What If: Whence Came Thorine free porn video

It's been a while since I posted anything in the "Whence Came" series, so I thought I'd let those who might have wondered how the Ashmagordian thunder goddess from the story "Whence Came the Avengers" came into being, here is her story. By the way, as I done with most of these tales, I wrote most of this with an open copy of "Journey Into Mystery" #83 for a guide. If there's enough interest in this story, perhaps I'll write get around to writing Chapter 5 for "Whence Came the Spider". Uatu returns once again; it is a "What If" story. I hope you enjoy this new story. ---- Bill What If: Whence Came Thorine by Bill Hart I am he known as Uatu. I am but one of the many eternal Watchers. Once again you have returned in order to find out still more of the multiverse that it is my sworn duty to watch. Once again, as I have already done several times in the past, I bid you all welcome to my hidden lair on the farside of the lone Moon of the blue gem of a world known to its inhabitants as Earth. There have been several questions asked of Thorine, as well as the other goddesses and gods of Ashmagordian pantheon. We shall return later to our observations of young Pamela Parker. As we have already observed so many times previously, things are different, often very different, in this particular aspect of the multiverse. We have been observing Spider-Woman, young Pamela Parker, who was born Peter Parker. A massively irradiated spider bit his hand. That one painfully unexpected bite endowed Peter with her strength and her agility. Ultimately it gave him her gender as well. We have already witnessed a totally different evolution for the group of heroines known as the Fantastic Four within this world's altered reality. Even the heroes and heroines known as the Mighty Avengers formed somewhat differently here. People and events were similar, yet not the same. However, it is Thorine we shall now observe. We shall now witness for ourselves what made it possible for the Ashmagordian thunder goddess of legend and myth to be available to join the ranks of the Mighty Avengers. As I have mentioned early, there is no Asgard here as there exists in most other aspects of the multiverse. The matriarchal Ashmagordia has filled the Asgardian niche in this particular reality. These heroines and heroes - or goddesses and gods, if you prefer - might be far more similar than dissimilar to those of the Asgardian pantheon you've always known. Let us see. ********** As he had done for a long time, he walked slowly - his cane was always a great help - along the windy craggy coast of the Southern Continent. His name was Don Blake... Dr. Don Blake. He was a frail man who walked with a cane for assistance. But in compensation for that frailty, he, having worked harder than anyone else in his class, became a medical doctor of some renown. But like everyone else, doctors needed the occasional vacation. At the moment, Dr. Don Blake was in the middle of his and thus far away from his offices in upper New York State. The scenery from where he stood admiring it was simply breathtaking. The sky was an exciting plethora of colors. But the awesome ruggedness of the scenery only served as a not so gentle reminder of his own many frailties. He wished he could scale one of the mountains he saw, as so many others had done before him. However, Don Blake realistically knew that was impossible, as his frail body would never allow the necessary exertion it would take. He sighed - even though he was all alone, he doubted anyone hearing it would have cared - and headed for the solitude of his rented room. Had he been only mere seconds later making his decision to leave, he might have been present and seen the strange alien spacecraft that silently landed on the beach behind him. But perhaps, that was a most fortuitous circumstance. Perhaps fate - an unknown quality at best - had intervened in his favor. In all likelihood, the crippled and lame solitary Dr. Don Blake would not have long survived any confrontation with this advance force of invading aliens. ********** Once their spacecraft had landed on the beach uncontested and apparently unnoticed by any of the local inhabitants, the alien occupants opened their craft's hatch and stepped out onto the sandy beach. They were bipedal and symmetrical beings, not unlike this world's occupants. They were exceptionally thin. However, they were as if made of green stone. Were they to stand perfectly still, they might have been easily blended into the surrounding area and been mistaken for unusually shaped, oddly colored rock formations. "At last," said one of the aliens. "We are finally standing upon the warm blue planet Earth." "This odd atmosphere of the planet," said another of the aliens, "is so much different than ours." "That is to our advantage, Mawwa," said a third alien. "On our home world of Saturpiter, we are the mightiest of all beings. But here, in this super-oxygenated atmosphere of this primitive smaller world Earth, our great strength has been multiplied a thousandfold. Without a doubt, we are truly an unbeatable force." The stone alien known as Gorrm strode purposely toward a large ancient coniferous tree that might have been considered merely old when now extinct mammoths and mastodons sharpened their ivory tusks against its ancient weathered sides. "Behold!" exclaimed Gorrm with glee. "It is with the greatest of ease that I have torn this ancient plant-thing from the ground that held it." Gorrm was exceptionally pleased with his accomplishment. "We are totally invincible. We shall conquer this primitive Earth far more easily than we ever imagined." "Well done, Gorrm." The voice of he who now stood upon the large rock outcropping that everyone could see echoed endlessly in every alien's mind. "Now everyone watch very closely, as I, great Xxomz, prove the vast superiority and total invulnerability of our great stone bodies." Without fear or hesitation, Xxomz leapt from the outcropping. "I've leapt without the slightest hesitation or fear," he projected to all that could hear his thoughts. "I know, without any doubts in my mind whatsoever," he beamed to that same audience as he landed unharmed on the beach below him, "that there is nothing... no one... on this puny and insignificant blue planet Earth that can ever harm me. This world will soon be ours." And yet, as they began practicing with their advanced weaponry, the alien invaders knew not that they had been unknowingly observed. He was merely an old man that eked out his meager living fishing. He was nothing more; he was nothing less. The sight of the swift disintegration of a prehistoric tree had filled him with much fear. However, he was still - had always been; would always be - a devoted follower of the ancient, yet nearly forgotten, ways of his people. "Great Odina, great