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FADE IN:
EXT. INTERSTATE 5, OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON -- NIGHT
A light rain is falling on Olympia. What moonlight that is
able to penetrate the thick layers of clouds overhead reflects
eerily off the puddles of rainwater and the fog.
The light illuminates the silhouette of a large man as he
trudges steadily north along the interstate's shoulder. His
features are obscured by the darkness, but he appears to
have a large bulky sack thrown over one shoulder.
The man approaches a sign. He adjusts the weight of the large
cloth bag and, rubbing his chin, attempts to discern what
the sign says. Lightning flashes and illuminates both the
sign that reads, "Exit 105 - Port of Olympia" and THOR's
face.
Thor, the god of thunder, nods to himself and continues down
the exit ramp.
EXT. GONDOLIER RESTAURANT -- NIGHT
A sleek black limousine pulls around the front of the elegante
facade of the expensive Italian eatery and stops in front of
the entrance to the restaurant. The limo's back door opens
and a STEWARD quickly steps out opening an umbrella for one
of the passengers.
STEWARD
Right this way, sir.
TYR, the Norse god of law and justice, climbs out of the
limo, carrying a attaché case in his left hand. His right
hand is missing, bitten off long ago. He is clean shaven and
his blonde hair is cut short and stylish. His eyes are hidden
behind a pricey set of designer sunglasses. He is wearing a
crisp dark suit. It, too, looks very expensive.
Tyr's movements are calculated and precise. He is very careful
not to acknowledge the steward's presence. Tyr strides into
the restaurant and the steward clumsily tries to keep the
umbrella over him.
ODIN climbs out of the limo next. He is an old, almost
grandfatherly, man wearing a black suit and a red tie. His
full grey beard matches the color of his hair, which is close
cut and well receded. Odin's most prominent accesory is a
black silk eyepatch.
The steward comes running back to help the old man out of
the vehicle. He takes Odin by the arm and is promptly thrown
to the ground. The steward looks up at Odin, more frightened
than hurt.
ODIN
I do not need your assistance, whelp!
The Steward whimpers. Odin glares at the sprawled young man
then slams the limo door and stalks into the restaurant.
EXT. MOM'S DINER -- NIGHT
Thor looks through the thickening storm at Mom's Diner and
Truck Stop at the top of a high hill. The inside of the diner
is well lit and there seems to be a lot of commotion going
on inside.
Thor secures the bag and starts up the hill.
INT. MOM'S DINER -- NIGHT
The gods of old are having a good time eating, drinking, and
telling tales of the good old days. The diner is made up of
the standard linolium and vinyl color combinations that only
greasy truck stops and the criminally insane can acheive.
A sign hangs by the door. It reads, "MOM'S DINER/EST.
1952/Valerie Carrington, PROPRIETOR."
VAL, one of the last of the Valkyries, is a plump redhead in
her fifties. She leans on the counter, a cigarette hanging
out of the corner of her mouth. She is chatting with ANUBIS.
ANUBIS, Egyptian judge of the dead, is a tall slender black
man. He is by far the sharpest dressed of the bunch. He's
wearing a black suit with coattails that seem almost
outrageous in this day and age. His head is neatly shaved
and an cheap pair of drugstore sunglasses hide his eyes.
ANUBIS
Any word from the big guy, Val?
VAL
Not a peep since he called for the
meeting. To tell you the truth, I'm
getting a little worried.
ANUBIS
You don't think they...
VAL
I wouldn't put it past the sons-of-
bitches. They've already shown how
well they can be trusted.
Anubis grunts in agreement as Val takes a drag. She grinds
the half-finished cigarette out in an ashtray.
VAL (CONT'D)
Sure, he's not always been the most
punctual guy, but he would never
call for a gathering without an
emergency--
Val is interupted by the door being kicked open hard enough
to almost knock it off its hinges. The room is startled into
silence. The bell above the door DINGS and CLATTERS to the
floor.
Thor limps in, cradling the sack in his arms. He is soaked
in blood. Anubis pulls off his shades to get a better look
at him, revealing that he has yellow eyes.
ANUBIS
Holy Shit...
A murmuring rises amongst the assembled gods. Val quickly
moves over to Thor.
VAL
Thor, are you okay?
Thor throws his bundle to the ground. It lands with a THUD.
