Chapter 151: Chapter 151: Felix Felicis
Sif's expression turned reverent when she spoke of Thor, but she looked a bit downcast when mentioning he couldn't come to Earth. Sif had always liked Thor, and they had fought side by side for many years. Both Odin and Frigga considered them a perfect match, but Thor seemed oblivious to this aspect.
Initially, Sif thought Thor was just slow to realize her feelings, but it hurt her deeply when he quickly fell for someone on Earth during his exile. Despite her strong warrior persona, Sif kept her disappointment well hidden.
"Thor didn't come, but you did. Is something going on?" Daniel asked. If it weren't something significant, Sif wouldn't be on Earth. Earth was vibrant and interesting to Daniel, and Lucifer seemed to enjoy Earth too, but for Asgardians, Earth wasn't much.
"A fugitive escaped here. Her abilities are very dangerous." Sif quickly explained. Due to the chaos caused by Loki, several dangerous prisoners had escaped from Asgard's prison. While many had been recaptured, some, including a particularly dangerous one named Lorelei, were still at large. Lorelei, an Asgardian sorceress, could turn men into her puppets through touch and speech, though her power was ineffective on women. Thus, Sif had come to capture her.
In the movies, it seemed like only a few Asgardians—like Odin, Thor, Loki, and Hela—were formidable, while the rest appeared no different from ordinary humans. However, in reality, Asgardians, with an average lifespan of five thousand years, were far superior to humans.
Elliot Randolph, merely a stonemason, exhibited extraordinary physical strength. Most Asgardians were warriors, but there were exceptions, such as sorceresses like Frigga, Odin's powerful queen.
Frigga's seemingly easy death shouldn't be mistaken for a lack of power—it's all about the opponent. The strength of a cursed warrior could match Thor in battle.
Lorelei, even among Asgardian sorceresses, was exceptionally powerful. She had caused considerable chaos in Asgard by charming most men and would undoubtedly cause even more havoc on Earth, or Midgard.
Sif, being a high-ranking figure in Asgard, wouldn't be dispatched for a mere prisoner chase if Lorelei weren't extremely dangerous.
"A fugitive from Asgard, got it. Can you give us more details?" Onboard the plane, Coulson nodded, indicating they would fully cooperate.
"Lorelei likes gold, controlling people, and being worshipped. The Bifrost sent me to her last known location." With Heimdall watching, Lorelei's movements couldn't remain hidden.
Sif manipulated the holographic table to input Lorelei's image and some important details.
Asgardians preferred melee combat, despite their weapons' capability to emit shockwaves. This didn't mean their technology wasn't advanced. The holographic table on the plane, which Coulson didn't understand, had long been obsolete in Asgard.
Sif's words made Fitz and Simmons fall silent. Though Sif's tone wasn't condescending, her casual attitude highlighted the vast technological gap between Earth and Asgard.
Wakanda had a similar technological edge.
Daniel found the world's approach to warfare somewhat baffling. During the Battle of New York, he was perplexed by the Chitauri invasion strategy. If he were the Chitauri commander, he'd leverage space superiority to bomb the area first, creating a no-man's land before landing troops.
However, Daniel's perspective might be simplistic, not having experienced interstellar warfare. Perhaps the goal was to avoid destroying habitable planets, like Thanos, who refrained from bombardment unless absolutely necessary.
"Nearby? Fitz, investigate any recent unusual incidents in the area." Asgardians were powerful but had cultural differences and tended to look down on Earthlings. Apart from those like Elliot Randolph, who had hidden on Earth for a long time, most Asgardians didn't take Earth seriously.
Even Randolph often let secrets slip due to his drunkenness. Despite Daniel securing the Berserker Staff early, Randolph had already caught S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention, specifically Coulson's.
Asgardians often got drunk, and even though Randolph knew his weakness, he couldn't resist beautiful women and fine wine.
Randolph stayed on Earth mainly for romantic pursuits, having wooed a significant number of women over the years.
Drinking was a widespread Asgardian pastime, with parties lasting weeks or even a month—longevity indeed had its perks.
"With such a dangerous power, how do we handle her?" Trip asked, now a key member of the team.
"Capture her and use this to silence her." Sif produced a device, entirely made of gold but somewhat crude in appearance.
"Since her power only affects men, let me handle it." Melinda volunteered, being immune to Lorelei's control.
"Found her!" Fitz suddenly shouted while scanning for information on his computer.
Normally, Skye would handle information searches, but she hadn't fully recovered yet. Coulson's team was well-balanced, with Simmons handling biochemistry and medical duties, and Fitz managing network investigation, fieldwork, and equipment.
