"Nobody exists on purpose, nobody belongs anywhere, everybody's gonna die. Come watch TV."

-Morty Smith; from Rick and Morty (2014)

The air felt as if it had gotten heavier, the staticky feeling seeming to intensify. Not only that, but it was starting to lightly rain. Was that a good thing? Opal couldn't tell. Thor seemed to revel in it, finding the rainfall exceedingly comforting and motivating. For Opal, it was a distraction. The way down to the crater site had a steep decline and that meant slipping on dirt that was getting wet. As always, however, it seemed as though Thor was able to go down with ease, not at all bothered by conditions of the ground or the weirdness of the weather.

If I end up going to jail because of this guy, Opal thought miserably, or getting myself killed, I'm personally going to kill him.

"You're gonna have to slow down," she called out, catching herself as she slipped. "If I'm going to be the cover, you're gonna have to stay close to me."

Thor looked back at Opal for a moment, seeing her struggling to get down and catch up to him. He had to admire her determination, albeit it was hesitant. Thor could see that she wasn't as excited about the ordeal as he was, and he had to admit he did pressure her a little into accompanying him. But what was he supposed to do? That pet store Opal mentioned back in town didn't sell any horses, and Thor knew he couldn't get there quickly on foot. Odin had made his body mortal; Thor didn't have any of the typical Asgardian enhancements.

"Tell me how your abilities will keep us concealed," Thor announced, his voice booming over the intensifying rain.

Opal threw a heated glare his way. "First off, keep your damn voice down," she muttered. "Secondly, my telepathy can alter people's minds. I'm allowing them to see what I want them to see. As long as we don't physically touch them, and as long as my concentration doesn't break, they won't see us." Letting out a huff, Opal brushed some of her damp hair out of her face. "When I'm using my telepathy to conceal, especially when there's more than one person, I have to have that other person close to me. Which means you can't go wandering off. They'll notice you, which means they'll go looking for me."

A look of deep reflection came over Thor's face. What she said made a fair amount of sense. As long as they were in close proximity of each other, her powers should be able to keep them hidden. There were still some things about it that didn't make a lot of sense, but that could wait for another time. It was a sentimental thought, though, Thor thinking he'd stay on Midgard after re-possessing Mjølnir. Once the hammer was back in his care, Thor would call to Heimdall and finish what he'd started with the Frost Giants.

"Understandable," he responded. "As long as we remain undetected..."

"We will," Opal interrupted; her tone firm. "My telepathy isn't as strong as my telekinesis, but it'll do fine as long as you listen to what I have to say."

"You have my word," Thor replied; a hint of a smirk on his face. He was happy to admit Opal had feistiness about her. Thor had to acknowledge he found that feat admirable, if not a little attractive. On Asgard, Thor was rarely ever called out on his behavior, only when it started to cross boundaries did his friends and family speak up. Loki would do so by alerting guards or Heimdall. Sif and the Warriors Three would look for any kind of persuasion that would catch Thor's attention. Odin, as it would seem, found banishing his son to be a way to call Thor out on his behavior. It seemed a bit uncalled for, maybe even unnecessary, but Thor was willing to do whatever he could to prove himself. Even if it meant enduring his companion's feisty attitude.

"Good." Opal's eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded the tall blonde. The rain had Thor's hair clinging to his face and neck, his clothes - particularly his shirt - were starting to cling to him. Being able to sort of see the outline of his muscle beneath the dampening fabric made Opal's heart pound in her chest. Yeah, Thor was an attractive guy, but he knew just how attractive he was, which was a bit of a turn-off. A grimace almost worked its way onto the young woman's face. Was she really starting to think about Thor's attractiveness, right before they were about to pull some kind of break-in in a government facility? She had to be out of her mind. "Let's get this over with," she muttered. "I'd like to get home and cleaned up."

O.O.O.O

The rain had started falling faster, harder. Thunder rolled out in a seemingly continuous wave. Thor seemed pleased with the sound, while Opal found it a bit unnerving. Was there supposed to be some kind of hidden meaning with the sudden weather change? Was the hammer involved? That alone was a ridiculous thought. How could a hammer be responsible for changes in the climate? It was impossible. It had to be.

Before the duo reached the bottom of the decline, Opal threw one of her hands to her temple, her fingers pressing gently against the area as she activated her telepathy. That was a trick she learned from Charles at the institute. Having a hand on the temple while using telepathy in that manner seemed to enhance concentration, and Opal never questioned it. The method helped her, so why bother going against what Charles taught her? Hopefully, though, the telepathy would be enough to cover herself and Thor as they ventured through the facility. The closer the duo got to the facility, the more Opal started to wonder what was going on. It didn't look like any government officials were working on removing the satellite, it seemed like whoever decided to occupy the area was going to stay for a while. A chain linked fence covered the outward perimeter; Opal and Thor could see military vehicles and soldiers on the other side. Male and female soldiers were stationed at certain posts, other soldiers walking border with machine guns. Inside an obvious airtight, disposable base-of-operations, there were silhouettes of people inside.