The ropes holding the tarp around its contents have snapped
and a high-powered rifle goes spinning across the floor. The
bloody body of APOLLO lies motionless on the floor.
Thor presses one arm against his belly and the others realize
that not all of the blood on Thor is Apollo's. Thor sounds
as if he's been shot in the lung.
THOR
We have been betrayed. Apollo made
his choice and he has suffered the
consequences.
Thor is wracked by a spasm of coughing. He spits blood at
the corpse and collapses.
INT. GONDOLIER RESTAURANT, PRIVATE TABLE -- NIGHT
Odin and Tyr make their way to a private room at the Gondolier
where ZEUS waits for them. The room is lit primarly with
track lights and candles, obviously meant more for romance
than shady business dealings. Zeus motions for the two to
sit down.
ZEUS
We have a problem, gentlemen. Our
gambit did not pay off.
TYR
Thor? He survived?
ZEUS
Not only does he still live, but he
now is certain of the Child's
existence.
TYR
Perhaps we were wrong in placing our
trust in the traitor Apollo.
ZEUS
(coldly)
You underestimated Thor's power.
ODIN
Did you really think that a simple
firearm could really kill my son?
Honestly, Zeus, you're going senile
in your old age.
ZEUS
Apollo is the greatest marksman ever
to walk the Earth.
ODIN
Was.
ZEUS
Excuse me?
ODIN
Apollo was the greatest marksman
ever to walk the Earth. Thor is not
the kind of boy to let someone who
tried to kill him go with a warning.
I have no doubt that your sniper is
no more. As for Thor learning of the
Child, that is your own fault as
well. You place far too much trust
in familiar people. You must remember,
Zeus, the old pantheons are broken.
We are all fighting for survival in
these times. Our worshipers are few
and very far between. There are no
great temples to be praised in. There
are no sacrificial virgins to be
had. There are none to die for our
cause but us.
Zeus sighs.
ZEUS
You are right, my old friend.
ODIN
Fortunately, not all of us have to
die for our cause. Sacrifices must
be made, however.
(MORE)
ODIN (CONT'D)
I am afraid that you've fallen too
far from Olympus to be of use to us
any longer. My son may be an idiot,
but I do not appreciate it when people
try to kill him.
Zeus's eyes grow wide and he gulps very loudly.
ZEUS
Now, look, Odin...I had to do it. He
was putting us all in...
Odin nods to Tyr. Zeus eyes grow wider still as Tyr flips
open the attaché case and pulls out a very large silenced
pistol. Engraved along the side of the pistol is the word
JUSTICE.
Zeus scrambles out of the chair and tries to run. Tyr calmy
pistol whips Zeus and he falls to his knees. The candles
cast a flickering silhouette of the two across the wall behind
them.
ZEUS (CONT'D)
Please! No.. No! Don't do it!
Tyr places the barrel against Zeus's forehead and pulls the
trigger. The gun THWIPS with the distinctive sound of a
silenced gunshot. Blood splatters across the wall and Zeus
collapses like a sack of potatos. Odin smiles.
ODIN
Good bye, Old friend.
Tyr puts the gun back in his case as Odin rises. The pair
quickly and calmly leave the room, closing the door behind
them.
INT. APARTMENT ABOVE MOM'S DINER -- NIGHT
Thor returns to conciouness in Val's dimly lit apartment
situated above the diner proper. His jacket and shirt have
been cut off and lie in a bloody heap in the corner.
Thor has been patched up. A length of bandage has been wrapped
around his chest. He sits up groggily and peers around the
room.
His eyes stop on the beautiful DANA, a tall slender woman
with fiery red hair and emerald green eyes. She's wearing a
fuzzy green sweater and brown corduroy pants. A first aid
kit sits in her lap.
DANA
So finally the thunder god stirs.
(MORE)
DANA (CONT'D)
I was beginning to think we'd seen
the last of the Odinson.
Thor grunts a short laughter. Then, immediately regreting
it, he winces.
THOR
It'll be a long time before this
world will be rid of me. Is everyone
still...
DANA
Downstairs? Yes, and eagerly awaiting
news from you, I'd wager. You sure
do know how to make an entrance.
Thor half-smiles and stands up, trying to ignore the waves
of pain. Dana also rises, hands on her hips.
DANA (CONT'D)
And just where do you think you're
going?
