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| The Mighty Thor 2099UG Issue #3 "Freaking Out" Written by Jason C. Smith |
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| The 2099 Underground is a project whereby a group of fans are putting together a series of stories continuing from Marvel's fantastic futuristic 2099! Ignoring the ignoble and inaccurate "2099: World of Tomorrow", we're exploring what we feel is the true spirit of 2099 as envisioned by then Editor-in-Chief Joey Cavalieri. Participation is open to all. Comments about this issue should be sent to the author. Or you can visit our message board and post your thoughts on the issue. Anyone wishing to join the mailing list should do so by signing up at Yahoo! Groups. It's free and easy! Simply type in the keyword "Ghostworks" and you're good to go. |
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| The crowd grew silent as the Vulture, Downtown's ruthless pursuer, crouched down to pick up Mjolnir, Thor's sacred weapon. He sneered as his eyes met Thor's in a lasting moment of tension. Well, I guess things worked out after all, the Vulture thought as he began to grasp the hammer. But as he wrapped his desperate fingers around the tool, a surge of energy from within the weapon shocked the predator, sending him flying to the ground and stopping him from picking it up. The crowd gasped as they looked upon Thor. He was the God of Thunder! No one could pick up Mjolnir save those who were worthy. And the Vulture was definitely not in that category. "Attack! Freakers attack. NOW," exclaimed the Vulture as he stood, holding his aching head. The gang began moving in toward the Fenris, closing them off from escape. Thor leaped to the pulpit and stood overlooking the crowd. Finally, he called out to the Fenris, called out to his people. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks as the Thunder God's voice rang out over the air as if the clasping thunder in a storm. "Fight for thy self! You have the God of Thunder, and Master of the Storm by your side. So swears he, the Mighty Thor!" With this call of battle, many of the Freakers turned away and broke from their ranks, in fear of their lives. The Fenris cheered and soon the battle had began. The Freakers hadn't expected retaliation from the Fenris, therefore they hadn't brought much along the lines of weaponry. Bloodsword crawled off from the battle disappearing within the Park. Kabal watched the heated battle for a moment before breaking off and heading off toward the ruins of his house. Thor looked over at the Vulture who was still struggling to stand. "So, thou hast tried to lift mighty Mjolnir??? And seen that only I and the All-Father himself can lift this holy weapon. I shall give you a chance to surrender before facing the wrath of a true Thunder God," Thor stated. "Oh, shock you, faker. I see the way you herd these idiots," the Vulture spat. "Thou hast made quite an error by mistaking my actions with that of Bloodsword. You are the one who hast prepared battle for the Fenris and you are the one who shall take the burnt of my fury," Thor exclaimed as he began swinging Mjolnir in a circular pattern. As he finished saying this he appeared to throw the sacred hammer, but by holding on to the handle he entered flight with his weapon at the lead. He flew into the Vulture at full speed, catching him off guard. The Vulture barely managed to avoid the complete contact of the blow, but was still floored as Mjolnir caught his metallic wing, knocking him off balance. Thor stood before him as he waited for his opponent to stand. The Vulture peered up at Thor out of the corner of his eye and then reflected the light from one of the lanterns into Thor's face, blinding him. As Thor looked away, the Vulture spread his wings and flew into the open night sky. Thor shook his head and soon followed, traveling behind his mystic hammer. The Vulture began flying off toward a distant alley, hoping to have an advantage in the open air, and therefore taking Thor's attention away from the Freaker/Fenris battle. Thor altered his flight path and flew toward the Vulture with all of his might. The Vulture made himself an open target while flying close to the wall of the alley. As Thor got closer, the Vulture dove sharply toward the ground in order to avoid being hit. Thor, unable to stop, crashed through the wall sending debris in all directions. The Vulture perched on a near-by ledge and waited to see if he had disposed of the god. Meanwhile, back in the Park, the Fenris had surprised the attacking mob of Freakers with their strength and battle tactics. This was the first open battle that the two cliques had ever engaged in and the Fenris were fighting the Freakers off, tooth and nail. Soon enough, the Fenris had fought their way out of the "corner" that the Freakers had attempted to put them in and the battle was even. Kabal returned from the ruins of his house, with a rather sophisticated looking weapon within his possession. The lights from the celebration gleamed off of the shiny metal. It's sleek curves were smooth and delicate. He brought the weapon to his shoulder, like a bazooka, and fired at a group of Freakers approaching him. Warm air engulfed the oncoming warriors before a stream of fiery plasma passed through them, disintegrating them as if they had never existed. Kabal patted the weapon and slung it over his back. He had other tricks up his sleeve. The Vulture flew closer to the opening in the building to see what had happened to Thor. As he landed on some of the fragments that were barely attached to the building, he saw the Thunder God swing his hammer at the structure's foundation, sending a massive crack