Weakest Link in the Chain, Part 6

Chapter Six: The Bigger They Are...

By Cris King

The peaceful calm of the nighttime skies over Manhattan is broken up by an urgent, hurtling Thor carried aloft by his Uru Hammer. A received emergency beacon from his Avengers communicard is the reason for the God of Thunder’s haste tonight. He wonders what great new danger he will learn about once he stands again within the hallowed halls of Tony Stark’s mansion. Alas, it is a destination he will never reach.

Without warning … a speeding red comet streaks in from the Asgardian’s blindside and decks him in mid-flight. After quickly gathering his wits, the staggered warrior can make out his attacker as a strange red-costumed man.

“Hey Thunder God, watch where you’re going! Geez…that’s the problem with this city, all you heroes think you own the skies!”

After finishing his taunt, Red Wind then quickly turns to fly away. “That worked,” thinks the villain to himself. “The poor lunkhead will never know what hit him.”

“Yon miscreant must be the menace that calls me forth this night. Whatever villainy this strange creature represents … he shall find Thor to be equal to the task!” With that the Thunder God gives a hearty chase.

One that is not long at all … and ends quickly on a nearby rooftop.

Red Wind settles down atop the building where he joins his partners Dymium, Thulkon, and Dr. Bruttus; who are already present and waiting. Thor cautiously lands there as well.

“Welcome Thunder-Guy! We been waitin’ for ya,” says a confident Thulkon.

The bemused Avenger reacts by venting his rage at this deception. “If it be the Thunder God you jackals desire…then by Odin, the Thunder God you shall have…to your everlasting dismay!”

Instantly, Dymium races up and touches the tip of Thor’s hammer, unleashing her power in the process. Mjolnir pulls irresistibly toward a large metal plate at the feet of the Thunder God, and out of his grasp.

“Od’s Blood!”

Thulkon seizes the moment by causing a metal strip of mentallium to fly over to Thor and wrap itself around his eyes like a blindfold. Their foe temporarily blinded, the rest of the Malevolence Union presses its advantage. Dr. Bruttus lunges forward and pounds him with his fists.

“You remember me - right, Hagar?” mocks Red Wind as he joins in the punishment by slamming his superfast body into the reeling hero.

Thor falls to the ground in pain … but also in search of his mighty weapon. “If I could but have my hammer back,” he thinks to himself. He finds his hammer by touch, only to be unable to pull it free of the magnetized plate. But before his foes can renew their assault, the Thunder God sinks his fingers into the roof’s surface and rips up as much of it as he can, causing the structure to crumble and all those upon it to fall to the next level.

Finally free of his attackers for a minute, Thor tears the mentallium from his eyes. Then he regains his hammer which still has the large metal plate and a huge chunk of rooftop attached to it. He swings it at a charging Dr. Bruttus and the resulting collision breaks off most of the annoying magnetized attachments as well as completely floors the evil one.

Dymium then causes some of the smaller pieces of metal rubble to fly at Thor, which he easily swats away. “Such petty nuisances will not keep you villains from my righteous vengeance!”

“No, but it’ll keep you distracted long enough for this,” spouts Thulkon as he flies in on his hover disks and strikes Thor from behind with a mentallium baseball bat. The prone Dr. Bruttus compounds the hero’s troubles by unleashing a mental bolt that causes great pain in the head of Thor. Then, a radiating Red Wind jets around for the coup-de-grace.

“I’ve built up enough charge to blow you into the next county, Avenger ... Goodnight!”

However, as the speeding target narrows in on the slumped form of Thor … the Asgardian’s muscled arm rises up and grabs the speedster by the ankle, a mere moment from impact. He takes his captured foe and swings him in a whirlwind motion ... first at a nearby wall (thus causing his charge to detonate and explode the structure to pieces). Then like a club at the rest of his enemies, knocking them all over. The renewed god then raises his hammer to the heavens and unleashes a furious storm -- releasing a frightening cacophony of thunder, wind, and rain.

“You mortals have trifled with forces beyond your ken! Now taste the bitter rewards of your offense!”

ZZZ-ZRRRR WAAK-K!

A devastating blast from the back tumbles the drained Asgardian to the floor. Behind him Othello holds his disintegrator rifle with the barrel still smoking from the powerful blast.

All of the Union attack en masse at Othello’s command. When the Thunder God fails to raise anew, Othello proclaims loudly, “Success … the mightiest has fallen … can the rest of this Earth be far behind?!”

Meanwhile, quietly perched on an adjacent rooftop, a crimson falcon intently observes all that has transpired with its lustrous eyes.

NEXT: A Call For Help!