mistress and protectress of all the people. Please aide this one, great goddess," he whispered in low tones of stunned supplication. "By your most bountiful and supple breasts, my great lady, what unspeakable horror have I, your most humble of humblest servants, stumbled upon." There was no answer to his prayer. It had been countless ages since anyone - whether a believer or a non-believer - had called upon she who presided over the Ashmagordians for assistance and protection. However, the grand great lady Odina, the most beneficent and wisest of the remaining extant Ashmagordian pantheon was thoroughly pissed at having been ignored for these past several centuries. Odina could be quite stubborn at times. She was not particularly inclined towards answering this old man's plea for aid. And yet, something inside her suddenly flamed. Action was necessary. Even after so many centuries had passed, she had finally been called upon to render assistance and protection. He was - had always been - a true believer. How could she possibly ignore his plea? By an odd set of circumstances, there was something she could do to help. The old fisherman rapidly fled the scene. What else could he possibly do? He'd run from the scene as swiftly as he could. The village... his home... needed to be warned of this impending danger they - indeed the whole world - would soon face from the invading stone creatures. Not too surprisingly, the old man was not believed. "Stony green creatures from outer space?" laughed the first man the old fisherman had tried telling of the invasion. "What nonsense do you speak, old man?" "Begone, foolish old man. Aliens? Here? You're a mad man," snarled the man's companion. "We do not have the time to listen to any of your dumb old fairy tales." "Fools! You're both fools!" shouted the old fisherman as the two men left laughing. "They're here! We are all in terrible danger!" However, the crippled Dr. Don Blake had overheard the fisherman's fantastic tale as he'd vainly tried warning the men. 'Strange. The old man's story sounds so absurd,' he thought. 'And yet, the old man himself shows no outward indications of madness. I wonder... might his story somehow be more truthful than it seems?' ********** On awakening the next morning, Dr. Don Blake decided he'd investigate the old fisherman's story of invading stone aliens. Leaving his rented room very early in the morning, the doctor headed for the coastal area the old man had described. He wasn't too sure what he expected to find when he started exploring the area. Nor was he sure what he'd do if the old fisherman's story were true. As he stumbled his way over the rough rocky surface, Dr. Blake felt an odd sense of disappointment growing within him. "So far, I've seen nothing to back the old man's story," he muttered. "Perhaps the old man's story was simply nothing more than the fairy tale those other men had said it was." But just as he began turning around to leave, the doctor abruptly spotted something highly unusual. "What might that be?" he asked himself as he went over to investigate more closely. "Incredible! These are footprints! Very large footprints!" exclaimed the doctor. "Whatever made them must have been extremely heavy. They lead around this bend." Cautiously, Dr. Blake followed the trail of large, deep footprints. As soon as he turned the bend in the trail he was following, Don spotted them standing in a small clearing ahead of him. 'The old man was right all along! They are alien creatures, just as he said they were," thought Don. 'This is incredible. They appear to be made entirely of some odd green stone.' "Remember, Yttl," said one of the stone aliens to his companion. "It means death for any puny human who discovers our presence here." Realizing his life was in danger if he were to remain longer, Don Blake decided his best option was to leave before he could be seen. But even as he cautiously turned, his foot came down on a small unnoticed twig. Snap! 'Blast my bad luck,' thought Dr. Blake as he began running away from the scene as fast as his one good leg and his cane would allow. "It's an earthman, Yttl. He must have seen us." "Don't worry, Moreg. He won't escape me." The lame doctor knew he was in terrible trouble. "I might not be capable of running fast enough to escape them," panted Don as he ran into the rocks hoping to evade his pursuers. "As rugged as this land is, there must be some place for me to hide." Heading for still higher ground, he could only hope the rough terrain impeded his pursuers long enough to find that hiding place. "But if I don't find someplace to hide soon, it won't take them long to catch up with me." As if things weren't already bad enough for the fleeing doctor, he abruptly lost his footing and stumbled before falling heavily to the ground. Fortunately for Dr. Blake, he wasn't hurt in the fall. But unfortunately, his cane was now in a free fall hurtling towards the beach far below him. "I'm nearly helpless without my cane." Don Blake struggled mightily to regain his feet. "What can I do now?" he groaned. However, his bleak situation had suddenly turned brighter than he could have ever hoped. "Those caves!" he exclaimed. "Perhaps I can hide in one of them." Although the elapsed time was only several minutes, the time taken to reach the first of the caves seemed more like several hours to the doctor. "I've finally made it!" he exclaimed once he'd reached it safely. Even though he knew things were far from being over, the lame doctor breathed a great sigh of relief. "Those aliens are still bound to find me here," he mumbled to himself following the brief respite he'd allowed himself to catch his breath. "My only real hope is finding another exit." For some unknown reason, fate must have still been on his side. After walking on a few steps deeper into the cave, Don felt a cool breeze on his face that could have only come from that hoped for second exit. He was thrilled - perhaps he might yet escape from the aliens with his life intact - as he made his way toward that exit. However, the doctor was swiftly disappointed when he arrived at the source of the breeze he'd been feeling. Despite the steady flow of air through it, a massive boulder covered the majority of the opening. What little space remained wasn't nearly large enough to let him squeeze through. With all the might he could muster Don Blake pushed at the huge boulder. He was, not too surprisingly, unsuccessful at moving it. "The opening is blocked. It's hopeless," he groaned. "There's no way I can possibly budge the thing at all." Disheartened by his failure and expecting the aliens would discover him at any moment, Don Blake sat down beside one of the walls to await his fate. There was little else he could do. "This cave is so dank and gloomy. There is so little air movement in here aside from that little breeze coming in