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| The Mighty Thor 2099UG Issue #7 "Our Possible Pasts: Retroactive, Part 3" 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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| As Thor and his time roaming companions traveled, via foot, to the top of New York's finest, to the top of society, to Uptown, the past whisked away at a blinding speed. As the heavy thud of their steps echoed off of the expired streets seconds, minutes, hours, and weeks flew by them at an alarming rate. Time travel was funny that way. They made their way to Alchemax, so that they might ensure it's destruction and the demise of the ill fated VU Portal. Scout had explained many times why they had been cast so far into the past, but it was only now that Thor's scientifically inclined priest, Kabal, had finally began to grasp exactly what they were dealing with and it excited him. Time travel was much different than what he had studied in the past. At least, this type was. He had began disscussing such matters with Scout, and had indeed found a new friend. "So, why is it that the nights and days are flying by," he inquired. The Net Prophet looked over in interest as he walked along side Thor and the Lady Sif. He felt a connection with man that claimed to be the Thunder God. What had those lab technitions called him? The prophet of Thor? Could this be true? Scout laughed as he answered Kabal, "You make it sound as if it's noticeable! Of course, it seems this way, for you are foreign to this time. You are in the past. Things move faster as if they are trying to catch up to you, but to those native of this particular time, things are normal." He looked at Kabal's face and knew why he was confused. He shook his head and continued, "You are thinking with what you were taught...science has clouded your judgement, my friend. The means of travel that you have studied have been produced through technological means. Machinary that alters chronic energy. The effects that the past has on a travler soley depends on the means they used to arrive at their destination. Energy is swirling around you...chronic energy. If you had come here via machinary it would be different. You would be as an actual native of this point in history. And it's still different if you get here through some type of mystical means. We were transported here by PURE chronological energy...the type that I now have harnessed." "Oh, I see! Or at least, I think I see. Time travel is much more difficult than pressing a few buttons and simply arriving to watch a World Series from the past, eh? Must be why it was outlawed so long ago...and the reason it remains one of the Lost Sciences," replied Kabal. "Perfect sense, my friend. That is precisely why. The art is much too diverse to manipulate in any type of industry or government ruling." Sif finally broke into their conversation by pointing forward and exclaiming, "Is THIS Alchemax!? Maybe we should have made an appointment..." Thor and the others looked onto a horrid scene. SHIELD agents were trying to fight against the public and a few thousand Specialists. They were having quite a hard time keeping the civilians safe while trying to stop one of the most public takeovers in history. Countless samuri, who looked alike with uncanny precision, ran about slicing into anything, or anyone, in their paths. They were climbing the walls, running into doors, and flipping SHIELD vechiles. It was a mini-riot, and they were winning. Sif found herself shaking in fear. She couldn't calm herself, even as Thor pulled her closer to him. She felt panic when looking up at the towering presence of Alchemax. She knew that something horrible had happened to her here...but what? Why was she so afraid? She had the blood of a god coursing through her veins...why should she be frightned? She quickly dissmissed it as fear of the situation, and not the destination, as she and her companions made their way through the madness. Thor lashed out at those who were close to him, as SHIELD agents looked in amazement at the invisible assualts. Many simply crumpled to the ground. They could only shrug their shoulders and turn to the next opponet. It wasn't long before the holy Mjolnir had cleared a path straight to the corp's front door. "Knock, knock," whispered Scout as they entered. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Somewhere, Sometime The Lord stood in the middle of his room with his eyes closed, and his arms folded behind his back. The same timeless images began flashing within the confines of his mind. The same End. The same Beginning. Was it the same? He wasn't worried about that, for he could only think of that which only he could stop: Omega, the End. Yes, he had foreseen it many times, and in each of the time-stream's realities, there were three things that stayed the same. The Beginning, The End, and the presence of the One...the Messiah. How could altering the Beginning help him stop the End? He could think of nothing that would help him from this point of view. Then, he thought of the One. He thought of the Messiah. This was a distinct possiblity. But, he could not rely on simply waiting to see if he could take advantage of another. His only chance was to change things by himself...and with the power of the VU Dimension, he thought he could do it. But, what of these so-called heroes? What of the unexepected appearance of the Thunder God? And Scout's betrayl? This troubled Lord Tyme as he paced back and forth. No matter, he thought, I have agents of my own. . . And with that he quickly found himself staring over into the abyss within his lair. The chronological crossroads in which he blankly stared at began to bubble and boil violently. With a deep grimace on his face he plunged his arms into the emptiness, which soon overtook his elbows, continuing up his arms. As he silently held back the pain of the pure chronological energy, he began to concentrate. . .to manipulate the energies at his disposal. He was preparing his agents. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alchemax, Neuva York Kron Stone slept quitely in his isolated chamber. He shook with fear as the symbiote that laced his genetic make-up hounded him. It screamed at him, pleading him to get up and do something. It was ashamed of him, and it only made his despair grow deeper and he began to look at his situation with much bitterness. He was trapped like some sort of lab rat, and the symbiote wouldn't let him forget his failures. He couldn't forget. The symbiote was just as surprised as the lab techs when Kron suddenly leapt, seemingly from his slumber, at the shield that held him. He began pounding with all of his might. He could not control himself, and as the symbiote attempted to unleash itself, it was met with a hostile command to retreat back into the pores of his skin. The thought was not that of Kron Stone, for he was not himself. As the lab techs ran to their equipment an unearthly sound came from his throat. The coats stopped and looked in amazement at the possessed man. . . "~~Back off~~" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Somewhere, Sometime Lord Tyme grinned as he lifted his hands from the swimming pool of energy. A thin vapor was rising from his hands, and arms, drifting up into his face as he continued to smile. The first part of his plan was readily coming to pass. With Venom loose to take out the corporation's field generators, the heroes, would have no choice but to stop the explosion that would, in turn, destory Alchemax. Now, all he had to do was wait. . .not hard for one unaffected by time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alchemax, Neuva York The group of travelers made their way down the crowded Alchemax halls at a snail's pace. Thor was knocking Specialists and SHIELD agents alike out of the way with Mjolnir. Net Prophet was doing likewise, throwing them to the side with an energy field. Scout had a worried look on his face. He was the ‘leader' of the group, since he was most experienced with Tyme and his ways. He was trying to anticipate his ex-Lord's next move. And he was tired of wasting his temporal energy on people who were going to die in about twenty minutes anyway. He had studied these events for his Lord, and that was how he knew of all the events prior, and leading up to the destruction of Alchemax. That was how he knew his Lord must be stopped. And it was because of him that his Lord wasn't informed of the Thunder God's reappearance. Finally, he stopped concentrating on blocking his allies' presence. Everyone in the corrider stopped in mid-battle as they saw the group phase into existence before their very eyes. They were amazed at the assorted crew of figures. One of the many lab technicians quickly recognized the Net Prophet from his emergance from the VU Portal. He also recognized Thor. "Praise Thor," he exclaimed. "It is true! Hail the Net Prophet, the prophet of Thor! You have returned! Hurry, Milord, the creature Venom has escaped. He's destroying our equipment!" Thor looked over at one SHIELD agent who was still staring at him with an open mouth, and smashed his head into the wall with Mjolnir. He grunted as he walked toward the open door leading into the scientist's lab. Everyone parted, letting him through. As he passed, one of the Specialists ran at him from behind, with his sword drawn. Kabal raised his hand and fired a stream of plasma energy that ripped him apart. Scout ran up behind Thor, grabbing him by the arm. The Thunder God turned, his face flushed. The rage was coming to him, Sif ran up to him also, and it quickly passed. "Let it go, Thor. This is another diversion from Lord Tyme...just like his using Venom to kill Bloodsword when he shouldn't have died. I told you he would try and slow us down." "Yes, you are right. Forgive me," the God of Thunder replied. Suddenly the Scout grabbed the technician, and shook him, before finally exclaiming, "Where is Venom? WHERE IS HE!?" Sif looked at Kabal with a surprised expression, as the Net Prophet placed his hand on Scout's back in an attempt to calm him. The SHIELD agents and Specialists broke the silence as they began to murder each other once again. Sif found herself killing Specialists and SHIELD agents alike as they were caught in the midst of battle. "I thought you said it didn't matter," Kabal shouted to Scout. His companion couldn't hear him over the shouts of battle in the crowded hallway. Scout grabbed the technician, pulling him close. "Take us somewhere to talk. . .NOW! We don't have much time, friend. Your Lord Thor demands it." The young tech looked at Thor, who only nodded in his direction. He attempted to shout to the others, and pointed toward another doorway leading to a lab. It was the lab that Venom had escaped from, and it was blocked by a large group of Specialists who were making quick work of inexperienced SHIELD agents. The Net Prophet quickly used his own abilities to thrust the warriors out of the way, and give his companions safe passage. Once inside the lab, Thor took the front in case of hazard. The Net Prophet sealed the doors with beams of energy that flew from his eyes. They could hear the pounding on the doors. The Lady Sif let out a cry of surprise at the scene before her. They had just escaped one battle to enter into the remains of another. The bodies of lab techs littered the floor, and much of the equipment was ruined by the escape of Venom. Scout ran over to some equipment and said, "Help me find Venom's whereabouts. Hurry. We're not too late, but he must be stopped." The Net Prophet ran over to the consul, and whispered to