TG Hawkgirl #1: Long Distance Relationship

The Magicks of Thanagar was a tome long thought lost to history. From the Ancient Egyptians to the progressive Islamic scholars of the Middle Ages it was a book that enlightened all that came into contact with it. But unfortunately, as with most good things, they were forced to an end by tragedy. A shipwreck, off the coast of New England, sank what hopes the New World had of studying the document, and for over four centuries, it seemed as if the whole world would have to make do without its wisdom. As time passed, the Magicks were forgotten, and turned to legend.

Charlie Sanders had received a strange package in the mail. The archaeologist son of one of the first people to ever document the vertical facing secret passages in the pyramids of Giza, he had been quite the celebrity in academic circles for his discoveries in the Valley of the Kings. Ever since he had been a boy, his fascination with Ancient Egypt had known no bounds. He’d absorbed every book on the subject, every sweet morsel of information he could get his hands on. The place inspired his imagination no end. It had been a pleasure to earn his doctorate in the field, because all it meant was he got to keep doing the things he loved.

The container for the package was a thick plastic, the kind that might be used in a laboratory setting, or to preserve works. This wasn’t a normal way to send documents, usually he received them in a protective sheathing, and would transfer them to his study area for inspection. He could maintain the humidity to preset levels, to prevent any harm coming to the parchment. But from what he could tell, this was something else, something special. It had to be.

No name on the note included with the package, just a small hieroglyph of the Sun god Horus. A hawk, written in the ancient style of the pharoahs. Clearly, whoever the source of this inscription was just as well versed in the ways of the ancients as Charlie, perhaps even more. He’d never seen such an accurate portrayal of the character outside of ancient texts. But that was for another time, he would have to look into the note. For the moment, he just set it aside and then went back to the more enticing plastic container.

There was significant damage to the text. Water must have gotten into the container at some time in the object’s past, or perhaps even before then. Tomes like this didn’t last long outside of their libraries of origin, so it was a wonder it had even arrived in the condition it was in presently. But there was no point doing anything further until he could control the environment. From what he had seen, this was going to be an exciting read. The manuscript was definitively ancient, this was no fake, and seemed to be pointing in the direction of being one of the most famous lost works of the Egyptian era.

Charlie had trouble containing himself, for the rest of the day he barely spoke to a soul, waiting for the chance to launch himself once again into his work. Another phone call from his girlfriend Susan went unanswered. They were having relationship troubles again, based around his penchant for his work ethic and not for his penchant for her. It was a conversation he’d had frequently in his lifetime, but he never saw any reason to compromise his career for a relationship if he felt it wasn’t nearly as fulfilling.

A shortish guy, though he wasn’t bad looking, and despite his vertical challenge he never had much trouble with the ladies. A combination of passion for his work and an uncompromising attitude at first painted him as a lone genius, an academic with a troubled past and an equally troubled future. He seemed aloof, even distant. But for the women who thought that there was a soft centre to him, past the hard exterior, were very much mistaken. He enjoyed their company for the most part, but when the inevitable question came, the decision, between themselves and his pursuit of enlightenment, they were always going to be coming up short.

He had all the time in the world for his work though, so when he had finally finished with his note taking and regular duties for the day, he settled down into his spacious university offices, with the door locked securely and the artificial atmosphere running on high settings, he finally felt at home, he finally felt like he was safe again. The book had been laying undisturbed in its casing since that morning, despite his temptation to peek. He couldn’t allow any further damage to the manuscript though, he wouldn’t be able to look himself in the eye again.

Wearing protective gloves and face mask, he peeled back the plastic wrapping, and began to attempt to make sense of the cover inscription. The words were in an odd syntax, one he’d only seen once or twice, but they did seem to be from an undeniably exciting time and place in the past. The Cult of Horus, which had been one of the more pervasive arms of the Egyptian Pagan religion, one of the most powerful governmental entities in the whole of the history of the world, gone in an instant. Their disappearance had left archaeologists wondering about their fate since a generation after their absence.

“The Magicks of Thanagar,” read the title page, papyrus bound around a central hippo bone spine. Strange, Sanders thought to himself, he’d never seen that written in the original Egyptian. In fact, there was no symbol for the word Thanagar, it was made up of multiple hieroglyphs, more like a modern word. “Than” which stood for wisdom and creation and “Agar” which meant other or outsider, putting the symbols together created an odd bastard word he would have to look into as time went on.

He’d heard of course of the book. There were few scholars in the field who couldn’t say that they’d wondered just what it was that was contained behind the pages of the fabled tome. The keys to the wisdom of the ancients, the recording of the crumbling of a society, and some said, a connection to an extra terrestrial world. Nonesense of course, but nonetheless, an intriguing prospect, just to see what the Egyptians thought of the matter.

As he opened the first page of the manuscript, fingers tense around crumbling pages, the lights in the room began to flicker. It was as if the building itself knew of how monumental this was as an experience for Charlie. To be the first western scholar to read the book in over five centuries, it was an honour and a burden both at the same time, however it was not a responsibility he would shirk from. If he’d blown off Alice again for this, then he was going to have to do it right.

