Captain Whar Lok gave up looking for Mother.  What ever became of her, it was no longer his concern.  He took to the sky and left.  Not wanting to return to CHESS, the people that kept him under surveillance, he went looking for a place to call home.
He came to Island Zero, after all wasn’t Island Zero also an anomaly?

He came in low, close to the water.  The militaries of four nations still patrolled and enforced the Zero Proclamation, keeping this place neutral ground. He soared in fast.  For some reason he became disoriented and had to land.  He lost sight of the shore.  He then recalled the nature of this place and how it exists in many places at once, like the legends of Leng, or Tanlorn. 

It was best to search on foot.  Flying covered too much distance, and risked too much confusion.
He, after a week of back tracking and frustration, found it.  The Hive!

The Hive was created by Dr. Robug, a diminutive genius with a fondness for Robots and insects. He was rejected as a member of the Octagon, and tried to prove himself with a grand gesture.  He empowered an army of women and one feebleminded savant, Dr. Saturday.  He was defeated, but his technological marvel, the Hive, still stands.

The Island has a way of reclaiming what doesn’t belong there, and the Hive was in the process of being devoured.   Huge reptile like insects, acidic plants, and small metal digesting protozoa were breaking it down when the Captain battled and cleaned the place up.  He restarted the Nanobugs, small robots designed to maintain and repair the hive.  He was repairing the wall when a large bee like creature fumbled in.  Warlock recognized the thing.  It was Morty.

Morty was one of the Beekeeper’s bees.  Could this mean one of the oldest, smartest, most powerful beings in the Universe was close by?  Captain Warlock looked over his shoulder, half in fear, and half in anticipation. 
The Beekeeper was there.

He greeted Warlock with a smile.  The Beekeeper was of the race of Gnomoi, or as we call them Gnomes.  He was small, ruddy, barefoot, wearing brown rags and a small brown conical cap was on his bulbous head. He was one of the Engineers, the race created by the Eldari too plan out the galaxy, to make it a grand, clockwork paradise for the glory of the High Eldari. 

They disappeared as they preferred the natural evolution over the planed perfection.   They left no word, no grand exit, just one day, eons ago, they left.

They were ashamed of their tinkering and how, through their greatest invention; the Stellar Rods of the Stellar Patrol, caused the extinction of so many races.   The Beekeeper was the first Engineer to be seen by anyone in thousands of years.

He took Warlock for a walk.  They talked for hours about flora, fauna, philosophy, and science.  Warlock was surprised to see they were on the shore, near the structure you see from the Japanese side of the island.   And as always you could see the Bad Shepherd, guarding the eggs that hatched monsters.

By the entrance to the building were three people, two nearly 7 foot tall, the third a teenaged boy.
The two tall people, Rann Thanagar, and La Zen, were of the Udall, Atalantian Colonists that settled a nearby world and lived in peace, prosperity and indifference to the rest of the universe.  The teenager was a wanted criminal leader, called the Prince.

Rann and La recognized Warlock as a Moevian and politely insulted him and his people.  The Prince wondered loudly if talking to this member of CHESS was a good idea.  La assured him no harm would come of this.

They opened the building and the stark beauty of the interior impressed the aliens.   Warlock was shocked to see the walls decorated with words in Alpha Math.   He needed to learn that mathematical language.   The building was a Vril Chamber.   The Prince stripped and entered into a Dodecahedron.   The aliens accompanied Warlock to the Hive were he acted as a good host.  He talked to them about Cosmic Unity and how all the people of the Seed should be united.
Rann and La enjoyed the debate.  For three days they politely ridiculed the zealot, Warlock and returned to the Vril Chamber.

The 12 sided contained opened, and the prince fell to the ground.  He was different.   More, majestic.  His eyes burned with cosmic power.   
He rose and had a smile.   “I feel like god” he said.

Warlock tensed.

"Good, little godling, prove your might.   Slay this religious zealot and then we can show you the secrets of Utopia...” spoke Rann Thannagar with just a hint of pleasure.

Captain Warlock wondered why did the Beekeeper bring him here?

Awesome write up.

The Captain drops his TK defense and begins to speak......

I never allowed Mother to rape my dead forehead!

NOT FAIR!!

I just want to say that I wouldn't be surprised if some search engine somewhere might occasionally direct someone to this site who is seeking some sort of strange and bizarre porn, based on some of the comments here. 

Captain Warlock gathered his composure.  He measured his words, his tone.  This had to be done properly.  This could go bad real fast.

"Hello, friend, its good to see you. I thought you fell in battle."

"I did, and mother called me back to her bosom."   His voice was the dark sound of cosmic power echoing through infinity.  "Come back to the family, Mother loves you so much."

Captain Warlock could only say one world.

"No."


Mr. Universe gathered his will and commanded  Captain Warlock.   Whar Lok, a captain in the Moevian First Tactical Exploration Service, saw the glory of Mother.

She was every where.  Her arms reached out beyond all of creation.  Her love was all things.  And he knew that she loved him.  It felt like comfort.  He knew he was finally accepted.  She was Universal Truth,  she was Universal Love.

Captain Warlock and Mr. Universe flew off.

Within seconds they broke the atmosphere and let the Earth rotate under them and then plunged back down.  They hit the oceans with super sonic speed, protected by Mother's Embrace.  They dove down to the deepest depths of the Mariana's Trench.

They dug in the muck for over and hour until they saw the Omphalos.   It was then that  Captain Warlock regained his will.  He still wore a Mother Stone on his head, and as such Mother still whispered lullabies to his mind.  But he could make his own thoughts, his own decisions.  Is this what is happening to Mr. Universe?  Is he dominated by this creature from beyond?

Mr. Universe realized that his control over Warlock was broken.  He gathered his Power Cosmic and attacked.   

Warlock put up his Telekinetic shield and rubbed Thor's Belt.  He felt the infinite strength of the God of Thunder swell his body.  His muscles grew to grotesque proportions.  His mind exploded with might.  He swung poor doomed Modi's hammer with the strength of Forever and smashed Mr. Universe. 

The impact created a maelstrom.   Mud sweltered and the ocean, light by the silver light of Glidvir went dark.

Still in contact with the Mother Stone,  Warlock used her senses to "see".  He saw that the Omphalos was freed from its prison.  He saw that silver chains were broken.   He was pretty sure this wasn't good.

Mr. Universe was back.  He was glowing with power.  From his Mother Stone a great eel grew.  It reached gigantic size.  It had the head of an angler fish, and the body of a serpent.  It was as long as the Chrysler Building.  It bit  Warlock.   

Warlock slammed it with his hammer.  The creature screamed and bit back.   The symbolism of this fight escaped the good Captain.  A man with the strength of Thor fighting a giant serpent?   There is only one way this could end.

And end it did.   The serpent bit again.    Captain Warlock was swallowed.

Alas,

I should have noticed the parallel. It is similar to the Parable of the Moevian Hero N'or Batu Kos and the Serpent of Rhend.

Sadly W'Har Lok is no N'or Batu Kos......