through the blocked opening," he mumbled. "It almost seems as if no human has set foot in this cave for endless ages." He sighed, knowing full well he was in deep trouble. "There's nothing I can do to prevent them catching me now. I might as well stay right here and wait for those alien stone men to find me." He sighed again, then slowly leaned back against the cave's wall. Unexpectedly, the wall began moving very slowly. "This wall is opening!" exclaimed Don as he slowly rose to his feet. "I must have pressed some kind of hidden lever in the wall when I leaned against it," he realized as the wall finally came to a stop. "Strange. It appears to be some kind of secret chamber," remarked the doctor as he stepped inside the small newly exposed room. "But why is it here? What can its purpose be?" He took a quick look around the small chamber. "There's no other way out. There's nothing inside here." That observation wasn't entirely accurate; there was something hidden within the chamber. However, Dr. Blake found its presence puzzling. "Surely, this secret chamber couldn't have been built to hide this ancient gnarled stick." Dr. Blake looked it over very carefully. The stick might still prove useful. "If nothing else, I suppose it can replace my lost cane." After walking over to the stick's resting place and picking it up, Don Blake began wondering if the sturdy stick might be useful in helping him escape from the aliens. "Despite its great age, this stick seems unusually dense and in exceptionally good shape. Perhaps I can use it as a lever. If I can do that, then I might be able to move that boulder after all." Ancient stick firmly in hand, Dr. Blake returned to the boulder blocking his escape route. However, he was no more successful with it than he had been before. "I still can't budge the boulder," he gasped after several unsuccessful tries using the stick as a lever. "But I must keep trying... I must never give up... This is my only possible chance of escape." However, as hard and persistent as he tried, Dr. Blake still had no success in moving the boulder. It wasn't about to be budged. "This is plain hopeless!" exclaimed Don Blake. "I doubt a dozen of the mightiest bulldozers on earth could move that giant rock an inch." Weary from his flight and angry at his lack of success, Don Blake suddenly struck the worthless ancient cane against the side of the immobile boulder. "What's going on!" exclaimed Dr. Blake as a blinding light, seemingly originating from the ancient gnarled walking stick itself, suddenly bathed the entire cave. "This is very strange. It was almost as if a fiery bolt of lightning had jumped from the stick to illuminate the cave walls. This cane..." Still holding the gnarled timeworn cane in his hand, Don Blake suddenly began feeling the impossible. "The stick is changing its shape! How is something like that possible?" However, the impossible was only then beginning. Energy began surging from the newly transformed cane directly into Dr. Don Blake. This intense flood of energy surging through him was, he somehow knew, one of transformation. "Now - as the old cane has already done - I'm now beginning to change too!" he exclaimed. "This is impossible! Or am I simply going mad?" 'This isn't madness at all,' thought Dr. Blake as the inexplicable and incredible sensations fueled by the unbelievable energies of his transformation finally began subsiding. 'I can feel it. My body is simply bursting with incredibly awesome power now. This is just incredible. Never before have I felt so overwhelmingly powerful.' The ancient walking stick had become an equally ancient, but clearly mighty, hammer. But as Don Blake stared at the hammer in astounded disbelief, his eyes drifted down to the hand holding it. Already stunned far beyond his own comprehension, his disbelief still grew. The hand he was looking at wasn't his, even though he easily felt the hammer that he still grasped in that very same hand. If the stick had become an ancient hammer, what had become of the doctor? "What have I been transformed into?" he wondered aloud, suddenly curious about the strange sounding tone and higher pitch of his voice. The arm connected to the hand holding the mallet seemed all wrong as well to Dr. Blake. He couldn't begin to explain it. His arm was now far more powerful than it had ever been before. But all that new power suddenly imbued within it was not what he considered most wrong. When he slowly turned his head, Don was surprised by the mass of hair that swirled about his head and face. With his free hand, he grabbed a handful of that wildly swirling hair. It was still the same blonde color it had always been. Only now, it was thicker and fuller - a veritable mane - than it had ever been in his life. In addition to that, it was at least two feet longer in length than it had been before. His now longer hair fell easily over his shoulders and covered the tops of his breasts. Breasts? His free hand flew immediately to his chest. There was simply no denying what it discovered there. "It's true. I've got breasts now," said Don in stunned amazement as he fingered the new, very noticeable, mounds of female flesh hanging on his chest. "I've obviously been transformed into a woman," he suddenly realized. His being a woman explained much of what he'd seen, but it still left much unexplained. "Why did I become a woman." Only then did Don Blake finally notice there were words carved into the face of the hammer. Somehow - he had no idea how - he could read the ancient language. The carved words explained it all. "WHOSOEVER HOLDS THIS HAMMER, IF PROVEN WORTHY, SHALL POSSESSS THE POWER OF THORINE." "Thorine! That's unbelievable! Thorine is the legendary Ashmagordian goddess of thunder!" exclaimed Don Blake in awe. "Like the others of their matriarchal pantheon, I'd always considered her nothing but a myth. She was, according to all the myths and legends I've read, the mightiest warrior goddess in the entire Ashmagordian mythology!" His eyes widened still further as he finally realized what he was holding in his hand. "This must be the legendary Thorine's mighty hammer. I can't believe I'm actually holding her hammer in my hand." But it was true, he realized. It had been the energy of her hammer that had transformed him into this female form. "That means I am she now," mumbled Don. "I have her hammer. I must now be Thorine, goddess of thunder. What better way could there be to imbue some mere mortal with her incredible power than by giving that mortal her form?" ********** After the passing of several additional minutes, Thorine - still in full possession of all the knowledge and memories of the male Dr. Don Blake - turned her attention to the huge boulder blocking her escape. She smiled. "Not too long ago, I - the weak mortal male Don Blake - could not budge this boulder. But that was then. Now I am