"To be fair," Barton said after a moment’s hesitation, clapping Evenson lightly on the shoulder, "Natasha did compliment you."
Evenson immediately perked up.
"She did? Go on."
"She said you’re very good at analyzing situations."
"And you’re powerful."
Barton paused.
His expression stiffened.
"...And..."
He searched his memory.
"..."
That was all he could remember.
Evenson waited expectantly.
"And?"
"And..." Barton frowned. "...By the way, what was that ’Blackwatch’ thing you almost mentioned earlier?"
An obvious change of subject.
Evenson gave him a suspicious look before shrugging.
"Blackwatch, huh?"
"I once heard about an incredible archer named Hanzo."
"They said he had ties to an organization called Blackwatch."
Barton instantly became interested.
"An archer?"
"How good?"
"The best."
Evenson nodded solemnly.
"His signature technique was called the Arrow of Destiny."
"Once he let an arrow fly..."
"If fate decided it was your day, the enemy would politely run over and catch it with their face."
Barton considered that.
"...That’s actually terrifying."
Some legendary techniques were said to ignore probability itself.
Perhaps this was one of them.
Then Evenson remembered the interrupted conversation.
"Hold on."
"What else did Natasha say about me?"
"Don’t worry."
"I promise I won’t let the compliments go to my head."
"You can tell me all of them."
"We’re here."
Barton ignored the question completely.
Perfect timing.
The group stepped into the open central chamber.
There, embedded slightly in the earth, rested a short-handled war hammer.
Evenson slowed unconsciously.
"Mjolnir..."
He quietly spoke the weapon’s various names as he approached.
Unlike the scientists surrounding it, he could actually feel the immense power sleeping within.
Raw.
Ancient.
Majestic.
"Good thing I’m not an Enhancement Shaman..."
He muttered.
"Otherwise resisting the temptation would be impossible."
Then he reached out and grabbed the handle.
He pulled.
Nothing happened.
Mjolnir didn’t so much as tremble.
Evenson released it with a satisfied nod.
"I had to try."
"It would’ve felt wrong not to."
Coulson smiled.
"You’re hardly the first."
"No one’s lifted it yet."
Not a person.
Not even heavy construction equipment.
If cranes could move the thing, S.H.I.E.L.D. would have relocated it long ago instead of building an entire research facility around it.
Evenson ignored the conversation.
Wisps of green fel energy drifted from his palm and slowly wrapped themselves around Mjolnir.
He wasn’t trying to steal it.
He wanted to understand it.
More specifically...
He wanted to examine the enchantment Odin had placed upon it.
Instead of a vast magical array or impossibly intricate runic formation...
He found only a single line of radiant golden text.
Whosoever holds this hammer, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.
Evenson’s eyes narrowed.
"...So this is Divine Speech."
When a being reached a certain level of power...
Their words ceased to be mere language.
They became law.
Reality itself obeyed.
The enchantment wasn’t powered by complex spellcraft.
It existed because Odin had declared it into existence.
If he could understand even a fragment of that principle...
The benefits to his own magic would be immeasurable.
His consciousness carefully reached toward the glowing sentence.
The instant it made contact...
Everything turned white.
He wasn’t standing anymore.
He was lying down.
His body refused to respond.
A translucent golden barrier surrounded him like a cocoon.
Through it, he saw two figures.
An elderly woman stood nearby.
Though advanced in age, she possessed unmistakable elegance and regal dignity.
Concern filled her eyes.
Beside her stood an impossibly handsome man.
His expression showed worry...
Yet buried beneath it was the faintest trace of cunning amusement.
Before Evenson could understand what he was seeing—
"GET OUT."
The command didn’t enter through his ears.
It exploded directly inside his mind.
Pain erupted through his skull.
It felt as though someone had struck him with a warhammer before hurling him bodily backward.
His vision shattered.
The next instant—
He was back.
Crack!
Lightning burst from Mjolnir.
A blinding bolt shot straight toward Evenson.
He instinctively raised a magical barrier.
The shield lasted less than a heartbeat.
It shattered instantly.
Fortunately, the lightning also dissipated after destroying it.
Thump!
Researchers scattered in alarm.
One of them immediately fired a launcher that deployed a thick insulating blanket over Mjolnir.
The chamber fell silent.
Coulson was the first to speak.
"What just happened?"
"We’ve seen electromagnetic pulses before."
"But it’s never attacked someone."
Evenson rubbed his aching temples.
"...A warning."
"What kind of warning?"
"The person who created the enchantment..."
"...doesn’t appreciate strangers digging into its secrets."
"The person who created it?"
Coulson frowned.
"You mean Odin?"
Evenson thought for a moment.
When his consciousness had touched those words...
He hadn’t simply activated the enchantment.
He had been connected directly to Odin’s mind.
Everything he’d seen...
Had been what Odin himself was seeing.
Then the old king had simply shouted him out.
One thing bothered him, though.
That roar had been far too forceful.
It certainly hadn’t sounded like someone lying unconscious on the brink of death.
Could the old man be faking it?
Another realization followed immediately.
If Evenson could connect to Odin through the Divine Speech...
Then Odin could almost certainly perceive anything happening around Mjolnir.
Which meant...
Thor hadn’t been abandoned at all.
Every step the Thunder God took on Earth was likely under Odin’s watchful eye.
"Interesting..."
Evenson clapped his hands once, dismissing the thought for now.
"Has anyone unusual come into contact with the hammer recently?"
Coulson shrugged.
"A third of the locals have tried lifting it."
"But if you’re asking about someone truly unusual..."
"Last night’s intruder."
"What made him special?"
"Come with me."
Coulson turned toward the monitoring room.
"We’ve got security footage."
Selvig loaded the recording onto the main screen.
A lone man appeared.
He cut through the perimeter fence.
Slipped into the facility.
Then fought his way through every security team sent to stop him.
Direct.
Efficient.
Unstoppable.
His destination never changed.
Mjolnir.
Evenson watched quietly before looking toward Melinda.
"What do you think?"
She studied the footage for several moments.
"Excellent."
"The style looks rough."
"Almost crude."
"But every punch..."
"Every kick..."
"Every step..."
"Is exactly right."
She folded her arms.
"That’s not something you learn in a gym."
"Only someone with an enormous amount of real combat experience moves like that."
Evenson nodded.
Then looked toward Barton.
"I heard you almost shot him."
"I did."
"I already had the arrow drawn."
"But I changed my mind."
Evenson grinned.
"Good decision."
"If you’d released that shot..."
"...you’d have become Gavrilo Princip."
Barton’s brow furrowed.
"...I feel like that’s not a compliment."
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