HEART OF THE STORM 4

HEART OF THE STORM 4 HEART OF THE STORM 4
Written By Keith Leighton
Edited by Erik Burnham

The Hammer Forged: Part 4

"Justice"

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OSLO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, NORWAY
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Alex hated the cold. No he detested it. And as he looked around the airport at the snow covering the ground beyond its gates, he realized he hated snow. Every since the accident.

Christina Reeves, his secretary, walked down the ramp behind him, itinerary in hand. "Our first meeting is at 0730 in the morning GMT. And then we have one at 1200 sharp at the main complex." She stopped looking at Alex's blank stare.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

Alex mumbled under his breath. "Mother so loved the snow." He shook his head gently to snap out of it. "Sorry Chris, just memories."

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MOUNTAINS, NORWAY
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He was a god, and yet he had to come to Earth once more. As he sat on a makeshift throne inside this desolate cave, he knew what had to be done.

A great man entered the "chamber" built as if he were a wall, with the power of rolling storm clouds rippling beneath his skin, his red hair matted and untamed after years of neglect. And still, this great being who looked like power incarnate knelt before the one-eyed old man.

"He has arrived, Father." Was all the bearded one had to say.

The old man absentmindedly stroked the patch over his eye. A memory of the price he had paid for power years ago.

"Bring him to me, my son." The old man glanced over his shoulder. Three women of unearthly beauty stepped forward, javelins in hand. Metal wings powered by a technology so advanced some considered it magic, poised for flight. "Take these warriors with you."

The warrior seemed insulted. "FATHER!" He demanded. "I need no help with this mortal. I shall...."

He was cut off. "ENOUGH!"

The warrior bowed his head, and standing he lifted what appeared to be an ancient war hammer in his right hand. Turning towards the warriors, he spoke.

"Come, Death Warriors."

With that, he walked from the cave. The warriors three behind him. The old man heard his son's chariot and its mighty goats leave the plateau outside.

"Soon." He spoke to no on in particular, "Soon."
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ALASKA
October 10, 2001
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The man shrouded in black tried to cling to the shadows. His plans would all be for nothing if he were caught before his "unveiling". All the pawns were in place. Soon the time would come for the world to start looking at the superhero community with bitter distrust. Then he would step in and grant them their salvation and hope.

Here at the Juno Nuclear Power Plant his plans would begin. Here the first steps would be taken. He glanced over his shoulder at the armored form held in manacles. As the form struggled, the black clad man put his hand over a panel mounted to his wrist.

"Now now, Mr. Zmeck, I'd hate to detonate those controlling restraints prematurely." He said calmly.

The armored form stopped struggling. Once again Major Force was held prisoner. And to think he'd been brought back from the dead for this.

"I'm amazed that body of yours survived the hole Gardner put in your chest." the dark figure spoke as he made adjustments to the Major and the reactor he was chaining him to. He continued to speak as if the Major was not even there. "I'm even more surprised that your mind survived." The man in black smiled and turned back to Force. "But then again it doesn't matter. If my calculations are correct, you're the key to my plan." the man in black ran his hand over the alien metal Major Force was contained in. "You and your lower ranked friend."

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TEMPEST ENTERPRISES:
NORWIGAN OFFICE
2113
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Alex had endured three meetings, two conferences, and one very bad cup of coffee. He and Chris sat in his office in the Norwegian branch of T.E.

"Well Chris, what's next?"

She shifted through some papers. "Well boss, we have two more conferences," she shifted some more papers." ...And a demonstration for the N.J.L., and then we get to head home."

"Very well. How long till the next one?" He asked sighing

Chris looked at her watch. "You have about two hours, give or take."

Alex stood, gripping his cane. "Fine. I'm going to take a tour of the facility. I'll meet you in conference room A in two hours."

"Very well." Was all she could say as he walked out the door.

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NORWAY TEMPEST ENTERPRISES HANGER 5
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[How many more years am I going to supply these machines of death to the world?] Alex thought to himself as he walked through the armory. Here laid some of the most destructive hand and airborne weapons that humankind had ever seen. As he walked along, he kept hearing his father's last words.

"More...than money."

Everything was peaceful and tranquil. The snow lying on the ground outside. A gentle breeze floating through the air. Which is why Alex was amazingly surprised when the wall in front of him exploded.

Through a large hole in the wall came a rather large man. He had untamed red hair and a beard. And it looked as if lightning flashed within his eyes. Behind him were three of the most beautiful women Alex had ever seen. But the look in their eyes made a chill run down his spine.

The red trussed male looked directly at Alex. "You are the one I seek!"

Alex was not about to take this lying down he went to speak the armor command into his watch when the three warriors had him, One by each arm, and the other covering his mouth.

It was at that time that Chris walked in.

"What the hell!?" She stammered. Something inside her made her react in a way she had never reacted before. She charged the large man.

His response was only to laugh. No puny mortal could stand up to the might of a...

Her punch sent him across the hanger, and out the wall opposite the one he had entered.

