Thor #508

The Bounty : Part One"Takin' it to the streets

"By Ralph L. Angelo Jr.

Splash page of Thor kneeling before Odin, offering his hammer, honoring the lord of Asgard.

Odin : "Arise my son, thy father commands it ."

Thor : "As you wish my father, for you are the will and the way."

Page 2

Thor : " I seek answers my father , concerning my recent battle 'gainst a doppleganger that might indeed have been orchestrated by evil Loki."

Odin fingers his beard thoughtfully

Odin : "What sayest thou my son? Has Loki attacked thee 'gainst my most fervent wishes? "

Thor: "No my father, he has not. At the least not physically. Rather he has controlled events surrounding the attack as would a murderous puppeteer."

Odin : "Tell me thy tale Thunder God, that I might conceive a punishment most fitting for the god of mischief."

Thor : "He hath orchestrated events concerning a second Mjolnir, one he doth claim you created to hold and contain any evil or rage I might exhibit, that would lead to my doing evil."

Odin sits thoughtfully, then speaks

Odin : "My son, Loki hath spoken no lies here. The Second hammer, the RAGE hammer doth indeed exist. If it be involved in this tale you are about to tell me then I fear its conclusion."

Page 3

Thor : "My father, while initially I was angered at the idea of thou safeguarding me 'gainst myself, I now feel perhaps thou hadst thy reasons as Lord of the realm eternal."

Odin steps up from his throne , hands clasped behind his back. He walks to a window and peers out.

Odin : " My son the Rage hammer was a safeguard in your formative years, nothing more nor less. In truth I should have indeed removed its presence to some limbo but at times the Lord of Asgard has much on his mind and cannot remember everything there be in the nine realms. I offer my apology to thee."

Thor : "None necessary my liege . But I am concerned about whatever Mortal soul hath been taken by this power that I am at least in part to blame for."

Odin : "Aye my son, verily thy concerns are well founded. If thy dark rages have taken form , then in truth a mortal must have been confined within the berserkers body."

Thor : "What can we do about this lost mortal then my father ? We do not e'en know who he is ?"

Page 4

Odin : "Thy heart is good as always my son, as always thy thoughts are with others and not thyself. I will do all I can to find both the mortal whose presence must be missed by someone and to find the immortal Dark Thors current location amidst the whirling eddies of time and space eternal."

Thor : "Very well then sire, I will take my leave of thee then. "

Odin : "A word my son , concerning another matter. The lady Sif has accompanied the Warriors three on a journey to the land of the frost Giants. There has of late been much turbulence there that these fine warriors will quell.

Thor : "Well my father I do not understand thy point ."

Odin : "My point is this my son, Fandral the dashing has in truth spent much time of late with the lady Sif. In fact twas her wish to accompany him on this journey."

Thor : "My father, for all intents and purposes at this point in time Sif and I have gone our separate ways. If things do indeed change in the future, then so be it."

Page 5

Odin Crosses the room to stand facing Thor

Odin : "Also my son I was not worried 'bout Sifs' current dalliances, but more so with thine ."

Thor looks at Odin then turns away

Thor : "Father, I know thou art called the all seeing, but sometimes things must indeed be more than seen. They must be felt. "

Thor spins to face his father

Thor : "I know in truth thou doth speak of Amora, but I believe there is more to her then meets the eye. I have seen goodness, if only a twinge of it at times, but seen it nonetheless."

Odin :"Thor, didst thou know she killed a mortal policeman before thy supposed death ?"

Thor : "What ? What art thou saying my father ?"

Page 6

Odin : "I Have delved into time whence we were in our mortal guises to see what hath transpired and in truth I espied the Enchantress kill an English police officer who was investigating both you and the world tree."

Thor : "My father, is this man truly dead ? Art thou sure she did this act ?"

Odin : "I have searched for remnants of this mortals being and found none. She hath killed him I fear."

Thor spins, anger clouding his eyes.

Thor : "My father , I beg thy forgiveness, but I must in truth hie me away to Midgard and the immortal witches presence to find the truth of this perfidy."

Odin: "Go then my son, but do nothing rash. All things are not always as they seem and in truth, her actions both in my presence during the recent siege of Set as well as thy conflicting thoughts of her do cloud thy judgement, so beware of thine own anger."

