The Mighty Thor 2099UG #11

The Mighty Thor 2099UG

Issue #11

"Decontructing Faith"

Written by Jason C. Smith

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.

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LAST ISSUE . . . .

"You, Kabal, think you are all knowing of Odin's will? Who hast he bestowed with power beyond imagination, whelp? Surely not you, you who hides behind the might of the false Thunder God! You shall be the first I purge from the Fenris! May you now depart the land of the living and start anew in Hel!"

Upon discovering a mysterious treasure deep within the bowels of New York's antiquated sewer system, the man once known as Bloodsword has been transformed into the towering monster known as JUGGERNAUT 2099!!! Believing his newfound power to be a gift from Odin, he has returned to the Fenris to retake his place as the leader and voice of the Allfather. Only Thor and his small band of warriors now stand between this unstoppable foe and his complete conquest of DOWNTOWN!!!

*************

Silence enveloped the streets of Downtown. The song of battle had momentarily paused with the exception of Thor's heavy panting. The god of thunder looked down upon Mjolnir with a bewildered stare. Everything in his peripheral vision appeared blurred as he focused intently upon the reflection in his pool of blood. A chorus of whispering doubt broke the quiet as the Fenris looked upon the predator who had seemingly defeated their lord and protector. His name was Juggernaut and his laugh paralled the fear growing within the Thorites' chests.

"Look upon the weakness of the Odinson, children of Asgard! See how easily he bleeds and how readily he yields before the might of the Allfather's chosen emissary. Hast you gathered to watch this false god kneel before his Ragnarok?"

Thor slowly brought his eyes to meet his foe's gaze. "Tell me, boastful warrior, your name before I send you to the sacred halls of Valhalla. I shall have to warn Heimdall of your arrival so that your constant babble does not deafen his mighty senses."

The man formerly known as Bloodsword stopped laughing as his face transformed into a twisted grimace. "I walk this earth as Odin's Juggernaut, but before the dawn you shall call me master, dog!"

Juggernaut lashed out with a powerful kick, but he found no target. As Thor leapt backward to his feet the Juggernaut met the ground with an amazing impact. The god of thunder kept his damaged limb close to his person, swinging sacred Mjolnir and creating an energy field around them.

"I would rather die than see the Son of Asgard in servitude, heretic," Thor snarled. "Odin hast given me strength and command of the storm in order to bring life and glory to those who answer his call. I shall take much joy in denying you these pleasures."

Before Juggernaut could respond Scout capitalized on his ally's diversion. Absorbing the ionic energy emanating from Thor's hammer, Scout wrapped his arms around Juggernaut's throat. The behemoth clad in red immediately clawed at his attacker. Before he could rid himself of Scout's presence the former disciple of Lord Tyme unleashed the ionic energy point-black into the Juggernaut's face. Scout quickly retreated as the towering menace stumbled forward in agonizing pain.

Thor unleashed into his enemy with a savage vengeance. The Fenris looked upon the vigor of their lord in awe and horror. Mjolnir crackled with energy and a bolt of energy blasted into the midsection of Odin's supposed engine of destruction. Thor flew into his opponent with all of his might and smashed his sacred weapon into Juggernaut's face with awesome force. The Juggernaut fell backward on the hard concrete temporarily dazed.

"Thou hast made a grave mistake storming the lands of the Fenris, Juggernaut of destruction. A formidable warrior you may be, yet you are but a man. You face a force of nature and my wrath shall rain down upon you with the vengeance of the true Odinson!"

***
Deep Within the Sewers
***

A hunched figure, disguised in the darkness, made its way into the abandoned room once by inhabited by Bloodsword. The creature slowly picked up pieces of food and clothing left behind by the man after the magical discovery that transformed him into a living Juggernaut. It sniffed at them in silence and grunted in frustration when the scent grew cold near an old, empty chest.
Its red eyes moved over the scene and as quickly as it appeared the creature vanished, scurrying away on all fours .

***
Central Park, Downtown
***

"Lord Thor, I believe it would do us well to take this battle elsewhere. We risk much damage to property and life here in the Fenris' lands," the priest Kabal shouted.

"Aye," replied the Thunder God. "Thou keen mind hast always granted wisdom and guidance from beyond nigh. Come, behemoth, let us take this quarrel away from the protected Fenris. If you dare challenge me in battle then let us take to the field... the ruins of the mortal temple Alchemax!"

Without a moment of hesitation the lord of lightening took to the sky with Mjolnir in hand. The Scout traced the streak of red and yellow across the sky as Thor made his way to the ruins of the Alchemax corporation.

"Sounds like an invitation to me, Juggernaut," Scout spat. "The Fenris wouldn't think less of you if you refused. He is a god after all!"

"I shall grind your bones into Midgard upon my return for your ridicule, fool! You think the Juggernaut is afraid? This is no contest... your god of thunder flees before my might! I shall bring his head back to the Fenris as both trophy and warning. No one shall defy or humiliate me any longer! So swears Odin and so swears Juggernaut!"

***
The Ruins of Alchemax
***

Thor landed softly among the equipment of Stark-Fujikawa's Salvage and Deconstruction Crews. He nursed his broken arm and held it close to his body. He looked at the destruction and equipment used to regain any information or technology possibly left unharmed by Alchemax's destruction. For some reason, unknown to Thor, the Salvage Crews had abandoned their equipment against Hikara-Sama's orders. The CEO of Stark-Fujikawa was not pleased nor would he be when the news that his recovery operation would be permanently disrupted by the battle about to ensue!

The Son of Asgard turned sharply when he heard a warcry warn him of the danger approaching from above. The Juggernaut dropped from the sky, propelled by his remarkably strong legs, next to Thor. Barely was his grasp escaped by Thor's spinning Mjolnir. Thor put distance between himself and the engine of devastation as ionic energy began to crack and swirl around him.

"Thou hast met my challenge, Juggernaut. Truly, a thin line separates foolishness from bravery. Which side of the line you fall upon we shall see this day."

"The time for divine speeches of battle and honor has passed, blasphemer! Let the power granted to me by the Allfather speak for us both as I burn your broken body in sacrifice," Juggernaut roared in response.

The Juggernaut picked up a monstrous piece of wreckage and lifted it high above his head, launching it at the lord of lightening with great speed. Both combatants found themselves under a rain of debris as Mjolnir intercepted the projectile and sent pieces flying all directions. Thor caught Juggernaut with an upper-cut as Mjolnir made its way back to its lord. As he turned to receive his sacred weapon Juggernaut retaliated with a blow of his own. His swinging arm came down into an arc and struck Thor precisely in the side of the head. The god of thunder stumbled backward away from his attacker.

The Juggernaut was not prepared to ease his assault. He followed up with a double axe-handle blow which knocked Thor off of his feet and into Stark-Fujikawa's equipment. Juggernaut wrapped his large hands around a battered crane and approached his fallen adversary. Thor could no longer focus on defending himself as his mind began to cave in on itself. He saw images of a life that he had never known. A voice spoke to him from beneath the veil of divinity that had clouded his perception of reality. A meek man called to him from the depths of his consciousness, casting his identity into doubt.

The Juggernaut's taunts echoed the doubt bubbling within the god of thunder's mind, though Thor was no longer aware of the danger he faced. "You look puzzled, Asgardian. Could it be that you doubt your victory? Know that you are the false god of man for your defeat has been delivered by hands powered through the gift of the gods! I am only the messenger, Thor. Remember that you do not answer to me... you will answer to Hela herself in her underground kingdom of Hel! I shall be the one to send you there!"

Juggernaut brought the crane crashing down upon Thor's back as the Thunder God tried to crawl away. A sick crack echoed off the ruin's walls as Asgardian ribs broke beneath the inconceivable power of the former Bloodsword. Mjolnir fell to the ground a few feet away from Thor. His vision was blurred and he made no attempt to call the hammer back to his grasp. His breathing was slow and he barely stirred.

"You shall receive no mercy or quarter from me, heretic. Stand up and face me before I smite you down! Do not force my hand, dog!"