Chris stood startled. Alex, of course, had hired her because she was a Meta. Super strength and endurance, of course, she didn't know it.

Then a war hammer imbedded itself in Chris's gut, Thunder rolled across the hanger as she flattened out against the wall behind her. As the hammer returned to the hand of the red bearded one he noticed she was still breathing.

"If I had time M'Lady, I would most certainly dispose of thee." He spoke towards her unconscious form. Then turning to the warriors, "Bring him."

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NORWAY "THE CAVE"
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The red bearded man threw Alex to the floor. He approached the old man on the throne and handed him Alex's watch. Kneeling before him, "Father."

"You may go my son." Was all the old man said.

"Very well, Father." The warrior walked out, hefting his hammer as he did.

Alex opened his mouth. He was about to begin hurling his protest when the old man just held up his hand as if to say 'silence.'

"Forgive me, Mister Tempest." The old man started. "I have need of your attention."

Alex thought about asking the man how he knew his name. Since they knew where to find him, and seemed concerned only with him, he decided not to ask.

"I'm listening." Alex said as he rose to his feet. He did not have his cane, and without the armor, the pain was mild.

"I knew you were a man of intelligence." The old man smiled. "My name is," He paused. "Well my name is unpronounceable in your tongue. People in your ancient history called me many names. '...The all father', or... hmm. Perhaps 'Odin' will be the best to use."

Again, Alex opened his mouth to speak.

"Yes." The man anticipated the question. "I am a god. But not the "Odin" of your myth. I am merely a visitor to your world. My race possesses a technology ancient earthlings perceived as magic." He ran his hand along the spear at the side of his throne. "We were stranded here on your world almost two thousand of your years ago. We were able to salvage some of our technology to 'hide' us from earth's by placing our selves in a 'dimensional anomaly."

Alex listened intently as the old man explained how one trip into the "real world" had been observed by standard Terrans. The people had witnessed the "Asgardians" they believed "Odin's" race to be using their technology to harvest food from the land.

"This brought me great woe." The old man sighed. "We had gone to lengths to hide among you, and here we were discovered."

"What does all this..." Alex began.

"...Have to do with you." The old man finished. "The 'anomaly' we hide in is a pocket dimension we created from our technology. The reason we arrived on your planet is that we were tracking a thief from our dimension. This thief was intent upon setting himself up as a Diety to your ancestors." 'Odin' paused. "We have set up equipment to track the unique power signatures of our special brand of equipment."

Alex thought. "The alien battle harness I worked into the armor..."

"You are quite intelligent Lad." Odin said. "Which is why you are here."

The old man then appeared to grow weaker. "We are dying." He stated bluntly. "The energies used to keep our 'world' stable have only shortened our naturally long lives." At that, an opening appeared in the rock wall behind him. "I leave our ship, and every thing with in it to you. The only man on Earth who could hope to understand it."

He paused. "I also leave you our one tragedy. The one we tracked here. We were unable to detain him. Forgive us."

With those words, the old man slumped over the last of his breath leaving his body. Leaving Alex very alone and very curious. He limped to the throne and retrieved his watch. Lifting it to his mouth. "Armor On."

Another flash of light and he was once more cloaked in his armor. Looking into the opening in the cavern he saw stairs and began to descend them.

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ALASKA
2001
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"Pour it on him team." Captain Atom shouted above the maelstrom of energy swirling around him. Already he could feel his metallic skin prickling as it absorbed stray particles of the storm.

"You got it, Captain." The youthful Firestorm called the flash of his nuclear power adding to Captain Atom's quantum powers. Energy leapt off his hands and formed into a non ferrous cage around the foe they now tried to contain. Polaris.

The "bug" hovered nearby, lancing laser and various other energy beams at the enemy with Blue Beetle inside, coordinating the effort. Panels and instruments flashed readouts of the various powers at play. "Remember, he's got Rex's body."

A huge ice creature with an alien animal on it's shoulder flanked Polaris from the left.

Polaris only laughed as his force field shrugged off the various energy blasts and expanded to shatter the cage. His new suit of armor amplified his powers exponentially. Of course it should, the armor was made out of the man formerly known as Metamorpho.

Polaris had been supplied with the proper equipment from an unknown source. The instructions were clear. The neural implants would allow him control over the "inert" hero, all that had to be done was dig him up. Then the various chemical compounds were all written out so that Polaris could will Metamorpho's body into the form of this new "power harness". The price for his new power.

One: He had to destroy the Juno Nuclear power Facility.

Two: He had to make sure Captain Atom was a witness.

All too simple. Using his magnetic abilities he tapped into the Earth's communications satellites and issued a public challenge to the silver hero. Of course, he had not expected him to bring reinforcements.

The ice creature clawed at him from behind ripping through his armor to his skin. The armor as it was want to do began to heal. Polaris retaliated by magnetically hurling the ground the creature stood on several meters into the air. The Ice and alien animal touched and in a flash of light the Alien chimp turned into an even more exotic alien bird, and the ice creature into an alien man.

