An Interesting Alliance (ON HOLD)

Chapter XV

Reyna

"What the hell is going on there?!" a woman's voice was heard while we were hauling equipment out of the lab and loading it into the waiting vans. All the agents ignore her and go on with their assignments as Agent Phil and I approached her.

"Ms. Foster, I'm agent Coulson and this is agent Ramìrez-Arellano, with S.H.I.E.L.D."

Selvig grew wary when he heard the name of our agency.

"I don't care who you work for, you can't do this!" 

"Jane. This is more serious than you realize. Let it go" Selvig tried reasoning with her. Emphasis on try.

"Let it go?! This is my life!" She looked at him with a hurt and betrayed look.

"We're here investigating a security threat. We need to appropriate your equipment and all your atmospheric data." I said slowly.

"By appropriate you mean steal?" Instead of answering, Phil handed her a check.

"This should more than compensate you for your trouble." He said formally.

She threw the check on the ground without looking at it. I swear, this woman is even more stubborn than Annabeth, Percy, and Piper.

"I can't just pick up replacements from RadioShack! I made most of that equipment myself!"

"Then 'm sure you could do it again." replied Coulson in a There there tone.

"And I'm sure I can sue you for violating my constitutional rights!" she cried indignantly.

"We're the good guys, Ms Foster." With that, Phil and I walked away but she had other ideas. She blocked our path and I could see that she was fully herself, fueled by outrage. We really don't have the time for this.

"So are we! We are on the verge of Understanding Something extraordinary!" She said holding up her notebook. "Everything I know about this phenomenon is in this lab and in this book. No one has the right to take it from me!"

Phil gestured to me and I promptly plucked the notebook out of Jane's hand and added it to a nearby agent's pile that he was carrying it. Phil left and I said something that I learned from to a stunned Jane. "Thank you for your cooperation."

I do feel guilty for provoking her. But everything should go as planned. I noticed a laptop on a counter. I took a look at it and I found out it was Selvig's. I grabbed it and went on my way. Phil knew what I was doing, and understood the seriousness of the situation. Now let's go talk this kid Joshua and point him to a book.

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A needle spiked on a handheld censor device. The technician holding it looked over at the hammer. Mjölnir began to give off a subtle glow. A bolt of lightning cracked across the sky above. It's time. I want to see how Thor looked and why he's doing here.

I hurried myself to the security room where a humorless agent Sitwell looking on, none-too-pleased next to a Techie in a headset monitoring the security. I gave a stiff nod to Sitwell who gave one back and listened to the Techie speaking:

"Feed from keyhole. Can barely penetrate the cloud cover." He hiked a thumb at another monitor, squelching with static. It shows an SAR shot of the area, laid over a terrain map.

"Tech's barely working as it is with all the interference that thing's giving off." He gestured toward the hammer. He checked a computer. "Hey, we've got a commercial aircraft coming in right over us. Southwest Airlines Flight 5434."

"Reroute it like all others" Sitwell and I said at the same time. We pointedly ignored one another.

"Right", said the Techie with a raised eyebrow at us, "Can I get the passengers some free drinks for the trouble?"

Sitwell glared at him while I just rolled my eyes. Ever since I met Percy, I had a higher stupid remarks tolerance. The Techie shrugged. "It'd be a nice gesture." He typed into the computer when he noticed something on another screen. he held up a hand. "Hold a sec... we got something outside the fence, west side..." He pointed at the screen. Through the haze, it showed a thermal image huddled beside the fence. A thrill of excitement coursed through my body. It must be him. I barely registered Sitwell calling two agents to check it out. I looked out the window, something  catching my attention only to see that a glow is coming from the hammer containment area. It's happening.

"Looks like we're good here. Must have been another coyote." The gargled voice of agent Jackson (not Percy) came out of the radio. We wait for further inspection but none came. Seconds ticked by and none of the agents we sent talked. Sitwell started to look worried and talked to the radio. "DeLancey, Jackson --- report."

The security monitors squelched with static and interference. Sitwell held his PDA -- even it's on the fritz. The three of us watched the monitors warily. On the monitor showing the hammer containment area, Mjölnir starts to crackle with energy.

I turn to the Techie. "Get Coulson". And Sitwell punched the alarm button.

I waited a few more minutes when suddenly an ATV crashed into one of the plastic tunnels, tearing it down and sending sparks everywhere. The ATV finally came to a stop, the tunnel collapsing around it. Every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent around rushed in behind to help the driver.

"What the fuck..." Sitwell muttered silently. I frowned. I didn't know that the god would make so much trouble. Unless he never visited Earth unlike the Olympians who fucked mortals on a daily basis. If that's the case. Then the situation is even more serious than I thought.

I saw Coulson standing at the lip of the crater barking out orders, as the guards in the tunnel rushed to cut off Thor.He activated his radio. "I want eyes up high. With a gun. Now"

I ran to the crater and said. "I don't think Thor ever came to Earth unlike the other pantheons."

He looked at me like I was crazy. "And you just realized that now!?" I glared at him but remained silent because he had a point. I didn't think it through. Coulson and I watched the commotion in the tunnel complex and we head off for the command trailer to enter the tunnels. Phil took his radio. "Barton. Talk to me."

"One shot, one kill, sir. Just give the word" he replied. At that I gave Coulson a pointed look. He met my gaze and sighed. "Don't worry, I won't kill him. Percy would be after my blood." At that he hurried through the tunnels and stopped short at the sight. An electrical storm erupting inside the structure ahead, directly above the crater... and the hammer.

"Don't make me regret my decision Reyna." he said to me once I was close enough.

I raised my eyebrow. "You won't."

Tell me what you think...