Chapter Text
“This really gonna work, Wong?”
“Yes, of course. I am the new Sorcerer Supreme after all. You should have more faith in your friends.”
Evie rolled her eyes as she playfully waved him off. “It's not that I don’t trust you, I just never worked on this kind of stuff before… You know, the whole supernatural, hocus pocus kinda thing.” The newest Master of the mystic arts couldn’t help the huff that escaped him.
“How is it that you possess these powers and don’t even fully understand them? You’ve been an Avenger for like what, eight years? And knew about them for two years before that.” Evie threw him a dirty glance as she crossed her arms.
“Yeah well Hydra didn’t exactly leave me with a set of instructions or a complete origin story on how Void came to be. I personally went over my files they had and my mother’s own research before I was born. All I know is that Nora Hanson’s unprotected exposure to her experiments made me the ‘perfect conduit’ for whatever it was Hydra pumped me full of, so…” She threw her hands up and said, “tada! You get this cherry little bundle of fun. And in any case, may I remind you that you came up short for answers too sir.”
It was Wong’s turn to roll his eyes. “Oh sure, you bet. Tons of fun.” He said sarcastically, “anyways, your weapon has been blessed and should be able to cut down any demon you encounter, no problems.” He took a step forward and handed Evie her homemade lightsaber back.
Evie had come to the Sanctum seeking knowledge and guidance against the forces of evil that stalked the night. The knowledge was easily obtained through their vast amount of books and Wong’s personal tutoring. The guidance however… that was another story. Wong had informed Evie that he wouldn’t be able to break away from the Santacum or his duties as Scorserer Supreme due to the major setback the earth had taken. So she was going to have to resort to her other options.
“Oh! That reminds me,” he placed a hand on the backside of her ribs, muttering some incation. Instantly Evie yelled out at the sudden flash of immense heat and pain coming from her ribcage.
“What the actual fuck, Wong?! The hell did you just do to me?”
He chuckled as he walked away towards a nearby table. “You have to be careful on your new journey. I placed a protection spell on your body to keep you hidden from demons who might come hunting you.” Evie rubbed her sides as the pain started to become a dull ache.
“So you branded me!?”
“No, I carved it into your ribs." He said ever so casually, a playful smirk on his face. "Hopefully your regenerative health doesn't erase them, but only time will tell. Come back in a few weeks so I can check.” With a false smile of gratitude Evie mimicked Wong’s last words back at him before huffing exasperatedly.
“Next time give me a warning! Master wizard or not, I’ll lay your ass out if you do that again.” Wong snickered as he shook his head and came back to show her the way out.
“That reminds me..”
“Wong I swear to god, if you're about to-”
“No! I’m not going to pull another fast one on you, I just wanted to give you a warning. I did some digging into that Jake Lockey guy you’re searching for. Rumor has it he isn't the most-”
“What? Easy to work with? I think I can handle some guy with mojo.”
The sorcerer gave her a stern look. “ Stable… I was going to say he isn't the most stable person to work with. Apparently he’s known to be a bit unhinged . So just keep that in mind, will you?” She gave him a hug thanking him for his services.
“No need to thank me Evie, you are always welcomed here at the Sanctum. You need anything, just say the word. By the way, thanks again for the tuna melt.” Evie giggled as she nodded, “yeah no worries. Plus, I like having lunch with my favorite neighbor. I’ll see you around, Wong.”
Later that evening as the sun was setting behind the city skyscrapers, Evie was under a fake persona waiting for a cab on the curb in front of the Brooklyn Museum. When she spotted the yellow car with the correct medallion number she was looking for, she stuck her hand out, whistling loudly. Waving a twenty to flag the driver down. The car came to a stop right in front of her and Evie flashed the driver her sweetest smile before climbing in.
“Where to, senorita? ”
She giggled, “Upstate, please.”
He turned around to look at her with one brow up in the air, “Upstate? That’s gonna cost you a fortune… Not to mention we probably wouldn’t get there till nightfall…” She kept the smile as she tilted her head slightly, giving him doe eyes. “And? Are you not available? I’m good for the money, sir.” He smirked when she flashed several bills, all of them hundreds.
“What's a pretty girl like you doing with so much cash, eh? You robbed a bank miss? Trying to use me as your get-away car?” Evie giggled some more, “no, not at all! My dad doesn't trust me with credit cards anymore… I kinda blew my limit a while back.” She shrugged and he turned back to man the wheel.
“ Esta bien . If you say so… But if you live that far, why come to the Brooklyn museum and not the MET or the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan? Those are much nicer, fancier too.” Evie hummed, as she clicked away at her phone.
“They have an exhibit here on a few pieces from ancient Egypt. I’d been waiting for months for them to finally show it to the public.”
“Ancient Egypt, eh? You like mummies, miss?”
