A mortal, uninteresting woman had vanished beyond Heimdall's sight, something that, until now, had been believed impossible.
The god of daybreak could see everything across the Nine Realms, his eyes attuned to even the most subtle ripples.
And yet… Jane Foster had lost herself.
Thor was restless, pacing like a caged lion, frustration written across him.
"Are you sure this isn't your brother's doing?"
Thor paused, but he shook his head firmly. "No."
"When Jane vanished, Loki was standing trial before our father. The Allfather made sure his every step was watched."
"He couldn't have done this."
That ruled out the master of illusions and narrowed the possibilities nicely.
"Then it's worse than I thought…"
He crossed the room, in thought. "If it wasn't Loki… then either Jane has been taken by something that doesn't belong to the Realms, or...."
"Something happened to her on Earth. Accident. Death, perhaps. If that were the case… Heimdall's eyes wouldn't find her."
Thor's eyes narrowed, the thought alone threatening to unravel his control.
"But Jane is strong." Soren quickly added.
"And something tells me… this wasn't an accident."
"If someone wanted to hurt you or draw out Asgard's wrath, Jane is a perfect target. Someone may be using her."
The lights in the room, off and on.
Soren turned and reached into his pocket, handing Thor a thin black card edged in silver.
"If you find anything, anything at all, crush it. I'll come to you."
Thor took it and nodded silently.
"I'll speak to an old friend." Soren continued. "For now, I should investigate Jane's bedroom."
"If there's a trace left behind… I'll find it."
Thor made to leave, but Soren's voice stopped him. "Wait."
Thor turned, confused.
Soren gestured at Thor's gleaming golden armor, still faintly glowing from battle. "You're going to walk around Midgard dressed like that?"
"If someone has taken Jane, you showing up as the God of Thunder is like announcing your arrival with fireworks and thunderclaps."
Thor blinked. "...Fair point."
A few minutes later, a very large man wearing jeans, a long coat, and an annoyed expression walked out the back of the hospital.
He looked like a Harley biker on casual Friday. Soren handed him a pair of sunglasses for good measure.
The door closed behind Thor. Soren didn't wait. He picked up a secure, ancient-looking rotary phone, which wasn't connected to any landline.
"Phil Coulson."
A moment passed before the line clicked and the familiar, professional voice of Agent Coulson answered.
"Soren, it's been a while. Everything alright?"
Soren wasted no time. "I need a favor. A big one."
Coulson's tone shifted instantly. "Of course. What is it?"
"You remember Thor, of course."
"...Hard to forget a man who dropped out of the sky swinging a hammer," Coulson said dryly. "We've kept tabs on him. And on his visits to his girlfriend."
"Good." Soren replied.
"Because she's gone. Even Heimdall can't see her anymore. Which means this wasn't some random disappearance."
There was a long silence on the other end.
"That's… concerning."
"We had agents assigned to keep eyes on her. I'll have my team cross-reference all surveillance and check in with the agents in charge of her detail."
"If something slipped past us…"
"It already did," Soren interrupted gently. "What we need now is a trail. Anything. Disruptions in energy, witnesses, signals, even myth."
"I understand," Coulson said, now in full command mode.
"We'll start the search immediately."
As Phil Coulson hung up the phone. His instincts, honed over years in the field, were already screaming.
The fact that Soren had personally reached out meant something more dangerous was brewing beneath the surface, something that could erupt if not handled properly.
He made his way straight to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, stepping into the central operations deck without hesitation.
"Director Fury."
Nick Fury looked up from a holoscreen filled with satellite feeds, intelligence reports, and threat assessments. The moment he saw Coulson's face, he minimized everything.
"Talk to me."
"It's Jane Foster." Coulson began. "Thor's lover. She's vanished. No trace."
"Soren Macaluso confirmed she's no longer within the Nine Realms. Even Heimdall couldn't see her."
That got Fury's full attention.
"No one just vanishes past Asgard's gatekeeper." Fury said.
"Soren suspects either powerful external interference or a cross-dimensional event. Loki's been ruled out, he's on trial in Asgard. But if someone's targeting Jane… it might be a way to manipulate or provoke Thor."
"Maybe even destabilize the fragile truce between us and Asgard."
"If someone's playing that kind of game… it's not only Asgard that'll respond."
"The last thing we need is a cosmic incident because someone decided to poke the thunder god's soft spot."
Coulson added. "I've already reached out to the agents monitoring Foster."
"Nothing's come through. No surveillance anomalies. No sudden energy spikes. No reported attacks."
"Then start digging." Fury ordered.
"Discreetly. I don't want the public or foreign agencies catching wind of this. And Coulson…"
"Yes, sir?"
"If something did take her, I want to know if it can take others."
Coulson nodded and left.
U.S. Military Command, Classified Bunker
Inside a steel-clad bunker buried deep beneath a military installation, General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross received the call from the Doctor.
He didn't hesitate. He rarely did.
After the line went dead, Ross stood up from his desk and addressed his gathered commanders with characteristic ferocity.
"Jane Foster. Civilian. Astrophysicist. Ties to Thor of Asgard. Gone. Our priority is now immediate search and secure. I want a full sweep of her last known locations, her lab, her apartment, her usual haunts."
The generals and field leaders exchanged wary glances.
"We go hard. Casino cams, hotel lobbies, gang safehouses, black-market fences, I don't care if it's a seven-eyed rat hiding behind a dumpster."
"If there's even a whisper that leads to Foster, I want boots on it."
He slammed a dossier on the table.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream