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Puente Antiguo, New Mexico.

Justin's fingers tightened slightly in Darcy's hair, a calming anchor as he faced Loki. The room seemed to shrink around them, the morning light filtering through the curtains danced across Loki's arrogant face.

He didn't feel threatened necessarily, more like… Wary.

Loki wouldn't easily be able to truly harm him, but the harm he could do to his plans just by being himself? There was quite a high risk factor there.

Loki's eyes gleamed with malevolent curiosity, his smile a serpent's promise. "You seem tense, mortal." He purred, leaning forward. "Surely, you did not expect me to ignore such an intriguing story." He waved a hand dismissively, scoffing, "Your myths are wrong of course, exaggerations because your feeble minds could not take in all that we were, there is no Baldr, I have not birthed Sleipnir nor Fenrir or Jormungar, nor Hela…" His eyes narrowed, a dangerous smile playing at his lips, "Alas, I do know of them, Hela is mentioned in your myths, but never in such a manner as you spoke of to fool that oaf Thor."

He paced before the bed suddenly, cloak swishing behind him, almost a manic quality to his movements, "He's easily fooled, of course, norns know I've run circles around him for centuries, but it still brings me to the question of why?" The last was hissed out, as Loki stopped haughtily before him, looking down at him, "What purpose could a lowly mortal such as you have to attempt to bring this story to the Allfather?"

Justin kept his expression composed, though inwardly he cursed the trickster's sudden appearance again, he was too unpredictable. Justin had a feeling even Loki didn't know what Loki would do in most situations. "Ancient knowledge isn't confined to books alone, Loki, at least I'm assuming you're actually Loki…" He added, putting some hesitation in his voice, a raised eyebrow in query.

At Loki's irritated nod, he continued, "Some truths are whispered through time, passed down in ways that only the truly curious can uncover." He cocked his head, resting back against the headboard, one hand petting Darcy's hair as he put on a mien of relaxation.

Like there truly was no threat here at this moment.

Loki's smile widened, but his eyes grew colder. He really had quite the expressive face for a liesmith. "Is that so? And you, a mortal businessman, have somehow stumbled upon secrets that even Asgardians do not speak of? How fortuitous. Pray, indulge me. Where did you hear of Hela, the so-called firstborn of Odin?"

Justin knew he had to tread carefully. "I have resources beyond your imagination of what a mere mortal can do, Loki. Some of these resources led me to the Ancient One - I'm assuming you're aware of who she is?"

Ideally he'd be a mystery Loki wanted to solve later, and he'd leave things alone for now - if not believing his words, not exactly disbelieving it all either. And by the time this debacle was done, he'd be falling, and wouldn't be Justin's problem for quite some time.

Loki looked even more irritated, "Of course." He said haughtily, "The fact you do, is surprising, and almost lending you some credence." He acknowledged, before smirking cruelly, "If it wasn't obvious you're hiding the real truth. You can not lie to me, Justin Hammer!"

With the thunderous voice he'd used there, Justin was glad Darcy had been so wrung out until she was barely holding onto her last sliver of sanity and energy - because even with that noise, she didn't even twitch in the bed, still deeply out of it.

Justin mildly replied back, "I wouldn't be foolish enough to lie against the liesmith himself, I am of course not telling the full truth, I have confidences to keep, you understand, but in no way could I outlie the god of cunning and lies."

Loki laughed coldly, "Flattery will avail you nothing, mortal." He said, not even appearing to notice how he was preening slightly.

Justin just stared at him blandly, his glasses able to confirm to him that Loki was not here in person. He could hardly tell the projection apart from the real thing, but the monitors in his glasses could detect no heat nor sound from Loki's general vicinity. "It's not flattery, it's simple facts, all the myths agree on this at least." He said, because if Loki was going to be dissuaded by something so simple, he'd be a fool not to utilize it.

Loki's eyes flashed with amusement, even as his lips twisted in mockery, "An amusing attempt mortal, but I'm not as easy as the mortal women who flutter at the smallest amount of honey in their ears. You will not bed me, no matter the flattery."

Justin really hadn't intended to. Did Loki really get so little respect and compliments he immediately thought Justin was trying to sleep with him? All the more reason to fuck Odin's day up by having him confronted with the Hela bullshit, what a crapsack of a father. "My apologies, it had not been my intent." He said dryly.

At least it had all somewhat derailed the 'interrogation', distracting Loki.

"I grow weary of your pathetic attempts at misdirection, reveal your source of this… Firstborn of the Allfather…" He demanded imperiously.

Or not.

Justin sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "The Ancient One herself lies behind my knowledge." He lied, mentally sending an email through his link to his glasses to the Ancient One, detailing some of this little talk just in case - especially if Odin would check later… "She holds many secrets, as I'm sure you're aware. In a conversation with her, Hela's name surfaced. A small mention, almost an afterthought, yet it piqued my interest in more."

The Ancient One would play ball if for whatever reason Loki sought her out, he was almost certain. She was certainly enough of a troll to enjoy such subterfuge. Although it likely meant she'd have her own questions for him. It was better than Loki, either way. Hopefully Odin wouldn't have time to question Loki either, and Thor knew nothing of this talk, so he should be covering all his bases.

Loki's eyes narrowed, a flicker of surprise quickly masked. "The Ancient One told you this, you claim? She is indeed a keeper of many arcane secrets, for a mortal. But why would she reveal such a detail to you, of all people?"

"My curiosity in old myths entertained her, perhaps," Justin replied smoothly, sitting up a little straighter. "Or maybe she saw the benefit in enlightening someone about Asgard and the wider universe who could handle such knowledge responsibly. Unlike others, who might use it for personal gain or destruction."

Loki's laugh was sharp, a mocking sound that grated against Justin's nerves. "Oh, you mortals and your self-importance… You have no place in the wider universe! Tell me, what else did the Ancient One reveal? Did she regale you with bedtime stories of Asgard's dark past?" He mocked, a sneer on his lips.

Justin leaned back slightly, adopting a more casual posture again. "Not quite. She merely hinted at Hela's existence. My own research - with her permission - of some of her orders repositories of knowledge, filled in some gaps. Stories buried deep within the Nordic myths, fragments that speak of a fierce warrior, a conqueror. Someone Odin would rather the nine realms forget."

He shook his head, explaining further, lying further, "All in all it was barely a paragraph, mentioning the firstborn daughter who conquered the nine realms for him, only to be banished, tied to his lifeforce, hungering for her return, and her revenge." He shrugged lightly, "I found it suspicious enough that it was only mentioned behind the protected wards of the Ancient One, which gave the whole erase history part of it some credence - you'd know better if Odin was the kind of man to banish his child and erase all knowledge of her…"

Considering they were having this conversation due to the banishment of Thor, the point was a lot more poignant. Also this was literally the perfect time in the timeline to disparage Odin's parenting in front of Loki.

He'd be ready to believe it already, perhaps enough to not push deeper, or question things.

Loki's expression turned calculating, his eyes probing Justin's, at least not immediately disregarding the information, likely because Justin had put the source as the Ancient One. "And why, pray tell, would you share such information with Thor? What do you gain from sowing seeds of doubt and discord among Asgard's royalty?"

Justin met Loki's gaze evenly, masking the tumult of thoughts racing through his mind. He wasn't sure if Loki believed him or not, but it could be bad if Asgard came to have the belief he was trying to institute a coup or something with this knowledge. "Thor is here, on Earth. His presence affects us all. If there are hidden truths that could impact our world, I believe it's in everyone's interest to bring them to light. Asgardian politics and secrets have a way of spilling over into our realm after all, or we wouldn't have so many myths..."

Loki's lips curled into a predatory smile. "You are a sly one, Hammer. But I see through your ploys. You seek to manipulate Thor, to use him for your own ends. What makes you think you can control a god?"

