"You're kidding me." Hannah had said those same words nearly a half dozen times over the last hour and Jake as beginning to feel a bit annoyed.
"No. I'm not. After the heroes disappeared fighting Onslaught, something happened to me." Jake sat back in the booth, looking around the crowded Denny's restaurant. Hannah's daughter was nearby, chatting on a cell phone. The girl had not been happy to have their apartment trashed by the villain known as Quicksand -- and was even less pleased when Jake had seemed all too ready to abandon her. Jake wished he could have handled things differently but the past was the past... "Anyway, the past few months have been crazy. Like total, blockbuster movie crazy."
"Well, I mean... what does that mean? You said you've been working with SHIELD?"
"Shh!" Jake warned, motioning for her to keep her voice down. "They're a little on the secretive side, you know?"
"No, I don't know. What I am pretty clear on is that some super villain broke into my home. Was she looking for you?"
Jake took a deep breath and stood up, offering Hannah a hand. "C'mon, let's step outside. I want to show you something."
Hannah glanced over to make sure her daughter was still safe and followed her lover into the alley next to the restaurant. It was cold out tonight and she shivered a bit, smiling slightly as Jake removed his EMT jacket and put it around her shoulders. "If you're going to tell me again that you're Thor, I believe you."
"I don't think you do. If you did, you'd have a lot less trouble dealing with all this. And I'm not Thor. I just look like him and have his powers. In here," he said, tapping the side of his skull, "I'm always Jake Olsen."
Before Hannah could respond, Jake had raised his right fist and knelt down to strike it against the asphalt. A flash of light accompanied by the rolling sound of thunder made her jump back in alarm. There, rising from the smoke, was the well-muscled form of Thor. Gone was the slender build and tousled hair of Jake Olsen. In their place was long lustrous locks of a golden color and biceps you could hang from for days. Thor wore a long red cape that flickered wildly in the wind. With a deep voice that sounded nothing like Jake's, Thor asked "Do you see, Hannah? This is what I've been keeping from you."
"Holy shit. You're gorgeous."
"Thanks," Thor laughed and when he did Hannah thought she heard the skies themselves laugh with him.
"Would you think it really weird if I said I wanted to jump you right now?" she asked.
"Not really... I mean, it's still me. Kind of."
"So is this like that John Malkovich movie? You're controlling Thor's body?"
"Um... maybe? I'm not sure. I think it's just a duplicate or something."
"And some guy with a bird gave you these powers."
"Right. Marnot. I'm meeting him later tonight and he's going to start giving me some answers."
"Can't believe you haven't gotten them before now."
"I've tried but Marnot isn't an easy guy to talk to." Thor looked up as rain began to gently fall. He smiled as the drops of water struck his skin and Hannah felt her knees get weak. He was like some bronzed adonis come to life... and he was ready to walk right into her bed.
Jake felt her press up against him and he hugged her back. "You okay?"
"Don't go getting killed on me," she whispered, burying her face in his chest. "I've seen the kinds of fights Thor has. Galactus, the Absorbing Man... I can't even name half of them! But they're all psychopaths!"
"I'll be careful."
Hannah pulled away, fear in her eyes. She felt desperate for contact, for something to hold on to. Before Jake could ask her what she was doing, she'd begun unbuttoning her jeans, pushing him down her slim hips and kicking them off into the alley. "C'mon," she urged, pulling him against her.
"Right here?"
"Right now."
Jake gave in to the urges that were overtaking him, kissing her hard with a mouth that was not his own.
"It's important that you stay off that leg," the blond man said, applying the final strip of tape to the protective gauze over his patient's injury. "A few days of applying the topical cream I've given you and you'll be good as new."
"Thanks, Dr. Blake," the heavyset man replied. He stood up tentatively, looking around the dingy looking room that had come to be called on the streets "Mercy Hospital." Donald Blake was an angel to the men and women who were the poorest of the poor, offering quality medical care for little or no money in return. "I owe you one."
"Don't worry about it," Blake replied, ushering the man out of the room. It was late and the doctor was tired. His already gaunt features were drawn even tighter than usual tonight and his limp had become more pronounced.
With a weary sigh, he hobbled over to the television set and turned it on, the image coming to life in a distorted and slightly off-tint manner.
A pretty young African-American woman was staring out at her unseen audience, a camera ready smile plastered on her face. "Authorities are still not commenting on the rumored involvement of the thunder god known as Thor but several homeless in the area claimed that the former Avenger was definitely on the scene when the woman known as Quicksand was brought down. Given the stories swirling about Iron Man's return, it begs the question: are the heroes finally back?"
