Charles turned on a Television News channel. At that moment, a reporter on the screen was covering a peculiar story, saying:
"I am currently at Stonehenge, following up on an unusual event that took place today. Police were alerted shortly after 8 AM this morning and arrived at the scene."
"A seemingly normal male tourist came here, suddenly stripped off his clothes, and began running around with a scientific instrument, scaring the other visitors."
"He was shouting that he was trying to save them."
"The man was later identified as the renowned astrophysicist, Dr. Erik Selvig."
Watching the news, Charles muttered to himself, "Dr. Erik Selvig."
It appeared that the convergence of the Nine Realms and the emergence of the Aether were about to happen. Charles had initially thought there was still a week left, but it seemed it was happening today.
Reflecting on the events from 'Thor: The Dark World', Charles realized a significant problem: he didn't have the ability to extract the Aether from Jane Foster's body without harming her.
None of the techniques he knew, whether ninja arts or Merlin's magic, contained such knowledge.
After pondering for a while, Charles concluded that only Malekith, the Dark Elf, could safely remove the Aether without harming Jane.
…
Elsewhere-
Darcy spoke up, "The readings on this device look a lot like the data Dr. Selvig mentioned."
Jane examined the instrument in her hand and then said, "Give me a moment. I need to get ready before we head out."
"Take your time," Darcy replied.
Darcy left Jane's bedroom and approached the trio of bodyguards standing nearby, "Excuse me, is there any breakfast?"
Ayan pointed toward the kitchen area, "There are some ready-made sandwiches and milk in the fridge."
Darcy walked over, opened the fridge, which was packed to the brim, and grabbed a sandwich, milk, and some fruit.
"Have you eaten yet?" she asked.
Ayan shook his head, "We don't eat this kind of food. It's all yours."
Darcy smiled, "Well, I won't hold back then."
Soon, Darcy started eating her breakfast, occasionally glancing at the three muscular bodyguards. Their physiques were impressive, rivaling even Thor's.
After finishing her breakfast and starting on some grapes, Jane emerged, fully dressed and ready to go.
Holding a sandwich, Darcy remarked, "Jane, you finally made it out."
"This is a sandwich I made for you. Let's head out."
Jane took the sandwich, eyeing Darcy, "Isn't this from my fridge?"
"Don't think too much about it. Let's go."
Jane turned to Ayan and the other two bodyguards, "Thanks for your help. Darcy and I will be heading out together."
Ayan smiled, "It's our duty."
Jane and Darcy left the house and got into Darcy's little red car, while Ayan and the other two followed in an SUV.
"Take the next right," a male voice suddenly said, startling Jane.
"Who's that?" Jane asked.
Darcy responded, "He's my intern."
Jane looked at Darcy in surprise, "You have an intern now?"
"Yep."
The man in the backseat looked at Jane and said, "Nice to meet you, Dr. Jane Foster. It's an honor to work with you."
Jane glanced at him briefly before pulling out her phone, "Alright, I need to call Erik."
"Turn right, then left."
Jane tried calling Erik Selvig, but there was no answer. Frustrated, she left a voicemail.
Soon, Jane, Darcy, their intern Ian, and the werewolf security team arrived at the destination.
As they got out of the car, Darcy excitedly exclaimed, "Let's go! Isn't this thrilling? Even the intern's excited!"
Ian quickly added, "My name's Ian."
"Grab the phase meter and come with us," Darcy instructed as she led the group toward an old, decrepit building.
A flock of birds flew out of the building, and shadows moved behind the curtains.
Darcy nervously joked, "I hope we don't get stabbed while doing science."
"Ayan, he'll protect us, right?" she asked.
Jane smiled, reassuring her, "With Ayan and his team, we'll be fine."
Ayan sniffed the air before replying, "It's just some kids. Don't worry."
As soon as he said that, a few children emerged from behind trash cans and corners of the building.
Darcy was amazed, "How did you know?"
Ayan shrugged nonchalantly.
One of the little girls approached and asked, "Are you guys police?"
Jane shook her head and said, "No, I'm a scientist."
A boy chimed in, "We found this place by accident."
Jane smiled and asked, "Can you show us what you found?"
The kids led them to the warehouse, where a large truck stood. One of the boys placed his hand under the truck's bumper and, with minimal effort, lifted it off the ground.
The truck floated into the air, spinning slowly.
Darcy was stunned, "That's not normal."
Ayan turned to his teammates, Lyle and Badu-Sari, and said, "Looks like there's a gravity anomaly here. Should we report this to Lord Charles?"
Badu-Sari shook his head, "Let's gather more info before we report."
The kids then guided the group to a spiraling staircase and took them to one of the middle floors.
One of the girls pulled out a water bottle and tossed it into the open space below.
Instead of crashing onto the ground floor, the bottle disappeared mid-fall, only to reappear above them and fall again, looping in an endless cycle.
Jane was amazed. "This is incredible!"
She picked up a discarded soda can and threw it down, but it didn't reappear like the bottle. It simply vanished.
"What's going on?" Jane asked.
The girl explained, "Sometimes things come back, sometimes they don't."
Darcy, intrigued, turned to Jane, "I want to throw something too. Jane, give me your shoe."
Jane ignored Darcy, grabbing the device from Ian to study it more closely.
"The last time I saw readings like this was in…"
"New Mexico?" Darcy guessed.
Jane nodded, clutching the instrument as she raced upstairs.
Ayan glanced at his teammates, "Badu-Sari, stay here and protect them. Lyle and I will follow Jane."
"Understood, Captain," Badu-Sari replied.
Disappointed she didn't get Jane's shoe, Darcy turned to Ian, "Give me your shoe."
Meanwhile, Jane reached the rooftop and continued scanning the building with the instrument. Ayan and Lyle trailed behind at a safe distance.
Suddenly, the device started beeping wildly. Jane stopped at a corner where the readings spiked.
The next second, a gust of wind pushed Jane forward, and she vanished, passing straight through the wall.