Jotunheim —a world of ice giants, where the only constants were darkness, stone, and ice. A man rode a sled across this icy wasteland. Everything about this situation was strange: in a world where humans had never been, a man had appeared. In a world where the temperature was so low that nothing could grow, he felt at ease. The sled he rode on moved without any animal, as if following the will of its master.
Through the blizzard and icy whirlwinds, the man on the sleigh moved confidently forward. He knew that Jotunheim was not just a world of frost giants, but also a place full of ancient secrets and dangers. " At least Thor gave a good description of this world while telling us about the battle with the Jotuns ."
The sleigh crunched through the snow, leaving tracks that were quickly covered by the falling snow. The wind howled around, as if warning the intruder that his presence was unwelcome. But he had no intention of retreating. He had a goal: to find a way out of this icy world.
He'd been heading toward his goal for hours. The only source of light visible to the horizon—a light from which water flowed in a continuous stream.
A few days earlier:
Online broadcasts have been gaining momentum recently. Now, the administrator of one of the leading video streaming services noticed a strange influx of people, unusual for San Francisco at this time of year. Thinking it was simply unplanned activity from his clients, he continued his work. But after just thirty minutes, he had to revisit the issue, given the sharp increase in users. When he began to check what was going on, he couldn't believe what he saw.
"The Avenger is streaming " - this kind of thought made him drop everything he was doing and take care of this issue.
In just an hour of streaming, the number of current views increased by hundreds of thousands every couple of minutes.
The avenger himself, not paying attention to anything, simply played one of the popular recently released games.
Even the fact that he constantly spoke Russian didn't stop people from all over the world from connecting to be closer to the hero.
Of course, this couldn't continue for long; the servers weren't designed for such a load and simply shut down due to overvoltage.
Having raised his superiors, this administrator began to try to rectify the situation.
Within just 10 minutes of the outage, the company received over 10,000 complaints via email. Employees quickly attempted to restore access to their service.
When the service was finally restored, the man who had made many people change their plans and log in was no longer online. In place of his channel was a letter apologizing for such a sudden departure and promising to announce his next broadcast in advance so that everyone could prepare. In just one week, the channel had gained over ten million subscribers with just one broadcast.
For a long time, a complex of buildings has been under construction in the small town where the Russian superhero has settled. They are expected to be delivered to the client soon.
Three expensive cars pulled up right up to the entrance of one of them. Several tall, healthy men emerged from the outer cars and began taking positions that only they understood. The hero of the occasion himself emerged from the center car, offering his hand. A tall, beautiful blonde, dressed in a business suit that accentuated her feminine features, followed him. Together, they headed toward the entrance.
- Good afternoon – the manager of these facilities was very excited – I want to say right away that everything is going…
"Dmitry Mikhalych . Could you do this?" Alex nodded, trying to reassure him. "Please say hello to Anna Sycheva. She'll be in charge here." The cold blue gaze made it clear to the builder that this wasn't just a girl to accompany him.
"I want to say right away," the superhero continued peacefully, "I'm not here to accept the object. I'm just here to inspect it and give you a short tour. Other people will be arriving for a thorough inspection, and you need to be prepared for that. If you don't mind, we'll just take a look around for now."
- Of course, - the builder walked away from his customer and his companion, - if you need anything, I'll be nearby.
Walking a little further, they began to inspect the premises. Somewhere around this point, construction workers continued to work.
"I can't believe you're not lying to me," the woman began, looking around another room. "You did say you wanted to do something big, but I didn't expect it to be a hospital."
"Me too," he continued, looking from the woman to the room. "I didn't know what exactly it would be, but it's definitely medical related. In short, a lot of the surgeries I have online will be performed here. I don't want to travel all over the world, so everyone will be brought here. There's a whole complex of buildings here that service the hospital. Several buildings for staff accommodation, warehouses for equipment, and other things that need to be stored somewhere . It'll be more like a small town. My lab is nearby, which I'll expand over time."
"You've thought of a lot," the woman said, impressed by the scope of the project, "but where do you get the money for all of this?"
"Sometimes it's good to be a monopolist," the grin on his face brought a matching one on hers. "But on a more serious note, the fund I've opened is currently receiving money from all over the world. From both debtors and people who want my help."
"When you're the only one who can offer this kind of service, it's to be expected," his satisfied face began to irritate her too much, "but why am I here?"
- You will be in charge of everything here, I am not an expert in management, but we need to make sure that the hospital works, people are brought in and taken away, and there is a lot of other things connected with this, I think you know better.
