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.
SM: Alternate Reality series is copyright Strike Fiss.
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 5
In a large office room sat a handsome man behind a wooden desk. He sat leaning back in a high-backed chair with a pensive look upon his young face. He was dressed in a white, business suit perfectly tailored to his form. Closing the door behind her entered a young woman dressed similar to him only her suit was a different cut. Nervously, she sat down in the chair facing the desk. She handed him a sheet of glass cut into the form of small rectangle.
"Here is the information you wanted on Thor, sir," she said.
The man punched invisible buttons on the data glass watching as information appeared in glowing numbers and letters on the clear surface. He frowned as he quickly speed read the information. The aid had done well by acquiring the intel. Putting down the data glass he let out a sigh. This was not what he needed at the moment. An unexpected anomaly in the form of a God was not what he had expected at all.
The man took a breath. "I want all of the members who aren't focused on the search for the keys to focus their efforts on Thor and Fate. Bring the Dallas servers online and if you have to reroute other servers to take up the slack."
"But sir," the woman said distressed. "ALL the servers? I don't think--"
The man waved a hand cutting her off. "Who is the Director?"
The girl straightened her shoulders and nodded quickly. "You are."
The man smiled. "Now, I also want constant surveillance kept on the Judge and the other keys that are on Earth. If it comes down to it we just have to break our non-interference rule and stop him ourselves. We are too close now to the Omega Point to have the universe or all of reality be destroyed in Armageddon. We must keep all seven keys from coming together or we're fucked."
The woman stood up. "I'll get to it." She left the room quickly.
The man placed his face in his hands letting out a tired sigh. "The Earth is too close now," he whispered. "We can't let Armageddon happen."
If Fate and Thor were trying to stop Armageddon also, then they would get all the help they could from the Omega Web. Neither the Earth nor the universe would go to hell as long as they were still active.
Ritchie sat on a small sofa watching the movie play on the plasma flat screen hung along the wall. Behind him on the longer sofa sat Brian and his cousin Adam. It was Sunday night and the three of them were gathered in Adam's house watching the latest romance movie that had just been released to DVD. For the fifth time since the movie started giggling could be heard filling the room. Sneaking a glance behind him, Ritchie looked to his cousin and Brian who shared the sofa. Brian was lying down with his head on Adam's leg. Absently, Adam ran his fingers through Brian's hair. Ritchie could bet that Adam didn't even know he was doing it. Both men were laughing at some shared joke that he couldn't hear.
A grin made his way onto his face. He knew that his cousin liked Brian. It was obvious enough. One could see it in his eyes when he was near Brian. Ritchie wondered how those two didn't have a clue. Come on. Friends didn't run their fingers through each other's hair and lie on the other's laps.
To him it was plan as day. They liked each other. He wouldn't be surprised if those two were in love already.
But there was something holding those two back. Fear. Neither knew how the other felt. Adam thought Brian was straight and Brian probably thought the same. Ritchie took another glance at them. Identical smiles of content were on their faces as the movie played on.
Oh yeah, they were definitely somewhere near the love stage. It was a miracle that those two could be so oblivious to the hidden feelings of the other.
Ritchie found a smile coming to his own face. He never thought his cousin would ever fall in love with a boy band singer. He had known all along that Brian Littrell was the same Brian of the Backstreet Boys but had downplayed his reaction when first introduced to him. They both probably thought that he had no idea who Brian really was. Shows what they know.
Adam sat on the couch his gaze trained on the movie but his mind was wandering. Tomorrow night was the night he was scheduled to meet Fate at the Boardwalk. He may have appeared happy and content at the moment but on the inside he was a bundle of nerves. How could he truly enjoy the day knowing that Armageddon might come soon?
"You okay, Adam?" asked Brian looking up at him with those bright blue eyes.
Adam put on a happy smile. "I'm fine, Brian."
"You looked like you were a hundred miles away a moment ago. You've been doing that a lot lately. What's up?"
"Nothing. I just have some things on my mind."
Brian frowned. "Anything I can help with."
Adam shook his head. "No. Its nothing you can help me with. I'm fine though, so don't worry about me. Okay?"
Brian didn't want to drop the subject but he could tell that Adam really didn't want to talk about it. Resigned he nodded his head turning back to the TV. He squeezed Adam's thigh and the blond looked down upon him with a smile. Brian grinned back happy to get a smile from Adam.
Ritchie watched all this with a raised eyebrow. And those two couldn't see it, he thought. They were so into each other it was a wonder they didn't have any clue.
Adam narrowed his eyes in Ritchie's direction, sending a suspicious look to the back of his red haired head. His cousin had been giving him odd looks all night long. Ritchie thought he hadn't noticed but he had. It was kind of easy to tell when you could feel eyes pinned on you. Adam recognized the secretive inquiring glances. His cousin was up to something or he knew something that Adam didn't.
An hour later the movie ended. The credits rolled down the screen as some cheesy good feeling music pumped from the speakers. Adam moved letting Brian get up to his feet.
"That was a sweet movie," Brian yawned, stretching his arms toward the ceiling.
"Sweet enough to give me cavities," echoed Ritchie belting out an accompanying loud yawn.
They laughed and seeing how late the time was they decided to depart for the night. Adam walked his cousin and Brian to the door. He was a southern boy at heart and he had his manners no matter what his new found memories told him.
"See you later, cuz, B'," said Ritchie.
"Later, Ritch," replied Adam both Brian, watching as the red head waved to them before turning around walking to his car parked on the curb in front of the house.
Brian leaned against the frame of the open door. Adam found the stare the shorter man was giving him a little unnerving. It was like Brian was looking into him past everything on the exterior and into his soul. Adam returned the soul meeting the blue gaze head not breaking eye contact. The moment was broken by the sound of a nearby car alarm going off. Brian broke the connection first turning his gaze to the ground. He dug his hands into the pocket of his ripped blue jeans suddenly looking so shy.
"Ummm... I had a good time tonight," said Brian. "Thanks for inviting me over."
Adam smiled heart fluttering in his chest. "You're a friend of course I would have you over anytime."
Brian smiled shyly. "Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye."
Brian turned around walked down the steps of the porch. He waved again then turned around to continue walking down the sidewalk. Once the door closed, Adam leaned back against it eyes closed. A took a moment for his heart to stop its rapid beating. It had a habit of doing that whenever Brian got too close. The feelings Brian invoked within were really starting to get to him. There was no way that he could be able to stop himself from kissing the other man soon. Lust, want, adoration, respect, friendship, even... if he allowed himself to think it... love. All these emotions swirled inside of him at the mere thought of Brian.
He had to tell Brian his feelings or he would probably never get the chance. Like it or not Armageddon was around the corner and he might not get the chance to tell him... ever.
Adam stood on top of a building in the downtown district known as the Boardwalk. He was in full god mode, the form of Thor and not Adam stood in the cool night hair, wind blowing his long blond hair and cape behind him. His arms were crossed as he stared up at the stars twinkling in the clear night sky. He had no idea how Fate was going to locate him. He had just said meet him at midnight at the Boardwalk. He never designated a specific place however.
"You came."
Adam spun around coming face to face with Fate. How the other man found him he had no idea. He must have used a locator spell which was simple for him to do, judging by his use of power he was a very, very, strong magic user. Crossing his arms Adam regarded Fate coolly.
"Nice to see you showed up."
Fate shrugged nonchalant. "I always make my appointments. Now lets talk. How about we drop the superhero forms so we can talk without any distrust. So what do you say? I show mine if you show yours."
Adam rolled his eyes at the perverted innuendo. Giving a curt nod he agreed. Both went through the motions of powering down. Fate made his hands into a triangle held to his chest. Closing his eyes a purple glow surrounded his body. His Fate uniform faded away leaving him clothed in a pair of khaki slacks and a tight plain gray shirt. Adam opened his eyes feeling the change finish, leaving him in his mortal form.
Sweet Ghea was the thought that passed through Adam's mind as he laid eyes on Fate, well the true face of Fate. Without the mask covering his face, Adam could see him for who he really was. The man before him had the face of an angel. Deep sea green eyes, high cheekbones, and thin lips made his face look model-esq. His long auburn hair fell to his mid back and instead of taking away from his looks it added to them.