Don lashed out with his cane, driving the point of it straight through the woman's smiling face. Smoke and flame danced in the air for a moment as Blake continued his assault, knocking the television to the floor and kicking it. When he finally gave up, he was panting, sweat dripping from the tip of his nose.
"Such rage. Such passion. It's good to see that you haven't lost your fire."
Blake whirled about, staring in surprise at the oddly dressed man who had seemingly materialized out of thin air. A small raven was perched on the man's right shoulder, watching Blake with intelligent eyes. "Who are you?" Blake asked, shuffling backwards from the stranger.
"Marnot. And I come bearing a warning of sorts."
"Warning?"
"A bloodhound has been unleashed. It seeks the one called Thor. It will come here first."
Blake looked away, eyes tightly shut. Every time he heard that name -- Thor -- it brought with it a painful pounding in his skull. Fury. Fear. Disgust. Helplessness. Those were the strongest of the emotions that accompanied the pain. "I don't know anything about Thor. I'm just a doctor."
"Are you now?" Marnot sounded teasing and his tone brought Blake's face towards him. "Then I'm sure the Hammer Bearer will take one look at you and move on."
"What is he? This.... Hammer Bearer?"
"He wields a mockery of the Uru hammer. A twisted thing powered by the Dark Gods. He's a bloodthirsty little monster who will stop at nothing to find the son of Odin."
Blake felt the pressure increasing in his head and he forced himself to ask the question that kept nagging at him but the answer to which terrified him as well. "What's my connection to Thor?"
Marnot began to shimmer and fade away. "You're an anchor."
Blake reached out, trying to stop the man before he was gone completely. His hand swept at empty air and he cursed under his breath. "An anchor..." he whispered. "What the hell does that mean?"
Several hour later, Jake Olson stood on top of the Daily Bugle newspaper building, a unable to keep a grin off his face. Making love with Hannah had always been great but tonight... that was like something out of a movie. He felt a twinge of inexplicable jealousy, though. Had she been so turned on just by this new body? Did he not compare well to Thor? Stop being silly, he told himself. You're being a girl.
"Punctual. Very nice."
Without turning around, Jake said "Marnot. I was starting to think you weren't going to show."
"I'm right on time," the enigmatic being said, stepping up next to Thor. "And I would have been here sooner but I had to pay someone a visit."
"Anyone I know?"
"Not yet." Marnot looked up at the stars and said "Beyond those planets lies a realm eternal. A place of gods, of stories undreamt of, a land where men and women trod the lands of myth and take part in battles -- and loves -- that transcend all humanitty."
Thor was surprised to hear the emotion in Marnot's voice. "Do you come from Asgard?"
"Yes."
"And you're waiting for me to become stronger... so that I can get back at the people who destroyed that place?"
"You are close to the truth, Jake Olson." Marnot studied him for a moment, black humor creeping into his words. "But tonight is nothing more than an exploratory visit. If I were to throw you against the Dark Gods now, there would be much bloodshed. And all of it would be yours."
"Is Thor really dead? Iron Man's back... maybe Thor will be, too."
"To the men and women of Midgard, you are Thor. Perhaps your man of iron is something similar. The Odinson will not return anytime soon, though the hope exists that someday he will stride this world again." Marnot touched Thor's shoulder. "Let us be off -- and remain in contact with me at all times! Only my strongest magicks can prevent the Dark Gods from sensing us!"
Thor nodded and felt himself whisked away on a beam of eldritch light. When the odd manner of transport came to a halt, the and Marnot floated over the fabled land of Asgard, now broken and shattered. The Rainbow Bridge floated in chunks of multicolored energy and Jake could sense the air of despair that clung to this world. "My god... is anyone still--?"
"Many Asgardians live yet but most are enslaved in the dark pits the invaders have created. Some, like the Enchantress, have fled to Earth. Scurrilous Loki still lurks in the shadows but he is weak and without a tongue." Marnot gestured below, where several fearsome individuals moved amongst the rubble. "There lies your enemies. The Dark Gods!"
"Who are they? Why would they do all this?"
"They were native to a dark reflection of Asgard known as Narcisson. Many years ago, Odin sent out scouts to explore the universe. One of them, a man named Lonkarr, encountered a member of the Dark Guards, named Tserron. This Dark God was the wife of the evil prince Perrikus and she was just as fierce as her husband. She battled Lonkarr for many hours until finally falling in battle. Lonkarr escaped just as Perrikus learned of his wife's murder, fleeing back to Asgard to warn Odin of the coming threat. The Dark Gods, led by the matriarch Majeston Zelia and her son Perrikus, launched a horrifying assault on Asgard, the battle lasting a full two weeks before Odin was forced to kneel in defeat. Zelia offered Odin the chance to survive as her consort but he refused and, urged on by his son Thor, he managed to rise up from the ashes and drive away the Dark Gods. Only Perrikus remained behind, locked away in an awful prison for centuries. There he lay until Thor's disappearance and a terrible battle between the Asgardians and the evil Seth. During this moment of weakness for the Asgardians, the Dark Gods returned, freeing Perrikus and laying waste to Asgard with all the fury they could muster."