Thorine." With unimaginable ease, Thorine lifted - with one hand - the boulder away from her escape route. "This is all so amazing. I lifted it as if it were nothing more than the flimsiest cardboard." Having freed herself, Thorine exited the cave. She then replaced the boulder, so it would once again block any egress from the cave. "Those stone alien creatures pursuing me will never suspect their frail quarry escaped through this exit." Now that she'd escaped her pursuers, Thorine felt puzzled. "What happens to me now?" she wondered. "Do I now walk about in the civilized world as a mythological thunder goddess? Or what?" She felt bewildered about everything to say the very least. As Dr. Don Blake she had a life. It wasn't a very glamorous one, but it was his. He was a doctor, a healer. However, Thorine also understood, even though she knew full well she was still Don Blake, she could never assume his life. He was male; she was not. He was a doctor; she had no proof she still retained his knowledge, not that anyone would have ever believed she was he. In order for her to become a doctor again, she would need to attend medical school once more. Even with all of Dr. Blake's knowledge and skills, it would easily take several years for her to regain what he had now lost. It wasn't fair. Even worse than that, it was such a waste of time and resources. "I must think all of these things out. I must decide what I can do." Thorine set her hammer down on the ground. "This has all been so strange and bewildering." The thunder goddess sat down on the grass not far from her hammer, then leaned back against the boulder that had formerly imprisoned her within the cave. As Don Blake tried to recall what he knew about his new self, all he could actually remember was the people of the Southern Continent had named the fourth day of their week - Thorinsday, in their ancient language - after her. Don wasn't too sure he wanted a day named after him. He would have much rather preferred regaining his male form - frail and weak as it had always been. There was much more good he could do continuing to do the work of the doctor he'd trained so hard to become instead of remaining this blonde goddess into which she'd been transformed. However, as Thorine or Dr. Blake - she or he was as one now - mused about her or his future, she felt those unbelievable energies that had fueled his initial transformation from Dr. Blake into Thorine building again. "What's happening now. I can feel myself changing again." Once the energies of his latest transformation had faded, Dr. Blake found himself restored to his former male self. "How did this happen? What could have caused it?" At that moment, he saw the inscription carved into the hammer once again. Still failing to realize he was actually reading aloud the ancient, no longer spoken, Ashmagordian language, he casually read, "Whosoever holds this hammer, if proven worthy, shall possess the power of Thorine." As he continued staring at the hammer, he realized he knew the answers to his questions. "Clearly, I must hold onto the hammer in order to retain Thorine's strength and form. Once I let go of it, then I must revert to my normal self after about sixty seconds or so." As Dr. Blake reached down and touched the hammer again, his frail male body quickly regained the healthy and powerful female form of Thorine. The sensations associated with his transformation were less intense than they had been before. "This has intriguing possibilities. I can be both doctor and goddess now. There is so much good I might do being both, instead of being only one or the other." Having become Thorine again, Don Blake began remembering other things he'd learned somewhere about the Ashmagordian thunder goddess and her enchanted hammer that was now his to command. She was a mighty warrior, feared by her foes and beloved by her friends. Among the entire Ashmagordian pantheon, her great strength and her fearless courage were second to none. According to the old legends, Thorine's hammer was unique. It had been cast from an unearthly metal in antiquity. It was so heavy that only Thorine herself could lift it. The hammer was also enchanted. Whenever Thorine hurled it away from her, the thrown hammer must always return to her hand. The hammer was a weapon nothing less than invincible. "Nothing can resist my hammer," smiled Thorine, as she wound up and heaved her hammer towards a nearby tree. With great ease, the hammer crashed through the tree, splitting it asunder in the process. It then returned as easily under the aegis of its enchantment to Thorine. "Nothing can possibly stand against it." Flushed with the excitement of discovery, Don Blake, still in the form of the thunder goddess, soon realized, as Thorine must have known all along, there were other things that her new enchanted mallet was capable of doing. "Striking its handle twice upon the ground, I can create either rain or snow," smiled the new goddess as she struck the handle two times solidly against the ground. "That storm will swiftly become either a whirling tornado or a raging blizzard as I command it to be. The power of the storm is always - has always been, will always be - Thorine's to command." She next struck the hammer's handle three times against the ground. "Thrice struck upon the ground ends the raging storm I have created." Thorine knelt slowly. "But whenever I, Thorine, strike my hammer but once upon the ground." She struck the handle of her enchanted hammer one time on the ground. "The hammer returns to the ancient walking stick form in which I originally found it. And I am myself restored to the mortal form of Dr. Don Blake." Once again Don Blake, he was amazed that it was somehow he among all the inhabitants of the world that been arbitrarily chosen to wield the astonishing power of the thunder goddess Thorine. "How could such power have been locked away for so long? How long must the ancient stick have been waiting in that cave for someone to come along that was thought worthy of wielding it? I can only hope it has chosen wisely." However, having heard the sound of twigs snapping in the woods nearby, Don Blake was suddenly angry with himself. "It's those stone aliens. I've already wasted so much valuable time thinking only of myself." He rose to his feet as quickly as he could. "They may laugh at me just as they did that old man, but the world must still be warned of this invading menace of alien stone creatures." But was it already too late? ********** At the Southern Alliance Command Headquarters, a radar operator was abruptly surprised by numerous images appearing on the screen. "We have a fleet of UFO's on the radar screen, Captain." "Scramble the jets to intercept immediately." "Yes, sir," replied the radar operator. The siren soon began its shrill wailing that announced a potential enemy attack. ********** The