The appearance of an Aether particle signaled one thing: Asgard was about to face serious trouble.
But so what?
Nolan knew a lot, but he could not intervene in every problem. He remained calm, seated in his office, listening to the report from Red Queen.
Nolan had been continually upgrading Red Queen's processing power. By now, she had long surpassed her initial version. Her formidable computational abilities allowed her to navigate networks as if she were invisible. After all, very few in the world possessed an AI butler on the level of J.A.R.V.I.S.
The only limitation was that Nolan could only grasp general trends from the data.
As Red Queen relayed the information, Nolan noticed something peculiar. Jane Foster seemed to be heading toward New York.
It had to be an illusion.
He told himself that, yet he couldn't help paying more attention. This was not a minor matter. Unlike previous incidents, this one involved a godlike figure Odin himself. Nolan had no desire to attract the gaze of someone who could peer straight through him.
Yet sometimes events unfolded in ways far beyond his expectations.
Seeing Jane Foster standing outside LockTech, Nolan rubbed his temple.
"Mr. Rock, I'm sorry to bother you," Jane said immediately upon entering. "Something troubling has happened to me, and I hope you can help."
Nolan sighed.
"To be honest, I think you are a major headache," he said, leaving Jane momentarily unsure how to respond. She wasn't certain whether she had offended the renowned hero Nolan Rock. They had only met once before in a small town in New Mexico, and even then, their interaction had been brief.
All she knew was that Nolan Rock was acquainted with Thor. Given his reputation and connections, it made sense that she turned to him when she had no other options.
Seeing Jane's nervousness, Nolan smiled faintly.
"Come in. I need to examine you first, but I have a small request. Do not touch anything in the company. I just rebuilt this place, and I would rather not do it again."
"You already know my condition?" Jane asked, surprised.
Nolan paused, then nodded.
"LockTech possesses technologies far beyond what you understand. After the New York incident, I secretly established intelligence channels that allow me to detect potential threats on Earth. A few days ago, Red Queen observed an anomaly. By the way, Red Queen is LockTech's AI."
As Nolan spoke, a shimmering image of Red Queen appeared, giving Jane a subtle nod before vanishing. She was impressed, but there was no time to dwell on it.
"Thanks to her detection, I had planned to investigate, but someone beat me to it," Nolan continued. Jane realized immediately that she was that 'someone' and smiled sheepishly.
Nolan did not comment further. It was merely a pretext.
"As for your current condition, I have some hypotheses. It may be linked to a very unique form of energy. You remember the New York incident?"
"Of course," Jane replied. That was humanity's first war against an alien invasion. How could she forget?
Nolan led her to the lab and activated a 3D virtual projection, revealing a holographic model of the Tesseract.
"The Tesseract, according to Thor, is one of the six Infinity Stones the Space Stone. It contains infinite energy. If it were to explode, it could easily destroy the entire planet."
He gestured for Jane to lie on the examination table and began a careful scan. During the New York battle, he had sought opportunities to study the Tesseract. Its power was irresistible, yet he had achieved little. Time was limited, and this was not his specialty.
Watching Jane's changing expression, Nolan said:
"I don't know whether to call you lucky or unlucky. The energy within you is extremely similar to that of the Tesseract. It is a pure, extreme form of energy."
A hint of admiration flashed across his face. A Reality Stone. Normally, no one could survive having one so directly bound to them without being destroyed. Yet Jane carried it, intact a miracle. Even Captain Marvel had only a partial connection to a Space Stone, far weaker than this.
If harnessed, this energy could rival Thanos himself.
Nolan understood this, but for Jane, it was terrifying. To have an artifact as dangerous as the Tesseract manifest within her, any rational person would panic.
The moment of fear triggered a surge of energy. The lab around them blurred and vanished. Half of Nolan's own body seemed to disappear. Jane screamed in shock.
From the remaining half of his body, Nolan remained calm.
"Jane, you need to calm down."
He was controlling his presence remotely. There was no way he would approach such a dangerous situation in person.
Gradually, Jane stabilized. The ruptured space around her restored, though the vanished objects remained lost. She had calmed mainly because Nolan, from a distance, reassured her.
The power of a Reality Stone was undeniably frightening.
"Your problem is now mostly understood," Nolan explained. "The issue is not tracing its origin. We are powerless to remove it. This surpasses Earth's scientific knowledge. Even I cannot extract a Reality Stone from someone in a short time."
Jane's hope wavered.
Nolan smiled.
"Have you forgotten? You still have a boyfriend who doesn't appear often. He visited here not long ago."
Jane frowned. Thor had not come to see her in a long time.
"He visited here?"
"Yes, but he left quickly. I remember an Asgardian female warrior came with him."
Jane's expression shifted dramatically.
Meanwhile, in Asgard, Heimdall had been observing Jane from the moment she first encountered trouble. He reported immediately to Odin and tracked her movements closely, even understanding what Nolan had said.
"Poor Thor," Heimdall murmured. Even as Asgard's guardian, he sought amusement. This situation pleased him greatly.
Soon, Thor returned via the Bifrost. Though weary from battle, he exuded vitality, having resolved the rebellion across the Nine Realms.
"He waits for you, Odin," Heimdall said, not elaborating further. It was a minor detail, but factual.
Thor nodded, full of pride. He had proven himself in war once more. Yet Odin's first words hit him like a thunderbolt:
"Your Earth girlfriend, Jane Foster, is in trouble."
Thor wasted no time. He immediately set out for Earth. With a thunderous arrival, he landed at LockTech.
Nolan's office awaited. Before Thor could speak, a figure appeared.
"Mr. Thor, Mr. Rock is expecting you."
The figure vanished as quickly as it appeared. Thor entered the office to find Nolan and Jane together.
"Jane!" Thor exclaimed, emotional.
Jane looked away, silently asking, "Who are you? Do we know each other?"
Nolan smiled, observing the reunion. He never lied. Once Thor had calmed Jane, Nolan shared his suspicion. Thor was stunned.
"An Infinity Stone?"
No one knew their danger better than him.
"I will bring Jane to Asgard," Thor decided immediately.
Nolan said nothing. He had no desire to further complicate matters.
After a moment, Nolan added:
"Thor, watch your brother."
"What do you mean? Loki has been locked away permanently," Thor asked, puzzled.
Nolan smiled:
"I don't believe Loki will stay imprisoned willingly. Based on legends, and if I am correct, Jane Foster carries an Aether particle. It was once possessed by Malekith, then sealed by Asgard. Its reappearance could mean Malekith is also active. That is not someone to underestimate. If they unite, I am very curious about Asgard's future.
"Also, protect your mother."
Nolan's words left Thor confused. This time, the goddess Frigga's life was truly at risk. Though Nolan disliked Thor and Loki, Frigga should not die like this.