June 28, 1914.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo.
Their deaths ignited the First World War.
Nick Fury hardly needed the history lesson. Even without Evenson spelling it out, he understood the comparison.
The question was whether it truly applied.
Could the heir to an alien empire really be compared to the crown prince of a European nation?
Evenson answered the question before Fury voiced it.
"Think about what happens if Thor suffers some kind of accident while he’s on Earth."
He let the implication hang in the air.
"How do you think Odin would react if his heir died on another world?"
Fury’s expression darkened.
He understood the importance of succession. If Thor died on Earth, Odin could very well interpret it as an attack on Asgard itself.
A declaration of war wouldn’t be unthinkable.
If that happened...
Sarajevo would look like a local dispute compared to the diplomatic disaster Earth would be facing.
"It can’t really be that bad... can it?" Fury asked.
"Hopefully not."
Evenson shrugged.
"But hope isn’t a strategy."
He leaned forward.
"When the fate of the planet is on the table, betting everything on good luck isn’t exactly responsible."
Fury slowly nodded.
This was exactly the sort of situation where one catastrophic exception could outweigh a thousand peaceful outcomes.
SHIELD already provided security for world leaders whenever necessary.
If an extraterrestrial crown prince had unexpectedly landed on Earth, protecting him was simply an extension of that responsibility.
"So you’re certain you want to go?"
"Absolutely."
Evenson smiled.
"Unless you’ve got someone else who speaks fluent Asgardian."
Fury was silent.
He really didn’t.
SHIELD had no shortage of elite agents, but diplomacy with immortal alien warriors wasn’t exactly covered at the Academy.
"Still," Fury admitted, "I’m not used to seeing you volunteer for work."
After dealing with Evenson several times, he’d learned one thing.
The man never moved unless there was something in it for him.
The first time Fury had asked for help, Evenson had somehow walked away with an experimental prototype vehicle.
The second time, he ended up drawing a paycheck from Tony Stark.
Now he was volunteering?
That was suspicious.
"If you’ve got conditions," Fury said flatly, "state them now."
Evenson hadn’t actually planned on asking for anything.
His real motivation was much simpler.
He wanted a connection to Asgard.
If he ever intended to leave Earth and explore the wider universe, the Bifrost was by far the safest and most reliable option.
Building goodwill with the royal family seemed like an excellent long-term investment.
Still...
Since Fury had practically invited him to make a request...
Well, refusing might seem rude.
Evenson cleared his throat.
"So... I’ve never actually traveled outside the country."
He scratched his cheek.
"Could you help me get a passport and a visa?"
Fury blinked.
"That’s it?"
He had been mentally preparing for something outrageous.
Instead...
"A passport?"
"You already carry SHIELD credentials," Fury said. "You could probably walk through half the world’s borders with those."
"I’m still technically a person of interest," Evenson replied. "Without your approval, international travel isn’t exactly straightforward."
"...Fair enough."
Fury waved a hand.
"Once this is over, get your passport and whatever visa you need."
Then he added another condition.
"You only get one country at a time."
"And wherever you go, you stay reachable."
"No problem."
Evenson agreed immediately.
He turned to leave.
"One more thing."
Fury’s voice stopped him.
"Take Melinda with you."
Evenson looked over his shoulder.
"...What?"
The highway stretched endlessly across New Mexico.
Evenson drove while Melinda occupied the passenger seat.
"I thought you’d retired from field assignments," he said.
"This isn’t combat."
She looked out the window.
"Officially, this qualifies as diplomacy."
Evenson nodded absently and kept driving.
After several quiet minutes, Melinda glanced sideways.
"Something bothering you?"
"Just thinking."
He lit a cigarette.
"Fury suspects everyone. That’s normal."
"But this time..."
"He seems unusually focused on Claire."
Melinda answered with something that sounded completely unrelated.
"Justin Hammer is dead."
Evenson froze for half a second.
"...You’re not implying I killed him, are you?"
"I know we didn’t exactly get along," he added, "but I’m not that petty."
"Of course not."
Melinda shook her head.
"But it does involve you."
Involve me?
For one alarming moment, Evenson wondered whether someone had somehow traced the money he’d siphoned from Hammer.
Thankfully, that wasn’t it.
"During SHIELD’s prisoner transfer," Melinda explained, "a fighter aircraft dropped a bomb on Hammer’s transport vehicle."
Evenson relaxed slightly.
That already sounded more familiar.
"But the transport was empty."
"The real Hammer was being moved separately by a covert security team."
"They were ambushed."
She paused.
"He was riddled with bullets."
"So."
Melinda looked at him.
"Who do you think did it?"
Evenson didn’t hesitate.
"There are plenty of people who wanted Hammer dead."
"The government."
"The military."
"Anyone who didn’t want him talking after SHIELD got hold of him."
"But..."
He shook his head.
"They’re professionals."
"If they wanted him silenced, he’d suffer a conveniently fatal prison fight or mysteriously die from food poisoning."
"They wouldn’t bomb a convoy and spray a security team with automatic weapons."
"And more importantly..."
"They shouldn’t have known about SHIELD’s secret transfer route."
His eyes narrowed.
"So if the attackers had inside knowledge..."
"And this somehow connects back to me..."
"There aren’t many candidates."
A cold smile crossed his face.
"Hydra."
Whitehall had every reason to want Justin Hammer eliminated, and Hydra certainly possessed the intelligence network necessary to intercept a covert SHIELD operation.
Besides, Evenson himself had exposed Hydra’s existence. That alone was enough to place him squarely on their list of enemies.
Everything fit.
Or so he thought.
Melinda slowly shook her head.
"No."
Evenson frowned.
"Not Hydra?"
If it wasn’t them...
His expression shifted as another possibility surfaced.
No...
That old bastard couldn’t be pulling the same stunt again...
Melinda met his eyes.
"It was Umbrella."
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