The Juggernaut's voice rang in Thor's ears, but he could not reply physically or verbally. The nanotech receptors within Thor's bloodstream diverted away from their primary identity functions and raced to repair the damage received at the hands of Thor. For the first time in weeks the mind of the Reverend Cecil McAdam escaped the prison of technology that had caused him to believe himself the true Odinson. Tears swelled within Thor's eyes at thought of the revelation. However, they were not tears of pain. They were tears of realization.

He was a heretic.

"Why... wh... Odin has forsaken me," he mumbled.

"You beg for mercy, liar? Death would be far too kind a gift from the hands of Odin's power. Rather I would let you crawl over Midgard with the knowledge that you were bested by the Juggernaut. You are no god. Your delusions and faith have been destroyed."

Juggernaut turned and began his victorious parade out of Alchemax's ruins. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned with a look of triumph on his face. "Though I will not return with your head on a pike as I had proclaimed, I shall take my prize, Thor. You humiliated me before I found favor with Odin in my desire to dethrone and destroy you. When I was Bloodsword you stole the Fenris from my watch. They are sheep and easily persuaded... and they will be persuaded to follow my path once more with Mjolnir by my side!"

He lowered down and picked Mjolnir up, placing the hammer in his belt. No energy or life appeared to manifest around the weapon. Juggernaut quickened his pace as his long, powerful legs propelled him through the machinery and surrounding rubble. The distant sound of his stomp and the cloud of debris left in his wake were the only remaining signs of his presence; those and a broken thunder god left to his own devices.

***
Hours later ...
***

The soft whine of a hover-propelled skycar made its way through the rubble and wreckage that had once been the headquarters of Alchemax International. Though the structure that had housed many of Alchemax's greatest secrets had been destroyed by Stark-Fujikawa's attempted hostile takeover, many of the secrets remained. Those dark secrets were lost to the world at large beneath the destruction and chaos. The labyrinth of debris was now a house to new secrets and new threats. Threats that had swallowed and destroyed Salvage Crew operators had also claimed the unconsciousness form of the technologically enhanced form of Reverend Cecil McAdam.

"He's not here," Scout shouted over his shoulder to the skycar.

"Much of this damage is relatively new," Kabal replied. He looked to the Lady Sif and surveyed the area. "Battle was done here, Scout. Juggernaut returned alone... with my lord's sacred Mjolnir in had. We cannot return to Central Park without Thor. Such would be suicide."

"It might be suicide regardless, friend Kabal."

"My lover... my warrior born will seek revenge," Sif murmured from the back of the vehicle.

"Save your breath, milady," Scout hushed. "We will found the thunder god... if there is anything left to find."

Kabal leapt from the skycar and began retracing the battle signs. He found a pool of blood that must have surely come from the Fenris protector. Traces of a milky white residue 2could be found in the drying spots. The priest recognized the evidence of nanotechnology in the blood. "This is where the battle ended," Kabal declared.

Scout joined him by his side. "It appears that someone found your lord after being bested by the Juggernaut. Those tracks there belong to another person... and those marks there appear as if the thunder god was dragged into the abyss below."

Kabal nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

"Either Thor was badly hurt or our mysterious enemy threatens to be just as powerful as that fool Juggernaut. What do you think?"

"I think there's only one way to find out, jammit," Kabal cursed.

"Adventure awaits?"

"Only if you include me," said the Lady Sif as she eased her way out of the skycar.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, milady," Kabal replied. "You should stay here and rest in case we need rescuing."

"With our combined might, Kabal, then perhaps we can surpass your need for rescue! I won't rest until my lover is found and the Fenris are safe from Juggernaut's grasp. You can't stop me from following you, no matter how deeply Alchemax frightens me."

Kabal nodded silently and joined Scout in helping the Lady Sif out of the skycar. The three slowly made their way to the shafts leading to the heart of Alchemax's bowels. Their steps shifted dirt and wreckage over the faint traces of blood from the thunder god as they disappeared into the darkness in pursuit of their fallen lord.

Kabal looked back over his shoulder as they descended. "May Odin have mercy on us all..."

NEXT ISSUE: Secrets revealed! Faces from the past emerge to face the Fenris priest Kabal and his companions as we find out what happens "When Gods Collide!"