Chapter 6
Amanda Waller smirked as she walked into her office. "I knew you'd come crawling here eventually."
Coulson looked up from his seat behind her desk. "I don't crawl, Amanda and I'm only here as a courtesy."
Waller raised an eyebrow. "Courtesy?"
"I come in the spirit of cooperation." Coulson continued.
"No doubt with the understanding that you'll do what you want no matter what I say?" Waller crossed her arms. Coulson grinned.
"We know each other so well. Let's make this easier on the both of us. You let us operate in Starling to investigate our unknown and we help you with that mercenary you're tracking…Deathstroke?" He grinned at Waller's stiff glare. "Nice name, lots of drama, though it does have the drawback of making him sound scarier than he actually is."
"Deathstroke is a serious threat." Waller growled.
"And yet you let him set up shop here." Coulson said.
"What are you talking about?"
"Does the name Shado Corp ring any bells?" Coulson asked. "It's a company that started about 4 years ago in Budapest. There was some concern about unauthorized experimentation and an ambassador's daughter went missing. Long story short we sent in 2 of our best. Barton jumped the gun, as usual and landed himself and Romanov in a hospital, but the hostages were freed and we got some interesting intel."
"What does this have to do with Deathstroke?" Waller interrupted. Coulson smiled.
"Romanov and Barton were practically taken out by one man."
"That's impossible." Even if the two agencies were often at odds, Natasha Romanov and Clint Barton were highly respected for their undercover work and fighting abilities by people from both ARGUS and SHIELD.
"The man they fought was enhanced with some type of super-serum. The DNA sample Barton managed to get showed traces of chemicals only used by Japanese scientists during WW2"
"Mirakuru." Waller frowned. "I thought the intel on it was that it was never fully successful."
"Well it appears they were wrong because somehow he got his hands on some and it works."
Waller closed her eyes. "If word gets out that there's a new functioning super serum out there, we'll have an arms race where everyone will try to create their own."
"I don't know how closely you've been paying attention, but we're already there." Coulson said.
Waller frowned. "General Talbot's experiments with Dr. Banner were not sanctioned by the government and I can't help but notice that SHIELD didn't intervene."
"We can throw blame all day long; it won't solve the issue. I've got an extraterrestrial unknown in the same vicinity as a power mad super-soldier who's trying to create more."
Waller stiffened. "Those deaths in the glades…" She began. Coulson nodded.
"They weren't overdoses." He sighed. "There was never any definite proof linking Deathstroke to Shado Corp, but we know he's affiliated. I would appreciate your help with this Amanda." He held out his hand. "Do we have a deal?"
Felicity frowned at her tablet, as she looked over the blog post again. Sipping her coffee she rubbed her forehead trying to make sense of what she was reading. She'd been searching the net to make sure there were no traces of Thor's arrival and had fallen through an internet rabbit hole into the weird world of alien sighting blogs when one in particular had caught her eye. Thor snored on the couch. Felicity glanced his way and smiled. She'd fallen asleep on the couch last night, but when she'd woken up she found herself in her bed. Thor had probably carried her there after she'd fallen asleep. He'd even been considerate enough to take off her glasses for her. The thought of him holding her made her blush.
Turning her attention back to the screen her frown deepened; the blog post she'd been reading was gone.
"Where did you go?" she muttered, looking, but finding no trace. It was if it had never been posted. Grabbing her lap top, she tried hacking the site, but there was still nothing. "Damn it."
"What troubles you?" Thor was sitting up, looking at her in amusement. His hair was tousled and his eyes were only half open. Felicity blinked at him. How did he look so good this early?
"You sound like my brother, Loki." Thor said as he stood and stretched. "He often made snide comments on my morning appearance."
Felicity put her head on the counter. "Why can't things stay in my head?"
Thor sauntered over to stand behind her. "What are you doing?" He asked, looking at her computer with curiosity.