The words, shapes, forms on the pages were curiouser and curiouser the further into the work he delved. Tales of gods and demons, lights from the sky, heroes and villains, and a romance that would cross the ages. Horus and his wife Hathor, descended from heaven, separated by time and space, would come together time and again until the end of the world. It was a beautiful sentiment, and one he wished he could have shared with one of his girlfriends when they’d been around. But while he did experience that brief moment of self realisation, it didn’t last long. The story wasn’t finished.

The book prophesied that while the souls of the gods were as powerful as they had ever been, beings of pure light brought down to Earth from the sky, they were locked within mortal lineages until the right magical words could free them. It was an exciting thought, that you could be a god in human form and not even know it. But when the time came for him to reach the page with the incantations for revealing the true forms of the gods, the page was unfortunately missing. Not that he thought he was a god or anything, he wasn’t that big headed, surely. But it would have been another chapter in the book he was inevitably going to have to write about this document.

The story of Horus and Hathor was one he couldn’t get out of his mind. Two lovers cast out through time, destined to find one another again, it was schmaltzy, but there was an underlying truth to the thought. The idea just resonated with him, and apparently with another.

Outside, clothed in darkness, and flying high above the botanical gardens on heavy, beating, feathered wings, a god slumbered no more. The old soul had finally read the story, the memories would be primed and ready within, it was just a matter of saying the magic words. Magic words, such a human concept.

“Ms-n Wsir, Mrwt I Anx, Imn Ab. Maa Tny Maa Nfrw. Shiera.”

Charlie felt a fluttering in the darkness. Lamenting the loss of those precious pages, he rifled through the rest of the document, making absolutely sure he wasn’t missing anything. He had to find out what happened to Horus and Hathor, it was so disappointing to think that they had disappeared from this world forever. Even if the magic words didn’t do anything, which of course he didn’t expect them to do, they would still grant him a valuable insight into a tale he’d only just learned, but had latched onto rather quickly.

Nothing, nothing aside from the broken papyrus from where the pages had been taken. Then something inside, a feeling, a feeling of lightness, of elation, but also power. Too much as it stood. Try as he might to remain conscious, the archaeologist’s struggles were in vain. Though he tried to replace the book on the counter before he hit the ground, the work fell down with him, crumbling into dust on the floor. He wouldn’t find out for some time however, as he had a guest. The window creaked under the pressure of a growing storm outside, but this was followed swiftly by a far louder sound.

The hammer crashed through the glass as if through wet paper. The arm wielding it rippled with tense muscle, he had waited long enough for his prize, and he wasn’t going to let the matter of furniture or decoration stand in his way. The plan had gone off without a hitch, and it was now time for him to reap the rewards of his patience. But for now, there was still much to do, his queen was still locked away, and it would be some time before she would return to him.

It was a shame about the book, but he had learned everything he needed to know first hand, and what he’d forgotten was all in the past. He knew the words, the words were enough for him. This pathetic human laying on the floor of the office was an insult to his presence, but he supposed he could bear the stench of man sweat for a short time longer, when the prize was so enticing, the price was not something he would dwell on. But someone was coming, the break in would attract bystanders and witnesses, which would only complicate things. It was time to take his bride elsewhere, back to a safe place.

Charlie woke to the sound of silence. Completely bathed in darkness, it was impossible to see even a few inches in front of his face. He was scared, and wherever he was, it wasn’t his office, and it wasn’t a hospital, so it wasn’t somewhere he wanted to be. His breath was ragged, and wheezing, probably from the force of the fall. Trying to sit up though, he found himself secured by invisible bonds, though the lack of light was most likely the source of the magic here.

A door opened, and a large figure entered the room. There was a light source outside, so the person cast a huge shadow, absolutely huge, with a torso and shoulders that shouldn’t have been possible on a human. And a strange, misshapen face. His imagination painted a picture of a truly twisted and deformed individual, certainly not someone who he would wish to be holding him captive. Who could it possibly be? One of his students from the past? A relative of a spurned lover?  He had no idea, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.

“Shiera my dear, have you not turned yet? I was so sure that the night air would provoke the transformation. I said the words hours ago, and all you’ve done for me thus far is fall into my arms unconscious. I pray for your return, as I have for three thousand years. Please, come back.”

Whoever this guy was, he’d made a huge mistake. Shiera was an Egyptian name, but for a woman. Charlie was definitely, definitively, a man, and this whole encounter must have been a misunderstanding. From the sounds of it, the captor was a reasonable person.

“Hey, listen… Guy… I don’t know what it is you want from me, but let’s be reasonable here…”

Silence. He was being ignored.

“I would prefer you did not speak to me in that tongue. I understand you are in a position of weakness, and of fear, but seeing you like this, hearing you like this, it pains me to no end Shiera. Please come back to me.”

They remained in the darkness, still in the darkness, but as the figure approached, Charlie could get a better glimpse of his physiology. The gargantuan torso was not as it had first appeared, and instead seemed to be that of a normal man, only with a set of wings strapped to his back. Clearly, this guy was significantly more imbalanced than Charlie was giving him credit for. And the head, must have been some kind of mask, because it was distinctly shaped as that of a gigantic hawk. He had to fight the urge to cry out, to scream, fearing the response it might elicit in the intruder, but he couldn’t stop himself from internalising the fear. He had started shivering by the time he had made his way across the room.