Loki's posture changed, the air around him thickening as his aura became more threatening, green smoke wafting off the fingers of his right hand as he smirked maliciously.

Justin's own smile was a mere twitch of the lips - the fact he knew Loki was only a projection helping him keep his cool. "Control is such a harsh word. Influence, perhaps. Guide. Thor is powerful, going by the myths, but having met him… He is also frightfully naive. He needs someone who understands the intricacies of both our worlds to help him navigate this... Exile."

Let Loki believe his interests lay in manipulating Thor for his own purposes on earth; it was a better outcome than believing he was interfering in Asgards business. Loki of course didn't know Thor's banishment was literally going to end within the day.

If he would be here for years or decades, Justin's viewpoints made more sense, just a businessman taking advantage. Nothing to see here.

Loki's eyes flashed with anger for a moment, then he regained his composure, his tone dripping with condescension. "And you believe you are that someone? A mortal with delusions of grandeur? Thor may be naive, but he is not easily led."

Okay wow, he said that with a straight face… Justin thought with bemusement.

Thor was in fact incredibly easily led. Perhaps not later, but for now, he was in fact very simple.

And hadn't Loki literally been running circles around him for their entire lives?

"I'm not looking to lead Thor in the manner you suggest," Justin replied calmly. "I'm looking to ensure that when he does return to Asgard, he does so with a clearer understanding of what his responsibilities entail to Earth, the mystery of Hela was a passing fancy to see if there was any truth behind it, minor in the face of ensuring Thor settles in well in our realm."

Loki's expression darkened, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You tread on dangerous ground, Hammer. You meddle in affairs far beyond your comprehension. What makes you think you can handle the consequences of your actions?"

Justin's eyes hardened. "I've faced challenges before, Loki. I'm not afraid of a little risk. But understand this - my primary concern is Earth's safety. If that means uncovering uncomfortable truths, so be it." He patted Darcy's head lightly, "I am only looking to the safety of Earth, that is all, if Hela is real or not is only a curiosity, not worth the effort if it's going to have this kind of reaction."

Of course, Justin had a feeling that at this point, Loki as well as Thor, would not forget about Hela and Odin, and would seek answers at some point.

All the better.

The sooner it was revealed, perhaps they could work out a way where Odin wouln't just die and leave the problem to everyone else without any warning whatsoever.

Loki's smile returned, but it was devoid of warmth. "Very well. Play your games, mortal. But remember, you are dealing with forces that can crush you without a second thought. Pray you do not find yourself at the wrong end of Asgardian wrath."

With that, Loki vanished as abruptly as he had appeared, leaving Justin alone with Darcy in the dimly lit room. He exhaled slowly, his mind racing through the implications of their conversation. Loki knew more than he let on, and he had a feeling he hadn't quite succeeded in lying at times. Justin would need to tread even more carefully moving forward. The stakes had just been raised, and the game was far from over.

The situation was going to be settled today, one way or another.

Surely Loki wouldn't be able to mess it up too much in one day…

Justin rested his head back against the headboard, laughing to himself.

What was he even saying?

He called Sunil, his glasses flashing, speaking up the second the man answered, "Get the team together, get Kaecillius on standby to portal them all to my location at a minute's notice."

"And the Green Goblin, sir?" Sunil replied politely. Reminding him that they were already on partial standby for Osborn in the first place.

"Will have to wait, or be left to Tony if Osborn does pick now of all times to actually show up." Justin groused, displeased that the matter hadn't been resolved yet.

"Do you want me to notify Stark of that, sir?" Sunil asked, "In the spirit of cooperation and such."

Justin thought it over, before dismissing it with a shudder. "No." He simply told Sunil, his thoughts already seeing the worst case scenario.

If they informed Tony that the team couldn't assist with any Goblin sighting, he'd research why immediately.

The last thing he needed in this mess he had on his hands was Iron Man swooping down into it.

"Keep the team ready, I have a feeling today is going to be busy." He finished the call, getting out of bed.

Loki… You better not mess this all up for me…

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The breakfast buffet at the hotel was a simple but plentiful spread, offering an array of options from freshly baked pastries and assorted fruits to sizzling bacon and fluffy scrambled eggs. The dining area was bathed in the warm morning light, the glass windows offering a view of the town awakening to a new day.

For a small hotel, it was actually quite nice, if not to a standard he'd gotten accustomed to.

Justin, Domino, and Phantazia sat at a large table, strategically positioned to oversee the room. They were joined by Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, and Thor, whose towering presence made the table feel smaller. Justin casually sipped his coffee, taking in the rich aroma, while Thor eagerly attacked his plate, seemingly enchanted by Earth's breakfast offerings.

They'd had a chance to talk again this morning, and Justin's careful prodding had shown that Thor in no way realized he had been manipulated, nor had he apparently been told the lie that his father was dead this time around - Loki never showing himself to him.

A change, but a minor one, that hopefully wouldn't derail Thor's self sacrificial ways. He really didn't want to have to put up with Thor for years if he didn't reverse the banishment now.

Not to mention the issue of Loki in that case.

Jane's eyes darted around the table, her brows furrowed in suspicion. "Where is Darcy?" she asked, her tone sharper than normal, as her hands flailed uselessly in the air for a moment. "I haven't seen her all morning." Her gaze settled on Justin, an accusatory edge to her look.

Before Justin could respond, Domino leaned in with a sweet, almost saccharine voice. "Oh, she's a bit comatose," She said, her eyes twinkling mischievously, even as she licked her lips in a very particular manner.

Domino, why are you like this? Justin thought, continuing with his coffee, just pretending that for once it was a calm, relaxing morning.

Jane's face turned red with anger. "What did you do to her?" She demanded, her voice rising, causing heads to turn in their direction. Thor's fork paused mid-air, and he set it down, frowning.

"What has happened to Lady Darcy?" Thor inquired, his tone serious and concerned.

Justin sighed, putting his coffee down and focusing on his scrambled eggs. "Nothing you need to worry about, Thor," He murmured, hoping to defuse the situation. "She's perfectly safe."

But Domino, ever the provocateur, decided to elaborate. "Well, you see," She began, leaning back in her chair, eyes alight with mischief, "It's a bit like the birds and the bees, but with a touch of BDSM." She shivered a little theatrically, "Or a lot of touch, we took really good care of her, scouts honor ~."

Justin closed his eyes momentarily in exasperation, and mechanically took a bite of his eggs. If he just ignored them all, it was just like having a peaceful breakfast.

"We?" Phantazia picked up on immediately, turning her head in Domino's direction, brow furrowed, something Justin couldn't decipher this early in the morning, in her gaze.

Domino smiled, looking actually sheepish, "Slip of the tongue." She lied, cocking her head cutely, attempting some form of puppy dog eyes.

No one at the table believed her. She didn't pull off innocent very well.

"I'm sure you slipped her some tongue alright…" Phantazia murmured irritably, jerking her head away from Domino, stabbing her breakfast sausage with gusto.

Jane's face paled, then flushed with embarrassment and fury. "What? You… You… Both!?" She stammered, unable to find the words, steam practically erupting from her.

Thor's frown deepened, his eyes narrowing at Justin. "Explain," he demanded, his voice a low rumble.

It really was quite ridiculous how Thor had attached to them so quickly, did Asgardians imprint like animals?

Justin rolled his eyes slightly, finally setting his fork down. "She's fine, Thor. Just a bit tired after a… Long night. She consented, if that's what you're worried about."

Thor seemed to settle at that, going back to his food, uncaring now that it had been established Darcy was not in danger, or taken advantage of.

Of course Justin could have lied, which Thor apparently hadn't even imagined for a second. How quickly he made allies, wasn't that long ago that Justin was looked upon with scorn and suspicion.

Getting him out from SHIELD, housing and feeding him, was really enough, wasn't it? He was like an overly large dog. Justin had a feeling if he threw a ball, Thor might actually chase it. He would have to resist the notion.