up the side of the wall. The fracture made its way up to the hole in the wall, with the destruction of the entire wall as its result. The rubble from the side of the building fell upon the Vulture as he tried to hurriedly escape it's destruction. Pieces of plaster and stone rained down upon the street and the Vulture, knocking him to the ground in a rather nasty fall. Masonry from the wall began burying the predator as Thor flew from the destruction, barely noticing the bombardment of stone upon his back. Thor made his way back to the Park, landing amidst the battle. He began swinging Mjolnir taking out Freaker after Freaker, sending them flying. The Fenris saw their champion and savior and began fighting harder as if they finally had a purpose. Kabal looked over at Thor and nodded his head in approvement. As he turned back to pay attention to the battle he failed to see one of his attackers as they clubbed him from behind. Kabal fell to the ground and rolled as the burly man swung again, missing this time. As Kabal scrambled to his feet, he removed a small metallic ball from his belt. As the man approached him Kabal launched the small device as hard as he could toward his chest. Upon impact, the ball exploded covering the man in a bizarre adhesive. The man fell forward and Kabal quickly returned to battle, letting the man struggle as he slowly began to suffocate. As the battle raged on, no one saw the Vulture as he slowly made his way out from beneath the rubble. He had somehow managed to shield himself with his metallic wings, but he was still badly wounded. He crawled away from the wreckage into the alley, to rest. Finally he stood and flew into the air, hoping that it would revive him. As he lifted off, he saw Thor, mindlessly fighting his men. The god took out three to four men at a time without suffering any damage or pain. He looked upon his people and saw that he had lost, miserably. But he would have his revenge. Finally, he saw the Fenris' other fearless warrior who was doing almost as much damage as the Thunder God. It was Kabal, their witch-doctor. He had some peculiar weapon which was frying his people left and right. The Vulture witnessed the scene as Kabal fired the modified plasma cannon at another group of Freakers. After observing the amount of damage that the cannon had inflicted, the Vulture began to brainstorm. Kabal was leaning down to fire again as the Vulture swooped down and lifted him into the air. He dropped the weapon and its strap saved it from falling to the ground. The Vulture began flying toward the surface of the ground at full speed, before finally letting Kabal go, using his own momentum to skid across the ground. Kabal laid there, bloody and scraped, as the Vulture landed and easily took the plasma weapon from his grasp. Then he flew into the air with the weapon, charging it as he flew. He began firing at people and laughing as he watched the plasma stream burn them to a crisp. Finally he saw Thor and landed before him with the weapon at full power, and aimed at point blank range. "What manner of weapon is this," asked the Mighty Thor. "The kind that's sending you to Hel," the Vulture sneered. "And you thinkest that you can kill an immortal with a mere man's toy," Thor chuckled. "Well, we'll find out soon enough now won't we, Bub?" As the Vulture raised the weapon to his shoulder, Kabal struggled to his feet. He removed one of the small impact devices and threw it as hard as he could toward the Vulture. The device spun through the air making it's way at the Vulture, before it finally found it's mark. The weapon hit the Vulture in the back of the head and exploded in a mess of adhesive webbing, which expanded, covering his face. "What is this," he shrieked as he dropped the weapon and began to try and tear away the webbing. As the Vulture took his attention away from Thor, the god fired a powerful upper-cut with mighty Mjolnir in his grasp, sending the Vulture flying through the air, several feet away from the scene of the battle. As the Freakers, whose numbers were less and less, saw their master's defeat, they all began to retreat making their ways toward the back allies of Downtown. Finally, after all had escaped or been killed Thor flew up in the sky and raised the powerful Mjolnir in the air above him. Ionic energy crackled around it and a thunderbolt from the heavens above struck the hammer in a blinding display. The Fenris cheered for they had won the day and their new leader was truly the Mighty Thor, God of Thunder. They were now the rulers of Downtown. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Somewhere Under The Surface The air was thick and musty. The figure crawled along the ground, through dark puddles of foul muck. Bloodsword could barely stand the stench of his surroundings. It was even a chore just to hold his head above the surface of the water. He was in great pain, thanks to Thor and he was sure that he would have been killed if it had not been for the Freaker's sneak attack, that enabled him to escape. He had made his way deeper and deeper into the heart of Downtown, until he stumbled over something strange. It was a manhole, which hadn't been sealed off!!! The sewers of New York were often used as the material in stories told by mothers who warned their children of the danger of Downtown. It was pure legend. Now that he had made his way into the abyss he began to wonder whether the monsters that his mother had told him about really existed or not. Bloodsword wasn't brave, just desperate. He heard a thrashing noise in the distance beyond him and stopped to listen. He thought he heard footsteps, but didn't think that it was possible. Then, he stopped to think. Well, if I found an opening, then anyone could have found their way down here, he thought. He also realized that he was in no position to defend himself, so he started searching around in the shadows. The noises were getting closer. Bloodsword found a boarded up passage and tried to pry one of the boards loose. He turned as he heard a splash of water. He began to panic and threw all of his weight into the boards, breaking them, and stumbling into a hidden passage. He hurriedly propped the boards back up and made his way down the passage way. Their was considerably less water here and soon enough he was on dry ground. He continued to make his way through the long and winding tunnel. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Central Park Thor sat with Kabal on the terrace on an old Penthouse apartment overlooking the Park. After searching for the Fenris' fallen leader, Bloodsword, Kabal had gathered his few belongings that had survived and made his way to Bloodsword's old apartment. He had rationalized that since Thor was the new leader then he had every right to move into the apartment and make them his quarters, and Kabal was moving with him. And provided that he had the Lord of Lightning backing him up, and he was the tribe's priest after all, no one bothered to argue. In fact, since the defeat of the Freakers, the Fenris would be widely recognized as the ruling clique in Downtown. They had gained almost all of the Freakers' land and their was plenty of enough property for everyone. Kabal leaned over the balcony and watched the masses as they cleaned up the remains of the battle and removed the casualties. He would have to join them soon in order to help the sick and wounded. More and more people had come to help in the cleaning process and wanted to join the Fenris. Kabal estimated that the group's size had at least doubled since the return of the god. He looked over toward Thor and smiled. "I don't think I've really had a chance to thank you for everything you've done since you came," Kabal said. "What dost thou mean," Thor asked as he approached the balcony and began to look out over the Park. "Well, you know. I'd just like to thank you for all of this," he replied waving his hand over the horizon. "Well, there is no thanks to be given except to Odin, the All-Father. He hast truly blessed us in our battle against the carrion Vulture and his legions. They were worthy opponents, but they could not stand up to the combined fury of the God of Thunder and the faith of the Fenris." "Well, I suppose not. So what now?" "Well, I dost think that perhaps we should join them," Thor answered as he pointed toward the gathering crowds underneath them. "Yes, perhaps you're right. I still have some things to attend to within my lab and then I have some sick people that I need to look after," he said as he turned. "Are you coming?" Thor looked out into the distance and finally replied, "No. I shall be back shortly, for I have many things that need to be taken care of. I'm leaving you in charge." "Yes, my Lord," Kabal replied as he disappeared within the apartment and made his way downstairs. Thor walked into the living room of the apartment and closed the doors behind him. He sat down and began to think about Sif and what he had to do. He looked up over the mantle of the fireplace and saw a portrait of the apartment's previous owner, Bloodsword. He was a rather tall, bulky fellow. He had broad, square shoulders, and a muscular frame. His long black locks were proudly unwashed and his face was covered in stubble. Thor shook his head and couldn't understand how he could have possibly drawn the attention of one such as this buffoon. Well, at least he died valiantly Thor thought. He finally rose and walked back toward the balcony. He opened both doors wide and stepped out onto the cold pavement of the terrace. He raised Mjolnir and began spinning the sacred weapon. It was finally time to travel toward Uptown and find his Lady Sif. He threw his hammer and by holding on to it's handle flew along behind it. As he flew through the air, making his way to Uptown, Thor thought about the past. He remembered very little, for it seemed as if he had not been around for very long. He couldn't remember anything before the "Aesir" incident. And he couldn't remember anything after it either, not until he stopped Bloodsword from having the one called Patsy sacrificed. It was a mystery that he wanted to unravel, if it was Odin's will. Perhaps after he found Sif? Then all his thought went to his Lady. He could remember little things about her, but nothing major. He didn't know what Avataar had done to her, but he would make him pay. He wasn't just a god of thunder, he was also a god of vengeance. Avataar would surly have to face a god's wrath. Soon he thought. As Thor flew through the hair, many stopped and watched. They were accustomed to seeing the various hero, usually Spider-Man, swinging through the air. But they never expected to see the God of Thunder and many turned their backs and walked the other way. They could remember what happened last time the Aesir were seen. Thor looked around and made his way toward Alchemax, the Temple of Science, as he liked to call it. This was where Sif had been held and he had met the evil Avataar. But as he approached the site he stopped and looked on in shock. Where the Alchemax building had been standing was a large area of debris and rubble. What had happened, he thought. Thor made his way toward the site of destruction at top speed landing in a crouched position, ready for anything. He stood in a defensive position and looked around ready for a fight. But as he observed the rubble he quickly realized that the