Page 7

Thor : "Good words my father. Fare thee well."

Thor swings Mjolnir and is gone , flying down the rainbow bridge, towards Manhattan.

Thor : ( Verily , how do I approach this matter ? If indeed she hath killed this Mortal with no regard for his life then how can I continue our time together.)

Thor now flies above manhattan

Thor : ( If she hath killed this man, then my patience with her ways is in truth at a severe and sudden end.)

Suddenly a blast of electricity slams through Thor from behind " SSSHHHAaarrackk !!"

Thor : "Unnghh, what ?"

Thor lands in the street hard, when a powerful voice booms from above.

Page 8

Thor looks towards the voice of his attacker

Thor : "Who ? YOU ! "

Panel of Electro floating in the air above him .

Electro : "I am here to kill you , as one God to another. I am Electro, the newly anointed god of electricity. You are worth much to me Godling. Give up and accept the end of your life."

Thor : (He babbles as one insane ? What hath happened to this man ?)

Electro fires a massive burst of electricity into Thor before he can move.

Electro : "At least make this exciting thunderer. "

Page 9

Thor hurls Mjolnir at Electro

Thor : "So be it villain, if you wish to battle the God of Thunder , then have at thee! "

Electro surrounds the hurtling hammer in an web of electricity, stopping its flight.

Electro : "Hah! I always wanted to try that. With my electrical based powers and your hammer bein' able to hurl lightenin' and such I figured I could effect it."

Thor : " Ods blood ! You have succeeded in one thing here so far madman, and that is in angering me !"

Thor leaps at his foe, his powerful legs easily hurling him the 40' upwards to Electro, where he unleashes a powerful right " Ka-Pow !"

Electro : "Unnghh"

Thor : "Now villain we battle ."

Page 10

Mjolnir , freed from Electros web returns to Thors hand. Thor lands on a nearby rooftop.

Suddenly Thor is blasted from behind yet again, this time with powerful vibration beams.

Vvvvvvvmmmmmmm

Thor : "AAArggh"

Shocker : "We've never met . I am called the Shocker, for obvious reasons. I will claim the Bounty on your head, not this inept fool."

Thor continues to try and stand as wave after wave of vibratory power continues to pound at him.

Thor : ( I must ...take the.... offensive.)

Thor throws himself over the buildings edge, the shocker runs to the edge to see.

Shocker : " Wha ? He killed himself rather then face me ?"

Page 11

Instantly Thor slams the Shocker with a powerful left, as he hangs onto the buildings corner by digging his fingers into solid brick.

Thor : "Since in truth you be my boon companion Spider-Mans foe I have decided to use one of his tactics lout."

Thor swings himself over the rooftops edge, this time into another massive electrical blast.

Electro : "You're mine, this idiot Herman will not claim the prize."

Shocker shakes his head to clear the cobwebs

Shocker : ( My padding protected me from the worst of his blow , now's the time to keep up our advantage. After this I can take care of Electro.)

Shocker : "Back off Max, there's enough for both of us here. We'll split it."

Page 12

Thor struggles to regain his footing as Electro continues his assault.

Thor : " Enow I say, You have proven your mettle . And indeed are a worthy foe, but the Thunder god will not fall to either of you!"

Thor Swings Mjolnir in front of himself, creating a powerful wind that blasts both foes off the roof.

Once again Electro is flying towards Thor, electricity crackling from his hands and eyes.

Electro : "This is ta prove who's the real God of Electricity here Goldilocks. And the last one standin's gonna be ME !"

Electro blasts at Thor once again, but this time Thor is ready. He fires his own Asgardian bred power from Mjolnir, matching Electros energy.

Thor : "Nay unhinged one, Thor is the god of Thunder, and as such electricity holds little fear for me. But mayhap the same can not be said of thee."

Page 13

Thor turns up his attack, literally driving Electros power back towards him, until it fairly explodes in his hands ZZZAAAA-BBOOOMM!

Electro : "AAAHH!!"

Electros hands smolder as he's thrown back across the skyline by the power of the combined blast.

Thor : ( Incredible, already he rights himself to continue the attack, but what of the other one ? )

Suddenly the whole building Thor is standing on begins to shake and vibrate.

Shocker ( His voice is coming from the street ) : "I'll take you down thunder God If I have to destroy half the city to do it ."