"(This place looks really secure)," Opal said, telepathically linking her mind to Thor's. She could see his head snap in her direction at that. The reaction alone almost made Opal roll her eyes. She thought that, after everything he knew she could do, being able to mentally talk to him wouldn't be so surprising. "(Whoever's running this place doesn't want any intruders. They may as well have brought half the army with them)." When Thor opened his mouth to say something, Opal waved her free hand to shush him. "(Just think what you're going to say, I'll hear it)."

"(This shouldn't be a problem for me)," he responded. "(I've taken down far worse opponents)."

A grimace came across Opal's face. "(I'm telling you to not do anything stupid)," was her reply. "(They've got guns. They'll kill you in a heartbeat if you try anything)."

Thor's lack of a response made Opal feel a bit uneasy. She was already risking so much in hopes of keeping them hidden, and if Thor decided he wanted to go all Rambo on the soldiers and people down there, then he could deal with the consequences on his own. The choices he made would be his own, Opal came to realize that no matter what she said, Thor would probably go out and do them anyway.

"(How do we get over the fence without drawing attention to ourselves)?" she asked. She watched as Thor looked around, his face serious. Motioning her to follow him, the duo made their way to where over to a part of the fence the didn't go all the way into the ground. Thor knelt down and started pulling it up, making sure there was enough room for the both of them to get in. Opal made sure to keep an eye on the soldiers on the other side. Some of them were starting to look over, probably hearing some of the noise Thor was making. Extending her telepathy just enough to reach them, Opal rewrote their minds to make them go somewhere else. "(You'd better hurry. Some of those soldiers are starting to notice)," she said quietly.

"(Done)."

Looking down, Opal's brows arched when she saw the opening. Thor had dug a little into the mud to make it easier for them to get in, and the chain linked fence had been pulled up just enough for them to slide in without any trouble.

"(You go first)," Thor said. "(You'll be able to distract these soldiers, should any come over)."

Nodding, Opal lowered herself down, trying to keep her hand on her temple and her concentration unfaltering. It took a minute for her to wiggle her way through, but she did manage to get in. A bit of frustration filled Opal once she noticed all the dirt and mud that caught onto her clothes, but getting dirty on a mission like this was probably part of the job. Turning to see the soldiers while Thor worked his way through, Opal could tell that they were sensing something off. Some of them were starting to really pay attention to the perimeter, and that meant Opal's job had just gotten more difficult. Extending her telepathy even further, the young woman had to do a lot of rewiring of the soldiers' minds so they wouldn't come too close. A majority of them walked away, others looked a bit bewildered, instead going to talk to their companions.

Once Thor made his way in, he let out a soft puff of air. The rain was starting to pour relentlessly, the thunder seemed to intensify in sound. The two looked at each other for a moment, before making their way to the entrance of the facility.

O.O.O.O

"What's going on?" Coulson made his way to where the techs were. Things had started going downhill once the rain and thunder appeared. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best computers and heat signature devices were malfunctioning. All the cell phones were glitching. Not only that, but Coulson heard word from Barton that soldiers were starting to actively avoid a specific area of the compound.

"There's a massive electromagnetic surge going on," Sitwell said.

"Systems are failing," another agent responded.

"What's going on with our soldiers?" Coulson exclaimed, his tone clipped. "Barton says they're avoiding a part of the compound."

"We thought we saw something approaching," Sitwell said, "but it vanished before we could get a look at it." Coulson's face darkened. "Whatever it was, it could've manipulated our soldiers."

"I need someone to check out the perimeter immediately," Coulson ordered. "Check every part of the compound, make sure no one has come in or out." Picking up a walkie-talkie, Coulson got in touch with Barton. "You're our eyes upstairs," he said. "There may have been a breach, let me know if you see anyone who doesn't belong here."

"Got it."

Taking a deep breath, the older agent tried calming himself down. Coulson couldn't afford to lose composure, he had to make sure everything continued to run smoothly. If Fury got word of what was going on, he'd be down in a heartbeat; no one wanted that. Fury left Coulson responsible for the hammer mission, while everything with Tony was dealt with separately. Natasha should have a good hold on Stark for the time being.

The biggest question was how Barton or anyone else would find an intruder who made themselves go invisible?

(A/N):

I know this chapter's a bit overdue, but I hope you guys enjoyed it. I tried making it a long one, so hopefully you guys can at least find it tolerable at best. Constructive criticism is always welcome!

The MCU does not belong to me. All I own are my characters and the subplots I put in. If you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, PM me or leave a review.

Leave a thought on anything I can improve on.

Thank you.

Judith W