aliens were, however, ready for the counterattack. They'd planned in advance for all known contingencies. Whatever the humans did, the aliens were confident in their preparedness. "The humans have sent their swiftest armed aircraft to intercept us." "It doesn't matter, Chym. We shall dispose of their craft quickly and easily." "They are no match for us. Turn on the monster imager." "At once, sir." Almost immediately, a gigantic and terrifying, holographic figure appeared in the sky between the aliens' spacecrafts and the intercepting fighters. The image was an angry winged red dragon unlike anything any of the pilots had ever seen outside the comic books they'd read as youths. "Wha...?" said one of the pilots once he saw the dragon. "What in the name of heaven is that thing?" "Whatever it is, it's heading straight for us," said a second pilot. "It's already too close. I can't maneuver out of its way." "Bail out!" "Hit the silk!" However the pilotless fighter jets only passed through the dragon's image to the startled amazement of their pilots now parachuting down to the ground. Only moments later, the fighters crashed into the earth below them. Fortunately for everyone, that portion of the vast Southern Continent was sparsely populated. No one was hurt. ********** "How easily we have fooled the earthlings." "That was to be expected, Borta. The humans are a primitive superstitious race that still fight among themselves." "As we suspected, it shall be simple child's play to conquer and subjugate them." With the initial fighter jets swiftly immobilized, secondary defenses quickly came into play. But they too have no effect on the alien spacecraft. "Behold how the pitiful fools try to stop us with their even more lamentable missiles." "They are indeed pitiful beings if they think mere missiles could ever penetrate our shields." "We are wasting time! The earthlings have absolutely nothing that can keep us from descending on them. Nothing will keep us from conquering this pitiful race." Nothing? Perhaps. The earth may have nothing in its many arsenals to prevent the alien invasion. However, there might still be someone, as yet unknow to the invaders, capable of stopping their attack. ********** From his location in the rugged hills, Dr. Don Blake had seen it all. He had witnessed the full futility of his planet's defenses against the invading stony aliens. "Clearly, earth's weaponry are useless against these invaders. But perhaps what all the latest scientific and technological advances cannot accomplish," he said as he tapped his cane once upon the ground, "Thorine, goddess of thunder, can." Within an instant lame Dr. Don Blake was once again transformed into the mighty warrior goddess Thorine. Two additional taps of her mighty hammer against the ground unleashed the full savage fury of the storm against the alien invaders. ********** "What is happening, YYaby?" said one of the aliens. "Only a moment ago, the sky was perfectly clear. Yet now, there is a storm brewing." "How can this be? It is impossible," replied another of the aliens. "Our infallible weather forecasting instruments did not forecast this storm." "We must land immediately, Tassn." ********** "The enemy invaders are a long distance away from me, but I shall lessen that distance quickly." Thorine began whirling her enchanted hammer faster and faster about her head. Within only a few heartbeats, the mallet was whirling at a speed rivaling that of a bolt of lightning. "Now, I might be able to streak through the sky in the manner that the thunder goddess should." A split second after Thorine let loose her hammer in the direction of the invading alien spaceships, she grabbed ahold of the hammer's unbreakable thong. The thrown hammer then pulled her along after it as it headed straight for the invading aliens. ********** Before Thorine had time to catch up with the invaders, they had already landed in force and begun deploying their troops. Even as the storm slowed them, the aliens were surprised seeing her approach their position. "Behold! It is an earthling flying through the air to attack us." "That is impossible. Our reconnaissance of this world revealed no flying earthlings." "It is one of their females, Commander." "Impossible. Their females are the weaker of the pitiful human species." "Do not slay her!" commanded one of the aliens. "She must be captured and studied! Her dissection should prove most useful. We might even learn how she flies." As Thorine landed, she tapped her hammer thrice upon the ground thus ending the storm. She was quickly surrounded. But the aliens soon discovered that capturing her would be no simple matter. Her whirling hammer kept them at bay and inflicted heavy damage to several very surprised stone aliens, who still considered themselves invincible. "Capture her?" "How?" "Her whirling weapon holds us back. She has somehow shattered Hrtak's arm and snapped Erlod's leg off at the knee." Even though the alien commander was distressed by Thorine's actions, he still thought his invincible soldiers would easily defeat her. "Wait!" he commanded. "The human female is now directly beneath our captive cage. In a moment, she'll be our helpless captive." As he had said, their cage soon fell about Thorine with a deafening thud. "Hah!" he exclaimed in triumph. "The strange, oddly garbed human female is ours!" "The earthling female is now our powerless captive." "No, wait! Observe her!" "It is not possible." "Iron bars do not a prison make!" exclaimed Thorine, as she bent the heavy iron girders of the aliens' cage as if they were merely strands of taffy. "Especially when she who is sought to be imprisoned has the might of the thunder goddess Thorine to aid her escape." "This can not be! The earthling female is too powerful to be captured alive." "Then she must be slain!" exclaimed the commander. "Prepare your weapons. We must disintegrate her!" But before the ruthless aliens could raise their weapons, Thorine had countered the threat. She had thrown her enchanted hammer into their midst, where it had collected them as surely as a flame drew moths. "Our weapons!" screamed the aliens. "This female earthling cannot be stopped by our mightiest weapons." "Yes, she can!" declared the commander. "Release the mechano-monster from the hold and be swift about it." "It is done, sire," replied the commander's subordinate. "Our enemy will now surely meet her master." "There is your foe!" instructed the alien commander. "Attack her! Destroy her!" But Thorine, in spite of the mechanical monster's appearance, was unconcerned. 