Issue#3 This is becoming a catastrophe.

Titus was exhausted from the 19 hour flight but he mostly slept on the plane so it wasn't to bad. His Dad seemed to be full of energy while driving the Jeep they rented through endless miles of sand. It's times like this Titus cherished most with his Dad. The only person that's been there for Titus through thick and thin is his Dad. He never judged him or wanted him to change, he just loved him. Even when Titus' mother left the family because of him his Dad still stood by him and always has.

Titus' Dad hand Titus the map and told him lead the way. Titus is very good at reading maps since he's adventured with his Dad so often and they reached the tomb in no time. This tomb was newly discovered and didn't have a name so Titus and his Dads excitement were over the moon. This tomb looked like any typical tomb. Brownish bricks with hieroglyphics surrounding the entrance, but something felt nostalgic to Titus almost like he'd been here before even though he knew that was impossible. He quickly brushed off the thought and focused. Titus helped his Dad unload the gear and they entered the tomb.

It was extremely dark and the only light they had were the two flashlight they were carrying and the dim light coming in from the entrance. All the could be heard was the sound of their boots scuffing against the floor.

Titus found it unusual that this tomb seemed to only lead straight. When Pharaoh's had there tombs built they usually made a series of passageways so grave robbers would be lost forever in a labyrinth. Titus turned to see his fathers expression but it was to dark to really tell. "Does this seem odd to you?"

"What?" Titus' Dad seemed calm and collected.

"The shape of this tomb, it just keeps going straight. I've never seen a tomb built like this."

"Don't worry I'm sure they just decided to build this tomb with a different structure. It's not uncommon."

That reassured Titus but the feeling of nostalgia still lingered in him. The hall seemed endless. It traveled down so deep the flashlight didn't reach the end. Titus was praying there weren't any crazy Egyptian spiders in this tomb. You never know when your in another country what dangers await you.

They continued on examining the blank walls until they finally reached the other side. It was still pitch black on this side of the tomb but after some searching Titus' Dad found a stone pillar with a bowl on top so he opened his backpack and lit a torch to drop in the bowl brightening the room up a little, but not enough to see. Titus shined his flashlight until he spotted another pillar and followed his Dads lead. After noticing the two pillars in the corners of the room Titus assumed there were pillars in each corner and so did his Dad. Both made there way to the back of the tomb and noticed a silhouette of a statue in the dim fires light.

"That must be the person buried here." stated Titus' Dad as he lit the pillar on his side of the room.

Titus lit his pillar and both made there way to the front of the statue in the now brightly lit tomb. Titus' Dad dropped his flashlight causing the lenses to fall out. Titus' heart skipped a beat. He began to breathe heavily as his palms started to sweat. Titus wanted to turn to see if his Dad was as shocked as he was but the sound of his flashlight dropping was good enough. Titus blinked a couple of times to make sure he wasn't imagining things from heat exhaustion or something but no matter how hard he stared the statue didn't change. It looked exactly like Titus.

The statue appeared to be completely made of silver and was posed like Superman flying valiantly into the sky with a slight noticeably feminine touch. He was wearing battle armor that looked like regal armor noble knights would wear, but more stylish. What really stood out to Titus wear the gauntlets and lasso the statue had on. It's the signature of the Wonder Family. When Titus realized this his stomach dropped. He thought maybe this person was an ancestor of his and that made him even more thrilled. Titus finally turned to his Dad but he was still speechless, and so was his Dad. After a short silence his Dad finally collected himself and spoke.

"This is the strangest thing I've ever seen." His tone was very serious.

"I know right." Titus forced out. Both were so stunned by the statue that they didn't immediately see what was sitting in front of it. A pair of smoke silver gauntlets with a gray trim around the edges and another shade of silver suns in the center wrapped in a luminous silver lasso. Below it was a message carved in Egyptian. "Can you translate this Dad?"

"That's my job."While his father was examining the Egyptian writing Titus asked...

"Do you think this person could be related to us?" filled with excitement.