Skye only joined later, and Coulson gradually had Fitz hand over network duties to her.
Melinda was primarily a pilot, but her true role had been revealed to Coulson earlier than in the original timeline, thanks to Daniel.
Fury had a deeper agenda, seeing the team as a way to rehabilitate Melinda. As a former ace agent, Melinda's shift to desk work was seen by Fury as a waste, especially when he had few trustworthy subordinates left. If Melinda could recover, it would benefit S.H.I.E.L.D.
This plan was unknown even to Melinda, and it had worked, as she had gradually returned to field operations.
"A newlywed husband ran off with another woman from a desert hotel nearby. Local police reported several robberies, possibly by a local biker gang who usually aren't this aggressive. They're interested in gold, suggesting Lorelei's influence over them." Fitz relayed the information.
"In the digital age, Lorelei's actions were quickly traced."
"Prepare for action. Trip, be careful and avoid her touch." Coulson was initially reluctant to involve Trip, given the presence of Sif, Melinda, and Daniel. However, excluding Trip from his first mission wasn't ideal, so he advised caution.
"This brazen use of power... even on what you see as a backward planet, aren't you afraid of Asgard's pursuit?" On the way to the desert oasis bar named Loki, Daniel watched videos of a biker gang openly robbing a jewelry store and a bank before returning to the bar. Shaking his head, he couldn't help but comment.
Despite his strength, Daniel wouldn't be so brazen.
Fortunately, Lorelei's unique power had also controlled the police who tried to apprehend her. The gang was still in the bar.
"A truly unambitious Asgardian. She should study Machiavellian tactics." As Coulson, Sif, Melinda, and Trip split up to attack the bar from the front and back, Daniel leaned against the car.
Loving wealth wasn't wrong, Daniel did too, but this method was too crude.
"Loki should take a trip to China; his tricks are too basic. But people there aren't easy to deal with either."
As Daniel mused, a fierce fight broke out in the bar. People were thrown out of windows, and gunfire echoed occasionally.
Due to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s rules, they couldn't go on a killing spree, so all guns used tranquilizer rounds, and they fought with restraint.
Sif found this particularly frustrating, as she had to hold back to avoid killing anyone. With her physical strength, fighting at full power could be lethal.
Lorelei seemed to notice Sif's restraint, ordering her controlled minions to pin Sif down. She then overpowered Melinda and ran out the front door.
Despite being a sorceress and not a warrior, Lorelei, as an Asgardian, had enhanced physical abilities, making her too much for Melinda. Coulson and Trip couldn't stop her either, especially with their tranquilizer rounds depleted.
Lorelei scanned her surroundings upon exiting and ran towards Daniel, as he was the only person around and had a car behind him.
Approaching Daniel, Lorelei slowed down, smiling sweetly and tossing her hair. Her beauty easily charmed men, making them susceptible to her control.
Smiling at Daniel, Lorelei placed a hand on his shoulder and commanded, "Get me out of here."
Fearing Sif, Lorelei sought to escape quickly. If Asgard still had Valkyries, Sif could easily be one.
Bang.
Daniel responded with a punch to Lorelei's stomach, sending her flying several meters and crashing heavily to the ground.
He then formed a red energy whip with his hands and bound the rising Lorelei, pulling her back. Simultaneously, he drew a syringe and extracted a vial of her blood.
"I'm starting to resemble a certain cell-collecting individual." Extracting Lorelei's blood was a spur-of-the-moment decision out of curiosity.
Unlike Randolph, Lorelei's status as a sorceress made her more significant.
Lorelei's unique ability was useless to Daniel, as Kamar-Taj's magic inherently immunized against most illusions and mind control.
"You—" Lorelei began, but Daniel punched her again, silencing her. Sif then kicked down a window and rushed over, surprised to see Daniel so close to Lorelei.
"Got her." Daniel smiled at Sif.
"You're okay?" Sif was surprised Daniel showed no signs of being controlled.
"I'm a sorcerer; I'm not that easy to control." Daniel smiled.
"Sorcerer? Here?"
"It's not your turn to speak," Sif said, placing the previously mentioned device
on Lorelei's head.
"You bitch! No wonder no man likes you." Lorelei cursed as Sif muzzled her. She knew exactly what the device was—it had kept her silenced in prison.
The device was designed to mute her voice without hindering her ability to eat.
Though she successfully silenced Lorelei, Sif's expression remained grim. Lorelei had escaped Asgard by exploiting Sif's emotional vulnerabilities, making her less focused and giving Lorelei the opportunity to flee.
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