'That monstrosity looks like it has everything in its favor. Everything, that is, except for the mighty hammer of Thorine.' One swift blow from Thorine's hammer was all it took to shatter the aliens' menacing mechanical monster into several million pieces. The effect on the aliens was instant demoralization "Impossible. She has somehow vanquished the mechano-monster." "This female earthling is far too mighty and powerful for us. She is too skilled in the art of battle. We can't possibly defeat her." "We knew nothing of her before. Somehow, she must have been cloaked from our every scan. Even now, we know not how many others like her exist here on earth." "Back! Everyone back to the ships!" shouted the commander. "We must flee this accursed planet before more like her arrive. We would never survive something like that." Thorine watched as the aliens fled to their ships. She continued watching as the ships took off and headed for the safety of space. "I've beaten them!" shouted Thorine with pride in her accomplishment. "I have proven that the power of the hammer and the might of the thunder goddess are truly invincible! Nothing can conquer Thorine! Nothing at all!" At that moment, the Southern Alliance infantry troops finally began arriving at the alien landing site. Thorine spotted them long before they could have hoped to see her. "The soldiers have arrived. If I remain here, they'll want to ask me questions," mused Thorine aloud. "They won't rest until after they've learned my secret. After that, I'll likely become an international curiosity." Thorine smiled. "However, all of that can be avoided with one little gesture." Thorine then tapped her hammer once on the ground. ********** "Look! It's amazing!" shouted one of the soldiers. "The invaders are already flying away." "But why? What happened here?" asked another of the soldiers. "What could have possibly driven them off?" "I have no idea, Sarge. There's nothing and no one here." He lowered the binoculars. "Except for that lame man over there with a gnarled old cane." "Shall I fetch him, Sarge?" "Don't bother," replied the sergeant. "From the look of him, I doubt he knows any more about what happened than we do. It's a cinch that scrawny looking fella isn't earth's secret weapon. Even using that cane, I doubt he could scare anyone away." "You're right about that, Sarge." ********** "The invading menace is ended," sighed Don Blake, as he walked slowly back to his rented room. "I think it's time for me to head back to the States." He looked at the ancient gnarled walking stick he held in his hand. "Who would have ever believed I'd be returning with an incredible secret and possibly the greatest power ever known to mortal man. It's a power I shall only use to further the cause of justice against the forces of evil." ********** Once back in the States and in his office in Upstate New York, Dr. Don Blake was soon totally immersed in his work once again. Unlike most doctors, he and his nurse Jane Foster still made the occasional house call. "His heartbeat is much stronger, Mrs. Jones," said the doctor after examining his patient. "He seems to be recovering nicely." "Thanks to you, doctor," replied Mrs. Jones. "Without your treatment, who knows what might have happened to my son?" "We'll check back again in another week. Jane will call you and set up the time." "I can't thank you enough Dr. Blake." "Thanks are not necessary, Mrs. Jones." He turned to his nurse. "We should be on our way, Jane." As Dr. Blake put on his coat, he watched his nurse closely. Even though he was a successful physician, there was another area in which he was less successful. He was in love with his nurse Jane Foster. She was a beautiful woman. Don longed to tell her how he felt about her, but dared not express his true feeling. He was afraid that a girl as lovely as Jane would never consider marrying a lame man. He was afraid that if she knew he loved her that she'd quit her job and he'd never see her again. However, unknown to Dr. Blake, Jane Foster had long since seen past the doctor's lameness to the man that he was. As the doctor drove them back to his office, Jane was thinking only of Don Blake. She could easily care for this gentle man deeply if only he showed her a little affection. More than once in the time she'd worked for him, she'd wished he'd take her in his arms and tell her that he cared. Nevertheless, she considered him a little too stuffy to ever think of being romantic. "Extra! Extra! Read all about it!" shouted a newsboy as the doctor drove past his stand. "Fighting continues in San Diablo." "What is that all about?" "While you were on vacation a revolution began in the small country of San Diablo," replied Jane. "Two factions are battling for power. On one side is the existing government. A ruthless warlord known as the Executioner leads the other faction. He's called that because of all the poor victims he's sent to face the firing squad. The man is evil incarnate." "I see." ********** A week later, at an emergency medical meeting, a call for volunteers was raised. All the fighting in San Diablo had taxed the country's already meager medical resources past its limit. As a result, death and disease ran rampant through the small country. Don Blake was among the first to volunteer his services. Within days, a ship of mercy, its passengers doctors and nurses, flying the flag of the Red Cross had set sail for San Diablo. "I shouldn't have let you come with me, Jane." The worry in his voice was unmistakable. "If we run into any trouble, I'll never forgive myself for putting you into it." "Surely there will be no trouble for us," replied Jane. "We're going to San Diablo to help those who are sick and in need of medical attention." "I hope you're right, Jane." Even as Jane spoke, jets under the command of the Executioner were swiftly approaching the position of the unarmed ship of mercy. Their orders were clear - sink the ship. But why would the Executioner order the sinking of an unarmed vessel that carried only medical personnel and equipment? Unfortunately, the answer was simple. The Executioner did not want to see the peasants cured. Sick peasants would be unable to oppose him. Were a few peasants to die, what did it matter? The Executioner considered peasants unimportant and, even worse, expendable. "Look... Jets!" shouted one of the doctors. "I don't believe it! They're attacking us!" "This ship is unarmed!" screamed a panicked nurse. "We don't stand a chance!" However, they stood more of a chance than the frightened nurse knew. Don Blake had found a secluded place. "I'll stop this attack. Now I can unleash the power of my magic cane." A single blow of his cane on the deck of the ship produced a flash of lightning and triggered his own incredible transformation. He felt himself changing from lame Dr. Blake into Thorine the mightiest of warriors. Once fully transformed, Thorine began whirling her hammer above her head. "Now shall these foul attackers feel the full wrath of the goddess of thunder." As she had done against the invading aliens, she flung her hammer towards the approaching jets while holding on to its unbreakable thong. "Great