...
Heimdall.Guardian of the Norse gods.Watcher of Asgard, the celestial city of Odin.
In Norse mythology, he is the son of the Nine Sisters of the Sea, tasked with eternal vigilance at the gates of the heavens, guarding the Bifrost Rainbow Bridge against all intruders.
Gifted with sight that spans worlds and hearing that reaches every corner of existence, Heimdall can observe anything, anywhere.
And when catastrophe looms, he sounds the divine Gjallarhorn, summoning the gods to war.
Since Thor had still been exiled to Earth, Ryan Cole knew that events in Asgard likely hadn't strayed far from the original storyline.
Which meant that once Loki uncovered the truth of his origins, he would probably take advantage of Odin's enchanted sleep—luring Laufey, King of the Frost Giants, into Asgard.
Then, at the critical moment, Loki would turn on him, killing Laufey before Odin's eyes to prove that he was worthy to rule Asgard.
When Ryan first set Asgard as one of his long-term targets, he had briefly considered using this rare window of opportunity to relay the truth—through Heimdall—to Odin himself.
Even if there were no immediate rewards, earning Asgard's goodwill would still be a massive win.
But thinking it through…
No matter how weakened they might be, gods were still gods.And Ryan was still just a mortal.
Even if his information were taken seriously—what then?
At the end of the day, Loki's conflict with Odin was family business.
Best case scenario? Dirty laundry doesn't get aired.Ryan probably wouldn't be punished—but expecting friendship or rewards from Asgard would be laughable.
Worst case?
How does a mere human know secrets of the divine court?
Who knew how Odin, King of the Gods, would react.
And Loki—no matter what he did—was still a godborn prince. At worst, he'd be grounded in a cosmic dungeon.
But if Loki ever got the chance to retaliate afterward…
Yeah. Not a future Ryan was eager to experience.
That line of reasoning was exactly why Ryan had gone out of his way to prepare in advance—to secure Thor's blood at the earliest possible moment.
He didn't know whether the portable force-field generator he built would actually work.
But in Ryan's estimation, as long as Thor's life was never truly endangered, Asgard probably wouldn't intervene.
Otherwise, Thor wouldn't be fighting on the front lines alone in The Avengers.
Loki wouldn't be free to pull half the nonsense he did without Asgard lifting a finger.
These were, admittedly, educated guesses.
Once Ryan confirmed that the three vials of Thor's blood were intact, he activated his world-jumping ability—just as planned.
Along with the refrigerated containment case holding Thor's blood, he also brought a large dual-tone gold-and-silver suitcase.
If Tony Stark had been present, he would've immediately noticed how similar that suitcase was to his own Mark V portable Iron Man armor design.
After using the latest version of "divine blood" and unlocking several new abilities, Ryan had already begun planning his next phase.
When he reappeared in the world of Elysium, Ryan relied on shape-shifting and mind control to swiftly take full control of the laboratory developing genetic enhancement serum.
He then assumed the identity of James Thomas Wesley, a bioengineer, and returned to the Elysium Station under the pretense of a major research breakthrough.
What happened next didn't need much explanation.
With practiced efficiency, Ryan replaced the acting president and uploaded the AI Starling into the station's core database.
In Ryan's eyes, if he needed a base that was secure and technologically mature, there was no better choice than Elysium Station.
Before, he hadn't had the strength.
Now, there was no reason to wait.
Once Starling fully replaced the original systems—and every autonomous robot received a full upgrade—Ryan didn't quite rule the world…
…but Elysium Station was firmly in his hands.
...
Marvel Cinematic Universe — Earth
As night fell, Ryan Cole reappeared in his hotel room.
At first glance, the gains from this trip seemed modest: just a pocket-sized storage device packed with data.
Even Thor's blood and the portable power armor had been left behind in the Elysium world.
But for Ryan, it was only now—right now—that he finally had the capital to survive in this dangerous universe.
Picking up the phone he'd left in this world, Ryan found exactly what he expected: a string of missed calls.
Within seconds, he changed into a black outfit and trench coat—once again becoming the blond Caucasian man known as Angel.
"Hey, Jane. Sorry—I didn't have my phone on me just now."
He called back immediately.
"I'm not Jane. It's Darcy."
Darcy Lewis's voice sounded tense.
"Hey, Darcy. What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Angel, if you can, you need to get here—now. Jane's in trouble."
"Okay, okay. I'm on my way. Send me the address."
"Got it."Darcy hung up.
A moment later, a message came through.
Ryan didn't need to ask Starling—he recognized the location immediately.
It was Jane Foster's workplace.
He flagged down a taxi and arrived soon after.
"Angel! You finally made it."
Darcy rushed out the moment she spotted him through the window.
"Take a breath. What happened?" Ryan said, steadying her.
After Darcy explained everything, Ryan found himself both unsurprised—and mildly surprised.
Unsurprised, because events had unfolded almost exactly like the original Thor plot.
Surprised, because Jane Foster, Thor, and Erik Selvig had all been detained by S.H.I.E.L.D..
Which left Darcy as the only one who'd slipped through the cracks.
No wonder she was panicking.
"So you're saying Jane and the others were taken… and it's because of a hammer no one can lift?" Ryan asked, feigning disbelief.
"It's complicated. I don't have time to explain everything," Darcy said bluntly."Are you helping or not?"
"Of course I'm helping," Ryan replied without hesitation."Do you know where they're being held?"
...
About ten minutes later, Ryan climbed into his still-unrepaired GMC off-road vehicle.
Thankfully, the thing was built like a tank. The damage to the front-right side didn't affect performance at all.
"Angel, aren't I coming with you?" Darcy asked after he dropped her back off.
"You stay here and wait for news," Ryan said with a wry smile from the driver's seat."And if—if—you don't hear from me tonight… then you'll have to find another way."
"I understand. Good luck."
They exchanged matching bitter smiles.
Once he drove away from the S.H.I.E.L.D.-ransacked office site, Ryan spoke calmly:
"Starling, generate a legal identity.Name: Donald Blake.Profession: Doctor of Astrophysics.Handle the rest as you see fit."
"Command acknowledged, my master."
It didn't take long for Starling to create a fully legal identity for Thor.
The file wasn't overly detailed—per Ryan's instructions—but even S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't be able to poke holes in it anytime soon.
...
"You turned my men—professionals trained by the best organizations in the world—into something that looks like underpaid mall security."
Standing before the prisoner, Phil Coulson spoke without emotion.
"That's honestly disappointing.Based on my experience, you've had training. Tell me—where?"
"Pakistan?""Chechnya?""Afghanistan?"
"No… your assault style looks more like a mercenary."
"South Africa?"
"There are organizations that pay very well for someone like you."
"So tell me—who are you?"
Unfortunately, no matter how Coulson questioned him, Thor, now stripped of his power, remained completely silent.
"Either way," Coulson continued evenly,"we're very good at getting the answers we want."
Just then, the communicator in his pocket chimed.
"Don't go anywhere."
After checking the message, Coulson turned and left.
Almost the instant the holding cell door shut—
A tall, sharply dressed figure with unmistakable aristocratic bearing appeared before the silent Thor.