“Oh, I just love history in general, especially learning about past great civilizations and Egypt has the most rich history in my opinion.” As the two spoke, Evie got the feeling that someone was spying on them. Someone with some serious power. After a while the two fell silent as she texted away with her dad, getting an update about life at the cabin and Morgan. Suddenly she heard a voice coming from seemingly nowhere speaking to the driver, unaware of her eavesdropping.
"Jake, she is an imposter! Her entire identity is being masked with magic, rare witchcraft to conceal herself. Tread very carefully, there is great primordial darkness within her. Yet she is no mere avatar… " As discreetly as possible, the driver questioned the disembodied voice.
"Who is she? A witch or somethin’?"
"This girl is no mere witch… She is something far greater, stronger! A sorceress of immense power, but I cannot decipher whom we are dealing with. You would do well to make her an ally if she’s not already an enemy. She could prove to be useful in the future." The car then took a turn away from the main roads to a more secluded area. Evie pretended not to notice as she kept her eyes on the screen. When the car came to a complete stop, she looked up at the cabbie.
“This doesn't look like we're upstate, sir.”
His next words came out gruff and slow as he stared back through the rearview mirror. “Quién eres en realidad, señorita?”
“What do ya mean sir? I’m just a girl… heading home.” She said this as sweetly and innocently as possible.
He turned around. Cold brown eyes boring into her. “Hmm,” he chuckled as he positioned himself to really take her in. “Miss I don’t know what kind of game you're playing at. But I know damn well you’re not just some girl fascinated with dead things. So tell me, porfavor , who are you? And why are you here? Or things might not end well for you tonight.” Evie giggled slightly as she nodded, putting away her phone. Her senses picked up on the presence just outside the cab now.
As she straightened out a glimmer of blue light traveled the expanse of her figure, Evie revealing herself to both beings. “I do apologize for the ruse, Mr Lockley. My name is Genevieve Stark. I’ve been told through some very trustworthy sources that you have a particular skill set I need in order to complete a job I’m working on.” She kept her polite smile as she laced her fingers together and laid them over her lap. “The being that speaks to you, the one who's currently outside posted like a guard dog. Who is he and what’s his connection with you?”
Jake had a crooked smirk spread across his face. “You can hear Khonshu? Like actually hear him?”
“Yep every word since the start of this trip. If I am to make you a proposition, I need to know the nature of your business with this Khonshu …” She paused and pondered for just a second as she peeked outside the side window. There was a pair of stick thin legs and old weathered robes accompanied by a staff. “Khonshu… isn’t he the Egyptian deity of the moon?”
A resonating voice echoed in the small cabin almost startling her. “I am the God Khonshu! I preside over the moon and the travelers in the night. I am the deliverer of vengeance.” Upon hearing the words Evie dissolved into a mist of black smoke and reappeared standing on top of the cap’s roof. “And you…” His voice was laced with vexation. “How has an insignificant girl like you come to possess such ancient power?”
She narrowed her eyes and stared challengingly at the bird skull looming above. “What do you mean by ancient? I’ve had my abilities since I was a teen. And watch the way you talk to me, I may be human but I’ve been known to teach gods new lessons.” The skeletal corpse stood at least twelve feet tall, forcing Evie to look up at the hollow sockets.
“Ha! This one has fury in her veins. Tell me Genevive Stark, how did you get your powers?”
Jake slammed the driver side door as he got out to rejoin the chat. Unhappy to have a woman standing on the roof of his car, or being left out of the conversation for that matter.
With her hands on her hips, Evie glared at the being. His appearance doing absolutely nothing to intimidate her. “I was involuntarily experimented on when I was twelve, but my powers didn’t really manifest till a few years later.” The giant pile of bones contemplated her words for a moment while Jake helped himself to enjoying the view. “Hmm, if this is true…” Khonshu held out his free hand, “may I?” He asked in a suddenly polite tone. Evie looked at the bones wrapped in bandages before meeting his gaze again. Her senses found no intent on committing harm. Skeptically, she took his hand. When his grip tightened, Evie's head shot back. A surge of power flowed through her entire body as her eyes lit up in a bright white hue.
Khonshu was getting special access in to her memories.
Suddenly a slideshow of her entire life whisked before their eyes only slowing down in the moments after Hydra had left her behind when they’d caught wind of Iron Man coming for his daughter. Evie never knew this was a memory accessible to her before. Together they witnessed how her younger self took her last breaths. This was something she never knew.
Evie learned just then that she had briefly died.
Moments later and without warning, her small frail body started to exude a thick black smoke that surrounded her and flowed off the table where she laid. The lights of the room started to flicker as the air grew colder. A soft incoherent whisper was then heard echoing off the walls fatefully. Her eyes then fluttered open, black as a moonless night. The familiar dark veins took over her features emanating from her eyes, and her skin turned to a ghostly shade of white. Gasping, the little girl took in as much air as she could, before collapsing once again on the table.