"I've been checking the internet for any reference to weird lights in the sky. I wanted to make sure no one could find you here because it would be really bad if some crazy scientist found you and strapped you to a table to open you up and see how you worked." She shuddered. "Anyways, I found this article on a site, ironically called Roswell was real dot com. They didn't find your crash site, but they said there was another one. "
Thor's eyes widened. "Could someone have followed me?" He murmured.
"The guy who wrote the article was ranting about hammers falling from the sky and that before he got a better look, a bunch of people in black vans wearing suits showed up and blocked access to it. Which means –"
"Mjolnir." Thor said, his eyes lighting up. Felicity frowned.
"Mully what now?" She asked.
"Mjol – nir." Thor said slower. "My hammer." He was grinning from ear to ear. Straightening up, he scrunched up his face in concentration and held out his hand. Felicity didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned.
"Your hammer has a name?" She said.
"Yes." Thor said through gritted teeth.
"And you're trying to bring it to you using the Force?"
"You may want to open the door and then get behind me." Thor said, "I wouldn't want the door damaged or you injured as a result."
Felicity let out a disbelieving cough. Thor opened one eye and gave her a look. She scrambled to the door, opening it.
"Get behind me, lady Felicity." Thor said, this time it wasn't a request. He sounded genuinely concerned. Felicity moved to stand behind him. They waited, standing, watching the door. Thor's expression turned from concentration to irritation and finally to sadness. Dropping his hand he let out a frustrated yell.
"Maybe you're out of range." Felicity suggested. "Here," she went over to her computer. "I can hack the guy's account, then find his cellphone and use its built in GPS to see where he was Sunday night around the time I found you and then –"
Thor closed the door. He stood with his back to her, facing the closed door. "I am well and truly banished." He said. Turning slightly, he looked at Felicity. "Thank you for your efforts, lady Felicity, but it is of no matter. If I cannot summon Mjolnir it means the magic which binds us has been severed." His shoulders were slumped and for the first time, Felicity realized how much he'd been holding back. That he'd been putting on a brave face and hadn't really faced the truth of his banishment until this moment.
"I'm sorry." She said, coming closer to stand next to him.
"I brought this upon myself." Thor bowed his head, "I am not worthy of your pity." He turned away. Felicity felt a rush of anger at Thor's father. What kind of person forced someone to live in an unfamiliar place cut off from any person they could turn to for help? What kind of parent did that to their own flesh and blood?
"I don't know what you did." She said. "and I frankly I don't care. Whatever it was, I can't imagine that it was worth you being sent here alone."
Thor looked at her as if she were the strangest thing he'd ever seen. "How can you be so sure?" He asked.
"I'm good at reading people." She shrugged.
"Read?" Thor asked, softly.
"It means I can tell that you're a good person." She explained.
Thor gave her a sad smile. "In all the 9 realms," he said, reaching to push a hair back from her face. "I do not believe there is anyone quite like you, lady Felicity."
Her breath caught, his fingers were so warm and -
There was the sound of a key turning in the lock. Thor quickly pushed Felicity behind him as the nob turned and the door opened.
"I hope you're decent because I brought soup to help you…" Digg opened the door, and froze when he saw Thor standing in front of him with Felicity trying to peek over his shoulder.
"Hey Digg." Felicity grinned nervously. "Nice day we're having right? Not that I would know I haven't really left the house yet."
"I'll bet." Digg said, looking Thor up and down. "I thought you were sick."
"Well, that might have been a bit of a lie." Felicity said. "Maybe we should take this inside." She tugged on Thor's shirt. "It's okay, he's my friend." Thor looked at her, then stepped aside. Digg walked in. "You know, when I gave you that key it was for emergencies only." She frowned.
"Going MIA for 2 days without answering my calls is an emergency." Digg said. "Oliver and Sara told me you weren't feeling well and when you weren't in the lair this morning I decided to check on you." He looked back at Thor. "I didn't think you'd have company." He shook his head. "Look, I have no problem with you taking a weekend to…" he cleared his throat uncomfortably, "and lord knows you can't be honest with Oliver about it because he's Oliver, but at least give me a head's up?" He held up a bag. "That way I won't have to go and buy soup."
"Mmm that smells so good." Felicity stretched out her hand for it.
"Ah ah." Digg held it out of her reach. "You made me worry; now you get to watch me eat it." He held out his other hand to Thor. "Sergeant John Diggle, Special Forces."
Felicity rolled her eyes at Digg's protective instincts. "Former special forces." She muttered.
"You never really leave special forces." Digg retorted. "The training stays with you. Ready to be used in any given situation." He gave Thor's hand a squeeze which Thor easily reciprocated.
Thor grinned. "Thor Odinsson, it is good to meet a warrior of Midgard, Especially one who is a friend of the lady Felicity."
Felicity couldn't help but giggle at Diggle's wide eyed expression. He looked at her, unsure how to respond. "Did you meet at a Shakespeare festival?" He asked as he let go of Thor's hand.
"That's actually less weird than the truth." Felicity mumbled.
"The lady provided me shelter after my banishment." Thor explained. Digg gave him a blank look.
"Okay, if this is a joke, I don't get it."
Felicity bit her lip. She knew she could trust Digg, but she was unsure whether Thor wanted to trust him. Thor turned to her.
"What do you read from him?" He said, attempting to use Felicity's earlier phrase. She ducked her head, hiding her blush. Not only had he listened, he trusted her judgement.
"Digg's my best friend, he's basically my brother." She said. "You can trust him."
Thor nodded, looking at Digg, he squared his shoulders. "My name is Thor Odinsson, son of the Allfather and prince of Asgard."
Digg coughed, then looked over at Felicity as if waiting for a punchline. Felicity gave him a small nod.
"Digg, you might want to sit down." She murmured.
20 minutes later Digg was sitting on her sofa, shell shocked. Felicity handed him a cup of coffee.
"You okay?" She asked.
"Sure." He said, taking the cup but still looking at the ground. "I just tried to give the shovel talk to the god of thunder, I'm great."
"So you believe me?" She asked.
Digg rubbed his forehead and leaned his head back. "I must be out of my mind," he grumbled, "but I do." He looked over at Thor, "at least this explains why SHIELD is in town.
"SHIELD." Felicity's eyes widened. They must have been the men in dark suits near the second crash site.
"You know them?" Digg asked.
"They tried to recruit me." Felicity said. "How do you know them?"
"A mission that went south about 4 years ago in Budapest." Digg said. "It's classified, so I can't give details, but before we were able to intervene SHIELD took over. The things I saw there…shouldn't have been possible and today I saw one of their agents, Clint Barton, outside of the ARGUS building."
"You can't tell Lyla." Felicity said. "If they find Thor, they'll…well I don't know but something tells me they won't be sending him on an all-expense paid vacation to Tahiti."
"I know that," Digg frowned. "I just have one question."
Thor looked at him in surprise. "Only one question, Sergeant?"
"Only one that matters." Digg frowned. "I'm willing to help you in any way I can, but you being here puts Felicity in danger, so I want to know why you were banished."
"Digg." Felicity said. It was true she'd been curious, but hadn't wanted to push because she was worried about how Thor would take it. Digg didn't seem to care.
"Like she said, she's my family." Digg said. "I already lost a brother; I'm not losing her too. So I need to know that the guy she put herself in danger over is worth it."
Felicity was about to protest, when Thor put his hand on her arm.
"He is right lady Felicity, I owe you an explanation." He took a deep breath. "Thousands of years ago, the 9 realms were at war. Frost giants from Jotunheim fought us for control. My father defeated them forcing them to flee in terror back to their frozen realm. Ever since then Asgard remained unchallenged and we prospered." He paused. "It was the day of my coronation. All of Asgard had gathered to see me crowned the next king. It was glorious, there would have been feasting and tournaments for days, but Frost Giants entered Asgard before I could receive my crown and attacked. My father refused to let me take a squadron of warriors into Jotunheim to teach the Frost Giants a lesson so I went on my own with The Warriors 3, Sif and Loki." He paused. "We confronted Laufrey, the king of the Frost Giants who refused to explain how he'd managed to enter Asgard undetected…then he insulted my honor."