"Maybe we can find out after we figure out his name." Titus gave his flashlight to his Dad as he crouched down to examine it more closely. After analyzing the writing for a few seconds he began to speak. "It says this armor once belonged to our champion Xseshuea. There will be a time when the gods need this champion to protect the world from the Wrath of Ra. Once he is reincarnated he will discover this armor in a form that will inspire him to become our champion and protect the world once again. The armor is blessed with the gifts of the Egyptian Gods and will give him the power he needs to serve us. Shu blessed the armor with endless stamina and high durability. Heru blessed the armor with impeccable speed and flight. Amon blessed the armor with boundless strength. Serqet blessed the armor with untainted healing abilities. Hathor blessed the armor with allure, and Xseshuea our previous champion blessed the armor with insight before he died. Use our gifts wisely."

Titus stood in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, but the proof was sitting right in front of him. Titus always dreamed about being a superhero but he never imagined it could actually come true, but he was also a little frightened. The Wrath of Ra didn't sound to friendly. Titus' Dad stood up with a calm expression on his face.

"Well I think it's pretty clear what you have to do." He couldn't be serious Titus thought to himself. The statue did look identical to Titus except he looked a little older and more muscular then Titus today, but even if this tomb was meant for Titus to find, it shocked him that his Dad would even consider letting him try on the armor.

Then Titus remembered that's just who his Dad was. If there's anyone who knows how much Titus has dreamed about being a superhero it's definably his Dad, so how could he not understand how much Titus wanted to do this.

"Really? You think I should put it on?"

"It's obviously meant for you and nothing would make me more proud then to see your dream come true. It's what every parent wants." He put a hand on Titus' shoulder. "Now put it on so you can do your queer superhero thing." They both laughed and looked at the gauntlets.

"O.K" answered Titus as he made his way to the armor. Titus took a deep breathe and started to reach for the gauntlets. They slid onto his wrist fitting perfectly. Titus admired the edgy spike that pointed towards his elbow. They felt a little heavy so Titus took a minute to adjust to them. After, he slowly reached for the lumious silver lasso. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears. Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion. As soon as Titus gripped the lasso a bright silver light engulfed his body. Titus' Dad had to shield his eyes from the intense light.

Titus could feel the power growing inside of him. Strength, speed, regeneration, and a wave of energy burst from his body flinging his Dad into a wall. Titus then felt Xseshuea's spirit lending him courage and insight on how to use his powers. It felt like uploading data onto a computer to Titus. After a short minute the light faded and Titus took a deep breathe. He turned to look at his Dad and saw he was unconscious. Worried Titus quickly flew over to him to make sure he was alright. Titus was surprised to notice how natural it already felt to fly, like he's been doing it since birth. He effortlessly flipped his Dad unto his back and checked his pulse. It was still beating so Titus felt a bit of relief. Normally Titus would have struggled flipping his Dad but he was in complete control of his new strength.

Titus took a minute to gather his thoughts. He still couldn't comprehend the fact that he had superpowers. Before he could fantasize about what he planned on doing with his powers a cold dark energy filled the room.

Black sand began to generate in the center of the room forming into the shape of a person. Titus knew this was definably trouble so with his new found speed he lifted his Dad and flew for the entrance but before he could reach the end of the tomb black sand solidified in front of the exit blocking his escape. Immediately Titus set down his Dad and thought to himself 'Lets see how strong I really am' and with a portion of his strength punched the black wall, but it didn't budge. He threw another punch with more force causing the tomb to shake but still he made no progress. Before Titus could get frustrated an unfamiliar voice began to speak.

"Would you please stop with that brutish behavior, its very unattractive." Titus had never heard a voice like this before. It sound like a blend between a deep mans voice and a high woman's voice with a slight echo behind each word it spoke. Titus turned around to look at the person but still couldn't decipher if it was a man or woman. It had a giant black cape on that only revealed it's mouth.

"Who are you?" demanded Titus. The cloaked figure turned to examine the statue then turned his attention back to Titus

"How interesting... Your the reincarnation of Xseshuea." The cloaked figure disappeared then reappeared a few inches from Titus. "The resemblance is uncanny." Titus backed up as much as possible until his back was pressed against the wall. The cloaked figure let out a short cynical laugh and began to speak.

"So what do you plan to do with your powers, become a hero? 'Protect those who can't protect themselves' or will you succumb to your power and become corrupt?" Titus felt a sick repulsed feeling growing inside his stomach the more he was around this thing. He knew it was bad news and he had to escape. He didn't want to fight with his Dad there if he didn't have to. Without answering Titus flew to the side of the tomb and shattered the wall in a single punch without a problem. With his speed he quickly grabbed his Dad and began to flee from the tomb.

