"Hold up. I need to clear the civilians. If they're here, something worse is coming right behind them."
Thor frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It means someone's coming to kill you," James said seriously.
"Why would they? My friends just came to see me. Maybe they disobeyed the new king's orders, but I doubt it's that serious," Thor replied skeptical.
"You should go talk to them. Maybe you'll get some answers," James said, turning back to evacuate more civilians. Most of the townspeople weren't taking it seriously. They grabbed a bit of cash and left in their cars, bringing only what they could.
Phil arrived with a team and walked up to James. "Are you sure something's about to happen here?"
"Yes. Thor's people—the ones from the Realm he mentioned—those four right there." James pointed at the armored group in the distance. "See what they're wearing?"
"You sure this isn't just a play?"
"They dropped out of the sky, Phil. I saw it, you saw it. There's no doubt. Now help clear the area and request for backup. This place might get leveled. Their power systems don't match ours, and whoever's coming next might not be in our league."
Phil hesitated, then gave a nod. He trusted James—he had to. James wasn't just a regular agent. He had a foot in both SHIELD and the Avengers Initiative.
"Alright, I've got your back. If there's fallout, I'll take the heat."
"Phil, even if this turns out to be nothing, worst case scenario, it's a drill. And no one's gonna hold that against me."
Meanwhile, Thor was catching up with his friends—and learning the truth. His father was still alive. Loki had tricked him.
He walked back over to James, visibly confused. "My friend… how did you know?"
"Know what?" James asked, playing it off.
"That I was deceived. You knew, didn't you?"
James shrugged. "Not really. But come on, think about it. You're the one who can lift Mjölnir, and they exile you? Something about that doesn't add up. If someone wanted to keep you away from Asgard, the easiest way would be through lies. It's a pretty standard tactic. You'll understand better after you've seen a few more Earth TV shows."
"TV shows? I've watched a few recently. They're surprisingly amusing. But I didn't see anything like that."
"Yeah, well… don't watch the ones with too much romance. Watch ones where guys get double-crossed. Then you'll get it."
Thor looked puzzled. "I don't fully understand… but I'll try to find one like that."
He walked off again. Jane Foster and the others were still nearby, discussing whether they should leave. James figured they should. The two seemed close now, even if they were arguing about it.
Just then, another rainbow-colored beam struck the ground in the distance.
James's heart rate spiked.
He had no gear with him—but SHIELD wasn't short on weapons. Sprinting to the town's highest point, he snatched a pair of binoculars from an agent and looked in.
There it was.
A massive metal figure.
"Phil," James called over the radio, "we've got incoming. Enemy contact confirmed."
"What is it?"
"A metal giant. It's not a robot. Can't read its power system, but it's moving right towards us. Get the last of the civilians out. And tell every SHIELD agent to fall back. I'll stay with Thor and his team."
"Can you stop it?"
"Probably not. Our weapons won't cut it. The best chance is if Thor can lift Mjölnir again. That may be the only way to stop it."
"So everything you've said is real…"
"Phil, people fell from the sky. I'm not making this up. This town might not survive the next hour. Make sure no one's left behind."
Time was short, but luckily the town wasn't big. People drove out, some were reluctant, but a group of serious-looking agents with badges made the message clear.
James began gathering gear from SHIELD vehicles—rifles, sidearms, and grenades. He had his own pistols, but they wouldn't do much here.
He grabbed a bolt-action sniper rifle, the M40A5. No chance of killing the Destroyer with it, but at 800 meters, he could at least create a distraction.
He pocketed a few grenades, then gave Cortana the signal.
[Internal space activated.]
The grenades disappeared into storage. James headed for high ground.
He wasn't going to strike first. The Destroyer had range. He had no idea what kind of range—but it was better to let Thor's people engage first. Then he could provide support.
With the town cleared and Thor's team moving, the four warriors prepared for combat. Lady Sif was the only woman among them, but she carried herself like a battle-tested fighter. The others flanked her with disciplined aggression.
James watched from his sniper spot, 800 meters out from the main road. He would've preferred 1,000 meters, but at that range, bullet impact would weaken too much.
The largest of Thor's companions rushed in. Lady Sif flanked from the side.
Solid tactics. But they didn't have the firepower.
"Cortana, anything on the Destroyer?"
[No. Asgardian tech structure and energy readings are outside Earth-standard ranges. Even with similar form factors, the core mechanics are fundamentally different.]
"I'm guessing the energy's in the chest. If I hit it dead center—what happens?"
[Unknown. Without more data, I can't determine the energy type or containment structure.]
James exhaled slowly. 'I need to get to Asgard someday. Learn what they're actually using up there.'
Phil watched the fight through the binoculars. Sif had climbed onto the Destroyer's back, extended her sword, and jammed it down into its core. It staggered, pinned to the ground for a second—but it wasn't enough.
The Destroyer's body twisted unnaturally.
"James, can you give them cover fire?" Phil asked.
"I can try. But don't stand near me—I have no clue how far that thing can shoot. If it sees my muzzle flash, I might not get a second shot."