#58

VCM "Are you seriously telling me that the hammer we found is actually Thor's Hammer? And that the guy Coulson's holding—who, by the way, looks like a deranged lunatic—isn't some random nutjob but the actual Norse god of thunder?" Nick Fury's voice came through the communication panel, his tone laced with frustration.

At this point, Fury felt like he was getting a migraine.

It was bad enough that Coulson had discovered what appeared to be an alien artifact.

But now, after Ethan had taken a look, he was suddenly telling Fury that the hammer wasn't even the real issue.

No, the real issue was that some guy who came with the hammer was apparently the literal Thor from mythology.

'Great. Just great.'

"So let me get this straight," Fury continued, rubbing his temple. "You're saying this isn't just some weird hammer, and that guy we locked up isn't just some delusional bodybuilder, but the actual, honest-to-God Thor?"

"What's the matter, Director? Don't believe in the God of Thunder? Or are you thinking that all that lightning fried my brain too?" Ethan quipped, rolling his eyes.

"It's not that I don't believe you," Fury admitted, "but let's just say I'm struggling to wrap my head around this."

"Hard to accept, isn't it? Alright, let's put it this way: you've seen Ghost Rider, right? That guy literally came from hell. Now, let me ask you—what do you think hell is?"

Fury hesitated for a moment before scoffing. "A mythical realm?"

The idea flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Despite all the bizarre things he had encountered, his worldview was still grounded in science.

"If hell is real, then logically, it should be another planet—an extraterrestrial location," Fury reasoned.

Ethan smirked. "Exactly. And by that same logic, the Norse gods work the same way. The World Tree? Real. The Nine Realms? Also real. And those realms aren't just fairy tales—they're planets, interconnected through cosmic pathways.

But back in the day, when humans were still running around with clubs and animal skins, they didn't have the knowledge to understand what they were seeing, so they turned it all into myths."

Fury leaned back in his chair, processing the implications. "So what you're saying is, we're having a fourth kind of contact here—we're interacting with a mythical alien."

Ethan shook his head. "Correction: not just an alien. An alien prince. You keep forgetting—this isn't just some guy. He's Thor, son of Odin, the king of Asgard."

Fury exhaled sharply. "Are you absolutely sure he's really Thor?"

"I get it, you're skeptical. But let's look at the facts. The guy single-handedly took down multiple agents—without his powers, I might add.

Now, that's impressive, but nowhere near what the actual Thor is capable of. And as for why he's on Earth alone? That's because his powers have been sealed."

Fury narrowed his eye. "And I assume you got that information from the hammer?"

Ethan grinned. "Yep. That lightning storm? It wasn't trying to fry me—it was giving me an answer."

"I just saw Odin and Asgard in the illusion, and I had previously gathered this information from the Order of the Mystic Arts. You see, the Order of the Mystic Arts has been cut off from the world for a long time.

They did this to reduce the risk of losing their knowledge, and since mages tend to document everything meticulously, their records are the most comprehensive in human history."

Are there really records about Asgard in the Order of the Mystic Arts?

Definitely.

But regardless of the truth, there's no way Fury would go ask the Ancient One for verification in person.

Taking advantage of the fact that Professor X, the Ancient One, and Fury don't often communicate directly, Ethan knew he could play things his way and gain the upper hand in many situations.

"As for the mighty Thor you mentioned, why did he lose his power and end up stranded on Earth in such a miserable state? We can just ask him ourselves. He speaks English, doesn't he?" Ethan turned to look at Coulson.

"Sir, I asked him before. His English is perfect—standard American accent. It's almost unbelievable. If he really comes from Asgard, then Asgard's foreign language education must be top-notch," Coulson replied.

"Alright, try talking to him again," Fury said after a brief pause. "And be careful."

If this so-called prince in distress was truly from an advanced alien civilization far older than Earth's, then one misstep could lead to disaster.

"Oh, right," Ethan said as if suddenly remembering something.

"I need to tell you about the last thing I saw when the hammer showed me that vision. I saw a terrifying figure—it looked robotic, and it seemed to be heading for Earth."

"You think it's a weapon?" Fury immediately picked up on the word 'terrifying.'

"Most likely, yeah." Ethan nodded.

"Do you think it intends to attack humanity? Or Earth?" Fury asked, his voice grave.

"No idea."