destruction was old. Whatever had happened was at least a week old. But he really couldn't tell. He began shifting around the rubble, looking for any sign of life or otherwise. He had to find Sif, even if she was gone. He had to prove it to himself. What manner of being fulfill such a task, he pondered. He slipped Mjolnir into his belt and began picking up large piles of debris and waste. His powerful arms were clearing away crowded areas as he looked for any sight of a hidden passage or perhaps something else. While moving the remains around he stopped and listened. He had heard something, despite the fact that was only faint. He stopped what he was doing and made his way toward the sound. He leaped upon a tall pile of rubble and looked over the "valley" of refuse. What he saw amazed him. He took off like a bolt of lightning toward what appeared to be a young woman. He stopped beside her and bent down to help her up. "Here let me help you," he said. The woman stumbled away and looked up at the Mighty Thor. She started crawling away with a look of horror on her face. Thor stepped toward her and offered his hand as if to help her up. "No," she shrieked as she began struggling to back away from him. She turned and fought to regain her balance, attempting to stand and run. She staggered away from Thor trying to put distance between them as he stood and watched in confusion. Finally, she tripped over some debris and laid still. Thor watched for a moment before finally making his way over to her. He kneeled down beside her and rolled her over. Her head fell back, limp in his arms. He looked upon her face and realized who she was. Although he recognized the woman as his Lady Sif, he could not determine what had made her react in such a way. He scooped her up in his arms and began looking around for any other signs of life. Perhaps something else had made her behave this way. She had been confused and startled by his appearance. He looked around the area using his impeccable sight. It wasn't as good as the faithful Heimdall's he thought, but it would do. Now there was another name he had almost forgotten. What had happened to Heimdall, he wondered. As he thought of the other Aesir he checked Lady Sif, to see if she was okay. She was unconscious for the moment, but he was still worried. Finally he decided to take her back to Central Park and the Fenris and away from this horrid place. No need to place her in danger by keeping her around whatever had made her react that way, he thought. As he flew off into the distance, with Sif in his arms, a dark pair of eyes watched them make their way back Downtown. This shadowy figure had observed the entire scene, albeit outside Thor or Sif's knowledge. When the two were out of sight the grim character made her way back down into the concealed passage way underneath the rubble of Alchemax. She slowly worked down into the depths of the underground levels, which had despite various degrees of damage, had remained intact. She sat before a display panel and closed her eyes, meditating. Well, this is quite unexpected, she thought. The God of Lightning returns, again. "Now, what am I to do," she asked aloud to nothing in particular. Only time would tell. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back In Central Park Kabal looked up in the night-time sky as he saw the Mighty Thor land upon his balcony. He left the wounded to the care of his assistants and made his way over to the Hotel; which, served as their quarters. Well, it was really Bloodsword's old residence, but Kabal had other plans. He knew that Thor would agree. The Fenris had a new direction now. They had something to achieve. Kabal looked up toward Uptown. With the Lord of Lightning on their side how could things go wrong he asked himself. He shrugged his shoulders with a slight grin. They can't, he answered himself. He pulled open the glass doors and walked toward the elevator. As he pushed the button he was amazed that the old thing still worked. Bloodsword had requested that he kept such things running, despite the fact that he was the only person allowed to use such a luxury. Well, things change, Kabal thought. Bloodsword was surely dead and Thor was dead now. Kabal had learned to adapt. He had been the Fenris' priest and Bloodsword's right hand man and now he was Thor's. Yes, things change thought Kabal. He knew what was best for the Fenris, as did Thor and together they would work toward this greater good. Kabal approached the door to his room and removed the key. He slid the key into the slot and opened the door. As he went inside. He heard a voice. It was a weak voice, and Kabal was rather sure it was female. Then he heard Thor's loud demanding voice call his name. "Who hast arrived? Kabal be it you?" "Yes, Master. It is me. May I ask what is going on," Kabal replied. "Come hither. I am in the sleeping chamber." Kabal made his way to the master bedroom and opened the door. What he saw startled him and took a step back. He saw a beautiful woman on the bed. She was dressed in the ancient robes, and despite her filthy appearance, her beauty was remarkable. Her long black hair laid across her broad, yet feminine shoulders. The steady movement of her chest as she took each breathe was mesmerizing. Kabal looked at her red, lush lips, and couldn't help but stare. It was only when Thor spoke that his concentration was broken. Thor was kneeling beside the bed holding her hand in his own. He looked up and in a rather desperate voice asked, "You must help her. Please tellest me that thou can." Kabal could only look upon his Lord's sorrowful face and nod. Be back next issue for the fate of the Lady Sif. Also, Morbius 2099 meets Thor 2099!!! |