FINDING ANSWERS

 

 

Jane Foster’s life had been turned upside down overnight. First, she had discovered a man in the middle of the desert. A man who, according to pictures she had taken herself, had fallen to Earth out of a rainbow-colored tornado. Then this same man had made cryptic remarks in answer to all her questions, only to kiss her hand and disappear into the desert in search of a fallen “satellite.”

Yet none of that had prepared her to walk back into her lab at Smith Motors and find it being raided by what appeared to be government agents. In the parking lot, men ripped equipment out of her utility vehicle, transferring it into large black vans. More agents came out of the lab, holding boxes and files in their arms.

Jane rushed forward and burst into the lab, her heart pounding and her fists clenched. “What is going on here?!” she demanded.

One of the men stepped toward her. He was slight, with thinning brown hair and a warm, friendly face. He held out a hand. “Ms. Foster,” he said, “I’m Agent Coulson, with S.H.I.E.L.D. We’re investigating a security threat.”

S.H.I.E.L.D.? What the heck was S.H.I.E.L.D.? Was it some part of the FBI or CIA that they kept hidden, like in those crazy cop shows? Jane had the uncomfortable feeling that this had something to do with Thor’s arrival. It was too big a coincidence.

“We need to appropriate your equipment,” Coulson went on, “and all your atmospheric data.”

“By appropriate, you mean steal?” Jane snapped. As if it weren’t obvious that they were taking whatever they wanted, with permission or not. “We’re on the verge of understanding something extraordinary.” She held up her notebook as proof.

Coulson leaned down and picked up the box at his feet. Then, reaching out, he snatched the notebook out of Jane’s hand and placed it on top of the pile. “Thank you for your cooperation,” he said, and turned to leave the lab. A moment later, the rest of the agents left as well.

Silence fell over the room as Jane, Selvig, and Darcy took in the damage. There was nothing left but a few small pieces of paper stuck beneath thumbtacks and a couple of loose pages of printer paper lying on the floor.

“Years of research, gone,” Jane said, defeated. “They took our backups! They took the backups to our backups.”

Selvig reached out a hand to comfort her, but she shook it off. He couldn’t help her. No one could. Then she looked out the window and a sliver of hope blossomed. Across the street, she saw Thor. He hadn’t made it to the crater yet after all.

Smiling, she raced outside. She had an idea. Thor was going to help her get her research back.

A few minutes later, she and Thor were in the van. The sun was beginning to set, and storm clouds were forming in the evening sky. Jane concentrated on the rough terrain, but out of the corner of her eye, she snuck glances at Thor. He looked excited, almost as though he were going into battle. Jane, on the other hand, wasn’t as confident.

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” she said, breaking the silence.

“You’re brave to do it,” Thor replied, glancing over at her. For the first time since she’d hit him, he gave her a genuine smile.

“They just stole my entire life’s work. I really don’t have anything left to lose,” Jane said.

“You’re clever,” Thor said. “Far more clever than anyone else in this realm.” She shot him a confused look. “You think me strange?” he asked.

Jane caught the laugh that threatened to bubble out of her. Strange? That was putting it mildly. “Who are you?” she asked, trying to change the subject, or at least to start getting answers.

Thor nodded. “You’ll see soon enough,” he said, looking up ahead.

Jane followed his gaze, and her eyes grew wide. They had found the satellite. Parking the van, Jane and Thor made their way to the edge of the valley ridge and lay down on their stomachs. Pulling out a pair of binoculars, Jane looked down. The valley was illuminated with bright lights that reached high into the night and spanned outward. Guard towers were set up with armed men sitting inside, while other men and women rushed about on the ground. A glass-walled command trailer was at the center of the station, and Jane could just make out something beyond it. It looked small and dark and was partially buried in the ground. The satellite! There were massive tubes and wires that snaked around the grounds, leading in and out of what appeared to be temporary offices. On the side of one of the buildings, Jane saw the word S.H.I.E.L.D. written in bold white letters.

She turned and looked over at Thor. It seemed what she was looking for and what he was looking for were in the same place.

Getting to his feet, Thor shrugged off his jacket and handed it to Jane. “You’re going to need this,” he said.

“Why?” Jane asked. As if in response, thunder rolled across the desert sky. Jane could have sworn Thor had commanded the thunder to do that.

“Stay here,” he said, ignoring her question. “Once I have Mjolnir, I will return what they stole from you.” He looked her deep in the eyes. “Deal?”

“No!” Jane yelled, surprising both her and Thor. “Look what’s down there! You can’t just walk in, grab our stuff, and walk out!”

“No,” Thor agreed, and Jane felt her shoulders relax. And then he added, “I’m going to fly out.”

Turning, he walked away, leaving Jane lying there with her mouth open. As he slipped into the valley, the first drops of rain began to fall.