"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
The Quinjet erupted in laughter.
Tony laughed so hard he spilled his coffee, pointing at the screen where Thor was being dragged away in utter humiliation.
"'Royal Aura'? This is the 'Royal Aura' Henry was talking about? Getting tasered in the ass, sprayed in the face with a water gun, and finished off with a tranquilizer dart? I'm recording this. When Henry gets back, I'm looping this a hundred times!"
Banner and Blonsky tried to keep straight faces, but their shoulders were shaking uncontrollably.
Only Wanda looked at the screen with a sigh. The humiliation in Thor's eyes wasn't just shame—it was change. She could feel it. Something inside that prince was beginning to transform.
"Alright, alright, enough laughing." Tony finally managed to calm down. He wiped the tears from his eyes, a mischievous grin tugging at his lips.
He glanced at the navigation display showing their route back to Los Angeles, then at the feed of Thor being dragged into custody. After a moment, he shook his head.
"Jarvis, maintain course. Head back to Malibu."
"What?" Pietro, still chuckling, looked up in surprise.
"Tony, shouldn't we help him? The guy in the suit looked like he couldn't wait to cut that big blond oaf open for research."
Tony gave him a look and snorted. "Help him? What, and ruin my brother's plan?"
He knew Henry far too well.
That bastard never did anything without a reason.
If Henry sent Thor in alone, it meant getting captured was part of the plan. From start to finish, this entire thing was one big setup Henry had laid for the golden-haired prince.
If Tony barged in now and pulled Thor out, not only would it wreck Henry's operation, that smug bastard would complain about it for an entire month, lecturing him about "ruining the grand design."
No way in hell was he giving him that satisfaction.
"Relax." Tony leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other with that signature I know everything expression.
"My dear brother is probably hiding in some café right now, sipping iced lattes while admiring his handiwork. If we interfere, we'd only be wasting time. Let him have his fun."
He paused, then added, half to convince himself and half to reassure the others.
"Besides, we've got bigger things to deal with. Hydra's data, the Peterson mess—real work for real professionals. We're not here to play side characters."
Still, despite the words, Tony's eyes never left the holographic screen.
Henry, you bastard... don't mess this up.
...
New Mexico – Local Café
Henry stirred the ice in his glass with a spoon, smiling faintly as the screen showed Thor being dragged into a makeshift interrogation room.
"Oh, poor Prince Charming." Henry shook his head, not with pity, but with amusement. "Welcome to Earth. Lesson one—big fists don't make you the boss. Sometimes, a single tranquilizer dart is all it takes to remind you of equality."
His tone made Jane and Darcy even more restless.
Was this guy seriously not worried at all?
"Henry Stark!" Jane finally snapped. She stood up, hands pressed against the table, leaning forward in frustration. "They took Thor! Why aren't you worried? He's your friend!"
"Correction, Dr. Foster." Henry looked up, flashing a dazzling smile.
"He's not my friend yet. At best, he's a long-term collaborator. And who said I'm not worried?"
He gestured toward the holographic screen.
"See? I'm watching him in real-time. High-definition, first-person angle. I promise, if they so much as try to pull out a fingernail—or, god forbid, force him to watch Twilight—I'll storm in and tear the place down within 0.1 seconds."
Darcy mumbled under her breath, "Honestly, Watch Twilight might be worse than losing a fingernail…"
Henry ignored her. He turned serious, looking back at Jane's anxious face.
"Jane, trust me. This is all part of the plan. Thor doesn't need saving—he needs growth. A prince raised in divine comfort who's never lost a fight can't possibly understand human fragility or courage. He needs to fall, to fail, to be dragged through the mud before he can understand what it truly means to protect something."
He shrugged lightly.
"The next steps are simple—Coulson's interrogation, Loki's lies, and Thor's despair when he finally lays down his pride. Every moment is a trial he must face to become the real God of Thunder."
"If I step in now, it's like helping a student cheat on their final exam. It might seem helpful, but it ruins them in the long run. My goal isn't just to help him lift the hammer again…"
Henry's gaze deepened.
"…it's to take him to Asgard—to make him the true Thunder God, one who's mastered Uru metal and divine magic. A hotheaded fool isn't worth much. A reborn god, though… that's a different story."
Jane stared at him, still uncertain, yet somehow her anxiety eased. There was something about the calm confidence in Henry's eyes, like he truly had everything under control.
"So what do we do now?" she asked, sitting back down.
"Simple." Henry closed his laptop.
"We wait."
"Wait?"
"Yep. Wait for nightfall." A mysterious smile curved his lips.
"Daytime belongs to rules. But night… night belongs to miracles. Come on, ladies, dinner's on me. There's a Mexican place nearby that's not half bad. Let's hope our prince is eating something half as good tonight."
Darcy blinked.
"Are you sure you're not just trying to piss him off?"
...
Nightfall
Henry, Jane, and Darcy returned to the trailer.
Thor still hadn't come back.
Jane was pacing nervously, while Darcy sat on the couch munching popcorn, eyes glued to the S.H.I.E.L.D. security feed Henry had pulled up.
"Wow. Their nightlife's wild—patrols, infrared sensors, pressure triggers. That base is tighter than a bank vault. I don't think Thor's getting out anytime soon."
"Don't worry, Jane." Henry leaned back on the sofa, spinning a small metal part between his fingers. He looked utterly relaxed.
"I happened to intercept their security schematics. Pathetic, really. For example—the north perimeter's electric grid goes offline for thirty seconds every night for system checks. And their cutting-edge motion sensors? Not great with rain."
He paused, glancing at the clear sky outside.
Jane froze for a second, then realization dawned on her.
He was creating an opportunity.
Henry could've easily stormed the base himself—but instead, he was setting the stage for Thor to earn his own freedom.
He didn't explain. He didn't have to.
Some lessons could only be learned through struggle.
He pulled out his phone and typed a message to Tony.
"Training session going well. Student currently experiencing 'behind bars' module. Predicting an important jailbreak tonight. Also, the donuts here are dry and hard. Bring me some from the best shop in L.A. – Your professor brother, Henry."
A few minutes later, Tony replied.
"Received your teaching report. Sounds like your student's failing. Jarvis already turned his footage into a GIF pack—planning to premiere it at your next party. Also, your donuts have been confiscated as punishment for skipping team activities. – Your headmaster brother, Tony."
Henry chuckled helplessly.
That tsundere idiot.
Pocketing his phone, he stood and joined Jane by the window, both gazing toward the distant, heavily guarded base.
"Sometimes," Henry said softly, "to pick something up… you first have to learn to let go."
Jane nodded slowly, not sure she fully understood, but feeling the weight of his words nonetheless.
Outside, the night deepened.
Henry knew this would be a long one.
Tonight, Thor would crawl through the mud—and be reborn.
And soon, Loki, his beloved brother, would send the Destroyer.
Henry looked up at the starry sky, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Hurry up," he whispered. "I can't wait to see just how tough Uru metal really is."
***
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