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CHAPTER 53
🕑 Added 2025-06-27 14:37:09 +0000 UTCThe next morning, Aidan sent a detailed report to Agent Coulson.
To: Agent P. Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D. From: A. Parker, Consultant Subject: Analysis of Artifact M-1 (Mjolnir) Conclusion: The object is governed by a bio-ethical enchantment that restricts wielding to a specific psychological and biological profile. Non-sapient mechanical constructs, such as an AI-piloted suit, can manipulate the object's physical form but cannot access its primary energy source. It is, for all intents and purposes, a sophisticated 'smart' weapon that requires a specific living 'key' to unlock its full potential. Further study is required to decode the nature of the 'worthiness' parameter.
Coulson, meanwhile, was focused on a more tangible subject. Having compared security footage of the previous night's intruder with a photo from Jane Foster's research—a photo of her with a handsome, smiling man—he now had a positive identification. Suspecting Thor's true involvement in the strange events, he had the bewildered Asgardian taken into custody for further questioning.
Aidan, for his part, was occupied with his new acquisition. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent had delivered his Adamantium shield that morning. It was a perfect, unadorned circle of raw, grey metal that seemed to drink the light. Aidan spent an hour in a mobile workshop, the nanites from his suit flowing over the nearly indestructible metal, etching a complex spiderweb pattern onto its surface with microscopic precision. He then integrated a small electromagnetic chip, allowing it to be recalled to his hand on command. He held it up, admiring his work. It was a perfect fusion of indestructible material and advanced technology. Still, he thought with a smirk, it kind of looks like a toy.
While Aidan was busy customizing his new shield, the desert sky fifty miles to the northwest tore open. A blinding column of rainbow-hued energy slammed into the desert floor with a sound like ripping reality. The ground for miles around shook, and the air crackled with the taste of ozone and something else, something ancient and powerful.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. monitoring team reacted instantly, their equipment screaming with alerts from the massive energy surge.
"Aidan, want to come along?" Coulson asked casually as he passed by the workshop, already heading for a vehicle.
"No, I'll head straight to the town," Aidan replied, tidying up his tools. As Coulson was about to leave, Aidan turned back. "Agent Coulson," he said, holding out his hand. "Give me your ID."
"What for?" Coulson asked, puzzled, but he still pulled out his Level 6 S.H.I.E.L.D. badge.
"It'll be useful," Aidan said, taking the badge. "Don't worry, I won't do anything shady with it. I'll return it when I get back."
"Do you know something?" Coulson asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"I do," Aidan replied simply. "I'll explain later." Without another word, he turned and walked off.
A black-armored shadow streaked across the desert, a pair of metallic wings carrying Aidan swiftly toward the town of Puente Antiguo. His Alice-1 bio-suit had been upgraded, the micro-robots now able to fold into the appearance of regular clothes, and his entire system was powered by the new Arc Reactor element Tony Stark had provided.
He landed just outside the town and spotted several figures in ornate, medieval-style Asgardian clothing walking towards Dr. Selvig's lab. He went straight to the mayor's office. The mayor was a silver-haired old lady with a stern face, clutching a trembling Chihuahua to her chest.
"And who might you be, sonny?" she asked, eyeing the serious-looking young man who had just bypassed her secretary.
"My name is Aidan Parker," he said, "and this town is in imminent danger. You need to organize an emergency evacuation. Immediately."
"And why should I believe you?" she said with a skeptical chuckle.
"This," he said, lifting Coulson's high-level S.H.I.E.L.D. badge. "And this." As he spoke, his clothes began to shimmer with a cascade of black and silver liquid metal. In a flash, the swarm of micro-robots reassembled into a sleek black armored suit, making him appear a full size larger, towering over her. The Chihuahua yelped. A moment later, the armor folded back down into its compact state. "I believe that should be enough proof," he said with a faint smile.
The mayor stared, her mouth agape. She looked at the clearance level on the badge, then back at him, and immediately grabbed her phone to broadcast the evacuation notice. The town's two police officers and the handful of stationed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents quickly began to organize the orderly, if panicked, retreat of the populace.
Back at Selvig's lab, Jane and the others watched the confused exodus of the townspeople. "Should we be going, too?" she whispered to Thor and his Asgardian friends.
Just then—BOOM!—a loud, concussive explosion echoed from the edge of town. They exchanged looks, then rushed out into the street. There, looming in the distance, was a massive armored figure. The townspeople who hadn't already left now ran screaming, scrambling for their lives.
The Destroyer stepped onto the main street, its towering, silver-metallic body shimmering like rippling water. Each footfall landed with a heavy, resounding thud that shook the very ground. Its featureless face began to glow like a furnace, radiating an aura of lethal, cosmic power.
Thor's face went pale. He knew he was mortal now, a liability. "Friends," he said, his voice heavy with bitter acceptance. "I will only drag you down. I will get Jane to safety. You must handle this." He pulled Jane back, away from the battlefield.
Lady Sif and the Warriors Three stood tall, their weapons drawn, facing the approaching automaton head-on. "Draw its attention!" Sif shouted, breaking away from the group with her spear and shield, circling to attack from its flank.
The three warriors charged. The Destroyer unleashed a searing pulse blast from its faceplate, the beam of energy vaporizing a car and leaving a molten trench in the asphalt. The bearded Volstagg bellowed, "For Asgard!" He leaped forward, his twin axes raised, and swung them with all his might at the Destroyer. The sound was a deafening, metallic scream as the axes scraped uselessly against the Uru metal before the Destroyer swatted him away as if he were a fly, sending him crashing into a pickup truck, crushing its front half completely.
The Destroyer walked toward the downed warrior, its head glowing red, preparing to fire another pulse blast to finish the job. In that critical moment, Sif leaped from a rooftop, driving her spear deep into the back of its neck, right at the seam between its head and torso.
The Destroyer's energy flickered. It staggered, its head-beam fading. But just as the Asgardians began to relax, the energy surged again. The liquid metal of the Destroyer's body shimmered, flowed around the embedded spear, and then ejected it with contemptuous ease, the wound sealing instantly without a scratch. Its head twisted a full 180 degrees to look at Sif, who was now perched on its back. The furnace in its face ignited. Sif abandoned her spear and rolled away just as a focused pulse blast vaporized the spot where she had been.
Enraged, the Destroyer began firing wildly. One blast struck a gas station, triggering a massive, rolling fireball that engulfed half the block. The Asgardians were thrown by the shockwave, their enhanced durability the only thing that kept them from being killed on the spot. Sif ducked behind the burning wreck of a car, watching in horror as the Destroyer advanced step by step, its furnace-like face glowing once more as it gathered its energy and took aim directly at her hiding place.
Comments
KingSpy25i .
Thank you for the chapter 🙏