Caesar's ghost!" exclaimed one of the doctors. "Who is that?" "I don't know, Perry," replied his nearby colleague. "You'll never believe what I saw. That woman whirled that hammer around her head and then held onto its strap as she flung it towards the jets. She's actually flying." In a heartbeat, Thorine had reached the first of the attacking jets. A single swing of her mighty hammer shattered a wing of the plane rendering it useless. "This jet shall nevermore attack a helpless victim." After the disabled plane's pilot bailed out, Thorine began whirling her hammer once again. Faster and faster whirled the hammer. With her enchanted hammer, Thorine controlled the elements. She could make them do her bidding. The partial vacuum created by her whirling hammer quickly sucked both planes into it. Unable to control their aircraft, the pilots had no choice but to bail out before their planes crashed into one another. For several minutes, debris rained down into the ocean. Another blow from her mighty hammer disabled the fourth and final attacking jet. "Nevermore shall these planes menace innocent men and women!" she proclaimed in triumph, as she followed the plane down toward the sea. She was thrilled to have thwarted their evil intentions so easily. Now that the air attack was a part of history, Thorine needed to change back into Don Blake. Even as she entered the sea, she had worked out her plan. Beneath the ocean's surface, she tapped her hammer once against the wreckage of one of the planes. Only passing fishes, uninterested in what occurred, witnessed Thorine's transformation back into Dr. Don Blake. A moment later, the doctor's head broke the ocean's surface. "Help!" he shouted. "Someone help me! Please!" "It's Dr. Blake! He must have been thrown overboard!" "Throw him a line!" "Please hurry!" implored Jane Foster. "He's lame! I don't know how long he can stay afloat!" Within minutes, Dr. Blake was once again aboard the ship. "In all the excitement, I tripped and accidentally fell overboard." His secret remained safely hidden. "Thank heavens you're safe," said Jane. She'd been so worried about him. "What happened to all the jets?" "It was simply incredible," said one of the other doctors. "From out of nowhere appeared this remarkable flying woman. It was she, who downed all four attacking planes." "She wielded a mighty hammer. As I watched, a single blow from it downed a plane," said another of the doctors. "I heard stories about a woman like her while traveling on the Southern Continent several years ago. If I didn't know any better I'd swear that woman was the mythical Ashmagordian goddess Thorine." "Easily a goddess?" The captain of the ship smiled. "She was also quite the hot-looking babe." ********** Meanwhile in San Diablo, an unhappy Executioner had been told the unexpected news. Two guards were firmly holding the commander of the Executioner's air force. "I cannot believe this nonsense. You have embarrassed me." The Executioner stared at his commander. "Are you telling me that four our jet fighters failed to sink one unarmed ship?" His steely stare hardened. "Those imbecile pilots were under your command. You will pay for their bungling of a simple assignment." "But comrade Executioner." "Guards!" commanded the Executioner. "Take this pitiful fool out to the wall." "No, please, comrade Executioner," pleaded the air force commander. "Please. It wasn't my fault. You must spare my life." "I must?" chuckled the Executioner. "I don't think so, fool. Take him away immediately. The sight of this fool sickens me." Moments later, the evil man watched from his window as his latest sentence of death was carried out. "Ready!" "Aim!" "Fire!" A dozen shots rang out. A dozen bullets ripped through the former commander's body. "I hope you have listened well, comrades," warned the Executioner. "I want those doctors prevented from treating the sick peasants." A malicious smile spread across his face. "If you fail me, then you too will be lined against the will to face the firing squad." "Yes, comrade Executioner," replied his army officers nervously. A messenger entered the room. "The report from the docks says the doctors' ship has arrived." "Fear not, Executioner. We shall drive them back into the sea before they cure anyone." "See that you do!" growled the Executioner. "Do not dare fail me!" ********** Somewhat later, not far from docks, the forces of the Executioner lay in wait for the approaching doctors. "They are coming through the pass now!" "Hold your fire until I give the command." He allowed the jeep to approach several dozem yards closer. "Now! Open fire!" Scores of shots rang out. "It's an ambush!" shouted one of the doctors in the jeep. "They're trying to kill us." "Take cover!" shouted another, while shots continued raining down on them. "Don't they know we're unarmed." Dr. Don Blake quickly realized that snipers were hidden all over the mountain. Even Thorine would never be able to find them all in time. But there was something elsehe felt he could do to end the barrage. A thunderstorm was now required. The doctor stamped his ancient cane twice upon the ground and within mere moments the storm began building. "Come, you furies!" shouted the doctor into the air. "Come!" The winds howled. Thunder roared. Lightning flashed. And the sudden, unexpected storm raged on and on with no sign of relief. "It's raining so hard, I cannot see the doctors!" shouted one of the soldiers of the Executioner. "I cannot see anything at all." "All this rain is making the ground soft." "The mud is too slippery to walk on." "Help me! I'm sliding down the mountain." While the men of the Executioner had problems dealing with the effects of the storm, the jeeps carrying the doctors made it safely through the mountain pass. Once they were safely through the pass, Don Blake struck his enchanted cane thrice upon the ground bringing the violent storm to an end just as abrupt as its beginning. "I don't know what could have caused that sudden storm, but whatever it was saved our lives." "That's true, Dr. Martin, but we're not out of danger yet." The jeep came to a halt. "Look at what confronts us now." "Tanks!" exclaimed Dr. Lewis. "They must belong to the Executioner." "He's out to get us," replied Dr. Martin. "I'm sorry you came with us Miss Foster, because I'm afraid the Executioner may get us all this time." However, Dr. Blake had silently slipped away from the group. He knew that once again he must take on the aspect of the mightiest of all warriors, the thunder goddess Thorine. "I don't believe it. It's her again!" exclaimed Dr. Martin as Thorine sprinted past him. "Quickly flee this place!" advised Thorine. "I shall hold the tanks back! All I need is a simple lever." She stopped and easily uprooted a tree standing between her and the tank. "This tree shall suffice." Racing swiftly and silently