Scout, "What's wrong, Scout? You already said that this was a diversion. Are you playing into the hands of Tyme?" "Perhaps. But, we must split up. I need to find out where Venom is! If I'm correct, then he must be stopped. You, help me, now," he said as he pointed to the young tech. The lab tech sat down at the consul and began to search for Venom. He quickly found him and said, "He's in one of the sublevels. He can't do much damage there. Nothing's there but the abandoned shield generators." "I was right! Tyme's original plan was to destroy the shield generators and let the destruction of the VU Portal release it's dimensional energies into our world. But, if we stop Venom from destroying the generators, he can still have someone shut down the VU Portal, in which case, he still wins. We HAVE to get those generators up, and make sure that the VU Portal destroys Alchemax." "I see," exclaimed Kabal. "I'll find my way to the generators," Scout said. "Kabal, you and Sif come with me. Thor and the Prophet can be led to the VU Portal by our young friend here," he said as he motioned toward the tech. As he said this, he got to his feet, and began to walk toward another corrider. Sif and Kabal quickly followed. The soft whistle of the doors was the only sound heard as they began their soft parade down into the Alchemax sub levels. Before they left, Thor said, "When shall we meet again, worthy Scout?" "Go to the Portal. We will find you. Good luck." And as he said this, he vanished into the shadows and confines of Alchemax. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Security and Protection Lab Kron Stone, aka Venom, found himself smashing into the door of the Protection Lab with a mighty black wrecking ball, which extended from the very pores of his skin. A thin vapor of smoke began to rise into the air from the dent in the fallen barrier. Nothing could stand in the way of Venom. He was at his final destination. "What am I doing here," he asked aloud. He had been driven to the sublevels of Alchemax for some odd reason. Instead of fighting his way out into the streets of Neuva York he had made his way to the forgotten security station. The home of the deserted rotational multiphasic shield generator was where he now found himself. Of course, he knew none of this, and he was still wondering why he was here. His symbiote only urged him to destroy the equipment and be done with it so that they could escape this maze of technology. He didn't know why his symbiote acted so frightened, but the feeling of it's panic made him also uneasy. He let the blackness overtake him, becoming a creature of destruction and chaos. "A man's got to do what a man's got to do," he smirked. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Somewhere, Somtime Somewhere in the distance of time and space, Lord Tyme smiled silently to himself. His plans were beginning to come to pass. But, he still needed a backup plan, just in case the treatrous Scout and his new companions managed to conquer Venom in time, enabling the shield generator to stay in place. He needed someone who could stay with the VU Gate, and possibly stop it's destruction. He needed someone easy to persuade. He leaned over his chauldron of chronological energy and began to evaulate the situation. The hero, Spider-Man, was certainly intelligent to shut down the VU Gate, if only he would apply himself, and not panic. But, he was in battle with the one known as the Vulture at this point, and little could be done to lead him back to the VU Gate. He hardly had time to get their either. His ravaged, and beaten body would be too hard to persuade. But, there was another. A mad fellow, by the name of Halloween Jack, who was more than qualified, and nearer the VU Gate than any others. Also, his love for the chaos that it would create would make him easy to control. Lord Tyme shoved one fist into the misty depths of the time-stream, and smiled. This was going to be easier than he had originally thought. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Corriders of Alchemax A black crow flies through the now abandoned halls of Alchemax, attempting to find it's way outside. Suddenly a cry comes from deep within the creature, as it flies into the side of a wall, bouncing to the floor, and morphing into a long, slender green man. He began to laugh as he rolled into the other wall of the hallway. "What's wrong with me," he chuckled to himself. Halloween Jack leapt to his feet with an evil grin. He had deserted his only love! Well, not counting himself. . .he had deserted his second greatest love! The VU Gate would not be destroyed, not if he had anything to say about it. He easily morphed into a great beast, and began to run through the passageways of Alchemax at a blinding speed. His twisted mind could hardly begin to trace the origin of his new found enthuisasm. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Security and Protection Lab The group consisting of Scout, Sif, and Kabal found the door to the lab open. . .wide open, thanks to the quick work left by the very specimen they were tracking. And as Scout stood withing the frame of the doorway, he saw the man that they were to stop. The monster that had been "recruited" by his ex-Master, the Lord Tyme. Venom looked up with a nasty snarl, and a twinkle in his eye. A thin stream of acidic drool formed on his lips, and dripped onto the floor. "Well, well, well, you're just in time for the festivities," he shouted. He was leaning back in a chair, with his feet propped up on the consul. Black tendrils were piercing various parts of the machinary, ripping bits and pieces out, and dissolving others. Sif and Kabal crowded into the door to see the creature's handiwork. Very few lights still shone from their metallic casings, and they knew they were too late. Sif flinched as