'New Mexico. Something unusual. Thor!'
He remembered the lore. The hammer. The desert. And the Destroyer.
If that armor showed up, it wouldn't go down easy—not even with the new weapons.
And he definitely wasn't ready.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James hung up and started packing. He had no idea how long he'd be gone this time. A change of clothes, essential gear, and a handwritten note for Carlos were all he left behind.
Thinking of Carlos, it had been a while since they'd spent any real time together. Once this was handled, he planned to take some proper leave.
He headed downstairs and drove off in the SHIELD-issued Suburban, bound for the military airfield on the outskirts. The trip was fast. A transport plane was already waiting when he arrived.
Phil Coulson greeted him with a cold can of Coke once they were airborne.
"You handled that last operation well," Coulson said. "Director Fury's impressed."
"I didn't do it for him," James replied. "When's the next promotion?"
"Not up to me," Coulson said. "But these missions are important. Stay sharp, and I'll make sure you keep moving up."
"I'll hold you to that."
Coulson changed the subject. "You going to tell me what you really know? About the internal problems in SHIELD?"
James glanced at him. "Are you sure we're secure?"
Coulson hesitated, then nodded. "Understood. For now, it's just us. If we spot anything serious on the ground, we'll call in more support. Can we talk then?"
"Maybe. Let's see what we're walking into first." James leaned back in his seat. "Wake me when we land."
[Cortana, sleep cycle: deep.]
[Confirmed.]
Phil watched James drift off in seconds. He didn't wake him—just laid back and tried to rest himself. But his mind was spinning. SHIELD had long suspected internal corruption, yet they couldn't trace it. They were missing something critical.
The plane touched down at a New Mexico military base the next morning.
They hit the road fast, with Phil driving. The landscape was wide open, empty. They made good time on the trip.
When they arrived, James saw it instantly—a crater, and a group of locals gathered around like it was a party.
Phil called Fury. "Director, we're on-site. Heading in now... Understood."
He looked over. "James, let's go."
They approached the crater—being two men in suits—immediately drawing stares from the gathered crowd.
Phil pulled out a radiation detector and waved it slowly across the air.
People instinctively backed away.
"No radiation. At least not anymore," he said, stepping into the pit.
James joined him and looked down at the center.
The hammer.
Phil reached out and tried to lift it. Nothing.
James stepped forward, gripped it with both hands—and nothing again.
[If the Tesseract ever recognizes you, maybe you could lift it,] Cortana said.
James responded silently. 'Not interested. Even if I could, it's useless for me.'
He turned to Coulson. "What's next?"
"We hold here. I'm calling in backup."
While Coulson made the call, James turned to the civilians.
"Listen up. We are the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. What just landed came from space. We don't know what it is, or the danger it poses. You need to clear the area and keep this quiet."
Predictably, someone spoke up. "The government again? Who are you to ruin our fun?"
"Stay if you want. When backup gets here, you'll be standing inside a classified federal perimeter. This falls under U.S. constitutional jurisdiction. All alien materials belong to the state."
That shut them up. Most packed up and left without another word.
James looked around. 'Where's Thor?'
Reinforcements arrived fast. A mobile response team secured the area and started erecting a perimeter.
Then James spotted a familiar face.
"Agent James, this is Agent Jasper Sitwell. a Level six," Phil said. "Sitwell, this is Agent James. I assume you've heard of him."
James smiled and reached out. "Just joined SHIELD, hoping to move up fast. Got any tips?"
He didn't let go of Sitwell's hand.
Phil tilted his head—something felt off.
Sitwell was equally confused. He never heard James being this… friendly.
Inside, James was analyzing him. Confirmed. Embedded Hydra asset. Cortana flagged the identifiers. James let go after the confirmation.
"Thanks. I'm sure you'll help however you can."
He turned quickly. "By the way, we haven't eaten since last night. You guys bring anything?"
The question caught both agents off guard, but Sitwell pointed him toward the Field kitchen.
James left immediately without saying anymore words, pretending he was really hungry.
While he ate, the team went to work. They erected a steel frame around the hammer, stretched plastic sheeting over it, and built enclosed walkways. One tunnel led to a diesel generator; the other connected to the mobile lab full of sensors and analysis gear. Barbed wire enclosed the outer perimeter.
After dinner, James took a short nap under the open sky. By the time he woke up, the moon was high.
He headed to the command post, saw that everything was running smoothly, and gave Coulson a nod.
"I'm heading to the top ridge for overwatch. If anything happens, call me there."
He grabbed a raincoat and stepped into the cold night.
Coulson didn't question it. James's role here was security, after all.
And if anything came out of that crater—or fell from the sky again—he'd be ready.