"Hello, when not preventing the destruction of the world and all of reality, I'm Jared Stevens."
Adam smiled warming up to the easygoing personality. "I'm Adam Justiss."
Jared lost his smile getting straight to business. "First so that we know a little about each other how about we share stories." Without waiting for Adam to agree he started talking. "In the universe there are many immortal beings and spirits that people on this world are not aware of. Two of such beings are non-corporeal races known as the Lords of Chaos and the Lords of Order. Diametrically opposed forces who polarize the opposite spectrum of magical politics, between them exist a war fought with pawns and servants. To make a long story short a couple of years ago, I was given the powers of one of the Lords of Order, Nabu.
"I was just a coming into my power warlock then but now I'm one of the world's most powerful sorcerers. My job is to prevent the Lords of Chaos from using humans as pawns and to fix mystical threats and anomalies that exist beyond normal human perception. I'm what the Lords of Order like to call an Agent of Balance."
Seeing this as his cue to start Adam took a breath beginning his own story.
"Centuries ago, I was born to the king of the Aesir gods of Asgard, Odin, and the Earth goddess Jord. As I grew up I became a warrior, a warrior for humanity and the champion of the Aesir. Years ago, I challenged our sacred rules called the Compact, which are ancient laws and pacts set and followed by all gods no matter what race.
"One of the strictest laws of the Compact is that after the Twilight, which is the sundering of the gods from Earth, no god shall interfere in human affairs unless he seeks to forfeit his life. I broke the law and interfered. As punishment I was erased of all of my memories, powers bound and reincarnated into the body you see now. It was only about week and a half ago that I remembered who I truly was. My powers were unbound and I was free to become Thor, god of thunder, once again."
Jared moved to the ledge and took a seat. "Let's get right down to it. I already told you about the keys and what could happen when the powers of the universe get together."
Adam nodded. "I remember. Anything can happen. Half being the destruction of the universe the other half being hell itself becoming our daily life."
Jared's face was blank as he spoke.
"Only when the seven keys are gathered together will Alpha Armageddon start. That is when the universe will become play-dough and the natural laws that we take for granted are thrown out the fucking window. The destruction of the universe or reality is Beta Armageddon. I'd rather have the universe destroyed then all of reality personally," said Jared calmly. Too calmly.
"Why would anyone want to start Armageddon?" asked Adam desperately wanting to know why. The idea of someone actually wanting this to take place was incredulous.
"I told you that when that much power is focused in one place the universe will become unstable. Up will be down, down up. Everything will be fucked. The cosmos itself will be as palpable as dough. Whoever holds the winning key, will be able to make a wish. You can't even begin to conceive what kind of wish could be made with that power. The host of the key would literally have the power of God. They could easily wipe out time, tear apart the cosmos, or even reset the universe and turn it into what they want."
Adam understood now. Taking a deep breath he cleared his mind of the dark thoughts the topic was bringing. He paced back and forth in a line with Jared following him with his eyes. Finally he said,
"That is what the Judge's master wants isn't it?"
Jared let out a heavy sigh. "Correct. The Judge's master is ancient. He has many titles and names... Dark Master of Strife, the One, God Emperor. Older than even humans, his true name is Dahok. Billions of years ago, when pure demons -not the hybrid demons of now- freely walked the earth Dahok was the strongest among them. He was a monarch and warrior widely loved yet widely feared. His kingdom was built on the blood of all lesser demons. None could beat him for he was the strongest among the Old Ones. Eventually, rival demons came together in an unparalleled coalition murdering Dahok.
His body was destroyed but his spirit remained living. Nothing that dark and evil can simply die and go into creation. His spirit lives on now without a body. His acolytes live on too. Even after all these years there are those who still worship his evil and might. Can you imagine how powerful someone would have to be to still have worshipers even after billions of years of absence? With one wish given to him what do you think it would be?"
It didn't take Adam long to put two and two together.
"Oh fuck."
In a circular room painted entirely snow white was a steady clicking sound. The sound came from the tapping of keys being pressed rapidly by a group of young men and women. They sat in armchairs before complex looking computers lining the walls around the entire room. In the middle of the room was a glass column that showed flashing numbers and foreign words running up and down its clear surface.