As the lights returned to normal, present day Evie was snapped back to reality. Profoundly confused by the events and very disoriented. She lost her footing as a dizzy spell took over. Jake seized the opportunity to jump in, catching her just as she slipped off the roof. Evie felt the weightlessness of falling before landing on a pair of strong arms. “Careful hermosa , I got you.” She shook the fog out of her head, squirming to get out of his grasp.
“Let go!” she demanded, “and you!” She turned back to the god. “You son of bitch! Do some shit like that again and I’ll scatter your bones fragments all over the Hudson bay.”
This caused Khonshu to laugh boisterously. “You may have become a perfect conduit during the experiments those humans performed on you, but that doesn't explain why Nephthys chose to bless you with some of her powers when none of the gods have seen nor heard from her in eons !”
“Excuse me… What the hell did you just say?”
Sure Evie was confused before, but now she was baffled. Floored even.
“Are you saying she’s an avatar too? How is that possible when Nephthys has been lost to time?”
The giant skeletal bird paced with measured steps for a moment, ignoring Jake’s questions. “Perhaps we should speak elsewhere. Where someone won’t stumble across our conversation. It seems Stark here has a few revelations to uncover about herself before we agree to whatever deal she’s offering.” Nodding, she simply opened the passenger door and climbed in, leaving Jake to stare at her amusedly.
“Well let’s go birdbrains, I don’t feel like taking all night…”
One car ride to Greenwich Village later, they all found themselves at her house sitting across from each other in her living room. Well all except for Evie, cause she was walking back and forth trying to digest the information Khonshu had given.
“So you’re telling me that I-I died? Like actually checked out of this world… And then in that very moment some goddess; absolutely no one even knew was still around, decided to bring me back to life by passing on some of her powers to me!?”
“Yes, that is correct.” Khonsou said ever so calmly. “Most times we gods choose not to enter the Earthly plane, which is why we choose mortals as our champions. Jake is that for me. My Moon Knight. Yet somehow Nephthys was able to imbue you with a portion of her powers, without the need of tying you to herself as her avatar. But more of an extension of her being. Like giving an inheritance. Essentially making you a type of demi-god.”
Evie blinked hard trying to compute what her ears registered.
It took a good minute before she blurted, “oh my god, that's the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard… Nephthys is the goddess of death, decay, and darkness . What kind of person considers those traits ‘ giftable’ ?!”
The skull scuffed. “Insolent, ungrateful worm! Nephthys was one of the most revered goddesses in our pantheon. If she deemed your miserable life worth saving, then how dare you complain and gripe about her endowments.” J
ake watched in awe and intrigue how her temperance faded and anger started to settle in her gut. With Khonshu spewing away, Evie grew more irate with each word spoken.
“How dare I?” Her skin started to drain of its color, and her features darkened. “ How dare I!? My entire life afterwards has been a spinning cycle of shit and death! I have lost so many people! Friends, family! Even my own husband and my unborn child, GONE! And you don’t think I have the right to express my profound displure with the true nature of this FUCKING CURSE!” Suddenly the sound of Khonshu struggling at his side made Jake turn.
Evie had covered the (now, normal sized) deity in a black cloak that was contricking his ability to move. That was until a dust storm was unleashed within her home, blinding her and making her lose her grip. His golden staff was just about to come down and strike her, Evie gearing up to block the hit. When Lockley, now suddenly in his ceremonial armor, stopped the collision from happening.
“ Basta! That’s enough, both of you! Khonshu you don’t get an opinion on how she feels about her powers, and you.” He faced her with a stoney expression. “ Calmate , or I won’t help you if you decide to take another crack at the sack of bones again. Got it!?”
As they allowed their tempers to cool off, Jake decided to steer things back to their original topic. “Now that the air is clear muñeca , why don’t you tell me about this deal you wanted to talk about, hm?” He followed after her as she went to the kitchen.
“Don’t call me pet names…” She grumbled at him as she went about getting a glass of water. “I’m chasing down a biotech-genetics lab that has been dealing with the occult and illegal human experimentation on children. I have a guy working on tracking them through the supernatural side. Demons and shit. And I’m trying to track the kids. The plan is to go at it from two different angles to better increase our chances of locating them quickly. The mission is simple. Find them before any more of them die.” Khonshu appeared in the far back corner of the room, the two sharing a dirty glance at one another.
“Wait what?” Jake’s face went from one that showed no sympathy or kindness to complete and utter disdain.
“Yep, you heard it right cabbie. They're using kids as lab rats to prep them for something major. I don't know what, and I don't exactly care. But sinces there’s demons involved, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say human sacrifice shouldn’t be discarded. So, seeing how you're the ‘fist of vengeance’ or whatever for bird brains over there, I assume this might be something you'd be interested in taking part of. And if you need more enticing, I’m willing to pay you for your services.”
