Date: Sun, 23 May 2004 21:08:09 -0700 (PDT) From: Tony Justiss Subject: Tales of a Thunder God - 4 Hello, everybody. I want to say this is not my first story and that I do have experience prior to this at writing. I am however new to this universe and its challenging and ingenious setting. It's been a while since I've read a Thor comic or seen anything with him starring in it, but I'm doing research and trying to portray the character correctly as I remember him. There will be changes to his personality because he's not the same person, yet is... You'll see. I do not own or know any of the following: Nsync, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Tom Cruise, 98 Degrees or any other celebrities. I also know nothing of their sexual orientations. Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and all related characters. The Anita Blake Vampire Hunter book series or the Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton. The Vampire Chronicles, Tales of the New Vampires, The Mayfair Witches, all series written by Anne Rice. Power Rangers series. Dune series is by Frank Herbert Harry Potter book series is by J.K. Rowling. Star Wars is copyright by George Lucas. Buffy & Angel television series. Star Wars Star Trek, Star Trek TNG, Star Trek DS9, Star Trek Voyager, Star Trek the New Frontier, Enterprise television series, movies, and novels. I enjoy hearing feedback from people. If you have any to offer such as comments or any thoughts toward the story you may reach me at Mighthammer@yahoo.com Chapter 4 The long hall was lighted by flaming torches hung along the wall. At the end of this long great hall was a huge, golden throne. The giant figure sitting on the throne couldn't be made out because of the shadows that covered its form. The shadows were unnatural because there was enough light in the room to dissipate them, but still they lingered clinging to the figure on the throne, shrouding its form in mystery. Only two glowing eyes that looked like mini flames appeared from the darkness. They glared red, hot, accusing. Before the throne kneeling on one knee was the Judge. His pale skin seemed even whiter in the flickering torchlight. "I am sorry my lord but he got away," said the Judge, his voice humble and soft. The dark shadows around the throne seemed to slither and move till at last a voice came from the abyss. "So you are telling me that you failed in your task. Because of your idiocy you do not have one of the Keys?" The Judge flinched at the tone. "It was not my fault. There was interference in the form of a God. He called himself Thor." If it was even possible the shadows grew darker and the temperature in the room lowered. As the Judge breathed his breath could be seen passing from his nostrils in the form of white mist. The flaming eyes within the darkness flared brighter, glaring coldly at the servant. "I need the Keys, Judge! I can feel my moment slipping away. I do not care about 'interference's'." The Judge nodded, head still bowed in respect. "I will, my lord. Then when we have them your moment will come." A chilling laugh echoed from the darkness. "This universe will tremble and quake in despair at my coming. I will collect all seven keys and then..." The Judge looked up a slight smile playing on his pale face. "Armageddon." *** Adam hummed to the tune on the radio as he threw a bucket of water onto his black 2003 Lexus. It was hot outside. Well it was hotter then hot it was damn near scorching. The temperature was above the hundreds. Normal Texas summer weather. Since it was so hot and he had nothing to do, Adam was washing his car. His driveway looked like it belonged at a water park with the amount of water that was pooled everywhere. Wiping a bead of sweat from his brow, Adam stripped off his tight, white T-shirt that was two sizes too small leaving him in a pair of navy blue board shorts. "I'm not a perfect person," Adam sang along to the song blasting from the speakers of his car. It was Hoobastank's 'the Reason'. "There's many things I wish I didn't do." Adam closed his eyes singing at the top of his lungs to the part of the song where the music really picked up. He ran the towel in his hand along the hood of his car, bobbing his head to the fast beat. "You have a good voice." Adam turned around surprised to see Brian standing behind him with a smile on his tanned face. The light caught Brian's light brown hair making it shine a soft gold. "Thank you," said Adam, fighting off the blush he could feel coming on. "I didn't know you were behind me." Brian grinned. "I only just walked up. I didn't say anything because I was enjoying the show." He walked closer to stand at Adam's side. He leaned closer and Adam's eyes widened. Brian was too close. He kept coming closer, leaning in towards Adam. 'Oh, Gods!' thought Adam heart racing. 