He turned and looked back.
The town was gone.
But the fight was over.
James started walking towards what was left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Looking at the ruins of the town, James wondered if he had gone a little overboard—but it didn't matter. The Destroyer was destroyed. The aftermath is SHIELD's problem.
The only issue remaining is Thor. To let the guy go home and swing his hammer at whoever sent that monster.
"James, are you alright?" Thor asked, walking over, his face still dusty.
"I'm fine," James said. "But you should really go pick up that hammer and get back to your world. You've got someone up there that needs a lesson."
Thor's expression darkened. "I can't lift it. Even if I went back, I'd be useless. And I still don't know my father's situation."
James frowned. "Still nothing? You didn't feel anything when I was fighting?"
Thor shook his head. "I tried to summon Mjölnir. I wanted to. But there was no response. I guess I really did lose my worthiness."
He looked genuinely dejected. And James could understand why. Thor might've been just another alien to him, but the guy still believed he was a god—and gods don't like feeling powerless.
At that point, James knew he wasn't the one who could help. That was Jane's role now. Sometimes, motivation needed a more... emotional source. And Jane Foster seemed to be exactly that.
With the fight over, the town was a smoking ruin. James turned to Phil.
"How long until backup arrives?"
"They're on their way. You did good. At least now we know we're not totally helpless against these things," Coulson said, clearly impressed.
"We only got lucky it got a weakness. Do we have radiation scanners? Let's clear that first, then we can let the residents back in to start cleaning up. This place needs rebuilding. The Government footing the bill?"
"Definitely. We'll keep them quiet with a generous compensation package. They got no insurance out here, so we'll make sure it's enough. But first, we'll comb the site for foreign fragments and tech."
James nodded, but Cortana had already scanned the area.
[No radiation detected. The energy release was clean—pure energy, no contamination.]
James wasn't interested in picking through wreckage. Whatever was left of the Destroyer probably wasn't useful in small fragments nor does he have the tech to process the materials.
Soon, SHIELD's recovery team arrived. They showed up in full protective gear, but quickly removed it once they confirmed it was safe. The cleanup began, searching for what little was left of the Asgardian weapon.
James went to clean up himself. He was caked in dirt, soot, and debris. The explosion had buried him more than he would like.
Meanwhile, Thor and his companions regrouped, quietly talking near the ruins.
Three days passed. Town residents were allowed back in. They'd been staying in tents nearby and were relieved when SHIELD and the government guaranteed full rebuilding. It was a tiny town with just a few dozen families. Nothing complicated.
With most homes made of wood, the cost wouldn't be outrageous. James made sure to remind Phil to do something extra for Jane—like a decent telescope, even a small one. Anything too large might end up more expensive than rebuilding the entire town.
A few days later, Thor came to James wearing his armor—and with Mjölnir in hand.
'Plot armor did its work fixing itself for the future storyline.' thought James.
"My friend," he said. "We're leaving. Thank you for everything."
James looked at the hammer. "You finally picked it up? How?"
"Thanks to Jane," Thor said with a sheepish grin.
James smirked. 'Figures.' "Congrats. I hope it all works out when you get back."
Thor turned serious. "Can I ask you to look after them? Jane and the others?"
"Of course. Don't worry about them. We've already got support lined up to rebuild their lab. And SHIELD's taking an interest in her theories now—especially the ones you helped her with."
"That's good. When I return, we'll share a drink. Oh—right. You don't drink. A shame you don't get to taste the drink of gods."
Thor just smiled farewell, and the group made their way just outside town. Thor called to Heimdall, and the rainbow bridge descended in a flash of multicolored light.
Thor and his companions vanished.
Not long after, Hawkeye arrived, rushing up with his team.
"Sir, the hammer took off. Shot out of the crater. It's headed this way."
Phil waved him off. "Relax. It's gone. James was right. That was Mjölnir. Some of the myths we have… they're based on these guys. Aliens? Gods? Same thing."
"So… mission's over?"
"Yeah. For now."
Clint glanced at James, expression unreadable—but not friendly. James felt it, but didn't know the reason. He didn't care either.
There were more important things to worry about.
"Phil," James said, "unless there's anything else, I'm heading out. No active missions, right?"
"Not right now. What about your investigation?"
"I'll speak when it matters. Right now, they're too deep. I'll dig them out—my way. Once I finish what I'm doing, I'll head to HQ."
"Stay in contact. We all want this done fast. If what you're saying about SHIELD is true, the stakes are bigger than we thought."
"Don't worry," James said, already walking off. "It's under control."
He didn't take a SHIELD plane. He booked a civilian ticket to California.
The moment he landed, he called Stark.
"Tony. Where are you?"
"New York. Stark Tower's almost online with the new energy system. Self-sustaining—at least in theory. Just the prototype right now, but promising. What's up?"