“You are frightened I take it? Do not worry, this won’t take long.”

Lying strapped to a table, in the presence of a strange man in an even stranger attire, was not leaving Charlie much room to not worry. He was the definition of a person who was worrying. The brush of a firm thumb on his shoulder, rubbing away some of the stress. It was a nice sensation, even if it was alien and unwanted, but it seemed to birth something within. At first it felt like a glow, as if he was full of energy, but this was lurking beneath the surface for the longest time.

He kept silent, even while the sensation spread to his extremities, and doubled, and then tripled in intensity. But he didn’t let out a cry until the energy burst into light, into actual, physical light. A golden glow, starting in the centre of his chest, then engulfed him completely, growing and growing and growing. It felt so warm, like an embrace from an old friend, like stepping into a good, worn, pair of boots. It was like coming home again.

But the glow wasn’t all of it. With each passing second he felt more of himself departing. The glow ate at his clothing, tearing off pieces at first, but then swallowing up the material in one final gulp. The man beside him turned away in the light, Charlie felt ashamed of his nakedness in front of another, especially this one who had stolen him away in the night, that was causing all of this to happen. There was no time to think about what was happening, not in the moment, not through the panic and the fear. But he could feel something happening beneath the glow now, something else, something more.

In a flash, it was as if his soul had burst forth from within, carrying with it all the trappings and accoutrements of its alien form. Before his very eyes, his body turned from that of a man, into that of a finely shaped woman. With full breasts and a waistline that would have been envied by many of his peers. Before he even knew what to think or do with himself, he was a woman, naked in front of this man who claimed to know him. He was talking now, Charlie realised, he was halfway through a sentence.

“What did you do to me?” He moaned.

“I did what I had to Shiera, I said the magic words.”

And that was that, because before Charlie could summon the strength of mind to question him further, the light had come into the room. A great bright whiteness stretching for eternity it seemed, but now he could see the man in all his glory. Seven feet of coursing muscle, brute strength and skill rolled into one, with a hawk’s face, eyes sharp and cruel and a beak formed for breaking open skulls. This however, was removed, to show the most handsome face that Charlie had ever seen.

“I recognise you from somewhere,” he said absent mindedly. “I’ve seen you…”

“In your dreams? Shiera, you were locked away, locked away in that male form to keep you from me, to keep us from our destiny. A cruel twist of fate.”

He was on her, he was on her before either of them had time to think. But what was there to think about. This man, this powerful man, had the presence of mind and the deep desire to take his woman, and Charlie was so overwhelmed he couldn’t even fight, even with his bindings removed. Their kiss was a one for the ages, tender and passionate both at the same time. They stayed locked together for quite some time, before they parted for a second.

“I have seen you before, Katar.”

“You remember me?”

“There are visions, memories I’ve had all my life, but until now I’d never thought they were mine. I thought I’d snatched them from the movies. I never thought… I never thought…”

“Do you remember who you are?”

“No.”

This seemed to cause the titular Katar some grief, but seeing his betrothed, his beloved, remember his name, that was a start.

“The memories should return in time. But I will do my best to fill in the blanks. Where to begin? Oh yes. You are not Charlie Sanders. Unfortunately, it gives me great pains to pluck you from a life and to return you to his form, but I do not do it without reason I promise you. We are married, or were, thousands of years ago. I do not recall entirely the circumstances of our arrival on Earth, but we are extraterrestrials, from the planet Thanagar. Only, sometime along the line a complex arrangement of magical encounters left you slowly losing yourself. Until one day, your soul had been hidden among the slaves of Egypt, with no means for me to find you. It has taken me one hundred and twenty generations to finally find you.”

Charlie Sanders was a lie? A charade? But Charlie Sanders existed, she’d grown up as Charlie, had lived and breathed and laughed and learned as him. But there were other memories now, flashes of the recent past. World War Two. The election of Abraham Lincoln. Going further back. A journey to the new world. Black Death. The Roman Empire. All the way back to that moment, the moment that had been stolen from her, reminded in the kiss. The moment when she’d been stolen from her beloved, and thrust into a cold and unfeeling world, alone, to wander. Yes, Charlie Sanders existed, but there was so much more now. There was so much to get reacquainted with.

His hands were holding her for support, but this soon turned into something more. Stroking the small of her back, one of them began to reach downward to the new opening between her legs. Her long auburn hair was getting in the way of her eyes, and they smiled awkwardly as she paused to brush it away. He was taking his time, she had to thank him for that, but there was only so long she could wait.

“Could you… Put one inside?” She smiled, glancing at his fingers. He was startled by that, never expecting her to make a move, but then again, he hadn’t known what he was expecting. She wasn’t what he remembered, but they’d done a lot of growing in three thousand years. Just feeling her close by was enough to bring him to heaven, but they would go even further. The dangers were still lurking on the horizon, but they could wait.

They could wait for one night, one night to get reacquainted.