"You can shut it down?" The words left Thor's mouth before he realized how foolish the question sounded.
After all, she was the Lead Researcher of the Herta Space Station. Working under a figure like Madam Herta, she had to be a genius in her own right—one of the brilliant minds wandering the cosmos.
At the very least, he couldn't imagine anyone more promising than her.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I'll give it my absolute best!" Asta replied, unable to offer a definitive guarantee just yet.
"Right." Thor nodded. He glanced around, realizing he didn't have a quick way to get the two of them up there.
Should he just grab them and fly?
"It's fine. Arlan will take me up. I just need a formal authorization to intervene," Asta said, clearly sensing Thor's hesitation.
"Uh, you might need the Iron Boy's permission for that. Or maybe... the President of this planet?" Thor hadn't initially caught her drift, but it quickly dawned on him that she was trying to avoid a diplomatic nightmare.
"?"
Asta shot him a look of pure confusion. "Earth? Isn't this place Midgard?"
Her implication was stinging.
Here was an Asgardian Prince, drenched in the blood of battle, and yet when she asked for clearance, he told her to go find someone else.
Did Asgard have no authority here? Was the word of an Asgardian Prince worth nothing in this realm?
The realization left Thor flush with embarrassment. How could he admit that the first time he'd visited this place, the mortals had locked him in a tiny dark room?
"What are you all doing down here?"
The mid-air tension was broken as Tony Stark drifted toward them.
A miniature warp-ship of that magnitude hovering over the city was hard to miss, and with one less heavy-hitter in the sky, Tony needed an update.
"And you are...?" Asta looked at him, puzzled.
Tony's gaze shifted to the pink-haired girl and her grey-haired guardian. "Are you passengers from that ship? I hate to break it to you, but Earth isn't exactly a prime tourist destination right now."
"We aren't here for sightseeing," Asta said, her brow furrowing.
"She says she can try to close the portal," Thor cut in, shifting the burden of the conversation.
"Her? She looks like she's not even legal yet." Tony couldn't help a dry remark. "Do alien lifespans start counting by the century or something?"
"I may not be as old as you're imagining, but I am an adult," Asta replied, her expression souring. She clearly wasn't a fan of his first impression.
"Oh, sorry. You're saying you can shut down that portal? Need a lift? Of course, we'll need our Prince here to run interference. It's a bit crowded in the sky today." Tony offered a quick, half-hearted apology.
"...Then we—!"
Before Asta could finish, Arlan, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. "Miss, we still need a certificate of authorization."
"Now is not the time for paperwork!" Asta insisted.
"Certificate?" Tony, knowing next to nothing about alien protocol, looked to Thor for a translation.
"They need Earth to certify that their actions aren't an unauthorized intrusion," Thor explained with a shrug.
Tony's lip twitched. The idea that someone needed permission to save the world sounded absurd, yet he knew all too well how that kind of thing could come back to haunt you.
"Permission granted. That's my building; you can enter whenever you like," Tony said flatly. "Now, do you need that lift? It's probably best if I take you one at a time."
"No need. I will protect the Miss and deliver her myself. You two should focus on the aerial defense," Arlan stated.
"Mr. Thor, and... sir, Arlan she absolutely didn't mean any offense." Even though Thor and Tony didn't seem to mind, Asta apologized for Arlan's bluntness in treating them like rank-and-file soldiers.
"Apologies," Arlan echoed quickly.
"No need for the formalities, but... are you planning on walking up? Or do you have a flying hammer too?" Tony looked the pair over once more.
Asta and Arlan shared a brief look.
Without a word, Arlan scooped Asta up into a bridal carry.
There was a slight height difference between them—the "princess" being somewhat taller than her "knight"—which should have looked awkward, yet in that moment, it felt strangely harmonious.
"The situation is urgent. We'll take our leave first."
The moment the words left Arlan's mouth, her entire body launched into the air with terrifying speed.
With a single thud of a leap, she cleared a dozen city blocks, cutting the distance to Stark Tower in half instantly. By the second leap, their silhouettes were already landing on the tower's roof.
Seeing physical capabilities that surpassed even the Hulk's raw explosive power, Tony's eye twitched.
He turned to Thor. "Who exactly are they?"
"You'll find out soon enough. If this isn't handled correctly, Earth might be in for a world of trouble." Thor's gaze was heavy as he looked at Tony.
It was the first time Tony had seen that specific look in the god's eyes.
Dread.
"How much scarier are they than the Chitauri army?"
"Simply put, there is no comparison." Thor didn't seem inclined to say more. With a violent whirl of his hammer, he took to the skies once again.
Tony's expression darkened. He opened his comms. "You all heard that?"
"Is this peak season for aliens to take their vacations or something?" Clint Barton let fly an arrow, detonating a distant Chitauri flyer. His usually stern face had grown even colder.
"It sounds like they come from a civilization far more advanced than the Chitauri, if even Thor is wary," Natasha said. "Likely on par with Asgard."
"Or higher," Clint added.
High above the distant sea, aboard the SHIELD Helicarrier, Nick Fury's face was grim. He had prepared for alien threats, but looking at Thor's reaction, his preparations were woefully insufficient.
But... this was also an opportunity.
Without hesitation, Fury pulled the recording of the Avengers' conversation and shared it with every member of the World Security Council.
"You heard them," Fury said, exerting a quiet, mounting pressure on the council members.
"We have a ship from an interstellar civilization that was caught in the crossfire and forced to land in New York. If we don't handle this perfectly, this will be the first impression Earth makes on the galactic stage!"
Everyone understood that first impressions set the foundation for all future relations.
"If you insist on detonating a nuclear warhead over New York, you won't just be killing the people of the city and my team," Fury warned.
"You'll be picking a fight with an alien civilization whose technological level we can't even begin to fathom!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.