章節 18: Chapter 18: Thor's Hammer
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Inviting Coulson inside, Charlotte went to get some drinks for them while Jay began to negotiate.
"Another 10 billion," he said.
At this sentence, Coulson almost collapsed and broke down in a crying fit. The last time Jay asked for 10 billion, it almost put a hole in SHIELD's funding. The director had to ask one of the members of the Avenger initiative for help. In the end, Tony put in 5 billion at Fury's request. While it wasn't a small number, even for someone like Tony Stark, having the director of SHIELD, one of America's greatest intelligence agencies, owing him a favor was not a bad trade.
And now, Jay was asking for 10 more. Coulson just wanted to scream in his face, "Money doesn't grow on trees, you know!" But he still composed himself as a professional agent and calmly pulled out a phone to call Nick Fury. He did not mean to pass the buck! Not at all! This was just not in his jurisdiction, that's all!
Nick Fury, on the line, almost crushed the phone in his hand in frustration. Although his heart was bleeding, he still decided to transfer the money.
Jay was really surprised, as this time he didn't think they would agree so easily. He had even prepared to lower the price.
What Jay didn't take into account was how important Fury took this matter to heart. After the incident in 1995, Fury's vision of the world had expanded significantly. Knowing that there were forces that could easily destroy Earth like it was some bug did not put his mind at ease at all. And now, facing the potential war with one of such forces, he was really worried.
The only assurance he had left was the pager given to him by Carol Danvers, but unless absolutely necessary, he couldn't use it. So, if he could stop an intergalactic war with the so-called Asgard, then 10 billion was a small price to pay.
Jay didn't put much thought into it though, and soon Coulson, Jay, and Charlotte began to travel to Mexico on a plane that Coulson had prepared beforehand.
Flying the Quinjet, within a few hours, they landed near an improvised research base. What surprised Jay the most was the people that came out to greet them: the current director of SHIELD, Nick Fury; Black Widow, the world's best spy; and Hawkeye, the Avenger's sharp shooter.
The lineup was almost the top combat force SHIELD had at the moment, which was kinda low now that he thought about it.
Walking down the plane, he stood in front of the trio. Fury reached out his hand and started to talk first.
"Greetings, Mr. Jay."
Jay shook his hand and returned the greeting. Fury was about to introduce the people next to him when Jay raised his hand to stop him.
"There's no need for an introduction, Director Fury. I already know of them."
Fury nodded in understanding. With Coulson's reports, he already knew that Jay possessed some form of precognition.
He then turned around to lead Jay to the center of the base. What no one noticed was the subtle glance Fury took at Jay, wondering what else he knew.
The base was mostly made of some simple white cloths and metal frames. In the center of all this was a hammer, the hammer of Thor Odinson.
In front of the hammer, Jay looked at it very carefully. It was one of the famous weapons in the movies, with only a few able to lift and use its power.
"Mjolnir, the iconic hammer belonging to Thor, was forged from Uru in Nidavellir per Odin's request by the Dwarves. And on the hammer, there are several magical enchantments cast by the Allfather Odin. Only those worthy shall lift the hammer. The requirements are selflessness, courage, honor, and the willingness to sacrifice oneself for the greater good. If you tick all of those, then congratulations, you are able to wield the power of Thor."
Hearing Jay's explanations, everyone looked at the hammer with curiosity. Fury also took note of the places and names that Jay mentioned for intel. Turning back to the group, Jay asked and pointed at Mjolnir as if it was an exhibition.
"So, who wants to try to lift it? Step right up, ladies and gents. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance. It's not every day you can try to lift a magical hammer."
Hearing this, Hawkeye, who was in half disbelief and doubt, stepped up. Holding it with both hands, he pulled, but the hammer didn't give two shits about his efforts and just sat there as if taunting him.
If it had a mouth, it would have said something along the lines of, "Puny mortal, you think you can lift me? Come back in a few thousand years!"
The next one to try was someone Jay didn't think would do it. Nick Fury came up to the hammer, holding the handle with one hand and pulling hard, but the result remained the same. It didn't move an inch.
Seeing Nick Fury trying, Jay wanted to laugh. While Fury did fit some of the requirements for the hammer, he also did not have things like honor or a warrior spirit in his name. So, it didn't really surprise him to see Fury's strained expression.
Coulson also gave it a try, but he could not lift the damn thing either. What everyone else didn't realize was the extremely minuscule movement of the hammer. It barely moved, but it did move!
Jay almost wanted to yell out in surprise, but when he thought about it, Coulson in the future did have what it took to fit the hammer's requirements. If he could perform some more acts of bravery like in "Agents of SHIELD," maybe he could lift it.
Shaking his head, Jay returned from his thoughts.
"No one else?"
This question did not target anyone in particular, but Jay did take a thoughtful glance at Natasha. In the comic, she had lifted the hammer before, and in the last act of sacrifice in "Endgame" to save the universe, she definitely became worthy of the hammer.
But the current her? He wasn't so sure, but it was still a possibility.
Natasha, feeling his glance, was a bit embarrassed and waved her hand.
"You must be joking, Mr. Jay. If there is anyone worthy, then it is definitely not me."
His glance didn't escape Nick Fury's eye, though, as a thoughtful expression showed on his face. Remembering his ability in particular, Fury turned to Natasha.
"Try it, Agent Romanoff. There's no harm in giving it a try."
She wanted to decline, knowing how much blood was on her ledger. But Fury did not give her a choice.
"It is an order, Agent Romanoff."
Natasha reluctantly agreed. As she grabbed the hammer and tried pulling it off the ground, the hammer shook for a bit, slightly lifting off but eventually staying where it lay. This surprised everyone present except Jay, who, turning to look while smiling, spoke to Natasha.
"Your hands are filled with blood, that is true, but it does not mean you can't be redeemed. Heck, Thor probably killed enough enemies to fill several rivers. If you can recognize your sins, accept them as a part of yourself, and take actions to prove yourself, then the hammer will recognize you as its master."
Letting go of the hammer with a complicated expression, Natasha absentmindedly nodded. Seeing this, Fury ordered Barton to take her to a break room.
The only ones remaining were Jay and Charlotte. Seeing the stares of the people on him, Jay shrugged, signaling to Charlotte, and said, "Ladies first."
Then a nervous Charlotte grabbed the hammer handle. Jay didn't have any thought on this, though, as while Charlotte did have a good heart, she wasn't much of a warrior.
Heck, the girl couldn't even hurt a fly or kill a cockroach without screaming.
But life was full of surprises, or lady fate just wanted to slap him in the face. Or maybe the author just ran out of ideas and went with this for the heck of it. Who knew?
When Charlotte tried to pull the hammer with her hand, the sky above began to swirl with lightning and thunder roaring above them. The runes on Mjolnir lit up in radiance, and a rainbow halo surrounded her.
Seeing this, Jay was shocked and hurriedly grabbed her hand.
All of this happened in split seconds, so before Fury and Coulson could react, they saw Charlotte holding Mjolnir and Jay grabbing her hand before disappearing.
Soon, Jay and Charlotte appeared before a large grassland on a cliff overlooking the vast and cold sea of the north ocean.
Jay realized what had happened and turned to look behind him. There stood an amiable old man wearing casual clothing with an eye patch on his face. His face showed a gentle smile while looking at them. Seeing him, Jay frowned and muttered begrudgingly.
"Odin."
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