I am Thor

S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters was in chaos. Captain America—the symbol of American ideals—had not only been labeled a traitor but had reportedly infiltrated the S.H.I.E.L.D. building itself. Unbeknownst to them, Skye had cleverly misdirected their tracking.

Rumlow, or Crossbones, stormed through the building with a team of HYDRA agents, scowling as he searched each floor.

Meanwhile, in Trudheim Manor, a bucket of water was splashed onto Nick Fury's face.

"Ugh—" Fury grunted as he jolted awake, blinking up to see Thor grinning down at him.

"Good to see you, old friend. Although, I'd have preferred if you woke me up in a less dramatic way."

Thor shrugged. "Hey, you asked me to take care of your funeral arrangements. Be glad I didn't burn you."

Sharon Carter and the others around them burst out laughing.

"Now, tell me," Thor continued, "why did you fake your death and end up here?"

Fury sighed. "Whoever ordered that assassination won't give up. Only a dead man can't be targeted. And this is the only place HYDRA wouldn't dare infiltrate."

Thor nodded. "Fine. You can take a room in the guest house next door. But don't think you'll stay here for free. What are you offering?"

Fury looked uncomfortable. "I don't have anything that'd be useful to you."

"Actually, I could use a little company in this big, empty manor. I'm thinking of a pet."

Fury's brow furrowed, unsure what Thor was getting at. "You… want a pet? Wait, you're not asking for a panda, are you?"

Thor rolled his eyes. "No! I'm talking about that orange cat."

Fury's eyes widened. "The Flerken?"

The memory seemed to make him wince. Since that "incident" years ago, he'd kept the Flerken—Captain Marvel's pet—well-cared for at S.H.I.E.L.D., and he'd avoided cats ever since.

Thor raised an eyebrow. "Look, if you leave it with me, you'll have peace of mind. It'll also be easier to explain when Carol comes back one day."

…

A familiar meow interrupted them. Fury looked up to see Maria Hill walking into the manor courtyard, holding an orange tabby.

Fury sighed, his face lined with disbelief. You just agreed, and she's already here with it?

"Director Fury?" Maria's eyes widened in shock. "You're alive?"

Hill had been completely disoriented by the recent turmoil at S.H.I.E.L.D., and things only got stranger when she received a cryptic call from Thor. "If you want answers, bring the orange cat to Trudheim Manor," he'd said before hanging up. Trusting Thor, she'd followed his instructions and now found herself face-to-face with the supposedly dead Nick Fury.

After Fury explained the situation, Hill's expression turned serious. "So, what's our next move?" she asked, looking at Fury, who then glanced at Thor.

"What are you looking at me for?" Thor chuckled. "You're the director! Don't tell me you don't have a plan."

Fury grimaced. "I just figured you might have a better one."

Thor shrugged. "Well, I do have a solution, but I doubt you'll like it. The Helicarriers haven't launched yet, right? I could just smash them all to bits right now. Problem solved in half an hour."

Hill burst out laughing as Fury groaned, slapping his thigh in frustration. "Of course. Why did I forget that you'd rather break things than play the long game?"

At an old, abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D. base, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff entered a dimly lit hall. Three large portraits greeted them: Chester Phillips, Howard Stark, and Peggy Carter.

"That's Chester Phillips, First SSR Leader; Howard Stark, Tony's father; and Peggy Carter, my teacher," Natasha said, gesturing at each.

Steve looked at the portraits with a mixture of nostalgia and sadness. "I remember them watching as I boarded my final mission. Now, it all feels like a distant dream."

At least Bucky was alive, even if somehow turned against him. Steve held onto hope that his old friend could still be saved.

They walked deeper into the facility and found themselves standing before a massive, outdated computer that looked like it belonged to another century. Oddly enough, it had a USB port.

Natasha stepped forward and inserted the USB drive. The screen flickered for a moment, and then a skull-like face appeared, staring back at them.

"Steve Rogers," it rasped. "We meet again."

[Read up to 90+ chapter more on [email protected]/goldengaruda]