"Titus stop... don't... come back..." Even with the odd echo Titus could clearly hear the sarcasm in the cloaked figures voice. He then realized it called him by his name, but it couldn't possibly know that. Titus managed to get a few miles away but the tan sand under him turned black and mid flight shot up and coiled around Titus and his Dad pulling them down into the sand. Titus tried to use his new strength to break free but his efforts were meaningless. Soon Titus and his Dad were engulfed in the black sand and were once again in the tomb with the cloaked figure.

'O.K' Titus thought to himself, 'I've tried to escape twice and both time failed horribly. My only other choice is to stand and fight, but this thing is incredibly strong' then Titus remembered he had a weapon. His lasso. When Titus gained the insight of Xseshuea he learned its special ability. The lasso was designed to bypass the unnatural superpowers of man, they cannot resist its power.

"If you think your lasso can reach me your more then welcome to try." Titus' eyes widened in shock

"How did you know I was going to use my lasso?"

"I already know much more about you then you think." Ignoring the comment the cloaked figure made earlier Titus shot his lasso at the cloaked figure but it vanished in an instant and reappeared behind Titus. Before Titus could react he felt a tremendous pressure on his lower back and was sent colliding into the black wall. Titus was badly injured. There were no visible injuries but Titus' entire body was throbbing in pain. Titus collapsed to the ground but collected his composure quickly. He was still in massive pain but he couldn't give up, at least until he knew his Dad was safe.

"Mmm I guess you have decided to play the hero, and every hero needs a villain right?" Black sand began to swirl like a blizzard in the tomb and Titus' Dad levitated in front of the cloaked figure. "Your father is the person you love most in this world."

"NO! Please don't hurt him. You can have my powers if that's what you want, or take me. I'll do what ever you want just please don't hurt him!" Titus begged to the figure to leave his Dad alone but it did not change anything. Titus' eyes welled up with tears. The cloaked figure let out a dark chuckle.

"Silly boy, what I want from you simply can't be requested. I'm going to have to create it inside you myself." Before Titus could plead to the cloaked figure to stop his Dad began to disintegrate into black sand and in an instant he was gone.

"DADDY!" Titus cried out on top of his lungs. Tears began to roll down his face uncontrollably as he collapsed to his knees. His hands began to tremble not from sadness... but from rage. This thing took away the most precious person Titus had in his life, and for nothing. Titus charged through the black sand storm howling in anger, tears falling off his face as he flew directly for the cloaked figure but right before Titus made contact with it he was sent crashing back into the same wall as before. Titus fell to the ground and stopped moving. He wasn't sure if it was from the physical pain or the pain of loosing his father.

"Farewell superhero. We will meet again." The cloaked figure dispersed into black sand and faded away. Titus couldn't fully register what happened, he was still in shock. He hugged his knees and began to cry again for hours until he had no more tears. Then he just laid there numb and thought to himself how much having his powers wasn't worth loosing his Dad.

AUTHOR NOTES: Xseshuea Titus' reincarnation's name is pronounced similarly the name Zsashoah meaning son or champion of god... I chose for Wonderboy to be powered by the Egyptian gods instead of the Greek because I wanted the freedom of changing his power levels from traditional Wonder standards. A major difference between Wonderboy and Wonder Girls powers is there durability. Wonder Girls flesh is only two and a half times denser then human flesh making her dangerously vulnerable to harm. Wonderboy boy at his current level is durable as Wonder Woman... The cloaked figure that appears is the main villain of this Story. He is the Egyptian god of Chaos... If you've seen the show the Powerpuff Girls and remember the villain they fought 'Him' the voice of the cloaked figure is supposed to resemble him or her lol... I'm a die hard fan of True Blood so your gonna hear me bring it up a few times. In True Blood for those of you who watch, in season three episode one Sookie goes to Fangtasia in search of Bill and Pam stops her. Knowing she could easily stop Sookie from interrupting Erik being a vampire she let's her go and bitchily says "Sookie... stop... don't... come back," so I decided to have the cloaked figure say it to Titus... Wonderboy's lasso is called 'The lasso of neutrality'.