- It will cost a lot.
"How can I help a friend?" A skeptical raised eyebrow revealed her assessment of the situation. "Well, of course, a good fee is included."
After the last phrase, a smile appeared on her face: "Because of our good relationship, I'm here, but I won't do anything for free."
- I know. You're here because you can sell. I'll find a way to spend the money we receive; I need it to be profitable.
Anna, imagining the scope of opportunities offered by working with such a person, anticipated the coming rain of money. "I hope you don't limit yourself to just the hospital."
"Of course not," Alex himself looked out the window, thinking about something. "Of course, everything depends on many factors, but if everything goes according to plan, then in ten years we will have a corporation that will be impossible to ignore."
"That's good." Her insistence on having more money frightened many. "But what about the local authorities? Won't there be problems with them?"
"It shouldn't. I specifically chose a place far from the capital so I could do my business without anyone bothering me. And as soon as the local officials realized how much money they'd be getting from taxes, they immediately became so nice."
- They'll steal it, of course. I like having a lot of zeros in my account, but definitely not like that. So much money at once, they won't be able to hold on.
"That's exactly why you're here: to make money. And don't worry about them. I hope they do something stupid . Then I can put my people in charge..."
- Who will do whatever we tell them.
"I'm so glad we understand each other," they said, entering one of the rooms on the top floor. "Well, this will be your office for the time being." "If you need to change anything, let Mikhalych know ."
The room was simply an empty white box. As Alex watched his companion inspect and imagine the future office, a text message arrived on his phone.
"Very interesting," he concluded on the information he received. "As much as it would be nice for me to talk to you, I have important business to attend to."
"The hero is going to save the world?" The tone of the question was more sarcastic.
- I don't know yet, but if what I see is true, it will be very interesting - in the footage that was taken on the phone, you could see how people took a step to the side and disappeared from the screen - "I doubt that they would have sent me something like that if it was just a montage."
"Assemble a team and find specialists," he gave his final instructions as he left.
- Don't tell a scientist what to do - the answer only confirmed the correctness of his choice of candidate.
Foggy Albion didn't greet its guests any differently. The sky above London was covered in gray clouds, and a fine rain fell like tears onto the pavement.
Driving around the city in his car, Alex tried to figure out what was going on.
- "Strange explosions, cars simply lose their weight, people film their friends simply disappearing, in some they return after disappearing, and in others they don't." - The video sequence shifted to a bright beam that was in the city - "Most likely it was Thor, if you believe the news about a man in a red cloak and a hammer in his hands."
A discreet black SUV was following the car Alex was traveling in. "They're definitely agents; they've been following me since I landed."
The car was moving to one of the city police stations where the witnesses he needed were located.
Having exited the building near the entrance and released the car, the Avenger didn't rush inside, waiting for his pursuers. The agents didn't keep him waiting long.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Ledov. My name is Agent Green. May I speak with you?" the pretty woman greeted.
- Good afternoon, how can I help you?
"I'd like to know what brought such a famous person to our country?" she said, starting the conversation in English without even attempting to speak Russian.
"Are you interested? Or your management?" Trying to avoid unnecessary conflict, he continued the conversation in her language.
"My superiors," the irritation was clearly visible in her eyes, "you still haven't answered."
"Agent Green, what can you tell me about the portals and people disappearing over the past few days?" Her expression was laughable. "I thought so. There are people I need in this building; they could be important witnesses and know something."
- If they are arrested, then you cannot take them away.
- So you will take them for me.
- And why should I do this?
- Look, when all the agents turned their gaze to the sky, they saw a flock of birds simply disappear in flight.
"Where did they go? Did you do something? ANSWER!" The agents' pistols were pointed at the avenger. He simply raised an eyebrow in response to their actions.
"I'm here to sort this out. So either help me or don't interfere."
Green pondered for a few seconds, then began to put away her pistol. At that very moment, a flock of birds, seemingly missing, began to emerge from the wall, startling passersby.
"I'll help! Who do you need?" What he saw made the agent realize they couldn't figure this out on their own.
A few hours later, three people were sitting at a table in a café near the police station. Alex, along with Darcy and Ian, the latter two connected by their work for the well-known scientist Jane Foster.
"Let's clarify if I understood you correctly? The three of you were investigating these anomalies, then Jane disappeared, and when she returned, she started throwing red energy, scattering the police officers. At that moment, Thor appeared and took her away."