"Insulted your honor?" Felicity said. Thor nodded.
"He called me princess." He said, running a hand through his hair. "And implied I was a coward. The conversation then turned…less civilized."
Felicity bit her lip. "Let me guess, swords and battle axes?"
"On the part of Volstagg and Sif, yes." Thor said. "We fought them, but we may have been slightly outnumbered. Then my father arrived. I believed he had come to help us win the battle, but he came to compromise with Laufrey." Thor's hands balled into fists. "We argued, he refused to punish the Frost Giants for attacking Asgard and instead allowed them to continue unchallenged. He stripped me of my powers and banished me for disagreeing with him."
"And then you crashed in the middle of nowhere, where Felicity found you." Digg said. Thor nodded.
"I'm not going to pretend to understand Asgardian politics," Felicity said slowly. "So I can't really say if what you did was right or wrong. What I do know is you're here right now, and there's a bunch of suits looking for you." She sat up straighter. "And leaving you on your own would definitely be wrong." She shot Digg a challenging look. He shook his head.
"Just what she needs, another reckless man with more muscles than sense in her life." Digg muttered. "I'm with her, but I'm warning you, Thor. If she gets hurt as a result, I will be taking it out on you. God or not."
Thor nodded. "You seem to be a man of great honor, Sergeant Diggle, I hope to not disappoint you. And I swear that I will do everything I can to keep the lady Felicity safe."
Digg gave him a look of approval. Then he frowned and looked at Felicity. "What the hell were you doing driving out in the middle of nowhere at midnight on a Friday?"
"I-" She'd been hoping Digg wouldn't have picked up on that fact. "I…" She hung her head. "I was planning on going to the lair to see how Oliver was doing, because of the whole mess with his mom and…I saw something I probably shouldn't have." She mumbled. Digg's eyes widened. He knew, of course he did; she was probably the last one to know.
"No, I just figured it out yesterday." Digg said. "And yes you did say that out loud." He frowned. "In the lair?"
"He doesn't know I saw." Felicity said quickly.
"I'll bet he doesn't." Digg stood. "That doesn't make it right. What was he thinking?"
"He probably wasn't." Felicity muttered. "So it's official then, they really are…" She stopped, unable to voice it. Digg nodded, taking a sip of coffee.
"How could he do that to Laurel?"
"Laurel?" Digg choked in surprise. "Felicity, you are something else." He wiped his mouth and put down the cup. Felicity bit her lip.
"It's just, she's Sara's sister and after the whole boat thing them being...together is…" She shuddered.
Digg held out his arms and she stepped into them. "Sometimes, you need to think of yourself." He said. "You don't need to come to the lair today. "
"Thanks, I don't think I'm going to be able to go down there without the mats bringing back traumatic images." Felicity muttered. Digg groaned.
"The mats? We train on those things." He pulled away. "That's just unsanitary."
"Want me to order new ones?" Felicity said.
Digg nodded. "Then we can have a ceremonial burning of the old ones."
Felicity giggled. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."
"Be good you two." Digg said, looking at Thor.
"I would not presume to dishonor the lady Felicity." Thor said, solemnly.
"I like this guy." Digg said, "I'll let you keep the soup." He shut the door behind him.
Felicity grabbed the bag and opened it. "Breakfast!" She grinned, moving towards the kitchen. Turning, she saw that Thor was still in the living room. "Do you want to help?"
"If you require it of me." Thor said slowly.
"Why are you nervous?" Felicity asked. "It's just reheating soup and toasting some bread. Even you can't mess that up too much." She gave him a smile to show she was joking.
He came into the kitchen. "I was unsure that you would still treat me the same after you learned the reason for my banishment."
"Like I said," Felicity smiled. "I don't know anything about Asgardian politics." She shrugged. "There should be some toast in the fridge." She paused, turning to look at him with a serious expression. "Can I trust you to turn on the stove?" She giggled as Thor looked insulted.
"It will be difficult." He said, adopting her grave expression. "But I do believe I can manage."
"Good. The safety of Midgard is in your hands." Felicity stepped aside and went to the fridge.