'Is he going to kiss me?' Brian's hand reached out towards Adam's hair and plucked a leaf from its golden strands. Grinning, Brian waved the offending leaf in Adam's face. "How'd you manage to get a leaf in your hair?" Adam almost pouted at the unfairness of it all. Here he was actually thinking Brian was going to kiss him. Instead of showing his true emotions, he managed a small smile and a shrug. "I don't know. I guess the wind blew it in my hair." Brian must have sensed Adam's mood or saw something in his green eyes because he placed his hand on Adam's shoulder. A concerned look was worn on his face as he asked, "You okay man? You seem down all of sudden?" Adam shook his head fighting off his feelings of frustration. He wanted to tell the other man so bad how he felt but at the same Adam didn't want to lose Brian as a friend. He honestly and genially really liked Brian more than he had any guy in a long time, but Brian didn't even know he was gay. Hell, it was not like any of that mattered anyway. Brian was straight. He had been married once and everything. "I'm okay, Brian," replied Adam the smile on his face was rather fixed. Brian didn't buy it one second but he dropped it. "Well if you're sure..." That was it. They dropped the subject and moved on to another topic. Adam had a hard time staving off his feelings for Brian. The shorter man would give him some of the most flirtatious looks that he had ever received. But it seemed that either Brian was joking when he did it or he didn't even realize he was doing it all. Yep, it was definitely going to be a long day. *** Adam laid down on his couch the flat screen along the wall playing some DVD. What, he had no idea? He wasn't watching the TV. His eyes were glued to the laptop sitting in his lap. Adam had just finished going over past chapters of his book looking for things he needed to add in, for foreshadowing purposes. "What I need to do is find out who Fate and the Judge are?" he muttered to himself, staring the pixel screen of the monitor. For a moment he wished that he were in Asgard. The library that his father, Odin, had in the halls of Valaskjalf was beyond any on Earth. But he wasn't ready to go back there. No one had stood up for him, fought for him, during his trial and that hurt. He was not ready to face any of his former family and friends. Not yet. So that left him to his next option. Adam logged on to the Internet and in the search page he typed in, 'Dr. Fate' Or course he found nothing that was remotely helpful. A man could hope though, right? Adam moved his laptop to the side, standing up he moved to the curtained window. The sun had set hours ago and only the stars in the sky and pale light of the blue moon brought light unto the neighborhood. Adam closed his eyes reaching out with his senses. His consciousness spread out beyond the walls of his house and beyond this neighborhood. There it was the taint of darkness in the air. Evil was out in the city tonight. It might have been vampires or demons he wasn't sure but he could sense evil afoot lurking and moving about in the shadows of the night. Unconsciously, Adam had been twisting his ring around on his finger. It was time for Adam to go to work. Raising his hand he closed his eyes and summoned forth his power. It obeyed his call and surged up from the restrictions he had set. His godly powers infused his body changing him. An electric blue glow surrounded his body shielding him from view. If an onlooker were looking on all they would see is blinding blue light. The light receded leaving not Adam Justiss, but Thor, God of Thunder. Hammer tied to his belt and cape swishing behind him, moving in an invisible wind Adam looked himself over. "That feels better," said Adam clenching his fists together, feeling his powers circulates through his body. Minutes later, Adam was soaring through the air above the clouds. He flew above the city then picked a building to land upon. Adam took a deep breath of air closing his eyes. If he tried he could remember how the air used to small back in the days of old before there was pollution. "Ahhh! Let me go! Somebody HELP!" Adam snapped his eyes open the scream of panic reaching his ears. He gazed down from the edge of the building like a hawk looking down from its nest. Scanning the streets below he saw movement an alley near him. He paused then looked even harder. He waited and then there it was again. Adam power jumped from his spot to clear across the street, landing on the top of the building that bordered the alleyway. He looked down and spotted a gang of people harassing a young woman. A very pregnant young woman. Adam reached out with his senses. He could sense the mortality of the young woman and child she carried. His senses touched the gang of eight men. They weren't human. They were immortal. But their immortality was dirty, dark... tainted. These men were vampires. Adam jumped down from the building hammer in hand. Landing behind the men his presence went unnoticed. The men jeered as they pushed the woman around obviously trying to frighten her before they sucked her dry for dinner. Adam stomped his foot on the ground with enough force to crack the pavement. In answer there was loud BOOM as a thunderclap sounded through the sky. "What the fuck?" questioned the vamps turning around in surprise. Adam pointed his finger at them. "I advise you now to let the young lady go." One of the vampires who looked like an extra from an eighties teen movie sneered. "Or what? You'll call the cops." They laughed like a pack of hyenas. Then grinning as if they had a secret they faced Adam as one. One by one their faces shifted, changing into deformed versions of their human ones. Their eyes turned golden, and their foreheads developed wicked rides, finally their canine teeth lengthened into fangs. "You have no idea who you are messing with," laughed one of the vamps. Adam smiled. He called upon a portion of his power. His eyes glowed as little lightning currents appeared in their depths. The vampires stepped back gasping in fear. It was never smart for one to tangle with another who wielded power. "On the contrary," smiled Adam. "You have no idea who YOU are messing with." The woman tripped and stumbled back as the vampires rushed forward. Adam swung his hammer and the vampire who was