behind the first tank, the thunder goddess struck quickly. The tree, using a medium-sized boulder for a fulcrum, flipped the tank over and onto the tank behind it putting both out of commission. A moment later, she struck her invincible hammer against the third and final tank. The sound of the blow echoed across the land, as the vibration resulting from the single blow caused the tank to fall apart. Having taken all the tanks out of the fray, Thorine next turned her attention to the soldiers. With one lone exception, her companions had all safely escaped. Unfortunately, the soldiers held Jane Foster. "You fight with the strength of a dozen demons, girl," spat one of the soldiers. "But even you cannot keep us from holding this girl." "Unless you leave immediately, she will die," gloated the soldier, holding his pistol to Jane's head. "Don't listen to them! They're evil!" shouted Jane. "You must defeat them all." However, Thorine could not risk Jane's life. Without a word, she turned and walked away. She would need to find some place where she could change back into Don Blake. "Hah!" laughed the soldier. "Even this mighty demon warrior cannot ignore the plight of a helpless woman." "She is a fool." "Let us take this girl to the Executioner." ********** "The others with this girl escaped, Executioner," said the soldier as he brought Jane Foster in front of the warlord. "But we will capture them all before nightfall." However, the warlord was more interested in the winsome young woman. "This girl is quite a prize." He leeringly grinned at Jane. "Such lovely eyes. Such soft hair. You are very beautiful." "And you're an incredibly ugly man," snapped Jane. "Comrade Executioner," said the soldier as he entered the room. "We caught this man prowling about outside." "A spy!" exclaimed the Executioner. "Dr. Blake!" exclaimed Jane. "I am Doctor Don Blake. The young woman is my nurse and you have no right to hold her. I demand you release her at once." "You demand?" growled the warlord angrily. "You dare to command the Executioner! This is my home, not yours. Give me your cane, you impertinent lame man!" he ordered before snatching it out of the doctor's hand. "You will have no further use for this. We will now test your courage in front of my firing squad." "No! Don't shoot him!" exclaimed Jane. "You mustn't shoot him!" "So, you like this lame excuse for a man," grinned the Executioner. "Tell me, beautiful woman, what would do to save his life?" His grin widened. "Would you marry me?" Even though Jane found the man abhorrent, she had to save Don Blake's life. "Yes, I'll marry you," she agreed reluctantly. "Only spare his life. Please, let him live." However, Don Blake was not about to let his nurse sacrifice herself for him. Unfortunately for the doctor, the Executioner still held his cane. Without Thorine's hammer, Don was helpless to do anything to prevent Jane's sacrifice. Suddenly, the doctor had an idea. "Executioner!" he shouted. "You're nothing but an lily-livered coward! If you weren't you'd fight me man to man!" Angered by the doctor's words, the warlord strode purposefully toward Don. "You are a fool, puny lame man," growled the Executioner as he approached. "You dare insult the mighty Executioner!" He lifted the walking stick above his head. "Mighty? Not likely," sneered Dr. Blake. "Do you need that cudgel to attack one lame man?" "Of course not," snarled the warlord as he lowered the cane. "I will show you I need no weapon to deal with you and your insolence." With complete disdain, he started to toss the cane aside. However, a slender arm quickly shot out. "Got it!" exclaimed the doctor. Once again in possession of his enchanted cane, Don Blake struck it once against the wall behind him. The blinding flash of lightning hid the doctor's transformation into Thorine. "The lame doctor has disappeared, Executioner. Somehow he escaped." "But Thorine has returned," announced the thunder goddess. "I am here to mete out vengeance." "Bah! What can you do? You are one mere woman!" snapped the warlord. "You cannot possibly oppose the entire army of the mighty Executioner and hope to win." He turned to his army. "Attack her! Destroy her!" Before the troops could act on the Executioner's orders, Thorine had hurled her hammer at a nearby supply tent. After tearing the tent from the ground, her irresistible hammer began its return to her, pulling the great tent along with it. As the tent passed over the Executioner's forces, it fell from the hammer and dropped over the troops that had been ordered to attack the thunder goddess. At that moment, another army came into view. It was the army of the legitimate government seeking out the rebels. "It is the enemy!" shouted one of the Executioner's men. "They are on the march again." "We are not prepared to engage them in combat! We must retreat to our mountain stronghold!" As the Executioner's troops fled, the goddess of thunder stamped her mighty hammer four times on the ground before pointing it at the volcanic mountain. Several bolts of lightning forced the dormant volcano into eruption. "Lava!" shouted one of the men. "Hurry back down the mountain!" "It is better to be captured by the enemy and live, then to be burned to a crisp by this lava." With his army in confused disarray and totally defeated, the warlord tried to escape. However, he wasn't trying to escape empty handed. Even worse for him, his flight was observed. "Our leader flees with our gold." "This is his fault. He is the cause of our downfall." "Now he tries to desert us. He is stealing from us." "He must pay for his failure." Several shots rang out. The Executioner fell to the ground. Ironically, the man who had ordered so many others to perish in front of the execution wall had now become its lastest, but final, victim. The government forces were jubilant with the death of the rebel leader. "The rebel army is crushed! This is the end of the war!" "We owe our great victory to that fantastic warrior woman with the mighty hammer." He looked around for Thorine. "Where did she go?" "I don't know. She seems to have vanished again." ********** Several days had passed. "Our work here is nearly done, Jane. We finally got to treat the ill people of San Diablo," said an exhausted Don Blake. "They'll be able to take care of themselves now that the war is over. We can return to the States." "Of course, Dr. Blake," replied Jane. "I've been meaning to ask you before, but never found the time. Where were you while all that fighting was going on?" "I was... hiding behind the execution wall," replied the doctor. "I figured it was the safest place for me to be." "Oh, I see," sighed Jane. She suddenly wished she hadn't asked him the question. She wondered why Dr. Blake couldn't be a little braver and more adventuresome. Jane decided that was simply too much to hope for. ********** THE END - Interlude 3