After establishing contact, Harry still didn't get the result he expected. Whatever enchantments had been placed upon Thor's hammer, he was certain that this powerful weapon still belonged to Thor alone—even Thor himself might not be able to lift it right now.
Harry cursed Odin the old fox silently in his heart, completely abandoning the idea of getting a cheap advantage from Mjolnir.
Still gripping Mjolnir's handle with both hands, Harry dug his feet into the ground, rolled his legs back twice to brace himself, exhaled sharply, and began gathering strength.
Since he was the one who suggested trying to lift it, he had to give it a proper attempt—even if the thrill was gone.
"Hoo—… hoo—…"
After taking several deep breaths, Harry heaved up with full force.
"Ah—!"
He shouted, pulling with everything he had. The veins on his exposed arms bulged, his knuckles whitened from pressure—but even with his full strength, the hammer didn't move an inch.
"Hah—…"
His power had reached its limit, yet even tapping quietly into the Infinite Rage could not lift the hammer. His body couldn't fully activate that power without injuring himself, so Harry let go, took two steps back, and panted heavily.
"I can't move it at all. It's like it's glued to the ground," Harry said, wiping sweat from his forehead as he spoke to Phil Coulson, who was still watching with a polite smile. Harry had just used all the strength he could muster; he had even pressed two deep footprints into the ground—yet the hammer didn't budge.
"Yes. Our researchers have tried every method, but none of them work either," Phil Coulson replied, tilting his head.
"Well… is there anything connected to this hammer? I don't think it's an accident that it landed here. There must be something you haven't noticed," Harry said, pulling his foot out of the hole and asking Coulson.
Harry vaguely remembered that Thor should currently be with the doctor Jane Foster, the physicist Eric Selvig, and Jane's trainee. And based on Harry's guess, tonight was probably the time Thor would appear.
"There are a few people. We got the aurora footage from them—the night the hammer fell," Coulson answered.
"I have a feeling those people are definitely connected to this," Harry said confidently, pretending he was only guessing.
"All right. I'll have someone watch them," Coulson said after thinking it over carefully.
Whether or not Coulson ordered surveillance, fate moved on its own course. After a series of events, Thor finally ended up in Jane Foster's truck, heading toward the hammer's location.
Thor might already have been here when SHIELD first arrived.
...
There was plenty for Phil Coulson to handle—or to report to Nick Fury. After staying with Harry around the hammer for a short while, he left, allowing Harry to wander the site freely.
After circling once, Harry lost interest. Aside from Mjolnir, nothing here appealed to him.
Sitting inside the lab, Harry shook the cup in his hand. The brown drink rippled to the brim without spilling—always leaning to the edge before falling back. This level of wrist control, combined with subtle mental power use, was something Harry had only recently perfected. His refined control allowed him to handle strength with precision.
Watching the scientists—who had fully entered their frenzy mode—rush back and forth with instruments, constantly collecting data on the hammer, was honestly boring. But because Thor himself mattered, Harry had to wait, even though sleepiness was creeping in.
By now, the sky had darkened, and night had gradually settled in.
"…Hm?"
Harry suddenly opened his eyes. The magnetic field in the air had abruptly shifted—becoming far more agitated.
"Thor must be here," he thought, sweeping his mental power outward. Sure enough, he detected the mental images of a man and a woman behind a small hill not far away.
Setting down the cup, Harry straightened his clothes, rose from his chair, and walked out of the laboratory.
"Hey! Someone's coming," Harry called upward to the high platform where Hawkeye Barton was stationed.
The SHIELD agents nearby heard him, though none of them reacted outwardly. They only cast glances in Harry's direction before returning to their posts—but tension rose subtly in the air.
Hawkeye leaned out at Harry's call, shot him a sharp look, then turned away and vanished from sight.
Once turned, he pressed a finger to his earpiece.
"Coulson. Osborne says someone's coming. Stay alert," Barton reported, gripping his folded bow. He drew an arrow from the quiver on his back and nocked it smoothly while speaking.
"Okay. Got it," Coulson answered. His brows drew together as he ended the call.
Immediately afterward, Coulson ordered the agents to increase their vigilance. He trusted Harry's words—Harry's abilities left no reason to doubt him. If Harry said someone was coming, then someone was coming.
Sure enough, chaos erupted outside shortly afterward.
A blast of noise shattered the quiet, followed by a heavy thud. At that moment, an agent in a suit ran in hurriedly, clearly shaken.
"Is it like this outside?" Coulson asked, frowning at the monitor showing a tall, muscular blond man beating the agents senseless.
"Sir, someone broke in—the hammer seems to be his target," the agent replied quickly.
"The hammer?"
Coulson's eyes narrowed, as if something had clicked in his mind.