Jane's eyes flared with indignation. "Consent? You think that's all there is to it? She's my friend, and she deserves respect, not to be treated like some… Some thing you can play with!"

Justin felt a flare of annoyance, his dislike of Jane's general stupidity with Thor expanding to new avenues - he couldn't stand women who decided for other women based on their own morals. Darcy had come to him of her own free will, she had been fairly insistent actually.

Domino shrugged, unfazed with Jane's outrage. "Trust me, she had a good time. Better than good, actually." She smirked, "There's a reason she isn't up yet, I doubt her legs are up for it…"

Jane opened her mouth to retort, but Erik placed a calming hand on her arm. "Jane, let's not jump to conclusions. Darcy is an adult, and she can make her own choices."

Jane looked between Erik and Justin, her anger simmering but contained. "Fine. But I want to see her as soon as possible." She muttered, crossing her arms almost petulantly. "I'll believe it when Darcy says she's okay."

Justin was having second thoughts about recruiting her now. If only they hadn't signed the contracts last night while he'd been… Busy, with their intern. Oh well, not like I have to actually have anything to do with her, although hmm, if I want to see Darcy again…

Perhaps he could lure her away with a better internship. Under him.

Phantazia, who had been quietly observing the exchange, leaned closer to Justin. "Our security teams have spotted more Asgardians heading directly towards us." She murmured, hiding her mouth behind a hand. "SHIELD are mobilizing but keeping their distance."

Good, like he'd ordered. It seemed Garrett and Sitwell did value their lives slightly. Enough to play ball for now anyway.

Justin raised an eyebrow, outwardly calm, inwardly nervous that something would go wrong. "How many?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

"Three men and one woman," Phantazia replied, her eyes scanning the room for any immediate threats, like Asgardians would just pop up from behind the plants or tables in the room.

Thor's ears perked up at the mention of more Asgardians, having somehow heard them despite being as quiet as they were. "Are you expecting company from Asgard, Thor?" Justin asked, his tone neutral, having noticed his attention. "Three men and a woman, to be specific."

Domino began wolfing down her breakfast, like a woman perfectly aware everything was likely to go to shit soon and stocking up on calories in advance.

"Dom!" Phantazia said with disgust, wrinkling her nose, she just smiled and winked, continuing to shovel the rest of her breakfast in.

Thor's face lit up with a broad smile as he realized after a few moments who was likely to come see him. "My friends! They must have come to aid me!" He stood up abruptly, nearly knocking over his chair in his excitement. "Lady Jane, forgive me," He said, placing a large hand on her shoulder. "I must go greet my friends."

Jane watched him go with a mix of confusion and worry, her eyes following him until he disappeared from sight. Justin inwardly groaned, no matter what anyone says, she's still smitten.

Justin turned his attention back to Jane and Erik, trying to formulate it in a different way to get through to the thick headed scientist. "Dr. Foster, I understand your interest in Thor on a purely physical level, but you need to consider the reality of your situation," He said softly, trying to not come off as too annoyed, "Getting involved with an alien, especially one with such a vastly different lifespan and responsibilities, is… Well, it's insane."

Thor would be better served in Asgard, making sure it didn't go to hell, then down here trying to play house in a doomed relationship.

Erik nodded, thankfully agreeing with Justin, his expression was serious as he addressed Jane. "Jane, you know deep down that he's right. It would be like me trying to go to a Zoo and form a relationship with a chimpanzee. There can be no real connection beyond the physical. No future."

Jane looked at Erik in shock, her mouth opening and closing as she searched for words. "Erik, that's a terrible analogy!" She managed to splutter out.

"It's the truth, Jane," Erik insisted. "The differences are too great, there can be no commonality." He hesitated, before pushing on, "Jane, it's purely carnal, this fascination of yours, it will only lead to you being hurt."

Jane muttered something under her breath, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red. "I'm fine with a little carnal," She mumbled, immediately blushing furiously as she realized everyone heard her.

Domino gave her a thumbs up, which seemed to infuriate her, and Justin sent his bodyguard a quelling look. He didn't need any complications right now, not when Dr Selvig was actually helping him knock some sense into the woman.

Hardly hired for more than a few hours, and he already deserved a raise.

The doors to the dining area swung open soon after, and in strode Thor and the Warriors Three - Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg - followed closely by Lady Sif. Their entrance was dramatic, their armor gleaming, their weapons at the ready. Thor was greeting them with hearty hugs and laughter, looking more pleased then he'd been since anytime Justin had seen him so far.

"Thor, my friend!" Fandral exclaimed, his blonde hair falling perfectly around his face as he clasped Thor's forearm, his eyes on the people in the dining hall. "We feared you might be in danger, so of course we set out to be by your side again, and here you are feasting with beautiful ladies!"

Thor's smile was broad as he embraced each of his friends. "It is good to see you all. I have missed Asgard and my comrades." He said, a wobble to his words for a moment.

Justin barely held back a grimace, he just wanted this situation over with. Fucking Asgardians, the man had only been gone for a little under two days!

Didn't these people sometimes go decades without seeing each other? Or was Thor just special.

Volstagg, his girth making the hug more of a bear squeeze, patted Thor on the back. "We could not leave you here alone, not with the troubles you have faced. And I must say," he added, his eyes drifting to the buffet, "Finding you in the middle of a Midgardian feast is quite the good luck."

As Thor turned to the others, to no one's surprise Volstagg migrated to the buffet table.

Hogun, the silent and stoic warrior, nodded his greeting, his dark eyes showing a hint of concern. "Thor, we are here to bring you back. Your place is in Asgard." He stated firmly and gruffly.

Sif stepped forward, her armor clinking softly. Her eyes, sharp and fierce, softened slightly as she looked at Thor, and hard again as her gaze swept over them all. "We feared for your safety, Thor. Loki's machinations could be a risk to your life, if you were to perish, he'd be King." She looked at him with a slightly pleading expression, "Hogun is right, we need you back!"

Thor's expression grew more serious. "I cannot return yet. I am not worthy to wield Mjolnir, and until I prove myself, I cannot face our father." He sighed wearily, laying a hand on Sifs shoulder, "You also judge Loki too harshly, I'm sure whatever issue you have with him, it's not what it seems."

Sif seemed to disagree, but also refused to openly question Thor in front of strangers, if her glance at them was any tell.

Fandral's face showed genuine sympathy as he patted Thor on the back. "We understand, Thor. But we are here to help you in any way we can, surely we can figure out a way for you to regain your hammer?" His gaze shifted to the table, landing on Phantazia and Domino. His smile turned charming immediately as he preened slightly. "And who are these incredibly enchanting women?"

Domino raised an eyebrow, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Not interested, twink." She sniffed, giving him a cruel dismissive once over, "A five at best."

Phantazia scoffed, adding with a chilled glare, "You wouldn't survive a day with either of us, I assure you."

Fandral's smile faltered slightly but quickly recovered. "A challenge then! I do love a good challenge." He cocked his head curiously, "One question if I may ask, what is a twink?"

Justin ignored it as Domino leaned forward with unholy glee in her eyes. The man was an Asgardian, he would survive. He switched his gaze to the others instead, studying them, finding nothing but more foolishness. He suddenly could sympathize with Loki.

Not only Thor, but these ones as well, for centuries? No wonder he went mad.

Volstagg, meanwhile, had already begun piling a plate with an assortment of food, his eyes wide with delight. "Midgard may be lacking in some areas, but food is not one of them," He declared, taking a hearty bite of a muffin, "It is not the bountiful feasts of Asgard, but it's not half bad." He grunted.

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"It's also meant only for those who paid to stay at this location." Erik grumbled tiredly, watching them wearily, the man having the sense to worry about the consequences of more aliens appearing.

Unlike Jane, who was watching them all with fascination, in between sending Sif curious looks, her eyes flitting between her and Thor.

Sif nodded curtly at Erik. "We appreciate your hospitality then, but our mission is urgent. Thor must return to Asgard." She turned to Thor again, "Whatever your beliefs in Loki's honor, you can not stay here, Thor."

Thor sighed, looking at his friends with a mixture of gratitude and resignation. "I appreciate your concern, truly. But until I am worthy again, I cannot leave." He reiterated.

Volstagg, now on his second plate, looked up. "Then we will help you become worthy. Whatever it takes." He said matter of factly.

Jane, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. "Thor, what does it mean to be worthy? How can we help?" She asked eagerly, "I.. I still think from what you said to me, that you were meant to learn humility, but… Maybe Asgard has other concerns that I haven't taken into consideration."

Thor looked at her, his expression softening. "If I knew for sure what it took to be worthy, it would be much simpler, aye… I fear it will not be a simple task, my friends." He sighed deeply, "You should not have come here, my father will be wroth with you whence he wakes."

"Asgardians will figure out this task, you need not worry mortal." Sif said condescendingly to Jane, stepping next to Thor, "And the Allfather may punish us, Thor, but if it is to save you, and assist you, we will all gladly take such."

The room fell into a thoughtful silence, broken only by the sounds of Volstagg's enthusiastic eating, Jane quietly glaring at Sif. Fandral, undeterred by his earlier rebuff, turned to Phantazia again, breaking the silence. "So, tell me more about yourselves. Surely, there are tales to be told."

He'd only been slightly put out it seemed from being labelled a 'five' and a twink.

Phantazia glared at him, teeth on display in a mockery of a smile. "We're not here for your entertainment."

Domino snickered lightly. "And you're definitely not here for ours, five."

Justin cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Let's focus on the task at hand. Thor, your friends are here to help. Let's figure out our next steps." He said mildly, wanting to keep them on task until the Destroyer arrived. It had nothing to do with how he wanted to wring Fandral's neck.

Domino and Phantazia was technically not his women in that manner. But he still on principle refused to entertain a moronic alien as a potential boyfriend for them.

Thor nodded, his resolve strengthening. "Indeed. We can not tarry, surely my friend's absence will be noted and remarked upon. I would not wish them to face punishment because of my own actions."

Sif stepped closer to Thor, her voice low but firm. "We will stand by you, Thor. Together, we will face whatever challenges come, Loki can not punish us, he's not king, he's a pretender."

Thor frowned at her, "Sif…" He trailed off, looking conflicted.

Justin figured he was probably not used to actually pushing back against anything his friends said to disparage Loki, and was now unsure of how to address it.

Phantazia's eyes flickered to Justin, a subtle signal that she had news, he immediately leaned in, "Justin," She said quietly, "the security team has picked up incoming."

Justin's heart rate quickened. "What is it?" Good, the Destroyer, let's get this over with!

"Several dozen men in armor just beamed down on Main Street in a conflagration of light," She replied, her voice tense.

….Shit!

Justin just knew Loki was going to Loki this all, where was his fucking Destroyer?

The mood at the table shifted instantly. Thor, catching the change in atmosphere, turned back to the group. "What is going on?"

When Phantazia repeated her news, all the Asgardians looked grave, their hands falling to their weapons.

Sif swore under her breath. "Loki must have realized we came and sent someone after us."

Justin's mind raced. This was unexpected, yet in a way, it hadn't thrown everything in disarray. If Loki was making moves, it meant things were still on track, they just needed to force his hand to send down the Destroyer. "Several dozen, you said?" He confirmed with Phantazia.

"Yes," She nodded, "I've told the security teams to only observe for now."

Justin hesitated on calling the HAMMER team. If this turned into a rout, would Loki even send the Destroyer? Would Thor even regain his powers?

"Keep them hanging back in reserve, have them ready to attack from the rear should we need it." He ordered.

Thor's expression hardened, a mix of anger and determination. "They are Asgardians, my people, you will not harm them," He declared, his voice resolute, before turning to his friends. "My friends, to arms! You and I shall convince them to leave."

The Warriors Three and Sif immediately fell in line, ready to follow Thor into battle - like old times, even Thor seemingly forgetting he didn't actually have any powers right now. Justin stood as well, signaling for Domino and Phantazia to stay close. "Dr Foster, Dr Selvig, you should stay here. It's not going to be safe out there," He advised, his tone leaving no room for argument.

He completely ignored Thor's words. They weren't going to leave this to a group of frankly - not that intelligent - Asgardians to fix. He wasn't sure what he'd said to cause Loki to flip the script, but he wasn't going to be a passive bystander.

If anything they needed to be there, assisting in the situation, pushing Loki to go all in with the Destroyer, as he doubted the Einherjar would push Thor enough to give his powers back. Banished or not, he was still the crown prince, and none of them would be trying to kill him.

Jane's eyes were wide with fear and confusion. "What's happening?"

Justin spared her a brief glance. "Asgardian politics, nothing to worry about. Stay here, where it's safe. We'll handle this."

Phantazia hissed between her teeth suddenly, grasping Justin's shoulder, pulling him back from the door the Asgardians had already exited, "Sir, a large suit of armor just appeared."

Justin let out a breath, good, thank you Loki for the gift. "Did it also arrive on the main street, with the rest of the Asgardians?" He asked.

Phantazia shook her head, one hand pressed tightly against her ear, and the communication device inside. "It appeared from the other direction, with a clear view of the main street."

What? Did Loki intend to just snipe Thor in the back? Blame Thor's death on them… That… Actually might be exactly what he was doing.

Phantazia disabused him of that notion quickly, "Thor and his friends have seen it, they're attacking."

Domino chuckled, "What amazingly simple people…"

Justin had a bad feeling now, "And the other Asgardians?"

"Heading here."

Of course they were.

… Would it mean war if they killed them all? How do you even disable Asgardian warriors with centuries of experience?

Domino and Phantazia didn't have extremis yet. He could not risk them, especially not while trying to fight handicapped to avoid a war.

"I'm calling the team in." He said heavily. Knowing that there was no way in hell there would be no casualties from this.

Hopefully Odin would understand this was all Loki's fault afterwards.

----------------------------------------

They'd moved away from the hotel, not wanting to make it a battleground with the civilians and their newly hired scientists caught in the middle.

"SHIELDs status?" Justin asked tersely as they made their way towards the outskirts of town.

Phantazia shook her head, lips thinned in displeasure, "They've stopped accepting calls, no doubt intending to see who wins before stepping in."

Justin grimaced, he'd probably have done the same if the roles were reversed, but it didn't mean he'd let them get away with it. "Once the team arrives, you and Domino go deal with Agent Garrett, I want him alive, the rest…" He glared at the approaching Einherjar, his blood practically boiling. "Remove them from play."

This situation had gotten complicated, he'd already planned to clean house, but now it was imperative that as few survivors as possible got away from this situation. The only word allowed on how this all happened needed to be his, and Thor's - with Thor's word being whatever he could convince the man to believe.

He had half a mind to order the town purged once he got Foster and co out.

If Kaecillius didn't get his team here soon though…

The Einherjar came to a stop within shouting distance, a large mountain of a man stepping forward, clad in golden gleaming armor, planting his spear in the ground before bellowing out a demand, "On orders of King Loki, the mortal named Justin Hammer is to present himself for his crimes against Asgard!"

Phantazia stepped in close to his shoulder, muttering into his ear, "Another group of Asgardians just beamed down behind us, our security team is ready on your order, sir."

Justin nodded, showing he'd heard, even as he wondered what Loki was playing at. Crimes against Asgard was a bit much, wasn't it? What on earth had he said that fixated the fool on him to this extent?

Was he really going to play this like he was trying to use Thor to institute a coup? That was a little thin…

"Asgard has no right to demand anything of Earth, you are not of this realm, leave now, and you will be allowed to leave with your lives despite this invasion…" Justin shouted back, projecting confidence, standing his ground.

