The SHIELD chopper's landed at the SHIELD headquarters. Kakashi followed Clint escorted a bound Natasha Romanoff to a secure holding area. Natasha's wrists were wrapped in Kakashi's ninja wire. They directly went into the director's office. Though Kakashi could see many agents checking out Natasha, some to his amusement even whistled.
In Fury's office, the director stood like a storm cloud, his eyepatch accentuating his scowl. "Report," he barked, his gaze flicking between Clint and Kakashi.
Clint straightened, his voice steady. "Mission partially complete, sir. Dreykov slipped through with a jet and a squad to cover his escape. But we secured Black Widow. She's got intel on the Red Room—names, locations, the works. I think she's worth saving. She's a victim of Dreykov's system, not a willing cog."
Fury's eye narrowed, his voice sharp as a kunai. "You were ordered to eliminate her, Barton. Explain why she's breathing in my custody."
Kakashi leaned against the wall, his tone lazy but teasing. "Yo, team leader's call. I'm just the muscle following orders." His eye crinkled, tossing the responsibility to Clint with a hint of amusement.
Clint shot him a mock glare but pressed on. "She's got potential, sir. The Red Room's her prison, not her home. She can help us burn it down. Killing her's a waste of an asset. She can also be an incredible agent with her skills just give her a chance to redeem herself."
Fury leaned back, his expression unreadable but his mind clearly calculating. "You're vouching for her, Barton. Her actions are on you. If she betrays us, it's your head."
Clint nodded, unfazed. "Understood, sir."
Kakashi's thoughts drifted to Tenzo, his kohai from Root, molded into a weapon by Danzo's schemes. 'Clint's right—she's caught in a machine, like Tenzo was. Breaking her out might be worth it.'
He glanced at Fury, noting the director's predatory gaze. Kakashi's respect for Fury grew—pragmatic, cunning, but not heartless.
Fury turned to Natasha, his voice cold. "You'll be interrogated. Lie, or give us bad intel, and a cell's the least of your worries. Got it?"
Natasha nodded, her face impassive, but Clint's thoughts were less restrained. 'Damn, even a super-spy assassin hottie can't shrug off Fury's glare. That's some next-level intimidation.'
He suppressed a smirk, keeping his professionalism intact.
Fury continued, his tone brisk. "Good. I hope you make it to SHIELD, Black Widow. I need capable agents. Once we've squeezed every detail about the Red Room and Dreykov, Barton, you're back on his trail."
He waved a hand. "Dismissed. Take Black Widow to the special cell. I'll handle her interrogation myself."
Clint saluted, but Fury's voice stopped Kakashi. "Agent Hound, stay."
Kakashi paused, his eye narrowing slightly. 'Here we go.'
"Yo, what's up, boss?"
Fury leaned forward, his single eye glinting. "New mission. Something fell from the sky—or rather, from space—in Puente Antiguo, New Mexico. Our sensors went haywire, and I'm betting it's alien. Not an asteroid, not a meteoroid—a hammer. Only a person could wield or craft something like that. I want you to investigate."
Kakashi's eye crinkled, his tone casual. "Very well."
'A hammer from space? That's new.' His mind raced, connecting dots. 'If it was demonic or mystical, Kamar-Taj would've handled it. This is definitely alien.'
The prospect sparked his curiosity, a flicker of the old shinobi thrill. 'Let's see what this hammer's about.'
Fury grunted, clearly expecting questions, but Kakashi's silence threw him off. "Get to it. Chopper's ready."
Kakashi saluted lazily and headed out, his thoughts buzzing. 'I am dealing with another alien. I hope that it is not like the last time. I don't want to go to just another dimension just yet.'
---
Meanwhile, in a dive bar in Puente Antiguo, New Mexico, Thor Odinson, the exiled Asgardian prince, was three beers deep and feeling no pain.
Thor, his blond hair disheveled and his flannel shirt straining over his godly physique, slammed his empty mug on the counter, grinning like a kid at a festival.
"Another!" he bellowed, his voice shaking the bar. The bartender, a grizzled man with a handlebar mustache, sighed but slid another beer over. Thor grabbed it, chugging half in one go, foam dripping down his chin.
"Midgardian ale is weak, but plentiful!" he declared, earning puzzled looks from nearby patrons.
A TV above the bar flickered to a local news report, the anchor droning about a "mysterious object" that crashed in the desert, surrounded by army agents and cordoned off.
Thor's eyes widened, his beer forgotten. "A hammer… fallen from the sky?" he muttered, his heart racing. The footage showed a glint of metal embedded in a crater—Mjölnir, his lost weapon. "I am coming, Mjölnir!" he roared, leaping to his feet and knocking over his stool with a crash.
The bartender groaned. "Hey, big guy, keep it down! You're scaring my customers!"
Thor spun, his grin wild. "Fear not, mortal! I am Thor, God of Thunder, and my hammer calls me! Another ale to celebrate!" He tossed a crumpled twenty on the counter, oblivious to the bartender's eye-roll.
A drunk local, emboldened by whiskey, staggered over. "God of Thunder? You look like a surfer dude who got lost! What's with the hammer talk?"
Thor clapped the man's shoulder, nearly sending him sprawling. "Ho, friend! Mjölnir is no mere tool—it is the might of Asgard, forged in the heart of a dying star! It smites foes and… uh, opens bottles!"
He grabbed another beer, popping the cap with a theatrical flourish, only to spill half of it on his shirt. "Oops! Midgardian vessels are treacherous!"
The locals burst out laughing, one shouting, "Get this guy a towel!" Thor laughed louder, undeterred, and began regaling the bar with tales of Asgardian feasts, his arms flailing as he mimicked swinging Mjölnir. "And then, I smote the frost giant with one blow, and the mead flowed like rivers!"
The bartender muttered, "Somebody get this guy an Uber before he smites my bar."
Thor, oblivious, chugged his beer and stumbled toward the door, muttering, "To Mjölnir! My quest begins!" He tripped over a chair, caught himself on a table, and saluted the room. "Farewell, noble mortals! Keep the ale cold!" He staggered into the night in search of his hammer.
-----------Author Notes---------
Thankyou Sai2614 for supporting me!
With the huge support I have been receiving for the novel, I have decided to increase the number of chapter offered to 15 from 12.
So now, Y'all can now read the next 15 chapters on my pat*reon instead of 12 chapters. Enjoy the chapter!
https://pat*reon.com/Charizard6
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