With a hiss the door slid open. In walked the director of this operation and entire foundation in which these people belonged. Moving aside his black hair that covered his face like a curtain he walked to the flashing column.
"Report?" he asked an aid whom stood next to the column recording the blinking information on the data crystal he carried. The aid wore a white lab coat and a pair of framless square glasses.
The aid stood at attention. "Sir, reports are in. So far we have used the satellites to scan the earth for the remaining keys. The data came back and we managed to triangulate their locations down."
"Give me their locations then," said the Director. He spoke with a voice that belied his twenty-five years. When one was the director of one of the most powerful and secretive groups on earth one had to grow up fast.
The aid was a young man with cornstraw colored hair and smattering of freckles covering his tanned face. "The Ankh of Anubis is in the Dallas, Texas. Excalibur is London, England. The Key of Justice is in Seattle, Washington. The rest of the keys are not on earth."
The Director, or more commonly known as Chad Sterling, nodded a thoughtful look worn on his face. Holding up a hand he said, "So that means the Keys of Order, Hope, and Justice are all accounted for and currently safe." With each name spoken he ticked off a finger.
"We can't forget that Dahok now has the Key of Knowledge."
Chad nodded frowning.
"Yes, I haven't forgotten he has obtained the Book of Eternity. That leaves the Keys of Power, Purity, and Time still out there somewhere in the universe."
"We already have the new zero systems scanning the cosmos for the remaining keys. It will take a while to triangulate their exact locations because of the vast distance and the zero system is only a prototype. But according to prior matrix holographic simulations we have run, we shall have an eighty-five point nine-nine five chance of finding the remaining keys before Dahok."
"Have you compensated for the neutron emissions or spatial warps that might interfere with readings?" asked Chad.
The aid nodded quickly. His blond hair fell into his eyes at the action. With a quick sweep he tucked the hair behind his ear.
"Yes, Director Sterling. That has already been thought of us and the parameters have been put into the search program. It's currently running at a ninety-ninety point nine percent efficiency rate so everything is going smoothly."
Chad didn't smile or show any signs of happiness at the positive news. The aid fidgeted slightly under the scrutinizing gaze but finally Chad gave him a nod.
"Very good, Matthews," said Chad. "Do not take my lack of happiness to heart. When Armageddon is around the corner one tends to smile less until it's passed."
Matthews grew serious also, his face becoming determined. "Do not worry, sir. All the Omega Web agents are doing their best to help in anyway they can. We all realize that Armageddon must be stopped at all cost. We can't let all of our endeavors be in vain. The Omega Point must be reached if humanity is to survive in the universe."
That must have been the answer Chad was looking for because he smiled and some of the tension in his shoulders disappeared.
"Its good to see we are on the same page," he said. "When the results of the scan come in have them delivered to my office immediately. I also want the surveillance reports the agents in Dallas sent on Dr. Fate and Thor."
Chad gazed around the room looking at the people running from station to station then to those typing at the data consoles with furious paces. Satisfied with the way things were going he walked out of the room through the sliding door.
The Judge kneeled in front of the shadow covered throne. On the floor before him lay the golden covered Book of Eternity. It seemed to shine in the torchlight of the vast hallway.
"Here is the Key of Knowledge. That leaves only six more to go." The shadows seemed to throb as a cold disembodied voice spoke from the darkness.
"My time is almost near. I can almost smell the flesh of rotting corpses and tortured souls suffering in eternal agony. The humans will once again be the primordial ooze they once were and all shall worship me once again."
The Judge smiled pleased that his master was satisfied.
"Yes, my lord. Only six more. Then your time will come... From the darkness you shall destroy."
A chilling, cold laugh filled the room.
"The Earth will bleed, the rivers will run red, and the sky will rain down death... Oh yes, my coming is at hand..."
To Be Continued...
******************************************* As you can tell this was a more informative chapter then action oriented. Mainly to move the plot along and keep you interested. You can owe the keys and omega web to Chris Stover aka Christopher Fiss, who writes excellent 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
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" "Marvel Knights"