Like hell he was going to allow aliens to dictate terms to him, on his planet. Besides, with Loki calling the shots, diplomacy was never going to solve this.

Only power could. The language these Asgardians might actually understand. And Justin was willing to burn this entire town down to show these interlopers that Earth was not an easy target anymore.

"So be it." The large man called out, sounding pleased, before he picked his spear up, twirling it dramatically, "Take him alive." He ordered the Einherjar, pointing his spear at Justin, "For ASGARD!" He bellowed as he rushed in.

Several things happened very quickly in succession at that moment.

Domino fired, using one of her HammerTech laser weapons instead of her usual guns, the beam heading for the leaders face, his spear just barely coming up to protect him, the beam somehow splitting on the tip of the spear, the two separate beams impacting two Einherjar behind him, killing them instantly with two headshots.

At the same time, Phantazia ordered the security team to fire, and the back of the Asgardian formation came under heavy fire, as Extremis dosed veteran soldiers popped out of their hiding spaces and began mowing them down, the Asgardians caught by surprise.

These weren't heavily armored soldiers, they'd come expecting a weak mortal, their light armor not prepared for energy weapons fired by veteran soldiers.

They reacted swiftly still, only taking light casualties before managing to split their group into smaller cells, four man squads rushing in for close combat, giving less of a target to shoot at, as the front of the group all advanced at superhuman speed at the security teams as well as Justin.

The aliens were still stronger than them, as was soon apparent as they closed in with the security teams, spears and swords flashing as limbs flew in the air. The Asgardians still died, whereas his security team had Extremis, but for every dead Asgardian on the ground, more and more of his team were being bogged down, cut apart, their regeneration pushed to the max - they would not last at this rate.

Which was the time a orange portal swirled into being in front of Justin, just as the huge leader of the Einherjar attacked with a roar of battle lust, swinging for Justin, a beam of pure white crackling electricity hitting him in the chest, cooking him inside his armor as he howled in agony his voice gaining a tinny quality, the men behind him temporarily frozen in place, as Electro hopped out of the portal, full of swagger, sparks flying back and forth between his fingers.

"Get cooked, bitch!" He exclaimed joyfully, looking beyond excited to have had a dramatic entrance. He looked back at Justin, and if he'd had a tail, it would have been wagging, "Did you see that? Did you?" He said happily.

Justin let out a breath, sweat running down his face, he would have survived an Asgardian rampaging all over him, sure. But it wouldn't have been pleasant. And he was less sure about surviving a dozen of them at once.

Regeneration had limits.

The Vulture and Scorpion armors came out next, the Asgardians raising their weapons, but not looking nearly as sure of themselves in the face of the intimidating power armored figures.

They were quickly followed by the new Captain America, Whiplash, and to Justin's surprise, Hope, in her Wasp armor.

Lastly, Yelena and Kaecilius stepped through, Yelena looking ready for battle, loaded up with more weapons then the rest of them combined, wearing a black bodysuit, the tightness of which would have been indecent, if all the weapons strapped on didn't hide everything important.

"Hope, Yelena, what are you two doing here?" He shouted over the roar of The Vulture and Scorpion engaging with the Asgardians trying to take them in the rear, their new arc powered laser weapons combined with micro missiles and the Scorpions artillery cannon - protecting their rear all on their own against two dozen of Asgards finest.

These men wore heavy armor, and could withstand the energy weapons better than their unlucky comrades. He could see moments later that more Asgardians were beaming down in the distance, the bifrost visible to Justin. He had no doubt these would also be heavily armored, Loki wasn't entirely moronic.

Hope flew over to his side, her wings buzzing, her helmet retracting as she landed, "I was in Cairo anyway when you called for the team to gather, so I joined up." She said with a small luminous smile that lit up her face, her hand touching his cheek softly, "I was worried." She admitted.

Yelena stepped in front of her, none so gently shoving her away, gaining an eye roll from Hope, who stepped back, keeping an eye on the battle, "I'm not going to stay back when you're in danger." Yelena said, daring him to argue.

Justin just let it go, the situation was already fucked up, and he didn't have time to argue about it. Hope and Yelena were both strong combatants, they'd be fine. They better be fine.

Or he'd find out what a dozen nukes could do to Odin's front yard…

Bucky stepped up, arm raised as his shield suddenly returned to it to catch magnetically onto the arm, an Asgardian soldier falling back, choking, grabbing at his crushed throat. "Orders?" He asked tersely.

Before Justin could think of what to say, Phantazia took control of the situation, snapping out rapidly, "Captain, get Wasp and Electro and use Kaecillius to portal behind the battle line, our security team is getting slaughtered in close combat, only Extremis keeping them relevant, they need assistance." She tapped her communication device, "Whiplash, overwatch, get in the sky, occupy those not engaged - don't let our team get overwhelmed in any one position, snipe them."

Bucky simply nodded approvingly, jogging away, his shield blurring as he slapped a thrown spear away, retaliating with the shield's edge into the eyes of the Asgardian, knocking them down, blood spurting. On the way, he grabbed the back of the collar of Electro, who was cackling in glee, dodging spears as he roasted one Asgardian at a time, going for maximum power each hit. Hope gave Justin a last lingering look, squeezing his hand, before she shrunk, flying after Bucky and Electro, towards where Kaecillius was standing, mandalas on his hands as he deflected the odd thrown spear in his direction.

Yelena looked at Phantazia quizzically, "And me?" She asked simply.

Phantazia let two of the arc laser pistols drop into her hands, "You'll be going with Domino to deal with HYDRA before they encircle us and try and take out the winner." Her eyes narrowed as she cursed, "New squad just dropped in." She added tersely. "Make that two!" She added a second later, looking like she'd swallowed a lemon.

Justin really didn't like this. What was Loki thinking? How would he possibly excuse this?

Domino fired, eyes hard, her shots taking down a soldier with every hit, but they kept coming, and the new soldiers wore full armor, making them more difficult to one shot. "I don't think going after the HYDRA goons is a good idea, right now." She said, giving Justin a push out of nowhere, a spear whistling by inches from his head, "If they can just keep sending reinforcements, we might have to retreat." She added.

Justin glared at her, "We're not retreating!"

Domino gave him a flat look, "My job is your survival, not your feelings. I'll carry you to Kaecillius over my back if I have to."

Phantazia stepped in to end the argument, "Domino, go, you and Yelena can handle it quickly, I'll retreat with him if it becomes necessary, HYDRA can't be allowed to to pile on, or we're really going to be in danger here." She ordered tersely, staring down Domino.

Justin had originally ordered her and Domino for the task, when he'd thought this fight wouldn't be too difficult. But with Phantazia taking command over the battle, it made sense for her to stay and guard him. Even if he disliked the idea based on the fact she did not have Extremis.

He idly toyed with the idea to call Ross, and order a missile strike on the town, while he and his portalled out. Thor… He'd die, and that we would pay for in spades… He dropped the thought, for now.

Yelena tugged on Domino's arm, not looking happy either, "Let's go, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can come back."

Domino cursed, glaring at Justin and Phantazia both, "Don't do anything stupid!" She spat, before following Yelena, running towards the outskirts of the battle, Whiplash obviously having been paying attention to coms, as he cut a path for them, firing a concentrated beam that cut through the growing mass of Asgardians.

"I fight more dangerous aliens in toilet!" His speakers shouted out to the world, as the mad Russian cackled, a long stretch of burned ground sizzling with pieces of Asgardians laying around, several of the spear wielding aliens firing up at Whiplash, showing that the spears doubled as energy weapons.

Justin couldn't fathom why some idiots had thrown them earlier if they could do that! Asgardians!