unluckiest enough to be in range exploded into dust as the hammer ripped right through his body. A vampire jumped onto his back tightening his arm around Adam's neck in a strangle hold. Adam used his momentum to swing around, using the vampires wailing legs to hit each of his comrades in the face, throwing them backwards. Raising back his arm, Adam grabbed the vampire and effortlessly raised him into the air. Holding him there in the air for a moment, Adam fell forward letting gravity take effect. With a devastating force Adam slammed the vampire into the pavement. The vampire screamed in agony as his back exploded from the impact. His life came to an end as a booted foot came crashing down upon his chest crushing his heart. He exploded into dust instantly. "What are you?" breathed one of the six remaining vampires. Raising his hammer to the sky, Adam glared at the vampires. "I'm your executioner." His hammer glowed blue then from the clouds rained down a shaft of lightning that split into six forks, striking each of the six vamps in the chest. Their screams didn't last long, as the lightning fried their flesh pumping their bodies full of more bolts of electricity than anyone could stand. A moment later they were dust on the ground. The wind picked up carrying away the ashes in its flowing currents. Adam looked around and found the woman on the ground staring up at him in awe. He walked toward her and held out his hand to help her stand. "Are you okay?" The woman nodded mutely, getting to her feet. She still stared at him in awe. "Wh-what-were they? What are you?" "Those were vampires. I'm however something else. My name is Thor." The woman tried to smile but it was shaky. "I'm Timberly." Her voice was soft with a hint of southern accent. Holding her hand to her swollen womb she gaze up at Adam wearing that same wondrous expression. "Let's get you home," offered Adam, walking with her from the alley. Timberly lived not far away. Her home was actually a loft in a downtown building located in the area that most called the 'The Boardwalk'. Approaching her building Timberly smoothed back her raven black hair, giving Adam a smile thanks. "Thank you for walking me home," she said sincerely. "I really appreciate it." "It was no problem," Adam shrugged. "You go inside now." He stood there watching as she walked into the building then once the door closed, Adam raised his hammer and soared into the sky. "Well isn't this just the busy night," remarked Adam to himself, from his position in the sky. He hovered there in the starlit sky watching as someone broke and entered a huge, white oddly shaped building. An explosion rocked the earth as the burglar blew a hole in the white building's wall. The person was covered in darkness so Adam couldn't make them out. The building was art itself. A perfect place to house a multitude of the world's artifacts, the Dallas Metropolitan Museum. Adam flew down to the museum and approached the hole in the wall the burglar created. The whole was jagged and rough, still smoking slightly from the heat created from it. Senses alert Adam entered the museum. He walked carefully without any sound across the tiled floor. In the dim lighting the statues and displayed sarcophagus' seemed plain eerie. He was obviously in the Ancient Egypt wing telling by the displays of pyramids and Egyptian icons. Hearing the breaking of glass up ahead around a corner he ran towards the noise. He skidded around the corner and stared. Before him crouched over a destroyed glass case was none other the Judge. "Fancy seeing you again," said Adam loudly. The Judge spun around and in his arms was held a thick, dusty looking tome. The old book had a golden cover and its pages had a golden sheen to them as well. "You again!" screamed the Judge. He raised his arm and before Adam knew it a black beam of light struck him in his chest. Adam went flying backward colliding with a wall. There was a loud CRACK as the wall splintered and broke as the force of the beam carried Adam right through the wall. He landed on the floor dust and debris hitting his face. "Need a hand," said a voice. Adam opened his eyes looking up into the masked face of one Dr. Fate. The trench coat wearing man lifted Adam up. "Now you're here too," said the Judge his lip curling in disgust. The book he had stolen was tucked under one arm. "You are not taking that book," commanded Fate stepping forward, light building up around his fists. The light spread surrounding his body in a light purple glow. "I know what your masters plans are and it won't happen as long as I live!" The Judge's lips twisted forming into a mocking smile. "I can remedy that situation by killing you. Gods, I will enjoy bathing in your blood!" Fate raised his arms and twin purple force-beams erupted from his palms. They sliced through the air at the speed of light. The Judge mumbled a phrase under his breath and the air around him shimmered. The beams impacted a wall of invisible air that was a foot in front of the Judge. The impact caused it to ripple like the waves of the ocean. Fate cut off his power sensing that the shield was too strong for even his magic. "Bored now," the Judge sighed. He dropped the book and picked up a statue that was made entirely of stone and more than twenty feet high. It was a statue of Ra, Egyptian god of the Sun. It had to weigh more than five hundred pounds by the looks of it. He hurled it at them without so much as grunt of effort. They did cartwheels out of the way watching as the monumental statue hurtled into a wall made entirely of the