THOR
Like you said, my public awaits.
Dana moves over to Thor and waggles a finger at him like an
angry mother.
DANA
And they can just go on waiting.
You've got to get some rest.
Thor puts his hands on her shoulders and kisses her on the
cheek.
THOR
Don't worry about me. We thunder
gods heal quickly.
Thor opens the door and walks down the narrow staircase.
INT. MOM'S DINER -- NIGHT
The various gods and goddesses in Mom's Diner are heavily
engaged in coversation, merrymaking, various drinking contests
and scarfing down some greasy home-cooked meals courtesy of
Val.
Everything goes quiet as Thor enters the room. Thor walks
between the tables, silently nodding to the assembled deities.
Upon reaching the center of the room, Thor looks around and
clears his throat.
THOR
(addressing the gods)
We are not what we once were. Long
ago people worshiped us. They feared
us. They looked to us for guidance.
Now we're lucky if the masses even
acknowledge that we ever existed.
We've been consigned to a few passages
in a history book. We, who once held
the power to shape the fates of this
world, now struggle to maintain even
the most mundane of existences.
This provokes a murmur from the crowd.
THOR (CONT'D)
We were immortal, once. And, we still
are in some respects. Until we are
utterly forgotten, we will never be
gone, but if Zeus is correct, there
is only so much belief to go around,
which is why he and his minions want
so much to get rid of us all. While
we hold as true to the Old Ways as
we can, Zeus has forsaken all that
he stood for in his day. He is nothing
than a scared old fool vying for any
sort of power he can get ahold of.
He holds dominion of Phone companies,
Internet Providers, and Tech Stocks.
These last few words come out of Thor like someone trying to
read in a foreign language. The internet makes as much sense
to Thor as a pocket calculator makes to a fish.
THOR (CONT'D)
He grows powerful from these things,
indeed, but he also grows arrogant.
He sends a traitor to put an end to
me and our cause.
Thor indicates the bundle, which has been rolled back up and
placed off to one side.
THOR (CONT'D)
However, he put too much trust in
this loose-tongued turncoat.
The assembled gods whisper to each other. Thor ignores them.
THOR (CONT'D)
Even with all the strength of his
technology, Zeus's power wanes. He
needed a way to restore him to his
former glory, but he needed to do it
without massive temples and human
sacrifices. He found it.
The gods' whispering grows even louder. Thor raises his hands
to quiet them.
THOR (CONT'D)
There is a child with a special power
of belief. This Child has all the
powers of a god, but no ability to
control himself. Zeus charged Apollo
with the task of abducting the child.
I got in the way.
A young CHAOS GOD, garbed in a tattered Sex Pistols T-shirt
and plaid pants, stands up and yells across the room at Thor.
CHAOS GOD
How the 'ell do you know this ain't
some kind of set-up?
THOR
My source is very reliable.
CHAOS GOD
What, you mean him?
The Chaos god points to Apollo's corpse.
CHAOS GOD (CONT'D)
You're basing all this on the rambling
of a dying man?
Thor shakes his head and pulls open the door way. He calls
out a CAW into the wind and rain. HUGINN, the Raven of Thought
who once belonged to Odin, flies in and lands on Thor's broad
shoulder.
A few gods gasp in recognition. Anubis moves towards Thor.
ANUBIS
Hey, man, do you think that's wise?
Bringing him here and all?
THOR
Don't worry, friend, Huginn is loyal
to only me, now.
(Adressing the gods
once again.)
Now, we must find the Child and
protect him from the enemy! Focus
your minds and seek out his power.
Can you feel it? All the Power that
ever was and ever will be flows
through him. The Child is like a
lighthouse on a midnight coast! If
we can claim him, then we can retake
the world!
The gods cheer uproariously!
EXT. SUBURBS OF OLYMPIA -- NIGHT
The CHEERS of the gods of old echo through the night. In a
nice little neighborhood of perfect families with pretty
houses, a small BOY looks out his window and up at the night
sky. He hears the laughing of the ancients planning his fate.
He is scared. He draws the covers up to his chin.
Lightning flashes outside and thunder BOOMS loud enough to
rattle the windows in the neighbor hood. Like a knife the
lightning slices open the sky and the rain plummets from the
sky like so much blood.
The boy pulls the covers all the way over his head, curls
up, and sleeps a restless night.
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