"You’re at war?"
Thor burst into the temporary command tent with the Warriors Three and Lady Sif close behind. The thunder of artillery echoed outside as he fixed Evenson with an urgent stare.
"Who did Loki send? Who’s trying to kill me?"
Evenson glanced toward Major Sanderson, who was completely absorbed in coordinating another assault against the Destroyer. Rather than answer immediately, he motioned for Thor to follow him.
They crossed the compound to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s operations center.
Phil Coulson and Melinda May were already inside.
Only after the doors closed behind them did Evenson speak.
Instead of answering, he pointed at one of the surveillance monitors.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had access to the same military satellite feed as Sanderson’s command post.
On the screen...
A towering suit of silver armor slowly emerged from an inferno of smoke and flames.
Thor’s expression instantly darkened.
"...The Destroyer."
Any confidence he’d had vanished.
This wasn’t just another Asgardian warrior.
The Destroyer was one of Odin’s greatest weapons, forged and enchanted by the Allfather himself.
Thor turned immediately toward Evenson.
"Your soldiers cannot defeat it."
"Call them back."
"They’re dying because of me."
There wasn’t the slightest trace of false humility in his voice.
Thor genuinely believed that.
Evenson wasn’t surprised.
Thor had many flaws.
Manipulation and political calculation weren’t among them.
"Trust me, Your Highness," Evenson replied calmly.
"We didn’t make this decision lightly."
"We’ve already determined that this battle is worth fighting."
He could have explained the geopolitical consequences.
The strategic value.
The importance of proving humanity wouldn’t retreat before alien aggression.
But explaining real-world politics to Thor sounded like a punishment no one deserved.
Thor opened his mouth again.
"They’re sacrificing themselves for..."
Evenson cut him off.
"If you don’t want those sacrifices to be wasted..."
He pointed toward the research compound where Mjolnir rested.
"...then think carefully about what kind of man your father wanted you to become."
"Recover your power."
"As quickly as possible."
Thor stood silently for several seconds before nodding.
"...Understood."
If Earth was betting everything on him...
Then he couldn’t afford to fail.
As he turned to leave, he paused.
"Allow my friends to fight."
Evenson smiled.
"Gladly."
Free reinforcements?
He wasn’t about to refuse.
Thor headed toward Mjolnir.
The Warriors Three and Lady Sif prepared for battle.
Inside the operations room, another tank vanished from the battlefield feed in a violent explosion.
Coulson watched in silence before finally speaking.
"...Is this the strength of Asgard?"
He had always assumed science fiction exaggerated humanity’s helplessness against alien civilizations for dramatic effect.
Reality was proving otherwise.
One Asgardian war machine had nearly rendered Earth’s conventional military obsolete.
"The Destroyer is one of Asgard’s greatest weapons," Evenson explained.
"It doesn’t represent the average Asgardian."
"And there’s only one of it."
Before Coulson could breathe too easily, Evenson continued.
"Actually..."
"The Destroyer is capable of much more than this."
"It isn’t even fighting at full strength."
Coulson nearly choked.
You’re telling me this thing has been dismantling our army while holding back?
Evenson frowned thoughtfully.
"More accurately..."
"It’s being operated incorrectly."
He looked back toward the monitor.
"Only Odin can truly command the Destroyer."
"Loki must have obtained limited authority somehow."
"Gungnir is the most likely explanation."
"He managed to activate it..."
"...but he can’t access its full power."
Coulson finally exhaled.
That wasn’t comforting.
But it was better than imagining an army of these things rolling off an assembly line.
"One question."
Melinda had been watching Evenson instead of the battle.
"What’s going on with your hands?"
She had observed him casting spells before.
Whenever Evenson used powerful magic, his fingers always formed strange, intricate seals.
This time...
He hadn’t stopped moving them for several minutes.
Evenson didn’t deny it.
"I’m preparing a spell."
"A very unusual one."
"If I hadn’t made that deal a few days ago, I wouldn’t dare cast it."
"The backlash would have been too severe."
He slowly clenched his hands.
"But now..."
A dangerous grin spread across his face.
"...I’m about to unleash something spectacular."
Outside...
The Destroyer had nearly reached the perimeter of the Mjolnir research site.
It was close enough that satellites were no longer necessary.
Everyone could see it with their own eyes.
The American soldiers manning the defensive positions suddenly regretted every request for domestic deployment they’d ever filed.
A tour in the Middle East suddenly sounded wonderfully safe.
At least terrorists usually died when you shot them.
Then a confident female voice rang across the battlefield.
"I call first strike."
The Warriors Three and Lady Sif entered the fight.
Fandral and Hogun attacked first, rushing in from opposite sides to split the Destroyer’s attention.
Volstagg followed with a booming war cry, hurling himself forward with his massive axe raised high.
"For Asgard!"
The Destroyer casually swatted him aside.
Volstagg flew backward like he’d been hit by a speeding truck.
The frontal assault had only been a feint.
The real attack came from Lady Sif.
Using the wreckage of a destroyed tank as a springboard, she vaulted high into the air.
She landed behind the Destroyer.
With perfect precision, she drove her double-edged sword into the narrow gap between its armor plates.
The enchanted blade wedged deep inside the construct, pinning it to the ground.
For a heartbeat...
It stopped moving.
Success.
Then crimson light began leaking from the seams of its armor once again.
A shrill metallic groan echoed through the battlefield.
The Destroyer’s entire upper body rotated one hundred and eighty degrees.
Without moving its legs.
Without removing the sword.
It was suddenly face-to-face with Lady Sif.
Its faceplate unfolded.
The crimson glow inside intensified.
The Destroyer was about to fire.
"Now!"
Evenson’s roar echoed across the command center.
His hands shot toward the heavens.
High above the battlefield, a blazing green meteor suddenly tore through the clouds, trailing emerald hellfire across the night sky.
Its terrifying descent illuminated the desert.
Evenson’s voice thundered like a judgment.
"Hellfire... rain from the heavens!"
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