A fishing boat off the coast of Norway finds in its nets a
gold medallion….
In prison, Loren Olson (Loki in Jake Olson’s corpse) is
about to be stabbed by some enemies when everyone is suddenly frozen in his
tracks. Loki walks around until he finds his benefactor, Karnilla the Norn
Queen. She painfully extracts him from Olson’s body and explains that she wants
his help in killing Thor so that her beloved Balder might becomes the favorite
of Odin. She employs the Thrudstok, stolen from Odin, to blast a hole in the
prison wall and Loki agrees to help her, secretly planning to kill Balder as
well….
Christine Collins stops by the hospital to ask about Jake
and Jane Foster says they haven’t seen him yet. Sif then arrives bearing the
badly burned Jake Olson, scaring his mother as Hannah Fairmont summons the burn
unit. As they rush him down the hall, Jane asks Sif to clench Jake’s fist and
slam it to the ground but the Asgardian informs her that Thor’s divine powers
have been taken away by Odin and it would do no good. The phony Keith Kincaid
stops by the lobby, looking for Jane. Christine (really Amora the Enchantress
in disguise, as revealed last issue) thinks she recognizes his real identity….
In Asgard, there is a feast celebrating Odin’s return and
the defeat of the invading trolls. The All-Father explains to Balder that the
trolls were pleased to have Odin cast a spell to increase the fertility of
their farmlands, ending their famine. Then the feast is interrupted by Thor
Girl, telling Odin that his punishment of Thor was unjust. A surprisingly
deferential All-Father explains to her that Thor’s powers have been taken away
until he learns the needed lessons of leadership. But Odin also notes that he
cannot go against Tarene the Designate so leaves it up to her what she will do
about Thor. She departs to go to Thor’s aid. Word then comes that they
something is going on in the Vault of Whispers. Everyone goes over to find the
guards unconscious and the prisoner [It’s the Destroyer] gone….
In his astral form, Loki travels around the hospital,
searching for a pawn to use against Thor from among his friends and
acquaintances. Then he spies Thor Girl arriving and makes his decision. In the
form of an elderly man, he approaches her then brings her under his spell….
Sif comforts Jake’s mother while Jane works on the patient.
Then the room explodes—the Destroyer is attacking the building. Marnot arrives
to rescue Jake/Thor by using his Odin-granted powers to transform the injured
Jake into the God of Thunder. Thor battles the giant armor, finding it more
powerful than before, but Marnot warns him that the armor is powered by Tarene
and no harm may come to her because of her important role in future history….
In Norway, the fishing boat arrives in port but everyone
aboard is dead. The captain walks the streets wearing the amulet, his eyes
spouting fire….
Excelsioring your collection