"In short, yes—Jane's attractive assistant was glad to be picked up from the police station. And the fact that it was the vigilante who did it only spurred her on to be more helpful."
Agent Green, who returned after calling her superiors, finished her minute of reflection.
"So what did they say?" Ian asked the agent, afraid she would be told to return them.
After looking sternly at the guy, the agent finally decided to answer, but the answer was not for him: "I was told to provide you with maximum assistance and any resources."
"Of course. People are disappearing in the capital, and they can't find an answer, and then I show up, looking so handsome," Darcy smiled, pleased. "Let's start with you bringing Dr. Selvig here , and you'll all help him with whatever he needs."
- Dr. Selvig is currently under arrest for vandalism...
"It doesn't matter, he definitely knows something about all this. Darcy, I need everything you've learned about this phenomenon."
- Yes, of course, I'll get everything ready now.
- Didn't Doctor Foster forbid us from spreading...
- Yen, - the young man turned to his boss, - shut up, the adults are talking now.
The satisfied woman immediately returned to the previous topic: "Doctor Ledov, just tell me, and I'll do whatever you say…"
"First, hand over the data, and we can talk about the rest later." The others just rolled their eyes at their smiles.
Now the group stood where it all began, the area around the old buildings cordoned off. Police were all around, and Darcy was swearing at the idea of idiots damaging the equipment.
BOOM
Everyone stopped what they were doing when a boulder fell out of nowhere onto one of the cars. People began to panic and disperse. The elders tried to restore order.
Only one person looked at this calmly and with interest.
Approaching the boulder, he touched it and felt the cold from the stone.
"And how big can it get?" Agent Green cautiously approached Alex, examining the boulder.
- If we are lucky, these phenomena will pass on their own after some time.
- And if you're unlucky?
"Then it would be better to begin evacuating the city." This statement did not inspire confidence in the British intelligence agent.
- What will you do?
We need to understand what is on the other side, maybe there is an answer there.
No no No , it's dangerous. If something happens to you here while I'm around, it would be a disaster. I don't want to be jailed.
- Don't worry, Agent Green, I'm just going on a five-minute round trip adventure.
- Then it's better…
- No, this stone is very cold, which means the temperature on the other side is very low, and you don't have the right equipment.
"So you have it?" the skeptical agent couldn't let things get out of control.
Her question went unanswered. All the water in the area began to move toward its master, like snakes swimming in the grass. The water rose higher and higher, enveloping his entire body like a suit. When the process was complete, Alex felt as if he were in a small air bubble.
- It's certainly not Tony Stark's suit, but if it's that bad, I can stay there long enough to assess the situation.
- I do not give permission for this.
"I'm not asking," he said, taking a few steps and disappearing from everyone's sight.
Having entered this anomaly, it became clear that taking anyone with them was out of the question. Anyone entering wouldn't survive more than a few minutes, and there was no suitable equipment available.
Having examined himself and found no damage to his aquatic armor, the adventurer scanned the surrounding area. "Ice and rock, hmm, not much." There was no answer, but none was expected.
After walking around the area and examining the surroundings, Alex decided to return back to the rift, but there was nothing in its place.
- **** ***** you're ***** kidding me ****** - as if hearing his "indignation" the ice nearby began to crack.
Having released all the negativity from the current situation, the water lord began searching for a way out. He walked around the area again, hoping that closing one rift might open another nearby.
No miracle occurred; there was no rift nearby. But all these actions attracted the attention of the inhabitants of this world.
The Jotuns are ice giants who have called this world their home for millennia.
Three-meter-tall ice giants with blue skin and red eyes watched their guest. Several of these giants emerged from their hiding places and quietly watched their guest.
Trying to figure out where to go next, he climbed a small icy cliff. Looking around and finding nothing of note, he continued to peer into the distance.
At that moment, the attack began. One of these giants transformed his hand into an icy blade and rushed at the traveler.
While Alex stood with his back to them, he felt an unfriendly gaze on himself and was able to prepare several ice shards, one of which he sent straight into the attacker's chest.
The splinter struck the jotun's chest, throwing him back and getting stuck in him.
The water lord's smile of victory vanished as his opponent, his chest pierced by an ice shard, began to rise. He immediately launched a second shard, this time aiming for his head, but he deflected this one with his frozen hand.
While this skirmish was taking place, the other jotuns watched it and did not quite understand what to do, because they had never seen anyone who could control the ice besides them.
A cry of rage from the wounded jotun prompted the others to begin attacking the otherworlder .
