Heimdall summoned the last of his strength and shattered the ice encasing his body.
He immediately thrust his sword into the control slot—
and the Bifrost roared to life.
BOOOOM—!
Seven-colored light descended.
Sif and the Warriors Three stepped inside first.
Thor turned to the worried Jane standing beside him.
"Wait for me, Jane. I won't be long."
They shared a lingering look, kissed goodbye,
and Thor stepped into the rainbow bridge.
Lucas watched the beam vanish into the heavens and murmured,
"Odin… you really went all out for that foolish son of yours."
---
S.H.I.E.L.D. Cleanup
S.H.I.E.L.D. combed through the battlefield, gathering every trace of the Frost Giants—
their bodies were extraterrestrial specimens too valuable to ignore.
But despite their thorough sweep, they found not one piece of the Destroyer's armor.
Lucas explained that Thor had taken it.
S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't prove otherwise, so they dropped the matter.
As for Asgard's affairs, Lucas didn't care in the slightest.
---
Back to New York
When he returned, the trio who'd come back from Boston were already waiting at home.
"How was New Mexico?" Gwen asked, eyeing Lucas—dust-covered and sunburned from the desert wasteland.
"Not bad.
I earned myself a jet."
Lucas sank onto the sofa.
Gwen naturally let his head rest on her lap.
"A jet?! Where is it? Take us to see it!"
Skye dragged Wanda over, both excited.
"It's still with S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm picking it up tomorrow.
If Baldy doesn't give it to me, we're going to Washington together—
I'll blow up S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters."
To Lucas, Nick Fury had negative credit. Completely untrustworthy.
"I agree! He keeps trying to recruit me into S.H.I.E.L.D.—so annoying."
Skye immediately backed Lucas.
Fury knew Skye's secret—knew she was Inhuman—and had been relentless about recruiting her.
Trying to steal Lucas' people.
Gwen was also on Fury's recruitment radar, but she firmly sided with Lucas.
Wanda simply hadn't revealed her true power yet—otherwise Fury would've been on her too.
But the biggest problem for Fury was this:
All three girls had deep ties to Lucas.
Recruiting them without Lucas' approval was impossible.
And Lucas himself?
The hardest person in the world for S.H.I.E.L.D. to handle.
Other than Coulson, Natasha, and Barton,
no one from S.H.I.E.L.D. was even allowed inside Devil May Cry.
---
Wanda's Questions
"That S.H.I.E.L.D.… is it dangerous?
You all talk as if they're villains."
Wanda was genuinely confused.
If they were bad people, why did Lucas take their missions?
If they were good, why did he badmouth them constantly?
"Wanda, you're too innocent. Stay away from them—especially Baldy Fury.
He's the definition of sneaky.
Everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. is trouble."
Lucas warned her seriously.
"So in your eyes, I'm not a good person either?"
Natasha walked in, unamused, grabbing a juice from the bar.
"Hmph. You too—you always freeload here.
Doesn't Baldy pay you?"
Lucas glared.
Though to be fair, Natasha had never tricked him—
in fact, she often helped him mess with S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Don't listen to him," Gwen said, tapping Lucas' forehead.
"He's just grumpy because he didn't get paid.
His beef with Fury isn't new."
Natasha stretched lazily—
a move so graceful even Gwen, Skye, and Wanda flushed a little.
"And speaking of which—your prototype is done.
You can pick it up anytime."
"Really?!"
Lucas sat up instantly, full of life.
"Tell Baldy I'm coming tomorrow."
The Quinjet.
In his past life he'd dreamed of flying one.
Now he'd finally get the chance.
Natasha rolled her eyes nearly into orbit.
"It's just a Quinjet. You literally rode one today."
"It's not the same!"
Lucas waved grandly.
"Today was yours.
Tomorrow's will be mine.
I'm parking it on the roof!"
"On the roof? Are you trying to get exposed to the whole city?"
Natasha was speechless.
Quinjets were still top-secret tech.
"It's fine. You know this place—
no danger whatsoever."
Lucas had absolute faith in the building's magical barrier.
Moguli might act like a lazy lord who demanded to be served—
but its wards were flawless.
And besides—
a prototype Quinjet had no weapons.
If someone took a picture, so what?
"Fine. It's yours. Do what you want," Natasha sighed.
Lucas' brain clearly didn't operate on normal wavelengths.
---
The Next Morning
Lucas was up at dawn—fresh, dressed, and waiting excitedly inside the office.
His commotion woke the three girls, who stumbled out with messy hair to accompany him.
Nearly an hour later, Natasha walked in slowly.
"Well, well…
The sun must've risen in the west.
You're awake before noon?"
Lucas grinned shamelessly.
"I try~ I try~"
"When are we leaving? I can't wait!"
He'd spent all night practicing flight controls—
on a game console—
just to avoid embarrassing himself later.
Natasha stared at him.
This man had definitely been dropped on his head at some point.
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