Phantazia grabbed his arm, pulling him back towards Kaecilius, who'd returned after dropping Bucky's squad off behind the Asgardians, "For the record, I would have forced you to retreat, if the enemy wouldn't simply beam down more soldiers wherever we took you." She said bluntly, eyes distant as she listened to more reports coming in.

"Vulture and Scorpion are facing magical artillery…" She said blandly - in a, this is my life now - kind of way. "They're asking for permission to unleash everything."

The noise was deafening, the sound of the power armors and Asgardian artillery firing back and forth against each other, Justin craned his neck, and blanched as he saw one of the artillery pieces was literally floating in the air, flitting back and forth to avoid The Vultures return fire. This is getting worse by the minute!

Justin didn't give two shits about this little town, or the civilians, but there were some VIPs here… He glanced back at Kaecilius, "The town's only hotel, three people, Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, Darcy Lewis, get them out of here now." He ordered.

"As you say, Master." Kaecilius put a fist to his heart, before he disappeared in another portal.

"Tell Whiplash, Scorpion and Vulture to wait for my command, then wipe out that entire section of town. We can't keep fighting these Asgardians from two directions." Justin said coldly, eying the battle in front of him with his blood boiling in rage over the stupidity of it all.

Loki couldn't just stay on script, could he? He just had to try and get something more than Thor's death out of this whole endeavor. He would have a hell of a time explaining this all to the World Security Council, the President, and fucking Odin if he was particularly unlucky.

Hopefully he could push that off on Thor. Speaking of…

"Any word on Thor and the moronic four?" He asked, wincing as Bucky got thrown into a wall, his three opponents going down seconds later as Electro disengaged one hand from where he was firing a beam at a squad of Asgardians, and fired a second one getting all three, their bodies jerking like puppets as their nerves fried.

Electro was getting way too into this.

Here and there around them, he could see Asgardians being put down, seemingly from nothing, the Wasp at work no doubt, although he was surprised to note she was going lethal. While this happened, the shattered remains of his security teams backed them up with covering fire, while staying away from the stronger Asgardians, letting the team handle that.

The combined effort of both at least managing to let them slowly overcome the enemies superior numbers.

He swore as Whiplash was blown out of the sky, tearing a long groove in the ground, bowling over half a dozen Asgardians, one of those magical artillery pieces must have gotten him. From audible Russian cursing blowing out eardrums, he was fine, if a bit ruffled.

This is why he did not want his top scientist in a role where he could get shot at!

"Sir… We're not winning." Phantazia told him, her back to Justin's as she kept firing in the other direction, towards the Asgardians that slipped past The Vulture and Scorpion due to the artillery taking some of their attention. "If Domino and Yelena don't keep HYDRA from joining in…" She trailed off, the cacophony of buildings being destroyed cutting her off, the missed shots of the Asgardians cutting through the small towns buildings like a knife through butter.

Doubtless killing dozens of civilians, not that he particularly cared - but it would be good fodder for negotiations with the Asgardians in the aftermath. If there was an aftermath.

"This is going to be an invasion if we don't show them here and now that we won't take it." Justin growled, incensed, gesturing at Phantazia with one hand, "Give me a damn gun." He ordered. "We're not retreating until we face certain death!"

He could see as well as she could that if he didn't retreat, he'd have to fight, there were too many Asgardians for all of them to be dealt with before they reached him. And like hell he would allow these uppity aliens with their medieval society chase him away!

He lined up a shot, and fired, snarling when the helmeted head meant it wasn't a kill shot. Again and again, he pulled the trigger, until the Asgardians head was melted slag, having to duck under a spear as two others closed in.

Then there was pain, his vision whiting out for a moment, before both Asgardians before him died to a wrathful Phantazia. Justin hissed, blood on his lips, as he pulled the spear out of his side. If he had a nickel for every time he'd been speared… Well he'd only have two, but it was still weird it happened twice.

"Sir?" Phantazia asked, firing constantly, even as she utilized her powers to keep the flood of Asgardians manageable. For every Asgardian she shot, three more fell to the ground, their nervous system twitching in agony.

"I'm good." He grunted, taking up the Agardian spear in one hand, while firing the gun with the other, his back again against Phantazia's. "We're not giving up, we're not retreating. Kill them all!" He snarled at her, using his super strength to slam away a spear heading for his gut, stepping into the Asgardians space, shoving his gun under his helmet, pulling the trigger once, twice, thrice, the body falling bonelessly to the ground.

She didn't say anything for a moment, before she chuckled savagely, "If I must…"

Suddenly the cries of agony from the nearby Asgardians increased in volume, as Phantazia put her back in it, pulling harder at her power.

Kaecillius returned suddenly, almost getting a spear through his throat, barely ducking away before he sliced the man in half with an orange glowing energy sword that he just conjured up with a hand gesture.

…. The man had a fucking lightsaber and called him Master… Ah, that can't end well. For now he focused on the importance of his arrival, "They're safe?" He questioned, firing several times at the Asgardian running at him, not getting through his armor, before Kaecillius created a portal in front of him, the man disappearing through it, not able to stop his momentum.

Damn… I really need to get to learning how to do that, it would have been really damn helpful right now, Justin thought.

"Yes, Master." He said, mandalas appearing over both of his wrists, as he stepped closer, defending Justin, allowing him to focus on just shooting, Phantazia a whirlwind of death behind them.

"Phantazia, give the order!" He shouted, before quipping to Kaecillius, feeling a bit better now that the pressure was slightly eased, "Where did you send that man anyway?"

"100 feet above an active Volcano." Kaecillius answered with just the hint of a smirk on his face. "Just enough time for him to realize where he's going to land."

Justin laughed, his blood pumping as another Asgardian was stopped in place by Kaecillius, Justin finishing him off with his stolen spear, twisting it cruelly in his gut, before pulling his intestines out with it. "Good… Very good." He said.

Then they were thrown off their feet, an entire third of the town behind them disappearing under the combined total firepower of Whiplash, Vulture and Scorpion, the conflagration and explosion deafening, heated air rushing past them, hot enough their clothes began to smoke.

There was no way, any Asgardians back there survived that!

"Get the hell off my planet!" Justin shouted, his blood singing as he danced in place, "YES! That's more like it, WHOOHOO!"

The Asgardians in front of them hesitated.

----------------------------------------

With Domino and Yelena,

Domino and Yelena moved without any thoughts to stealth as they rushed the SHIELD/HYDRA agents' mustering point by their borrowed headquarters. The makeshift camp buzzed with activity, agents rushing to and fro, dozens of vehicles loaded up and ready for deployment, no doubt to come down on whoever won the engagement.

Neither one of them was in a mood to take it slow and methodical, so they simply pushed ahead, weapons ready.

Their first encounter was over as quick as it started. Domino fired two swift shots from her HammerTech pistols, luckily nailing the fuel tanks of two of the SUVs that were idling closest to the perimeter, both of them going up in flames, taking all the men within with them. The explosions woke up the rest of them, every eye turning their way.

The response from the rest of the agents was swift, but somehow they just couldn't hit Domino as she rushed forward, Yelena following in her wake, using her as cover, two grenades sailing away from their side from her hands as they rushed past two more vehicles, the grenades landing in the laps of panicked men.

Seconds later those vehicles were also no longer a threat.

Meanwhile, agents all around them were cursing up a storm, finding that their guns would malfunction as they aimed at Domino, or they'd fire, and the gun would explode. Similar 'accidents' happened all over as the two women moved forward, the agents not having long to complain, as Domino and Yelena both fired, both hands now carrying a gun, putting an end to the men and women who fought them with extreme prejudice, never having to fire twice to get a kill shot.

They reached the office, springing through the window, uncaring of the glass, as Domino took the lead - the glass spray unfailingly exploding away from her, taking a HYDRA agent in the eyes, Yelena coming through behind her, rolling over Domino's back as the lucky woman kneeled and fired, a cold expression on her face as she showed no mercy on her enemies.