Amazing Man was in the bug with Beetle. "Okay, I think I have it now," Beetle exclaimed as he attached the last of a series of monitors to Will Everett's head. "Now all we have to do is get you close enough to touch him."

Will smiled. "Yeah, the easy part."

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Below inside the reactor a shadowy figure began the cycle that would retract the rods and start the meltdown. Beside him, Major Force was silent.

"I know, Cliff. Can I call you Cliff?" The man in black asked. But I have no plans for you to make the Quantum jump I'm about to send our dear Captain on."

He pulled out a small knife that glowed with a weird energy. "You see a few years ago the government found a way to make this knife strong enough that it could cut through anything. Even Atom's skin. I'm betting it will cut through yours as well."

He began to set the knife into a strange machine he had assembled here near the reactor core.

"Here is how this will work." The man in black smiled. "You've killed several people in your time as a 'hero', it's time for you to face Justice." The man moved Major Force in front of the machine. "When Captain Atom detects the meltdown he will attempt to absorb the energy to stop the explosion. When he comes close enough, this machine will detect him and send this blade straight into your stomach." The man paused again. "I estimate the resulting explosion will be... disastrous, but it will remove several players from the field. My field."

The shadow pressed a button on a belt around his waist, and in a flash of light, he was gone.

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Polaris had been given a beeper by his benefactor. He was told that when it went off the time to rip the control rods was upon him. As his magnetic field held off his attackers, the beeper signaled his time to act. With a thought, the control rods were shot into orbit.

"Damn it to hell." Captain Atom was not happy with the situation. "Jan, Jana! Keep Polaris busy!"

The Alien twins touched again, the boy turning into a huge water elemental, the female a giant alien creature native to her home planet. They assaulted Polaris from both sides.

Captain Atom noticed the response and took a calculated risk. "Firestorm see if you can contain the reactor, I'll absorb the access energy.

Firestorm phased through the roof of the decaying powerplant. It was times like this when he wished Martin were still around. As he landed in front of the softly glowing reactor a noise to his left drew his attention. As Captain Atom floated into view just above him, Firestorm turned to look. "Son of a B...."

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SEATTLE
2001 October 10th
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The team known as Extreme Justice had battled Polaris from California all the way up the coast. Now members of The Justice League were attempting "damage control". The boom tube opened spilling forth Steel, Zauriel, Orion, and Barda.

Steel's voice rumbled from his armor. "Look alive people, first order of business is to find the survivors.

Orion seemed offended at having to take orders from a mere mortal. Barda set to work he Mega Rod lifting debris away from any possible survivors. Zauriel his angelic senses all tuned to their height found some by shear luck alone. Steel's sensors shifted through the wreckage pointing out signs of the living to him.

It was then the flash hit.

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JUSTICE LEAGUE WATCHTOWER
October 11th 2001
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Somehow, the shadows seem to cling to the man wearing the pointed eared costume. Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, and Wonder Woman were all listening as plans for the various funerals were being made.

"Here's the best I can come up with given the number of variables involved." Batman's voice cut through the silence as he leaned over one of the Martian/New Genesis hybrid consoles. "Firestorm's powers were limited to affecting inorganic matter. Throw in the quantum physics involved with both Major Force and Captain Atom that power was somehow perverted." Batman turned to face the group. "When the unknown object pierced Force's metallic skin it caused an uncontrollable outbreak of quantum energy. This energy mixed with that of both Firestorm and the reactor and mutated into something else." He brought up several readings on the screen behind him.

"Numerous 'shards' of Firestorm's being were sent hurtling through the atmosphere drawing energy and mass from the explosion." One of these mutated shards hit Seattle destroying everything organic in nature." Batman turned again once more the death of those he was close to staring him in the face.

"I'd know more but the tidal wave washed away most of the evidence." We found Barda's armor and the Mega rod, Orion's helmet and Zauriel's Armor. But the Astro harness and John's armor have yet to be recovered."

J'onn entered the room. "It's time."

All heads turned and nodded solemnly at the emerald Martian.

And the Justice League once more went to pay their respects to their dead.

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METROPOLIS
2113
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Henry Blake sat at his desk in the newsroom of the Daily Planet lost in thought and memory. Memories sparked by the item that had just come in over the wire. As Blake looked at the feed he again reflected back to the last time he had seen what he was now looking at.

In his hand was a picture from the Seattle Times. The picture was of a man wearing armor fighting a red skeleton. The noteworthy thing was that the armored man bore on his chest the symbol of Superman.

He picked up his vid-phone and dialed a Gotham exchange.

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Well that's it for this issue.
Find out what's in the cave next issue
And to see what our friend Henry Blake is going to do catch the SUPERMAN FAMILY SPECIAL out soon

NOTE:
I hope this clears up the one question I seem to be getting. "How did the armor survive yet the heroes not?" Also this issue Thanx to Erik and Jason is my little contribution to the AJFA storyline.

Let me know what you think
aexusiai@juno.com

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