Maria Hill knew exactly what she was walking into: a dangerous battle against unknown and powerful enemies. What gave her the confidence to fight was the XM40 assault rifle equipped with an 8mm grenade launcher. This weapon wasn't standard military issue—it was too expensive for that. But certain well-funded units found its unique features more than worth the cost and bought it in bulk.
The XM40 could fire multiple types of ammunition. By swapping out the barrel and lower receiver, it could shoot standard rounds, armor-piercing bullets, and even special-purpose calibers. The attached 40mm grenade launcher added enough firepower to take on even the toughest enemies.
And right now, they needed that kind of firepower. The pistols they carried as sidearms were useless here. Both Maria and Rumlow were suited up in full combat gear, armor-piercing rounds loaded, grenade launchers ready. They might not be able to defeat the enemy, but at the very least, they could hold their ground and maybe even land a critical blow if the chance came.
What they didn't realize was just how badly magic could neutralize modern weaponry.
As soon as the dimensional portal opened, Maria and Rumlow locked eyes, then stepped through without hesitation.
But nothing prepared them for what came next.
There were no enemies in sight. Just violent windstorms everywhere and Daniel floating calmly in mid-air.
Before they could even process what was happening, they both felt the ground vanish beneath them—they were falling.
It made no sense. They had stepped onto solid floor, so why was there suddenly nothing below?
S.H.I.E.L.D. had some classified info on mirror dimension magic, but it didn't cover combat inside it—or the kinds of things an enemy could manipulate.
Watching Maria and Rumlow drop into the mirrored void, Daniel's expression turned cold. Just as he expected, Kaecilius had made his move.
In fact, Kaecilius had likely noticed them the moment they entered the chamber—but he'd waited. Because he was losing ground in his duel with Daniel, he decided to use Maria and Rumlow as leverage. Classic misdirection, and a risky one.
In this twisted, gravity-shifting mirror space, anyone without magical protection was in danger. Daniel had his hammer which kept him stable. But others didn't have that advantage.
Still, Daniel couldn't just let them fall to their deaths. That wasn't his style. He didn't care much about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s politics, but he wasn't about to let allies die on his watch if he could help it.
He gave his wand a spin. In an instant, the howling storm filling the space split apart.
Several streams of wind peeled off, two of which surged toward Maria and Rumlow. The goal wasn't to rescue them fully, just to slow their fall enough to buy time.
But Kaecilius shifted the gravity fields again. Maria and Rumlow, who had been falling straight down, now veered sharply—one left, one right—ripped sideways like the laws of physics had changed.
The storm split once more, chasing after them, but with less force. It could only slow their descent, not stop it.
Daniel didn't wait. He shot toward Maria, grabbed her by the waist mid-air, and pulled her onto his back without asking.
Then, without missing a beat, Daniel raised Mjolnir and slammed it forward. The air shattered—mirror space warping—and he forced it back together with pure magical force.
But he wasn't done.
The mirror dimension's chaotic gravity yanked at him from every direction. Alone, he could've handled it. But now with Maria holding on, it was a different story.
Blood hit his ear—Maria had taken internal damage from the gravitational stress. She held on tight, but she was clearly hurting. Her body couldn't take much more of this.
Still, Daniel stayed focused.
He swung his hammer again, smashing apart a blade of space that suddenly materialized beside him. Then he struck the ground, sealing another warped crack.
Kaecilius was behind these attacks. Normally, they wouldn't be a threat. Daniel was stronger, and Kaecilius knew it—he wouldn't risk this kind of magic unless he was desperate. But with Maria added into the mix, Daniel had to protect her and himself at the same time. He was completely on the defensive now.
And there was still Rumlow, somewhere out there, flying uncontrollably. If Daniel didn't handle this fast, he might not be able to save him at all.
That's probably why Kaecilius did it.
Suddenly, Maria, coughing blood but still conscious, shouted in his ear: "The Corrupted Crown! Find the Corrupted Crown—quick!"
Daniel froze for half a second. The Corrupted Crown?
He hadn't heard that name before. But after fending off another space blade, it clicked.
Kaecilius wasn't fighting to win—he was fighting because he couldn't leave. Something was keeping him trapped here. That something had to be the Corrupted Crown.
It was probably S.H.I.E.L.D.'s backup plan—meant for Loki. But Loki never showed up. Kaecilius did.
Whatever this crown was, it had to be powerful. Strong enough to block dimensional travel. Strong enough to keep a master sorcerer like Kaecilius stuck in place.
But where was it?
Daniel had been in the chamber for a while and hadn't seen anything resembling a crown. If Kaecilius had it, he'd already have escaped. Maria's warning meant only one thing: the crown was still hidden somewhere.
Maybe it even had a will of its own—something that chose when or if it would be found.
Daniel gritted his teeth.
"Hold on tight," he told Maria. "The space I can stabilize is small. If something happens, I might not be able to protect you."
He wanted to yell at her. He'd told them not to come in. He had everything under control—until they rushed in and ruined the plan. But it was too late for that now. What mattered was fixing the situation before it got worse.
If the crown really was somewhere in this mirrored space, it had to be hidden in the only real structures around—the warped steel walls of the chamber itself.
But mirror space wasn't real. Not fully. To find anything solid, they'd have to get out of the mirrored dimension first and return to the real world.
Luckily, Daniel could do that.
His power over space was deeper than Kaecilius's. If he didn't want to be trapped, Kaecilius couldn't hold him—not for long. He could force his way out whenever he chose.
He hadn't done it yet because he'd been waiting for an opening—to snatch the Sling Ring from Kaecilius's hand.
But now that plan was gone. Maria's entrance had shattered it.
Time to change tactics.
With a thought, Mjolnir began to crackle with intense lightning. He was ready to tear through the barrier between dimensions.
Daniel didn't care anymore about Rumlow. If he survived, great. If not—well, that was the risk he took walking into a magical war zone.
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