Nighttime, New Mexico.
On the desert highway, Jane Foster gripped the steering wheel tightly, the SUV's high beams slicing through the pitch-black night.
In the passenger seat, Sergei frowned, deep in thought, his eyes fixed on his laptop. The blue glow of the screen reflected off his tired face.
"Jane, turn right in 200 meters!"
From the back seat, Daisy Louise held up the Einstein-Rosen bridge detector and shouted over the hum of the engine.
But no sooner had she spoken than the star-filled sky vanished—swallowed whole by roiling clouds that rolled in with unnatural speed.
Boom…
A blinding fork of lightning split the heavens, followed instantly by a deafening crack of thunder.
The SUV jolted violently. Sparks erupted from the detector in Daisy's hands, flashing white-hot before going dark.
"Damn it! Didn't the weather forecast say it'd be clear tonight?!" Jane slowed the vehicle sharply, but thick fog was already surging in like a tide, swallowing the wasteland in seconds.
Daisy pursed her lips and smirked. "Heh. You'd have better luck believing your never-met boyfriend will drop from the sky and smash right into your windshield! At least that'd be—"
Bang!
A figure materialized out of the fog—and slammed straight into the windshield.
"Aaaaaah—!" ×3
A chorus of screams filled the car.
Jane stomped on the brakes, then whipped around to glare at Daisy. "Why are you looking at me? Don't even think about pinning this on me! Unless you let me skip the internship."
Daisy met her gaze with the same expectant, impish look.
Before they could escalate, Selvig opened his door and cut in firmly: "Stop arguing. Go check on him."
The two scrambled out, flashlights in hand, and hurried toward the front of the SUV.
Selvig switched on his phone's light; the beam cut weakly through the fog, forming a hazy column.
Five meters ahead, a broad-shouldered figure lay motionless on the asphalt, his silhouette strangely luminous against the gloom.
"Jane," Daisy grinned, "you just hit a male model! Hehehe…"
She rushed over first, lips curling into a mischievous smile, Selvig close behind.
Jane knelt and carefully rolled the stranger onto his back.
The moment she saw his face, Daisy dropped to her knees beside her.
With wide-eyed awe—like someone who'd just glimpsed divine truth—she declared with mock solemnity:
"Jane, based on my extensive clinical experience in international finance, I can say with 99.9% certainty he's in critical condition and urgently requires CPR… and full artificial respiration."
She gave Jane a theatrical sigh. "You're a brilliant astrophysicist. I'm just a humble intern. So… I'll nobly shoulder this burden! Hehehe…"
As she leaned in, hand reaching toward his chest—
Whap!
Selvig smacked her wrist away with a look of utter disgust. "Stop fooling around. Go get the first aid kit."
Daisy pouted—but skipped off toward the SUV, oddly cheerful.
Snort.
Just as she turned away, the fallen man stirred.
Thor's eyes fluttered open.
He blinked, disoriented, taking in the fog, the headlights, the faces above him—then locked eyes with Jane Foster.
Recognition. Wonder. A flicker of something deeper.
His expression softened, and his gaze lit with a warmth that had nothing to do with lightning.
Seeing Thor's dazed expression, Selvig turned to Daisy Louise and said,
"No need for the first aid kit. This poor guy probably hit his head and needs to be taken to the hospital."
At the sound of Selvig's voice, Thor finally snapped out of his daze. Remembering his precious hammer, he struggled to get up from the ground.
"Hammer! My hammer! My precious hammer! My magical hammer! Hammer—!!"
Once on his feet, Thor began yelling and sprinting in circles around the SUV behind him.
Watching his frantic state, Jane Foster wanted to go over and comfort him—to help him calm down.
But as she glanced down, she noticed faintly glowing patterns on the ground, illuminated by the car's headlights.
She crouched, her fingers lightly brushing the earth, and realized the patterns were ancient runes—formed not of ink or chalk, but of tiny electric arcs, visibly fading away.
"My God… Eric! Look at these!"
She quickly pulled out her phone and started recording. In the video, the symbols resembled Norse runes but included variations she'd never seen before.
But Selvig didn't have time to reply. Thor had already grabbed him by the collar, demanding,
"Did you steal my hammer?! Tell me! Did you steal my hammer?!"
Selvig shook his head so violently it nearly blurred, muttering, "Not me!"
"What? Not you? Then who stole my precious hammer? Who was it?!"
Thor resumed his panicked laps around the SUV.
Selvig's lips twitched as he turned to Jane Foster and said,
"Whatever you've discovered, I think the most important thing right now is to get this tall, strong guy to the hospital. He may have injured his brain."
Jane didn't even look up, still fixated on the vanishing runes. "He has no external injuries, can still run and jump, and his voice is louder than your snoring. There's no need to go—"
"Father! Heimdall! I know you can hear me! Open the Bifröst and let me return!"
Thor suddenly threw his head back and roared at the sky.
Jane immediately turned to Selvig, dead serious:
"Get to the state hospital, register for neurology, and be quick! And—does this car have full insurance?"
Receiving no answer, Thor whirled toward Jane and the others, demanding,
"Oi! Which realm is this? Álfheim? Or Nornheim?!"
Startled by his fierce expression, Daisy Louise—gripping a Taser—answered, trembling,
"Uh… New Mexico?"
Thor looked confused. But when he saw her aiming what he took for a weapon at him, his eyes blazed with fury.
"How dare you threaten me with this little toy? I am Thor, God of Thunder! God of the North—"
Sizzle-sizzle—
Before Thor could finish, Daisy pulled the trigger.
Two metal probes struck his torso and discharged electricity for five seconds.
And then… the mighty Thunder God, Thor Odinson, collapsed to the ground, convulsing.
Daisy stared at him, then turned to Jane Foster and Selvig, utterly bewildered:
"Wait… did he just say he was some kind of god?"
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