Her usual easygoing nature was nowhere to be seen since this debacle kicked off.

Yelena sprang into action as she came up from her roll, a blur of motion as she closed the distance to the nearest agents. She delivered a series of rapid strikes to the nearest agent using her guns as a bludgeon, her fists and feet moving faster than he could react. A chop to the neck, a sweep of the legs, and the agent was down, gun firing right after to ensure he was down permanently. Before the others could respond, Domino leapt from her position, her legs kicking out in a flurry of motion, sending two more agents sprawling to the ground, unconscious from well-placed strikes, even as she painted the wall with another headshot to the remaining agent just as he lined his gun up towards Yelena.

Yelena coldly executed the two unconscious agents, as Domino moved on to the agents sprinting into the room, drawn by the commotion.

"Is this what you call a challenge?" Domino quipped, flipping over a table to use as a shield against incoming fire. She rolled behind it, her movements fluid and precise, and fired off several shots, each taking down more agents. "I expected more…"

Several of the shots taken against Domino ricocheted back, hitting agents in the legs or arms, distracting them for the return fire.

Yelena didn't respond to Domino, her focus entirely on the task at hand, wanting to get through it as quickly as possible to end the threat and return to Justin. She grabbed a discarded baton, using it to parry a blow from an agent that had closed in on her, kicking the gun she dropped to grab the baton, sending it flying up into the face of the second agent attacking her, firing two shots from point blank range with her other gun now that she had some room, killing them immediately.

She spun on her heel, the baton still in hand, and blocked another incoming punch, countering with a precise nerve strike that left her opponent gasping for air and collapsing, she immediately shot him as well, stopping to grab the gun she'd used earlier to distract the other agent, the baton already tossed forward, striking an agent in the head, Domino getting her with a headshot moments later.

"Nice moves, been awhile since we went all out, huh?" Domino called out, seemingly in a better mood now then when they'd begun. The woman had been incensed to be sent away from Justin in a battle scenario.

Despite no doubt understanding how her luck practically guaranteed this mission would go off without a hitch. The fact they were so easily going through them, seemed to have settled her somewhat, Yelena thought.

"We should get out like this more often," Yelena replied, a rare bloodthirsty smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as she dispatched another agent who'd somehow slipped while trying to hide behind the door, falling right into the entrance like a sitting duck.

She really loved this luck thing, it really made things simpler.

They pressed forward, their path marked by the fallen bodies of SHIELD/HYDRA agents. The office building was in chaos now, alarms blaring as more agents poured out of nearby rooms. Domino and Yelena faced them head-on, their movements a symphony of lethal precision.

They were constantly running into firing issues, and apparently someone had quite the fruit craving, as a cafeteria garbage got overturned, spilling banana peels everywhere.

Yelena turned to Domino, a raised eyebrow her only reaction, as both of them raised four guns in total, firing and killing the hapless agents slipping around comically on the floor.

Domino tossed one of her guns aside, the battery depleted, Yelena having the same problem, both of them making mental notes to mention it to Justin - the guns needed to last longer if they were going to be at all useful in long engagements. Neither of them wore extra battery packs after all.

Domino ducked under a wild swing from an agent that had come from behind them moments later, using her momentum to deliver a spinning kick to her assailant's head. As he fell, falling down the stairs, she snatched his sidearm, spinning around to fire a shot at another agent rushing at her, at the same time killing an agent peeking around a table with her own gun.

"Think they're getting the message yet?" Domino asked, growling slightly as she slammed the butt of her pistol into an agent's side, sending him crumpling away from her, Yelena shooting him in the head for her, coming up to her side.

"Does it matter to dead people?" Yelena replied, her voice steady despite the exertion. Domino had her luck, but she had her training and the Extremis/Supe mix, this was turning out to be easy for them both.

They fought their way through the main office, not many agents left alive to attempt to deter them, their path leading them to the command center soon enough. Inside, the agents had fortified their position, but Domino and Yelena were undeterred.

They didn't need to worry about collateral damage, so they simply blew the way up, using grenades, rushing in through the smoke and debris to take down anyone still alive.

At this point that wasn't a high number. SHIELD/HYDRA had not exactly drowned the location in numbers for this operation. So Garrett had not had a ton of men to draw on. They'd likely killed the majority already.

They moved deeper into the command center, the air thick with the tension of their enemies The remaining agents were desperate, their attacks becoming more frantic. Domino and Yelena remained calm, their movements precise and effective.

Domino ducked under a flying tackle from a desperate woman, using her attacker's momentum to send her crashing into a wall, she casually shot her, ensuring she was dead, before strolling forward, the office now empty of anything except their quarry.

The two women reached the inner office, where Sitwell and Garrett could be seen holed up. The door was blocked of course, but a few more grenades made short work of it - and the wall around them.

Garrett and Sitwell stood inside, covered in dust, Sitwell with a shell shocked look on his face, Garrett's face twisted in a sneer. "You think you can just walk in here and -"

"Nice easy surrender, or a hard one?" Yelena cut him off, her voice cold and sharp.

Garrett's sneer widened. "You don't scare me." His hand lowered towards his belt, no visible weapons there, only an electronic device.

It wouldn't surprise either of them if the man had some sort of self-destruct set up as a worst case scenario. He seemed the type who would do anything to take his enemy down with him.

Domino shrugged, "Hard one it is," she said, raising her pistol, shooting Sitwell between the eyes as the man attempted to speak, Garrett immediately reaching for whatever the electronic device at his belt was.

Before Garrett could get there, Yelena was on him, her fists flying in a blur of motion. She delivered a series of rapid strikes to his midsection, finishing with a precise nerve strike that left him gasping for air and collapsing.

Yelena grabbed Garrett by the collar, hauling him to his feet. "You really should have taken the easy way," She said, her voice dripping with contempt. She delivered a final, precise chop to his neck, knocking him out cold.

Domino poked Sitwell with a toe, stretching languidly. "Well, that was fun," She said, dusting off her hands, "Easy too."

Yelena nodded, looking around at the carnage they had wrought. "Let's get him back to Justin," She said, her tone worried.

Domino nodded seriously, checking her guns over, as Yelena lifted Garrett up,

Neither one of them cared at all for all the dead bodies they left behind as they rushed out of the former FBI office, heading back to the main battle.

----------------------------------------

Back with Justin and co,

The town burned around them, smoke billowing across the broken and shattered town, dead Asgardians littered the ground, broken homes and businesses lay crushed around them - it looked like a warzone. Several of his security team lay dead or dying as well, even their Extremis conquered through constant deaths at the hand of the Einherjar.

It was a sobering sight to Justin, who now knew beyond a doubt, that regeneration was only useful up to a point. If you got killed enough times, the damage would start outlasting the regeneration until you had no energy left.

They stood on what was left of Main street - or to be more precise, Main street was what was left of the town so they stood on it. The Einherjar on one side, the HAMMER team on the other side, both sides ready to get back into it, the Einherjar waiting on something, Justin's team catching their breath while they still could.

They had no wish to engage more than necessary, not with how difficult the fight had been. Reinforcements had finally stopped coming, but there had been a lot of damage done before then.

The team had seen better days. Whiplash and the Vulture were both scorched, their armor far from pristine, half of Whiplash arc reactors were dark, and the Vulture had a malfunctioning wing, making flight more difficult. Frank Castle stood in just what was left of his undersuit, carrying a rifle, the Scorpion having been disabled, having had to hold the majority of the Asgardians down for the final shot.

The entire armor would have to be redone, ruined beyond repair. Frank willingly taking on the damage and burning to death, counting on his Extremis to get him back afterwards.

Justin didn't know whether to give the man a raise, or schedule all the therapists. It had worked, sure, but it was still an insane thing to willingly go through.