glass and out into the street. The sound of glass shattering echoed all around the building. The police would surely be around any minute. They had to wrap this up or innocent people would get hurt, decided Adam. Adam narrowed his eyes at the Judge. Holding Mjolnir in both hands he glared icily at the black clothed man. His eyes glowed with circulating electricity that surrounded his whole body. His cape and hair blew about him as an invisible wind sprung up suddenly. "I'll show you why they call me the God of Thunder, you bastard!" Aiming his hammer at the Judge he unleashed his power. "TAKE THHHHHIIIISSSSSS" he yelled. The ground rumbled with light as uncountable forks of lightning leaped forward from the hammer lashing out at the Judge. Instead of evening out losing intensity, the lightning strengthened, throwing back Fate and many displays behind him. The wind blew harsh and hard throwing back everything that was not nailed to the floor behind him. Most of his energy was focused into this one outburst of power. Fate realized with a start that this wasn't even Thor's full power. He was still holding back. A LOT. Slowly the light lost its intensity and Adam cut off his power. When the light cleared the Judge was nowhere to be seen. Only his laugh still rang clear in the trashed wing. The Judge was gone and the book he had stolen was gone with him. "Dammit! He got away again!" said Fate, smashing his fist into his palm. His frustration was clear in the tone of his voice. Adam turned to him. "What was that book he stole?" A pause of silence then Adam growled. "Don't play dumb! I know you know! So just tell me. If innocents are in danger then I must know!" Fate turned to him arms crossed across his chest. "Innocents... How about the fucking universe is in trouble." Adam frowned. "What are you talking about?" Fate sighed pulling back a loose strand of his auburn hair. "Listen. The book that the Judge just stole is called the Book of Eternity. By itself it's a powerful book filled with knowledge of just about everything. It's only but one powerful tool in this universe. Because of its power its what's known as a Key." "Key of what?" asked Adam. "There are Seven Keys. Each key contains great power, a focal power for universal power. The Seven Keys purpose is to balance the power of the universe keeping everything in equilibrium. Now imagine if these seven focal powers came together in one place. The very cosmos itself will become unstable. Imagine all the rules of order, the Laws of Physics... None of that will mean shit. When the Seven Keys come together the universe is practically silly putty. The power balance in each key will cause what we knowledgeable ones like to call Armageddon. Anything can happen. One is the annihilation of the entire universe. Another which is worse than that is the destruction of reality." Adam gasped not liking how this was going. "I don't like those odds." Fate shook his head. "That's only one bit. Whoever holds a key during the time the universe is in flux can change the cosmos. Any conceivable wish can come true. Anything. Trust me when I say that you do not want the Judge's Master to get his wish. This world along with the entire universe will become hell itself filled with pain and everlasting suffering." "How many Keys does he have?" asked Adam. "Only one so far, the Book of Eternity. Three that I know of are on Earth. The rest are not in this solar system." Fate cocked his head listening intently. Adam could hear something too. Sirens were coming, getting closer and closer every second. Fate grabbed Adam's arm. "Meet me at the Boardwalk the day after tomorrow at midnight. Come alone." Fate stepped backwards and a glow surrounded him then he was gone faded from sight. Adam shook his head the new information too much at the moment. He found the nearest exit and took off into the night, going home to sleep. A person stepped out from the shadows of a column of the museum interior. He was dressed in a sharp looking, pure white, business suit. The odd thing were the sunglasses he was wearing. It was the dead of night. He looked off into the sky watching Thor fly off. Taking out a sleek, silver cell phone he flipped it open and pressed a lit button. There was a moment's pause as he held the phone to his ear then he spoke. "We have a problem. The One now has a key." Pause. "Yes." Pause. "Sir, we also now have a new player in the game. You wouldn't believe who it is either. Its Thor. The Thor." Pause. "I'm on my way." The man in the business suit closed his phone and tucked it in his pocket. Adjusting his shades he glanced around then in a blink of an eye his body dissolved into golden sparkles. The sparks collected forming into a singular orb that rapidly flew off into the night. *************************************** I'm trying a new style of writing. Notice the paragraphs. Tell me if it's working or not. I'll change it back if it's not. The Key idea comes from another author named Chris Stover. Thanks Chris for writing such great stories! I enjoy hearing feedback from people. If you have any to offer such as comments or any thoughts toward the story you may email me at Mighthammer@yahoo.com For those of you who would like to join, I've started a new Yahoo! Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TonyJustiss there you can talk about this story and any others that I've written. Other stories you can read in the Tales universe: "Tales of a Real Dark Knight" "Tales of a Superhero Band" "Tales of the New Phoenix" "Tales of a Young Mutant" "Tales of a Human Spider"