she watched Scout enter the room, kicking debris out of his way, making his way toward Venom. He was unafraid, and Kabal darted out into the hallway, making his way down a flight of stairs, and ducking into a passage that was forgotten. A few quick buttons pressed, and he was on his way deeper into the pits of Alchemax. Sif hardly noticed Kabal's quick departure as she was ready to help Scout in the event of trouble. Scout walked over toward Venom, knocking his feet down to the ground. Venom stood up, his tendrils flowing in a storm of wrath, wrapping all about him. He stood in Scout's way to the machinary. His tongue began to wave mockingly. "What do you think you're doing, pal?" Scout eyed Venom carefully and replied, "I'm going to fix this machinary, and I expect you to move out of my way, or else I may be forced to remove you myself." Venom laughed out loud, but his hearty chuckles were quickly diminished as the Scout grabbed him, the symbiote and all, by the chest, bringing him close to his face. The smell of burning flesh could be found within the room as the symbiote's acidic properties began to burn the Scout. He took no notice, and as the tendrils began to wrap around around him, he took his other hand, and twisted them around in a fist, yanking them with all of his might, pulling some of them off in the process. As he did this Venom's previous laugh turned into a shriek of pain. Scout shoved Venom out of the way and onto the ground, and leaned over the consul. "Is it too late," Sif asked. "No, it doesn't appear to be badly damanged. He was just messing with the covering, and paneling. The core circuits of the machine weren't damaged at all." As he leaned over the machinary to begin the process of bringing the shield up, he heard a small cry and a muffling noise. He turned to see Venom, on his feet once again, with a sadistic look on his face. But, he wasn't alone. He had Sif, on the ground in front of him. He clutched a large patch of hair in his hand as he held her down. And at her throat was a long, acidic tendril, which was as sharp as a razor's edge. A thin bit of steam was rising from where the black blade touched her flesh, and a small line of blood formed at it's edges. "I don't know why. . .but, I have a feeling that you'd better step away from that consul," he growled. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Depths of Alchemax Kabal stood amidst the brilliant light of the equipment. The machinery that silently hummed its technological song was no longer in use, but it stayed intact. The heads of Alchemax would never take a chance that their failed project might have came to a horrible, devastating end. There was always the chance of perhaps salvaging it and using its properties for some other scheme. And this was why the equipment had been preserved. Simply put, the heads of Alchemax never threw anything away! He began to search the room, looking to see what needed to be saved. He was certain that the main power generators and memory banks would be protected from the coming blast, for there was living evidence, was there not? He only needed to ensure that he could find records upon his return. . .even after the coming disaster. Finally, he found what he was looking for. He stuffed the discs and chips into a synthetic box, and began to store them in the panel under the main consul. It took him a few moments to loosen the attachments, which held the panel in place, and he merely shoved it back on upon storing the files. No one is going to find them anyway after the fall of Alchemax he reminded himself. He stood admiring the soft glow of the lab, and soon left it behind him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The VU Gate, Alchemax The Mighty Thor entered onto the large observation with Mjolnir in had, ready to combat any sort of resistance from Lord Tyme. He stood up, but he never stopped being ever vigilant. He walked forward with a slow pace, and began to watch the shadows, which loomed over the massive machine. The lab tech stayed upon the observation deck, looking down upon the entire scene with a frightened expression. The Net Prophet began to glow as energy swirled around him. He paid no mind as he began to levitate from the high platform to the solid floor of the VU Gate's lab. He strolled behind Thor and was ready to help this familiar man in any way he possibly could. As Thor got closer, he thought he saw the shift of a character, but alas, he wasn't sure. Suddenly, out of the silence of the room came a soft, chuckling voice. It said, "Well, well, well. Look what we've got here! Boy-o! Aren't we lucky today?" Thor stopped in his tracks, as the Net Prophet's eyes began to illuminate with a fiery sense of alarm. The both stood and waited for the voice to stop its maniacal laughter and speak to them once again. Finally, the figure stepped out from the dark abyss of the shadows. As the light slid up his body, making the moment of revelation that much more intense, Thor could see a tall slender man. And as he leaned up against the machine and chuckled, he grabbed a large knob, and twisted it all the way to the left. The machine began to power down, as the crackling energy of VU Gate snapped and popped to a silent stillness. Halloween Jack looked at the Thunder God and gave him a quick wink and said, "Well, if it isn't, my brother! Looking good, bub, but there's only room for one stud tonight, and you're looking at em'!" Well, Thorites, it's the end of another exciting adventure, but don't worry!!! The fun and suspense will be back soon in "Yesterday's Horizon, Retroactive Pt. 4-The Conclusion!" And guess who's here!? You guessed it!! We have more of the Apostle and plently more of great villains such as Halloween Jack and Venom! So be sure to check in as Thor &Company face the survival of Alchemax!!! |