Electro was unconscious, guarded by Wasp, who was suffering from a broken collarbone - Justin really regretting not getting her the full on Extremis/super serum treatment already. Bucky looked like he'd been through a slaughterhouse, but seemed uninjured, standing at the front, face guarded as he stared down the Asgardians.

Justin and Phantazia were both physically fine, but mentally exhausted, her from overuse of her powers, him from having to heal from injuries several dozen times due to his markedly less then Einherjar levels of combat skills.

The town was lost at this point. If the civilians hadn't fled at first sight of trouble, they were probably all dead now. Justin could see the odd civilian body in the rubble, and knew this whole debacle would be a giant pain in the ass, even if he could blame it on Asgard invading.

Because at this point, with several hundred Einherjar having fought, it was an invasion in all but name.

Domino and Yelena jogged into sight, a bound agent Garrett over Yelena's shoulder, neither one looked troubled at the least, not even looking like they broke a sweat.

Justin relaxed just a little, letting some tension bleed out. HYDRA was taken care of at least, and he could even blame it on the Asgardians, so he wouldn't even owe Pierce a favor. He'd been worried sending Domino away would backfire on him, but he'd survived just fine, and her mission had gone without a hitch from the look of it.

He could work with this. Loki wasn't sending reinforcements, so either something happened, he gave up, or he simply realized the futility in his actions and pivoted to do something else nefarious in the background.

Justin really hoped it wasn't the last one. This situation didn't need to be Loki'd anymore then it already had been.

"Do we know what they're waiting for?" He muttered out of the side of his mouth to Phantazia, eyeing the silent Einherjar.

Stupid warrior races, they didn't even look that bothered to be standing amongst the slaughter of over twice their own number. Like a good battle was worth it all. With their people like this, it was honestly a surprise they stood up to Hela in Ragnarok and didn't join in with gusto.

Or had Loki changed their culture that much while he played Odin?

Either way, he was getting distracted, and needed to focus, in case battle commenced again, it was hard, with exhaustion felt all the way in his bones, he wasn't used to actually be fighting.

This was why he had money - so he wouldn't have to.

The question of why the Asgardians had stopped, was answered, as Thor flew down, landing in front of the Asgardians, fully clad in his regalia, hammer in hand. His eyes went over the ruins, the bodies of his people, and Justin could practically feel his presence spiking, storm clouds gathering above them.

Shit!

They must have felt him getting his powers back, that's why they stopped fighting and were waiting, he was now in charge, being the crown prince and actually on site, it might be why Loki drew back as well, preparing in Asgard for Thor's return.

"Thor." Justin took a step forward, Bucky glancing at him, his fingers twitching towards his shield, ready to defend him, the shield having proved effective against both Asgardian energy weapons, and Agardian bones.

It wasn't the original of course, but Justin had enough Vibranium laying around to make another frisbee to make Bucky's look authentic. And after Peggy was healed, albeit likely to die within the decade still with how old she was - Bucky was his, properly.

"What have you done!?" Thor cried out, looking around him, teeth gritting together, thunder roaring in the sky.

Justin didn't know why the Destroyer fight took longer, how he got his powers back this time, but he knew he did not in any way want to tangle with Thor if he could avoid it.

"We defended ourselves, Thor. This…" He gestured around him, eyes hard, "This was a town on Earth, your people came here, they did this."

From the looks his people gave him, this was not the tack they'd expected him to take to avoid another fight. But Justin felt in this case, the best defense was offense.

Thor growled lowly, stance confrontational, "How many of my people have died, today, Hammer!?" He questioned, voice thick with emotion, "You did not need to kill them!"

Justin took another step forward, nominally putting himself in harm's way, but also showing that he wasn't afraid, "Thor, tell me." He spat out harshly, "If this was a village in Asgard, and outsiders came in and attacked, would you counsel your warriors to please pull their punches, and risk their lives to save their enemies any pain?" He cut through the air with one arm sharply, "Your people attacked mine, you have deaths to mourn perhaps, warriors, who knew what they were getting into. We have civilians, children, dead because you attacked our realm, this town, in an unjust invasion. The blame here lies not with me, not with your soldiers, but the one who ordered it!"

Having Thor as an enemy right now was less than ideal, especially as he needed the fool to go before Odin and honestly say this was all on Asgard, not Earth.

Justin really didn't want to deal with an actual invasion. For all that he was a full on idiot throughout the MCU, Odin was not by any measure weak. And Justin did not think his team would withstand a fully serious Odin.

Thor looked mullish still, which was when the Warriors three and Lady Sif jogged into view, all of them looking worse for wear, Sif immediately speaking up, surprisingly in Justin's defense, "Thor, the mortal has it right, none of this should have happened. Loki sent that Destroyer, he sent the Einherjar, the deaths are on him."

Fandral, one arm simply gone, face pale, added his own words, halfway held up by Volstagg, "Loki has gone too far this time, Thor, that Destroyer almost killed you, and the Einherjar should have never have been sent against the mortals in the first place, you know this."

Justin could have kissed their stupid faces. What perfect timing! Their dislike of Loki was really working in his favor here. He inwardly assigned them as the only slightly moronic four, for actually being useful for the first time in their damn lives.

Thor only now seemed to realize what the ruined town signified, face paling as his head whipped towards Justin, "Lady Jane?" He asked with a booming voice, not noticing the irritable twitch in Lady Sifs face for that being his priority right now.

"Alive, despite your soldiers best efforts to destroy us all." Justin said coldly. "One wonders if Asgard truly seeks peace with this situation in mind…"

Technically his team had destroyed much of the town, and likely were behind the majority of civilian casualties due to the armored three - but he wasn't going to waste an opportunity to make Thor take on the blame.

As far as the world leaders would be concerned, all the deaths would lay on the aliens. The aliens Justin Hammer had kicked off the planet.

Thor's face firmed up, and he looked around him, taking in the destruction and dead Asgardians, as well as the live ones. "I will speak with my father, ensure proper wergild for our actions here today." He said heavily, acknowledging that the Asgardians were in the wrong.

Justin felt like he could breathe properly for the first time in what felt like days, but in reality had been an hour at most - the situation could still be salvaged.

If Odin would listen to his son, which was… A big maybe.

But if things proceeded as normally, the rainbow bridge would be destroyed anyway, pushing any issues to years from now.

Speaking of, "You should return to Asgard." Justin requested, "Sooner the better."

Thor nodded forlornly, "Aye, I suppose it is for the best, I must speak with Loki, and find out why this all happened." He stroked the head of his hammer, looking distressed, "I apologize for not realizing the situation sooner, and for my failure in stopping all this." He said, bowing his head slightly.

Justin thought it was a remarkable turnaround from someone that only minutes ago was ready to hammer them all just for daring to survive an Asgardian assault.

"We will be willing to forgive, Thor, but not if this happens again… Earth is no longer open to Asgardians whims, you wish to speak to us again, open a diplomatic channel." Justin said, his voice slightly more conciliatory, "I will be willing to listen…"

Thor smiled sadly, "Aye, we will not make the same mistake again, I shall ensure it." He gestured for all the remaining Asgardians to get in close, giving Justin a last look, "Farewell Justin Hammer, give the lady Jane my regards, and my apologies, I have learned much on Midgard, and I will not make the same mistakes again."

Then he raised his hammer, shouting, "Heimdall!"

And in a flash of multicolored light, they were gone.

Justin wasn't sure what would go down on Asgard. As things hadn't gone down as they should have, including apparently Heimdall being available to transport forces and immediately call them back.

It certainly hadn't gone as smoothly as he'd planned it, but they'd won, and perhaps that was all that mattered.

As his team milled around him, all in some manner looking displeased that the Asgardians were let off without total annihilation, he wondered what would come from this.

Justin looked around at the destruction moments later, sagging as he realized his day had only just begun.

The next couple of phone calls were not going to be enjoyable.

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