"I see," Fury muttered. "I'll make the necessary preparations and give you as much support as I can." He sighed, clearly exhausted.

The idea of extraterrestrial contact was already overwhelming, but if a foreign weapon was truly on its way, then precautions had to be taken—regardless of whether Ethan's vision was accurate or not.

While Ethan was discussing these matters with Fury, Thor sat restlessly in a confinement room.

The events of the past day weighed heavily on him.

His conversation with Loki had left him more conflicted than before.

Whether it was Asgard's future or his own, everything felt uncertain.

Just then, the door to the confinement room slid open.

Ethan and Coulson stepped in, their expressions serious.

Thor straightened slightly. "What do you want?" he asked warily.

After Loki's visit, he had begun reevaluating everything.

He had lost his power.

He was no longer Thor, God of Thunder.

He might never return to Asgard.

If he wanted to survive on Midgard—Earth—he had to blend in.

The problem was, he knew so little about this world.

Just as Thor was wondering how to disguise himself as a normal human, Ethan smirked and spoke.

"Welcome, noble future King of Asgard, son of the mighty Odin—His Royal Highness Thor."

Thor blinked in confusion, struggling to piece together his thoughts.

"You misunderstood... I was just drunk and talking nonsense..." He trailed off, his mind catching up to what had just been said.

"Wait—what did you just call me? How... How did you recognize me?"

...

"So that's it, you got the information about me from Mjolnir," Thor said, though a new wave of emotion stirred within him.

There was no doubt that whatever information was attached to Mjolnir had been left there by his father, Odin, on purpose.

Even though his parents had exiled him to Earth "permanently," they hadn't left him completely without a path forward.

Maybe, in their own way, his father and mother believed this was where he truly belonged—the place where he would spend the rest of his days making up for his mistakes.

"Your Highness Thor, we need to know—why exactly did you come to Earth?" Ethan asked, voicing the question that Fury was most eager to have answered.

Thor hesitated before letting out a heavy sigh. "I... I made a terrible mistake, so my parents exiled me."

He gave a wry smile, as if still trying to come to terms with the truth.

If Loki were in his place, he would have spun a grand tale—claiming he was here on an important mission or some self-imposed trial, turning the situation to his advantage.

But Thor wasn't like that.

He wasn't an idiot, but he was honest, sometimes painfully so.

"I see." Coulson exchanged a quick glance with Melinda May, who had just entered the room.

The look between them said everything—they now understood why Thor seemed so lost and defeated.

But knowing that he was here as an exiled prince didn't mean they could treat him lightly.

A prince in exile was still a prince.

If an ordinary foreign national broke the law, they were usually extradited back to their country for trial.

Keeping Thor locked up like this could easily be seen as an insult to Asgard.

"Then, Your Highness Thor, how long do you intend to stay on Earth?" Ethan asked, keeping his tone neutral.

Thor's shoulders sagged slightly. "I don't know. I've been exiled indefinitely. I can never return to Asgard."

"Indefinitely?" Ethan raised an eyebrow. "With all due respect, what did you do to deserve a punishment this severe? Between father and son, exile forever seems... excessive." he added, completely knowing the answer to his question.

An Oscar-worthy act.

Besides, he wasn't questioning Thor for himself—he was doing it for the benefit of the two agents beside him.

There was no way he was going to write a report about this mission; that was Coulson's problem to handle.

When Coulson heard Ethan's question to Thor, he frowned slightly and tugged on Ethan's sleeve.

The first two questions had been well-placed, but the third was a bit too direct.

This was their first real contact with an extraterrestrial being—careful communication was crucial.

If anything went wrong, they would be the ones held responsible.

Thor simply shook his head with a weary smile. "It's not my father's fault. In fact, my father, Odin, was deeply troubled by the mess I caused. He has passed away. And my mother... she is too heartbroken to even look at me. This is all my doing."

"Odin is dead? That can't be right," Ethan said, feigning surprise. "When I touched Mjolnir, I saw King Odin. He looked old, sure, but the power radiating from him was undeniable. There's no way he's dead."

"What did you say?" Thor's head snapped up.

He shot to his feet and grabbed Ethan by the shoulders, his grip firm with desperation.

"No. You're lying to me. Loki told me himself that my father had died."

"Your Highness, you know your father's strength better than I ever could. Judge for yourself," Ethan replied calmly.

