"No, Prince Thor," Karl said calmly. "The only way you return to Asgard is by lifting Mjolnir."
Thor's eyes flashed with anger.
"You mock me, mortal."
Karl ignored Darcy's muttered comment about "another crazy person." From her perspective, it made sense.
Thor straightened.
"I am Thor Odinson! Son of Odin! Command me back to Asgard!"
There was still arrogance in his tone — but beneath it, confusion.
Karl's expression remained unchanged.
"You haven't understood your situation yet. Without Mjolnir, without Odin's blessing, you are mortal. If you wish to return, prove yourself worthy."
Thor stepped forward aggressively.
Karl raised a hand.
Telekinesis activated.
Thor lifted slightly off the ground — not violently, but firmly restrained.
Jane's eyes widened.
"That's Iron Man," she whispered, noticing Tony hovering nearby in partial armor configuration.
Thor struggled.
"How dare you restrain me!"
Karl increased the pressure just enough to push him back down to the earth.
"Strength without humility is meaningless," Karl said evenly. "Odin stripped your power for a reason."
Thor glared — but this time, there was doubt in his eyes.
Karl released him.
"Your hammer is nearby. I'll take you there."
He motioned toward Tony.
Tony's suit reassembled fully with a metallic snap.
A stack of cash appeared on the diner table as compensation.
Then—
Karl lifted Thor telekinetically, leapt upward through the roof structure cleanly without collapsing the building, and flew toward the crater site.
Tony followed in flight mode.
Juggernaut leapt across terrain with heavy impact strides.
Jane stared upward in shock.
"They just… flew."
She snapped back to reality.
"We're going."
Darcy protested but drove anyway.
Outside Puente Antiguo — The Crater Site
S.H.I.E.L.D. had already established a secure perimeter.
Floodlights.
Containment fencing.
Scientific equipment.
Armed agents positioned in layers.
Mjolnir sat embedded in stone at the center.
Clint Barton was positioned in an elevated sniper perch, bow drawn, arrow nocked.
Coulson stood below overseeing operations.
Suddenly—
A pressure shift in the air.
Karl descended from above, Thor beside him.
Tony landed moments later.
Agents immediately raised weapons.
Clint adjusted aim — tracking Karl's head.
Karl flicked his fingers.
A precise telekinetic pulse disarmed every visible agent without injuring them. Rifles flew backward into a neat pile twenty feet away.
Clint's arrow snapped from the string and embedded harmlessly in dirt.
Coulson stiffened — but did not panic.
He remembered the last encounter.
"Mr. Karl," Coulson said carefully. "Who is this individual?"
Karl didn't look at him.
"Thor Odinson."
Coulson's brow twitched.
"As in—?"
"Yes."
Karl turned to Thor.
"There."
Mjolnir.
The sky darkened subtly as Thor stepped forward.
Cloud cover thickened.
Static filled the air.
Thor approached slowly now — no arrogance, only desperation.
He grasped the hammer's handle.
Pulled.
Nothing.
He adjusted footing.
Pulled again.
Stone cracked slightly beneath his boots — but Mjolnir did not move.
Thor's breathing became uneven.
He knelt.
"Father… why?"
The thunder above faded.
Silence returned.
Tony watched intently.
No sarcasm now.
Just observation.
Karl said nothing.
Thor tried once more — weaker this time.
Still nothing.
He released the hammer.
His shoulders fell.
Not rage.
Not pride.
Something else.
Loss.
Karl stepped forward calmly.
"Coulson. A room."
Coulson hesitated only briefly before nodding.
"Yes."
This situation had escalated beyond standard jurisdiction.
As they escorted Thor inside, Coulson quietly signaled for secure communication.
Inside a containment structure, Thor sat alone.
Karl exited with Tony and Juggernaut.
Coulson immediately contacted Director Fury and relayed everything Karl had stated.
If true, this wasn't extraterrestrial contact.
It was diplomatic crisis potential.
Fury ordered the phone passed to Karl.
Karl took it casually.
"What is it, Baldy? Found Captain Rogers yet?"
Fury ignored the nickname.
"Is it true? The man is Thor? Son of Odin?"
"Yes," Karl replied evenly. "Thor Odinson. Banished. Mortal for now."
A pause.
"And if he's harmed?" Fury asked.
Karl's tone sharpened slightly.
"If he dies here, you won't be dealing with a fallen prince."
A beat.
"You'll be dealing with Odin."
Silence on the line.
Karl continued calmly.
"And an ancient king who once conquered nine realms doesn't negotiate when grieving."
Tony glanced sideways.
That part… sounded believable.
Fury's voice lowered.
"What are you suggesting?"
Karl leaned back slightly.
"I'm suggesting you treat him like a guest. Not an asset."
And I can tell you this directly…"
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