The building begins to fall apart around Thor, who suddenly swings Mjolnir and takes to the air.

Thor : "Stop this attack you fool ! You endanger innocents !"

Shocker : "You think I care ? Guess again. Two million bucks goes a long way these days."

Page 14

Thor fires off another energy blast, this time at the Shockers feet, spraying him with debris from the road itself.

Thor : ( He spoke of a price on my head ? What madness is this ? Verily This must be stopped and quickly. Mortal lives are at stake.)

Shocker : "You think that will slow me down? Ha ! Maybe a year back it might've, but not today. Besides I found your weakness. "

Turning, the Shocker begins to blast away the side of the building, digging into its foundation , until the whole structure begins to lean and sway

Thor : "NO! Art thou truly mad ? The people ! "

Thor Leaps into place, literally holding the building up.

Page 15

Shocker : "Perfect Thor, now you're at my complete mercy. Which by the way, I don't have any of. Hahahahaha"

Shocker begins firing his Shock blasts at Thors back , pounding him.

Thor : "Leave.... this ...building.....Mortals...I know...not ...Unnnhh...how ..much ...longer ..I can ...hold ..under ...his assault."

Thor says nothing more as he stoicly holds the very building together and prevents it from collapsing as the Shocker continues to blast him with all his power.

People run screaming from the building as Thor continues to hold his place

Thor : ( My head doth swim from the agony, what evil this mortal be, to endanger others for paltry monetary gain. )

Page 16

Shocker : "C'mon big boy fall, just let me finish you off and then you can go on to Valhalla or wherever you Asgardians do go."

Suddenly a man from the building comes out onto the street, he looks at Thor and the Shocker and throws himself at the villain, pounding him continuously

Man : "You punk ! Thor's saving all our lives and you do nothing but keep attacking him ? You dirt bag freak!"

The Shocker isn't really hurt by this sudden attack but he is driven back momentarily as others join in , grabbing bricks , bottles and anything they can get their hands on from the wreckage to attack him.

Page 17

Interlude The Shadowed office we've seen before. The Shadowed man sits behind his desk as always. In walks another man

Shadowed man : "Well, Has it begun ? "

Assistant : "Yes sir, it has. The Shocker and Electro have confronted Thor and do battle as we speak."

Shadowed man : "How do they fare ?"

Assistant : "Unbelievingly, they seem to be actually winning."

The Shadowed man rises from his desk, moving across his room to look out over the city from his window.

Shadowed Man : "Hhhmm. It cannot be this easy, even with their increased powers. Speaking of which , how goes the experiment ?"

Assistant : "All goes very well. We are getting the readings and necessary energy samples as we speak."

Shadowed Man : "Good, good. Thor and his fellow Avengers will no longer stand in my way in all matters."

Page 18

The man walks from his office, his assistant following him.

Shadowed Man : "When will we have all the readings and power samples ? "

Assistant : "What we were able to read from them while they were here should be enough, but I would like to continue to take DNA and various other samples as they continue to Battle Thor."

Shadowed man waves his hand at his assistant

Shadowed Man : "Yes, yes do what you must, but I must have the rest of my power, and soon. Then you will be compensated greatly."

He turns to another hallway and takes his leave of the assistant, exiting into an elevator.

Shadowed man :(Soon all the power my fool brother had and more will be mine. Then those who brought about his demise will pay the ultimate price.)

Page 19

Shocker blasts the people who were attacking him away like leaves before a storm

Shocker : "Get away from me you sheep!"

Thor : " Yes good people, flee this area, this be Thors battle and now that the building be cleared, tis the Shockers turn to run."

Suddenly Thor does the unthinkable, he leaps away from the building he was supporting, it sways slowly, listing as if in slow motion, towards the Shocker

Shocker : "oh no"

BAAAA- ROOOMMM !!!!

The building collapses on top of the Shocker, completely burying him

Thor rushes over, pulling the wreckage aside, to find the unconscious form of the Shocker. Thor rips the shock units off of his foes arms and then wraps a piece of steel around him, securing him to a light pole.

Thor : (Now to the other one )

Thor whirls Mjolnir overhead and takes to the sky

Page 20

Thor : ( I see him not, where has he hidden himself ? Surely he must be mad, his speech pattern changed several times during our battle. His mind in truth must be gone.)

