"I want to see you."
Thor's voice trembled with urgency.
"What's going on? Is it the frost giants from Jotunheim? I can talk to Father for you."
Loki's tone was cold, his face blank as he replied in a low voice.
"Father is dead."
"What?"
Thor could hardly believe it. Had he misheard? His bright blue eyes filled with disbelief.
Still expressionless, Loki continued,
"You were exiled. The looming threat of war was too much. He couldn't handle it. Don't blame yourself. I know you loved him. I tried to make him understand, but he wouldn't listen. He left the hammer nearby, yet you couldn't lift it, how cruel. Naturally, the crown fell to me. I am now the King of Asgard."
Thor stood frozen in the wake of Odin's death. A single tear slowly trailed down his cheek.
A tear?
He couldn't remember the last time he cried. Five hundred years ago? Six hundred?
It must have been when his dear friend Gruth fell in battle, he had wept then, overcome with guilt.
Now, once again, tears marked his face.
"Can I go home?"
His voice was hoarse, his heart as if frozen still. Could he have truly angered his father to death?
There couldn't be anyone more foolish in the realms than him.
Loki shook his head.
"The peace agreement with the people of Jotunheim was secured on the condition of your exile."
Thor's expression darkened. He whispered desperately:
"I know... but still..."
Loki cut him off.
"Mother forbids your return as well. Brother, I came to say goodbye. I'm truly sorry."
Hearing that even his beloved mother, who had always loved him most refused his return, it felt as though Mjolnir had struck him straight in the chest.
"No... this can't be. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."
He gripped his hair, his heart weighed down with regret and self-reproach. If not for his arrogance and pride, none of this would have happened. His father wouldn't have died from heartbreak.
"Thank you for coming."
"Farewell." Loki turned and vanished into the wall.
"Goodbye."
Thor murmured at the fading illusion.
"Goodbye?"
Just then, Hill entered the room and caught the end of Thor's words.
"I'm back. Let's pick up where we left off. Now, where was I?"
Thor had just endured blow after blow. His tears were still falling uncontrollably.
Hill was stunned. What kind of mercenary was this?
Was he moved by his own story?
Regretting something?
Then say it! Why are you sobbing like a child?
"Alright, alright. If you cooperate, answer truthfully, admit to all charges, write a full confession, and accept the punishment, I promise we'll push for early release."
She bent forward slightly, hands on her knees, and squatted in front of Thor, meeting his gaze.
But all she got was silent sobbing.
"Fine. Think about it. I'll come back and ask again later."
Hill had never seen a prisoner like this before. Call him stupid? He could take out a whole squad of agents solo. Call him brave? Yet now, here he was, bawling like a wreck.
A god?
A monster?
She couldn't make sense of it. Shaking her head, she stepped out only to bump into her bald, bespectacled assistant.
"Boss, someone's here to see you."
Meanwhile, Loki, who had just vanished, reappeared near Mjolnir using an illusion. He reached confidently for the hammer's handle and gave it a solid tug.
"...?"
It didn't move.
He couldn't lift it?
"Pulling up the radish, pulling up the radish, hey yo hey yo, pulling up the radish, hey yo hey yo...still won't budge..."
I'm King of Asgard now. Why can't I lift Mjolnir?
Frustrated, he planted one foot against the base, gripped the handle with both hands, and pulled with all his strength, grinding his silver teeth in effort.
"Damn it!"
He shouted at the sky, then straightened his creased suit and disappeared again in a flash.
Outside the base, he spotted a familiar face—the scientist they encountered while confiscating meteorological research the previous day: Erik.
"What are you doing here? If you're here to get back the research notes and equipment, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."
Hill shrugged and turned to walk away.
"No, no, no. I'm here to see a friend. You guys picked him up."
Erik waved his hands quickly.
"...You mean the tall blond guy built like a polar bear?"
Hill stopped and turned to look at him.
"Yes, yes! That's him. His name is Donald Blake."
"Donald Blake?"
Hill turned and discreetly signaled to her assistant, who immediately began searching the internal database.
"He's actually a doctor, just like Jane Foster. A PhD in atmospheric physics."
Erik added with an awkward grin.
Hill stared at him.
"Your friend is dangerous. What exactly does he do?"
"Uh... he's Jane's boyfriend. When he found out you'd taken all her research, he went ballistic. That work is her entire life. He's an emotional guy. He couldn't stand to see her efforts destroyed. And even more, he couldn't bear to see her cry."
Erik shrugged.
"You have to understand why he lost it. From his perspective, some mystery organization shows up out of nowhere acting like... well, like Nazis."
Hill remained unmoved.
"That still doesn't explain how he managed to break through our perimeter security solo."
Erik quickly offered a theory.
"Hormones! He's into bodybuilding. Probably juiced up before he came here."
Beep beep .....
The system beeped as the database returned its results. The screen showed a clearly fabricated ID under the name "Donald Blake." It was flagged as a security threat.
Hill glanced at it, then turned back to Erik.
"Our records say he's a doctor."
Erik wiped the sweat from his brow and forced a smile.
"Yes, or... he was. He changed fields later and became a physicist. A brilliant one. He's a good man just someone who's been through a lot."
Hill's lips curled into a faint smile.
"What kind of trauma makes a doctor change careers and become a physicist?"
Erik scrambled for an answer.
"Medical malpractice. Five years ago, at New York's First People's Hospital, Donald treated a cancer patient who needed a lidocaine shot. The patient died, and the family claimed the hospital gave the wrong injection..."
(End of Chapter)
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