Jake took offense instantly, as did the god. “Hey no need to be a-” Evie raised a challenging brow, daring him to finish his train of thought. “Anyways. I’ll do it. And I don’t need your damn money to convince me to help kids from being abused. Believe it or not, that’s one thing I’ll never let slide! I don't care if Khonshu approves of it or not.” The bird stood his ground and held his head a little higher with Evie sensing animosity from the animated skeleton. “I am justice, and if what this girl says is true then I shall not oppose joining her crusade.”
The next few hours were spent drowning in all the research and evidence Evie had gathered over the past few weeks before the two humans and Egyptian deity came to a final conclusion.
“ Esta bien , no matter the cost, we can all agree the lives of those children are worth the risks we’re about to face.”
“Well that was never up for discussion. The real question is whether or not I can count on you and this dusty ass bird to pull through? Afterall you guys to are complete strangers to me, and I can’t afford fucks up.”
Lockley chuckled under his breath darkly. “ Ayi hermosa , absolutely nothing ever stops me from completing my goals. Not even Khonshu himself could prevent me from getting what I want. And right now I have two things on my list. Finding these kids, killing anyone in our way, and winning you over.” He shot her a wink, and Evie rolled her eyes so hard Jake was sure she saw her brain.
“Again, stop with the names. And technically that’s three things, genius. Of which only two are feasible for you. But if your man of your word, and god I hope my gut isn't wrong here. I’m trusting you Lockley. You break my trust, and I’ll bash your brains in myself. And the bird gets roasted too, extra crispy.”
The more they interacted the more Jake became very interested in the mystery that was Genevieve Stark. After all he only knew what the media had regarding her. Seeing this woman under a new light, made him very keen on learning more about her in every way.
“Very well girl . I assume since you want to keep this hidden in the shadows, you won’t be operating as the Avenger; Void, anymore will you?” The bird asked from his spot in the dark corner.
She didn’t hesitate in shaking her head, “nope, not at all. And the name is Evie, so use it!” She exhaled sharply, releashing her annoyance before continuing. “Void retired years ago and as far as the public is concerned I’m either dead or went off to live deep in the middle of butt-fuck-nowhere. However…” She vanished into thin air in front of their eyes and before the flickering lights could settle she was back again. Holding a large box.
Placing it on the kitchen island, Jake came over quickly to take a peek. Evie lifted the lid revealing a whole new uniform for her new alter. He whistled lowly. “Damn Stark, it sure pays off nicely having nothing but the best at your disposal.”
Elbowing him hard in the ribs, she shoved him aside while flashing him a condescending smile, taking out the first item.
It was a mask.
It was a bone white, wolf shaped skull. Complete with the pointy ears and top row of sharp fangs. As she looked down at the details, she remembered Johnny telling her the same thing.
“Best if you lay Void to rest, little lady. We want things under wraps. Can't have your old buddies or anyone else from the past coming around searching for ya. So… you got a name in mind for this new character of yours?” Evie toed at the gravel with the tips of her boots as a smirk stretched across her face. “
Yeah, it was actually one of the first names I was considering with this line, but you know how the media kinda runs wild with this stuff and my dad sorta coined Void for me…” Johnny then nudged her playfully, “well hot shot. What is it?” Evie turned to meet his eyes before speaking.
“Well senorita , with whom shall Moon Knight be dancing in the dark with?”
Evie felt a swell of emotions stir in her chest. “The Black Wolf, the new code name is Black Wolf.”
Jake nodded, “I like it, it suits you. A great name for such a, bella mujer .”
“Very well, Black Wolf tomorrow we set off in search of the lost children. Till then…” Khonshu did a small bow and then there was a slight breeze musing her loose locks. Seconds later, the deity’s presence was no longer felt in anywhere the vicinity.
Jake; feeling a little cocky, put an arm over her shoulder as Evie tucked away her new gear into a black cloud for storage out of sight. “So preciosa , we have the place to ourselves and-”
But Lockely was cut off when Evie had his arm twisted rather painfully behind his back in the blink of an eye. “Listen partner , I’m not interested. So it’d be best if you save it for whatever bimbo is your type at the cheap dive bar you’re a regular at. Got it!?”
Shoving him to the floor, Evie passed over him as she went to her room, shouting over her shoulder that he was welcomed to the couch if he could, “quit his shit.”
With so much work to do, romance was the last thing on her mind. Her sole focus was the mission.
Nothing else.
After everything that had happened, love was something she no longer saw as obtainable. It was all work from here on out for Evie, till the very last child was rescued and the ones responsible were facing the penalties of their crimes.
Be it human or supernatural, they’d face a swift justice at all costs.
To be continued...