
They stepped inside.
The tight passage opened into a vast hidden grotto. A stream flowed quietly along one wall, and the distant roar of a waterfall echoed through the chamber. Torches lined the rock, casting golden light over stone murals and hanging fabrics. Makeshift tents and bedrolls dotted the interior.
As they entered, several heads turned. Someone gasped, then called out:
"The priestess is back! Khenmet has returned!"
Cheers rose, echoing off the stone. Dozens of people stood, clapping and calling her name, eyes alight with hope.
Max followed just behind her, silent as they wound through the small but vibrant underground community, taking in the weathered, weary faces around him.
Max followed close behind Khenmet as they moved deeper into the torch-lit cavern.
"Who are all these people?" he asked, scanning the faces men, women, even children.
"They are the faithful," Khenmet replied, her voice low and even. "Those who still honor the true gods those who refuse to kneel to the false Pharaoh."
"And where are you taking me now?" he pressed, lowering his voice as they passed a knot of warriors polishing khopeshes.
"To the other foreigners," she answered.
Max arched an eyebrow. "Right. But who exactly are these foreigners?"
Khenmet didn't respond.
Instead, a distant voice did.
From deeper in the cave came the high-pitched laughter of children, followed by an irritated complaint:
"So how long are we gonna keep hiding in this dusty cave? I'm just saying we could be out there doing something."
Max stopped short. "…Jade," he whispered, "are you translating that for me?"
"No," Jade replied inside his mind.
Another voice rough and gravelly rumbled back:
"Will you pipe down, flame-head? One more word and I'll—"
The first voice huffed. "Oh, c'mon, Ben you know I'm right."
A third voice female, calm but firm cut through the bickering.
"Shhh. Someone's coming."
Khenmet pulled aside a heavy curtain of woven fabric, and Max stepped into a broad chamber bathed in firelight.
His jaw dropped.
Seated on a carved stone bench was a tall man in a sleek, dark-blue bodysuit, gray streaks at his temples, idly manipulating floating holograms.
Beside him stood a blonde woman in matching attire.
Across the room, a hulking figure of living stone folded his massive arms while glaring at a lanky young man whose hands flickered with flame.
Reed Richards. Sue Storm. Ben Grimm. Johnny Storm.
Max's brain momentarily rebooted.
Johnny straightened and broke into a grin as he saw Max. "Green Lantern? Oh Man, you're a sight for sore eyes!"
The others looked equally surprised; clearly, they recognized him.
Max managed, "…How do you know who I am?"
Reed shook his head as he studied Max further. "I don't think this is the Green Lantern we know, Johnny."
What the fuck is going on here? Max thought, staring at Marvel's First Family.
.
.