"But tell me, what reason would I have to lie to you? What would I gain from it?"

Thor fell into silence, his mind racing.

Ethan waited a beat before adding, "Besides, it's Loki. His reputation in Earth, atleast according to our myths… isn't exactly spotless."

Thor hesitated, his grip loosening. "Loki enjoys his pranks, yes… but he wouldn't lie to me about our father's death. But then again, my father is powerful. He shouldn't have died so easily."

He ran a hand through his hair, frustration clear on his face.

"Could it be that my father made Loki tell me that on purpose? Why? Is this part of my punishment?"

Ethan sighed internally.

He had been hoping to nudge Thor toward realizing Loki's deception, but clearly, Thor's bond with his brother ran deeper than expected.

Even if he continued pressing, what could he say?

That Loki was jealous?

That he wanted the throne and was willing to deceive his own brother?

That he would soon send a massive metal construct literally named 'The Destroyer' to crush him?

Yeah. That would go over well.

Even if Ethan laid it all out, Thor would likely refuse to believe it.

Worse, he might think Ethan was trying to turn him against his own brother.

"Your Highness, maybe this isn't a punishment at all," Ethan said, shifting gears.

Seeing Thor sink further into self-doubt, he figured he should at least throw him a lifeline. "There's an old story among humans. A wealthy man had a son who was spoiled and reckless. Fearing his son would squander his fortune after his death, the man faked bankruptcy, forcing his son to struggle and learn the value of hard work. In the end, the son built his own success."

Thor's eyes flickered with realization. "You mean… my father is testing me?"

Ethan didn't answer directly, letting the thought settle.

Thor's mind was already working through the implications.

Coulson took the cue, stepping forward. "Your Highness, you are free to go. You can go wherever you like. Of course, for your safety, we will arrange some guards to accompany you. Do you have anywhere in mind?"

Thor hesitated.

Just moments ago, he had resigned himself to exile.

He had believed he would live out his days on Earth as a fallen prince, cast out by his father forever.

Then Loki had told him his exile was permanent. He had started to accept it.

And now? Now they were telling him Odin wasn't dead.

That this might all be a test. The pace of events was dizzying. The real test, he thought dryly, was his ability to keep up with it all.

As his thoughts swirled, the face of a woman face suddenly surfaced in his mind.

There was someone he needed to see.

·······

Over the next two days, as Coulson racked his brain trying to figure out how to accommodate the troubled prince of Asgard, S.H.I.E.L.D. scrambled to summon every available expert on Norse mythology, hoping to gain insights into the customs and habits of the Asgardians.

Meanwhile, Ethan was focused on a far more pressing concern—the imminent threat looming on the horizon.

"Director Fury, how are the preparations coming along?" Ethan asked, holding up his communication panel.

"I've done everything I can," Fury responded from the other end.

The dark circles under his bloodshot eyes made it clear that sleep had been a luxury he couldn't afford for the past two days.

"We've mobilized an entire infantry and armored brigade, deployed just outside your perimeter. There are also two aerial squadrons on standby at the nearest airbase, ready to deploy at a moment's notice."

Ethan nodded, satisfied with the level of preparation.

Against Odin's strongest weapon—one forged by the All-Father himself—it was only logical to let human firepower test the waters first.

"In addition, a carrier strike group in the eastern Pacific is in position, prepped for missile strikes if necessary."

Ethan blinked. "Wait—you even have an aircraft carrier ready?"

"More than that," Fury said, his voice grave.

"Three missile bases in the west have received emergency orders. We have three nuclear warheads on standby."

Ethan's brain momentarily stalled. "...Excuse me, what?"

Fury wasn't done. "After I reported to the World Security Council, we got confirmation from our allies that, should the U.S. Department of Defense not interfere with ICBM deployment, they are prepared to launch a 500-megaton hydrogen bomb if the situation calls for it."

Ethan's expression froze. "(⊙_⊙) ...You're kidding, right?"

"You think this is overkill?" Fury scoffed. "Ethan, this is humanity's first direct contact with an advanced alien civilization. And it's not on our terms. We're being forced into this. That means we prepare for the absolute worst. No room for error. No half-measures."

Ethan let out a slow breath, rubbing his temple. "Yeah, but a nuke? Seriously?"

Fury's voice remained firm. "If it comes down to the survival of Earth, I won't hesitate."