Simmons examined the marks left inside the tree and said, "I can see the imprint of something embedded here."
She then picked up a scanning device, adding, "3D reconstruction scan, done. Now, tell me what this thing is."
In the lab aboard the Bus, Fitz analyzed the transmitted image and remarked, "Looks like a staff or a rod."
"Exquisite craftsmanship, the carving is flawless."
"I'll run a conversion and print a 3D model of it."
…
Fitz and Simmons were engrossed in their work, while Coulson continued searching for any actionable intelligence.
"Is there any other suspicious information, anything that can lead us to those people or where they might be hiding?"
Just then, Skye's voice crackled through Coulson's earpiece: "Sir, it looks like they're not planning on hiding."
Skye was watching a video feed.
"Violence erupted on the streets of Oslo."
The news reporter's voice explained, "The riot left 20 injured, with 3 in critical condition."
"The group, numbering over a dozen, is led by a man and a woman."
"Although their motives remain unclear, their declaration is boldly scrawled across the streets of Oslo."
Skye spoke again, "I'm sending the video to your phone now."
Coulson reviewed the footage and then played it back for Ward, saying, "See for yourself. Who do they think they are?"
In the video, the group had used fire to inscribe burning letters on the street.
The words read, "We are gods."
Killer Bee scoffed, "With power like that, they dare to call themselves gods?"
Coulson waved his hand, signaling to move on, "Alright, let's head back to the Airbus."
…
Onboard the Airbus-
Ward had gathered the details of the couple and began briefing the team:
"The man is Jakob Nystrom, 30 years old. His girlfriend is Petra Larsen."
"They're leaders of a Norwegian neo-pagan hate group."
Skye chimed in, "Thanks to the Greenwich incident and the internet, their group's numbers are growing."
"Yeah, the internet. Ironic, isn't it?"
Simmons looked puzzled, "Norwegian neo-pagans?"
Skye explained, "They're obsessed with anything related to Norse mythology—basically the stories of Asgard."
Skye then glanced at Killer Bee, curiosity evident in her expression.
"I wonder, did ninjas ever leave behind any myths here on Earth?"
Killer Bee shook his head, "I'm not sure about that."
Ward, however, couldn't help but think about the symbol that Kabuto had shown him—the one related to Hydra.
Ward then picked up the short rod that Fitz had printed and said, "What we're dealing with here is a weapon."
Fitz elaborated, "We could only scan one side—the tree was too damaged to replicate the entire thing."
Simmons added, "But look at this, both ends are clearly broken off."
Killer Bee spoke up, "Obviously, this weapon has at least two more parts."
Fitz nodded in agreement, "Yes, at least two more sections."
Ward looked at the screen showing the couple and said, "Then this duo is probably still searching for the remaining pieces."
He then turned back to the rod. "What's this symbol?"
At that moment, Coulson and May entered the room, with Coulson saying, "It's an Asgardian rune."
"With our limited knowledge, it's difficult to translate it."
"You should call your friend, Thor." Skye said.
Coulson, examining the artifact, replied, "We've tried. Director Fury says Thor's unreachable."
"Even if he had a phone, we don't have his number."
May then said, "S.H.I.E.L.D. is focusing on tracking down Nystrom and his followers."
Coulson added, "Our job is to identify this artifact and find the other pieces before they do."
Killer Bee thought for a moment, "They seem to have the advantage—they found this in a 150-square-kilometer Norwegian forest. They might have intel we don't."
Skye voiced her thoughts, "Maybe the artifact summoned them?"
May, surprised, asked, "Summoned them?"
Skye explained, "This is Asgardian stuff. Maybe it doesn't follow Earth's rules."
Ward, rubbing his forehead, said, "Even if it did summon something, it would've called Asgardians, not some random people. Do they have Asgardian blood now too?"
Simmons countered, "Just because we don't understand something yet doesn't mean we should jump back to medieval thinking with magic and spells."
Coulson chimed in, "Actually, that's exactly what we should do. There is magic in this world."
Everyone was shocked.
"You're serious?" they asked in disbelief.
Coulson continued, "When we found Thor's hammer in New Mexico, I consulted a top expert on Norse mythology, Professor Elliott Randolph from Seville University. We're going to see him now."
"Maybe he can help us understand more about these symbols."
…
Seville, Spain-
Coulson and his team arrived at the university in Seville.
Professor Elliott Randolph was busy writing up some papers. He spoke to a student named Elena, saying, "We need to adapt to the changes, Elena."
"Recent events have caught us all off guard. I thought I was teaching Norse mythology, but it turns out I'm a history professor."
He handed her a report card. Elena, looking at the grades, asked, "So, you're not going to change my score?"
Elliott stood up and replied, "No, but I'll give you a week to rewrite your paper. More history, less opinion."
He added with a smile, "And I hope we can still have dinner tonight."
Elena gave him a resigned look before leaving the office.
As she walked out, Professor Randolph noticed Coulson standing at the door.
"Professor Elliott Randolph?"
"Agent Coulson, please come in."
###
Access all chapters(1400+): pat reon . com/gfdsa