Thor gripped his hammer tightly, feeling an urge to go down and strike at these monsters... but he knew Marnot's power and realized that if the being at his side feared the Dark Gods, then so should he. "How many of them are there?"
"Too many," Marnot whispered. "Far too many. Defeating them shall be a task fit not just for you but for an army of avengers."
Thor digested those words, watching as the Dark Gods entered a fallen temple. Their every action spoke of power and transcendent evil. "I've never seen Asgard in its glory, Marnot... but I'll do my damnedest to restore it."
Marnot smiled. "I trust you, Jake Olson, or else I would not have given you the power. And now you must return to Midgard, for you are sorely needed. The Hammer Bearer strikes."
Don Blake lay awake in his bed, unable to sleep. He had stripped down to a pair of boxers and a white shirt but it was still stifling hot in his room. He slept in the center of his makeshift hospital, on a cot that he kept shoved into a closet during the day. He hated that he'd snapped during the news report... and worse, that he'd felt so strangely during the conversation with Marnot. An anchor, the stranger had called him... an anchor to what? Why did all talk of Thor make him feel so strange?
The sound of a dog barking outside made him sit up. It wasn't so much that the dog's noise was unusual but the sound suddenly cut off with a pained squeal. Don strained his ears, hearing the heavy sounds of footsteps as someone entered his apartment building moved towards the door to his tiny apartment. The Hammer Bearer, he thought. Was Marnot telling the truth?
A booming voice rang out through the entire building. "SCION OF THOR, YOUR STENCH FILLS THIS AIR. PREPARE YOURSELF FOR BATTLE!"
Blake barely had time to throw his hands up over his head as his door flew inwards, shattered into a thousand deadly shards. The figure who entered bore a large hammer that was covered with raised barbs and a thorn-covered handle was tightly gripped in the man's hand. He was tall, over seven feet in height and wore black leathers. A form-fitting helmet rested atop his flat head, another spike raising from its tip.
The Hammer Bearer advanced upon Blake, grabbing him by his collar and lifting him into the air. "CEASE YOUR DISGUISES, ODINSON! REVEAL YOUR TRUE NATURE!"
"I don't know what you--"
The Hammer Bearer tossed Blake to the floor and a sickening pop filled the air. The doctor screamed as his left arm broke from the impact.
"THE MAJESTON HAS REQUESTED YOUR PRESENCE, ODINSON. DO NOT COWER LIKE A DOG!" The Hammer Bearer raised his weapon, preparing to strike, but the blow was knocked askew as another hammer -- this one forged of Uru Metal -- slammed into it.
The Hammer Bearer turned in confusion, receiving a powerful blow that knocked him through the wall and onto the city streets. The Mighty Thor nodded once at Don Blake and then moved in pursuit of his foe.
Blake watched in shock, the wall behind which his memories lurked shifting. "That's... impossible. You can't be Thor. I'm Thor!" he whispered.
Thor was already outside, facing his opponent, who was slowly rising up from the ground. "I'm here, you sick bastard," Thor bellowed. "And I'm going to kick your ass!"
TO BE CONTINUED
Next Issue: Thor vs. the Hammer Bearer in a no-holds barred battle that just might destroy the East Coast!
AUTHOR'S NOTES
"Shaking the World Tree" is expected to run about seven chapters at my current pace, so hang in there -- you're about halfway through our first arc!The new Thor continues to be a hit with readers, which pleases me greatly! Two letters this time around, the first being from Iron Man scribe
David Golightly:Another great chapter in this new saga. Thor has really been given a new role to fill and for once his secret identity actually works. It's almost as if a new archetype for the character has been created. Good job, Barry.
Thanks, David! One of the things that I really wanted to do with this series was make it about the man, not the god. The best thing about Thor during the Eric Masterson period was the emphasis on human relationships and I used that -- along with my appreciation for the early version of the Jake Olson character -- to drive my take on the character.Next up is
hatakiyama:I just read through 1 & 2 and they are really solid issues. As a fans perspective Barry has really grabbed my attention and left me wanting some more.
Keep up the good work.
Always good to hear from someone new! Making you want to come back for each new issue is the ultimate goal I have for the stories so it's nice to hear what you had to say. Thanks for the support!
Barry