Suddenly a bolt of lightening leaps from a cloud , spearing through Thors stunned form

Sha-kow !

Thor : "Nnnnuuurrrr!"

Electro flies down from above

Electro: " So fellow god , how does it feel to be on the receiving end of a stronger foe for once hhmmm?"

Thor plummets earthward, momentarily stunned , he crashes into the water of the east river

Sploosh !

Thor : ( I am groggy and weakened from the twofold attacks of these foes. I must end this quickly, or I fear twill mean my end otherwise.)

Page 21

Under the water Thor whirls Mjolnir and rockets skyward

Electro : "C'mon hero-man, you're my meal ticket. Let's finish this mess so I can start sippin' margarita on an island somewhere."

Thor : "Bah, you fight for monetary reasons like all craven mercenaries. Thor fights for life and glory. Against that you have no chance !"

Baazzzkoww-pow!

Thor delivers a thunderous blow with Mjolnir to Electros face, shattering his electrical field

Page 22

Thor : "Surrender and tell me of this foolish "Bounty" you spoke of."

Electro : "No! I've failed to many times. Never again ! I will fail never again ! Not to you , not to Spider-Man not to anyone else ! I am Electro God of electricity ! I will never fail again ! NEVER

, You hear me NEVER !"

Electro suddenly begins to literally absorb the electricity from the very buildings surrounding him. He glows white hot as lightening dances across his form and the streets surrounding him.

Electro: "See what you made me do now Thor ? I will kill you, I don't care what it takes ! I do this for my newfound Godhood as well as the money. Fall before my wrath "

Page 23

Thor : Nay Electro, Thor will not be the one to fall , twill be thee! "

Thor smashes at the villain again, this time his skin sears with each blow against the electrical fury of Electro .

Electro : "You can not beat me you inept representation of a bygone age ! I am a God of the new age ! I am Electro the Mighty , hahahahahaha."

Thor : ( My flesh burns on his energy field ,and thus dulls my blows. But I will not falter. This madmans rampage will be stopped.)

Thor hurls Mjolnir at Electro with the force to shatter mountains !

DRA-BOOOOMMM!!

The electrical field falters slightly as Electro is finally stunned.

Page 24

Electro : "That hurt you living anachronism . You'll pay for that pain, oh yes how you will pay !"

Electro giggles madly, spittle flying from between his teeth as he does. It sparks and disintegrates into steam as he raves

Thor : " Stand thee down mad Electro, you jeopardize the city entire now, as well as yourself. Your mortal body was not meant to hold this much power."

Electro : "Don't tell me what ta do cornball , you just drop dead !"

He fires a massive electrical arc at Thor, calling up power from the city itself. Lights go dark as all of Manhattans power is hurled at Thor .

ZRRRAAAAA-KKOOOWWWW!!

Thor : "Arrrrrrrr!!!"

Thor : "Very well...villain...no ...quarter...asked...none ...given.."

Thor absorbs the electrical energy back into Mjolnir and begins to fire it at Electro, enhanced by Asgardian power..

SHHHHAAAA-BBOOOOOMMM!

Electro begins to falter and first slowly then more quickly gives ground.

Electro : "NO ! YOU CAN'T BE BEATING ME, YOU CAN'T !"

Page 25

Thor : "But I AM ! "

THWA-BOOM !!

With a thunderous blast of all the massive energy he absorbed into Mjolnir, Thor unleashes his full unfettered fury into the blast, blowing Electros unconscious body out into the river

SSSZZZZAA-KOW !

Where it seems to explode upon contacting the water

Thor : "No ! I did not mean to kill him . "

Thor flies over the spot Electro disappeared at .

Thor : ( I find no trace of him, in truth he must have vaporized 'pon contact with the water.!)

Thor lands in the street next where he left the Shocker, but the Shocker is gone, the metal he used to secure him broken and left on the street.

Thor: ( I know not how he escaped, I know he does not possess super-human strength.)

Page 26

Suddenly a thudding sound fills the air, quickening it's pace

THOOM, THOOM,THOOM, THOOM THOOM.!

Thor turns

Thor : "Eh?"

To be rammed by the Rhino !

Da-KOOMMM!

Scene of Thor lying on the ground at the Rhinos feet

Rhino : " My turn goldenboy."

Next : Bounty part two : Ramming Speed !