Realizing that things were going badly, Alex rushed down from the other side of the cliff to create some distance between them. As he descended, he tried to gather the water around him, but the ice underneath him refused to budge, so he had to tear out a whole chunk to use as cover from the attack of the approaching jotuns .
The blow that pierced the ice shield stopped a few centimeters from Alex's head. A second later, the chunk of ice was sent flying in a single, frightened motion, along with the jotun's hand, still trapped within it. Just as he was left unprotected, his hand was struck by a shard of ice thrown by another opponent. which was formed from the wound was unnatural, but because of receiving such a wound, Alex himself began to fall, which saved his life from several more hits.
Without thinking, Alex began to raise a wall of ice several meters thick. This gave him time to compose himself. The water he'd bathed himself in once again enveloped his entire body and began to heal the effects of his injury. Once the pain subsided, it was time to respond to the attackers. The wall, which the jötuns had been battering at in an attempt to break through, began to shoot out shards , inflicting deep wounds on them. Several had managed to escape the attack and were now looking at the wall of ice, which resembled a hedgehog and had killed several of their comrades. The last two jötuns looked at each other and began to discuss something, when part of the ice wall simply sank down.
A fully healthy, yet angry, Midgardian emerged from this wall . Although his face was calm, anger burned within him.
Without waiting long for the attack, he simply launched the entire ice wall at his enemies. One of them managed to dodge and avoid being crushed, but his comrade was not so lucky. The last jötunn turned to see the wall of ice completely smash into the rock.
With a furious cry, the last attacker rushed at the alien . Transforming his hands into chunks of ice, he was literally a meter short of avenging his brethren. A large spike appeared right in front of the Midgardian, halting any further aggression from the last attacker.
The winner was given the opportunity to live a little longer in this icy wasteland if he did not find a way out of it.
After spending some time at the battle site , Alex collected a few trophies. The humanoids that could manipulate ice were of particular interest to him; an ice-covered hand , the head of one of the dead, and something functioning as a heart were thrown into a bag fashioned from ice. Lacking any clear reason to leave, the avenger sat on the elevated ground, waiting for any changes. After an hour and a half, his expectations were justified.
Somewhere on the horizon, a flicker of light appeared. Knowing that even if it was a rupture, it might not bring him back to earth, he had few options. Having fashioned himself a small sled out of ice, he set off for the flickering spot.
For several hours, he used his powers to propel his transport toward this shimmer. The constant use of his powers for so long took its toll. But he couldn't afford to rest. The water surrounding him could lose its shape, and then he would freeze here in a matter of minutes.
As he headed toward the shimmer, he saw several groups of jotuns simply watching the vehicles moving through their lands. Some of the jotuns were moving in the same direction as him, which spurred Alex to get there much faster. As he approached, Alex noticed that the shimmer was created by water flowing from the rift.
The rift itself was located about 100 meters above the ground. Looking around, there were several jotuns below the rift who were freezing the falling water and attempting to create a tower out of it to reach the rift.
For many, reaching the chasm would have been a problem. But fatigue and the hope that it was the earth itself pushed him to speed up and get out. Stopping simply pushing with his own strength, he concentrated and steered the sleigh into the chasm, as if he were Santa Claus, only without the reindeer. The Jotuns below tried to stop him, but the ice shards were no match for the icy sleigh.
One second. That's all it takes to leave the dark, icy world and find yourself in a mountainous area on the banks of a river.
Having thrown off the water he was carrying, he took a long-awaited breath that was saturated with oxygen.
- "It's so good that I'm home again" - the thoughts of an ordinary person who simply visited another aggressive planet and by the evening had already left it.
After lying there for a while, simply breathing and catching his breath, the thought struck him that he needed to get ready and find civilization. Taking out his phone, he was pierced by fear. The fear that many people experience when their phone gets so wet that it stops working. Having calmed down a bit, he decided to leave the phone and try to retrieve the data from it.
Realizing the urgent need to search for the men, the optimal solution was to go downriver. After mounting the sled again and checking their trophies, they decided to go against the current.
After swimming for about ten minutes and going around the mountainous area, Alex saw something he never expected to see.
The vast golden city that opened before his eyes was mesmerizing in its beauty. Numerous golden buildings reflected the light, creating dazzling reflections that danced across the surface of the water.
"Looks like I'll have to be an unexpected guest. I hope Thor can help me get home." It turns out the assumption about returning home was wrong, meaning the journey is still ongoing.