"Thor, do you even understand what just happened here?"
Jane Foster's voice trembled as she shouted, her eyes sweeping across the devastated camp.
The ground was torn apart, vehicles burned in ruin, and scorched earth stretched in every direction. Even though no human soldiers had fought here, the scars of battle were terrifying enough to make her shudder.
Thor, however, paid no attention. His eyes were fixed on one thing the hammer.
As long as he could reclaim Mjolnir, he would once again become the God of Thunder, the Asgardian warlord who commanded the storm itself.
Jane bit her lip in frustration but could do nothing except follow behind him.
All of this was being watched closely.
From the shadows of the S.H.I.E.L.D. encampment, Agent Coulson studied Thor's desperate behavior. He raised a hand, halting Clint Barton from loosing an arrow.
This was S.H.I.E.L.D. territory. Even if the battlefield had been wrecked by the earlier fighting, sneaking past their surveillance without being detected was impossible.
Yet despite S.H.I.E.L.D.'s leniency, Thor's attempt was doomed.
The hammer no longer recognized him. Stripped of his godhood, Thor might still possess a warrior's physique, but against a trained squad of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, he was quickly subdued.
When he cried out that he was "the God of Thunder," the agents exchanged awkward looks. The only word that came to mind was: ridiculous.
Meanwhile, far above the desert, Nolan Locke sat on a jet bound for New Mexico.
When S.H.I.E.L.D. first contacted him, he had hesitated. This situation was unlike any other. It involved the pantheon of Asgard.
Even if he was a man of influence, what resistance could he offer against Loki, the God of Mischief? And Odin the All-Father was a being so terrifying that Nolan instinctively wanted to avoid any entanglement. Odin was a figure on the same level as the Ancient One herself.
The Ancient One.
The very thought made Nolan exhale heavily. For a transmigrant like him, who wouldn't fear her?
She wielded the Time Stone, able to peer into both past and future. Even with his carefully constructed identity, Nolan couldn't be sure if the Ancient One would notice the ripple his existence had caused in the timeline.
If she did, would she simply ignore him or erase him as an unstable anomaly?
But speculating was pointless. The jet began its descent, pulling Nolan's thoughts back to the present.
Fresh desert air filled his lungs as he stepped onto the tarmac. Compared to New York, it smelled far cleaner, far freer.
"Frank, make sure all of our hardware is organized," Nolan ordered.
Frank nodded crisply. Moments later, the plane's cargo doors opened, revealing rows of massive shipping containers.
The sight of them eased Nolan's unease. He suffered from what he jokingly called "firepower deficiency anxiety." Fortunately, he always carried the cure.
"Let's go," he said lightly. "It's time to see this hammer for ourselves."
Moments later, a convoy of trucks rumbled toward the small desert town.
Coulson, having received the report, walked outside with Hawkeye by his side, unease flickering in his eyes. He didn't recall requesting reinforcements. Could this be the military, unwilling to give up?
Instead, he was greeted by a familiar face.
"Dr. Locke?" Coulson blinked in surprise.
"Agent Coulson, it's been a while," Nolan Locke said warmly.
Coulson's gaze slid past him to the long line of trucks. "And this is…?"
"Precaution," Nolan explained with a casual smile. "I figured this situation might not be entirely safe, so I brought a few safeguards. I trust S.H.I.E.L.D. won't mind? And of course, since you invited me here, if there are… damages, S.H.I.E.L.D. will cover them, yes?"
Coulson's lips twitched. Those containers looked far less like protection and far more like an impending headache. Perhaps inviting Nolan Locke had been Director Fury's greatest mistake.
"So, can I see the hammer?" Nolan asked without hesitation.
"That's the plan," Coulson replied after a pause.
Excitement stirred in Nolan's chest. Mjolnir the hammer of Thor.
Since arriving in this world, he had encountered technology, super-soldier serums, and even whispers of sorcery. But now, one of the most iconic weapons of the Marvel universe lay directly before his eyes.
When the hammer was revealed, Nolan's first impression was how ordinary it looked. And then, how deeply mysterious.
Without overthinking it, he stepped forward and reached out.
"Dr. Locke, it can't be lifted," Coulson warned, his voice edged with amusement.
Nolan chuckled. "But what if I can?"
Everyone knew the legend no one could lift Thor's hammer. Yet in the comics and tales Nolan remembered, countless heroes eventually had.
He had blood on his hands, yes, but certainly not more than Thor. And unlike a conqueror, Nolan saw himself as a businessman never a man to force his wares, and at times, even a benefactor. He had rescued Tony Stark from despair, altered destinies, saved lives.
Frank, for example if not for Locke Technologies, Frank's family might have perished long ago.
Convincing himself with these thoughts, Nolan grasped the hammer and pulled.
"Rise!"
Nothing. The hammer didn't move an inch.
Nolan sighed, standing up straight again. Coulson's faintly mocking glance didn't go unnoticed.
Nolan smirked and deflected. "Don't you think this hammer is rather strange?"
Of course it's strange, Coulson thought bitterly. He bit back the retort and asked instead, "What do you think, Doctor?"
A gleam lit Nolan's eyes, giving him the air of a sage. "If you know your mythology, you'll see the resemblance. I tried just now to confirm it. And now, I'm certain."
Coulson's pulse skipped. "Certain of what?"
"The hammer of Thor," Nolan said simply.
The words made the air feel dry.
Barton, who had remained silent until now, couldn't help blurting, "You mean this is actually the hammer of the Thor from legend?"
Coulson's mind spun. Only last night, they had captured a man who claimed he was the God of Thunder. Had they actually imprisoned a real deity?
Nolan's lips curved knowingly as he caught Coulson's troubled expression.
"Looks like you've had other… encounters," he said smoothly.
The God of Thunder battle-hungry, prideful, reckless. Nolan had been looking forward to this.
Asgard, for all its glory, was not as stable as legend made it seem. Most Asgardians were merely stronger-than-human warriors, not true gods. And in their culture, where personal might defined worth, one glaring weakness stood out.
They lacked proper weapons.
Nolan's smile deepened. What an opportunity.
For a long time, he had harbored one ambition: to spread his arms business across the stars.
He wanted his weapons on every battlefield in the cosmos. He even dreamed that one day, Thanos himself might buy Locke Technologies armaments to invade Earth.
Wouldn't that be ironic?
Thor, Nolan realized, was the beginning of his path to the stars.
The first step toward building an interstellar empire of firepower.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
Caught in the currents of this adventure? Tell us what hooked you—your thoughts and reviews keep the story blazing! Every 300 Power Stones unlocks a bonus chapter, propelling the journey even further!
Nolan's path is just getting started, and the story of justice is only unfolding. Keep riding the waves with Unbound Evolution and sail beyond the horizon!
[email protected]/_tey
Change @ to a.