New Mexico — more than three thousand kilometers away from New York.
Damon had never been there, so naturally, he hadn't left any magical imprint in that region. Which meant — no teleportation.
So after saying a quick word to Madison, Damon decided to dedicate his first-ever skipped class to the city's public high school and immediately turned to book a flight to New Mexico.
The plane took off at eight in the morning.
By the time it landed, it was already late afternoon.
After bidding farewell to a rather enthusiastic long-legged flight attendant, Damon stood alone outside the unfamiliar airport, looking around in mild confusion.
"Wait... where am I even supposed to go now?"
He only knew that the events of Thor 1 took place near some small town in New Mexico.
But the exact location? Completely unknown.
"Tch... In a situation like this, I really need someone to handle logistics and intel. Preferably a hacker-level expert. Hmm... a Transformer would be perfect for that role."
"And if she's a beautiful woman — even better."
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a black car drifted to a stop right in front of him.
"Thanks, but I don't need a ride," Damon said flatly without even looking up.
"That's too bad," came a soft, teasing voice from inside the car. "I thought I'd get my first passenger of the day."
The sultry tone made Damon raise an eyebrow.
Through his 3D magic interface, he scanned the driver — and couldn't help but smirk.
Well, what do you know? A beautiful driver, online, offering him a free ride.
It was none other than Natasha Romanoff.
[Abnormal entity detected — Natasha Romanoff. Gained 100 Abnormal Points. Current total: 100 / 1700.]
She was dressed casually, sunglasses hiding her sharp eyes, and staring directly at him.
"Handsome, you really don't need a ride?"
"Of course I do," Damon replied smoothly.
Perfect — a guide, delivered right to his feet.
He opened the door, slid into the seat, and — without even glancing at her — said in a commanding tone:
"I'm heading to check out that hammer no one can lift. You know where it is, right?"
Though it sounded like a question, his tone left no room for doubt.
Natasha's heart skipped a beat.
She wanted to say "no," but when she met Damon's cold, indifferent gaze, the word died in her throat.
"Uh... of course," she forced a smile. "I know this area like the back of my hand. I'll take you there — hang on tight."
Her tone was light, but inside, she was grimacing.
Meanwhile, Nick Fury was tracking Damon's movements through digital surveillance.
When Damon purchased a ticket to New Mexico, Fury immediately grew tense.
Connecting the dots with Coulson's earlier report about a mysterious hammer, Fury quickly ordered Natasha to divert there and observe Damon's intentions.
Natasha had been traveling non-stop, barely resting, and even disguised herself as a taxi driver just to intercept him.
And now — ironically — Damon really was heading straight for the hammer.
To make it worse, the man had no idea where it was... and she, the supposed spy, had just volunteered to take him right to it.
"Outrageous... utterly ridiculous," Fury muttered through the comm line as he listened to their conversation.
If he'd known this would happen, he wouldn't have sent anyone to the airport.
At least then Damon might've wandered around for a while.
Maybe by the time Damon found the hammer, S.H.I.E.L.D. could've moved it or studied it further.
But now?
The hammer was as good as gone.
"Coulson," Fury snapped through the earpiece, "Thor will reach your location in two hours at most. Do whatever it takes to move the 0-8-4 before he arrives!"
Coulson froze mid-command.
If he could move Mjolnir, would he still be here trying?
"Sir, how does Thor even know where the hammer is?"
"Natasha's the driver."
"..."
Coulson facepalmed.
"Great. We've got a mole. Abort the mission!"
He quickly switched to the camp's comms:
"Attention, all units! Repeat — all units! Thor— I mean, Damon — is arriving in two hours! Transfer all research data immediately!"
Unbeknownst to them, they weren't alone.
Hidden in stealth mode nearby, Loki listened in with growing confusion.
"Thor... Damon?" he muttered. "Who the hell is that supposed to be?"
If Damon was Thor... then what did that make him?
Originally, Loki had planned to go trick his oaf of a brother, but this new "Earth Thor" intrigued him.
"Let's see just what kind of 'god' this mortal thinks he is," he sneered. "A Thor on Earth? What a joke."
He watched as Coulson's men tried everything to move the hammer — cranes, pulleys, magnets — all failed.
Even Loki had tried once before and couldn't budge it.
And if he couldn't, how could these humans possibly succeed?
Eventually, Coulson gave up and ordered all sensitive material evacuated, leaving only a small security team behind to "greet" their incoming god.
Two hours later.
"Handsome, the hammer's just ahead," Natasha said, braking smoothly near the S.H.I.E.L.D. perimeter.
Damon had already confirmed it through his 3D map view — it was the right place.
"Thanks. No need to circle back. The rest's your tip. Nice driving, by the way — I'm impressed."
He tossed her two green bills casually.
Natasha smiled as she caught them, but inwardly, she frowned.
Really? That's it?
Wasn't this guy supposed to be a flirt?
Why didn't any of her charm work on him?
Unless...
He already knew who she was.
Her expression hardened slightly as she watched his back disappear toward the camp.
[Abnormal entities detected — Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Loki, Mjolnir. +400 Abnormal Points. Current total: 500 / 1700.]
"Excuse me, sir," Coulson greeted him warmly, pretending not to recognize him. "May I ask who you are?"
"I'm here to retrieve my hammer."
He said it calmly — not arrogant, not aggressive.
After all, Coulson's presence on his 3D map showed up as a neutral yellow dot.
"Your hammer?" Coulson blinked. "And... do you have any proof that it's yours?"
"Simple," Damon said, walking past the armed agents.
He paused briefly as he passed someone — then continued straight toward Mjolnir.
Everyone knew Odin's enchantment: Only the worthy may lift the hammer.
Damon wasn't so arrogant as to think he was worthy.
But he had something else.
A cheat.
Placing his hand on the hammer, he activated the map editor.
Loki, still invisible nearby, smirked mockingly.
There was no way this man could—
Then the system chimed:
[Abnormal Object: Mjolnir — recording in progress...]
[Recording complete. +5000 Abnormal Points.]
[Map Editor upgraded to Version 2.8. Current total: 1600 / 1900.]
Mjolnir vanished — absorbed directly into the system.
Damon stored it neatly in his item inventory.
And then, thunder roared.
A surge of divine lightning poured through his body, transforming his very being.
Everyone around him — S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Coulson, even Loki — froze in shock.
Loki's expression twisted with fury and disbelief.
"No!!" he screamed.
~~----------------------
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