Nick Fury sat in silence for several seconds, digesting everything Evenson had just told him.
"So let me make sure I understand."
"We never realized it..."
"But from Asgard’s point of view, Earth has been considered one of the Nine Realms under its protection for thousands of years?"
"...That seems to be the case."
Evenson gave a helpless shrug.
"Though technically, it would be one of eight."
"Asgard itself is one of the Nine Realms."
Fury pinched the bridge of his nose.
He could almost picture how it had happened.
Thousands of years ago, Asgardians descended upon Earth.
Primitive Norse tribes witnessed beings of impossible strength wielding thunder and magic.
Naturally, they worshipped them as gods.
Perhaps an Asgardian commander had casually accepted their allegiance.
Perhaps some tribal king had sworn loyalty without fully understanding what that meant.
From Asgard’s perspective, Midgard had simply joined the family of realms under Odin’s protection.
From humanity’s perspective...
It had become mythology.
Unfortunately, mythology had a habit of remaining painfully real for people who lived several thousand years.
For all Fury knew, the very Asgardian who accepted humanity’s allegiance was probably still alive.
Longevity really did complicate diplomacy.
Fortunately, Asgard had never attempted to exercise that authority.
For centuries, Earth had been left alone.
The arrangement had become little more than a historical curiosity.
Until now.
A king who inherited his throne peacefully could afford to ignore a neglected realm.
A usurper trying to legitimize his reign...
Might see things very differently.
Fury’s expression darkened.
"Then tell me honestly."
"How likely is Loki to make us his first target?"
Evenson thought for a moment.
"Among the Nine Realms..."
"Only Jotunheim is already on the edge of open war with Asgard."
"The others have relatively stable relations."
"So..."
"On the surface, you’d think Earth has roughly a fifty percent chance."
"Fifty percent..."
Fury muttered.
He sincerely hoped the fate of humanity wouldn’t be decided by whether Loki flipped heads or tails.
Evenson slowly shook his head.
"It only looks like fifty percent."
"In my opinion..."
"The probability is one hundred percent."
"He will attack Earth."
Fury shot upright.
His face once again filled the monitor.
Evenson stared at another wall of dark skin.
"There you go again."
"You’re blocking the camera."
Fury ignored him.
"Explain."
"Why Earth?"
"What possible reason would Loki have to fixate on us?"
"Because every assumption we’ve discussed depends on one thing."
"Loki successfully becoming king."
Evenson folded his hands.
"But before he can rule..."
"He has one obstacle that cannot remain alive."
Fury answered immediately.
"Thor."
"Exactly."
"Loki cannot secure the throne while the legitimate heir is still living."
"But once Thor is dead..."
"How does he explain it?"
Fury understood almost instantly.
Loki certainly wasn’t going to announce to all of Asgard that he’d murdered his own brother.
Someone else would have to take the blame.
And Earth...
Earth was the perfect scapegoat.
Thor couldn’t simply disappear.
The beloved Crown Prince of Asgard demanded justice.
The people would demand vengeance.
And who better to blame than the realm where Thor had been living in exile?
Especially with Loki quietly directing public outrage.
There would be no careful negotiations.
No diplomatic inquiry.
Only an army marching to avenge its prince.
Fury exhaled slowly.
"Then Thor absolutely cannot die on Earth."
"Exactly."
He leaned forward again.
"How many people do you think Loki will send?"
"Not many."
Evenson answered without hesitation.
"Murdering your own brother isn’t something you advertise."
"If Loki wants to keep his involvement hidden, he’ll use a very small force."
"But..."
"The people he sends will be the ones he trusts most."
"In both loyalty..."
"And strength."
Fury studied him.
"You can’t handle them yourself?"
It was a genuine question.
Among all the enhanced individuals Fury knew, Evenson ranked near the top.
He’d killed Obadiah Stane.
He’d defeated the Abomination.
He’d repeatedly proven himself against enemies no ordinary force could stop.
Yet here he was...
Requesting military support.
Were Asgardians really that formidable?
Evenson answered honestly.
"I don’t know."
Fury blinked.
"...You don’t know?"
"I’ve never fought an Asgardian."
"So I can’t honestly tell you how that battle would go."
Against ordinary Asgardian soldiers, Evenson wasn’t especially worried.
The problem was that Loki wouldn’t be sending ordinary soldiers.
And besides...
If someone else was willing to provide tanks, armored vehicles, and trained soldiers, why should a warlock insist on solving everything personally?
Magic wasn’t an excuse to ignore common sense.
He smiled.
"Besides..."
"Even if I could defeat them..."
"What would you rather learn?"
He raised two fingers.
"Watch a warlock fight aliens..."
"Or use the opportunity to discover exactly how effective Earth’s conventional military really is against Asgardian warriors?"
That wasn’t much of a choice.
Individual heroes mattered.
Wars were still fought by armies.
Testing humanity’s own capabilities before a potential interstellar conflict had enormous value.
Fury’s answer came immediately.
"I want both."
Evenson laughed.
"I’ll do my best."
He had no intention of sitting on the sidelines anyway.
His own plans required him to intervene before this was over.
Then his expression turned serious.
"But don’t waste time."
"I don’t think Loki will give us much of it."
Fury nodded.
"I’ll begin coordinating immediately."
"New Mexico has military units stationed nearby because of the border."
"If everything goes smoothly..."
"They should arrive tomorrow."
Evenson finally relaxed.
"Good."
"That puts my mind at ease."
...
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