No one could really explain where Thor's blind faith in Loki came from. For someone who lied with every breath, Loki somehow managed to convince him every time. Darren didn't bother trying to talk sense into him—maybe that was just the brothers' strange version of affection.
Just then, Coulson opened the door to the confinement room and said to Thor, "Someone's here to take you. You're free to go now."
"I can leave?" Thor scratched his head, clearly surprised, then followed Coulson out.
"Hey, Dr. Donald. I'm here to take you home."
The man waiting for Thor was Dr. Erik Selvig, an astrophysicist who had forged Thor a fake identity to get him past S.H.I.E.L.D.'s security. Of course, the agency's system had seen right through it—but Coulson didn't call him out on it. He simply let Selvig take Thor away.
Watching the two walk off, Clint frowned. "We're just letting them go like that?"
"Keeping Thor locked up serves no purpose," Coulson said evenly. "Let's see what they plan to do next. Agent Darren, you're in charge of keeping an eye on them."
"Got it," Darren replied. He wasn't too keen on babysitting the hammer anyway.
As he left the base, Darren ran into a very familiar bald head.
"Well, if it isn't Agent Sitwell," Darren greeted cheerfully. It was the same Sitwell he'd met before in Pierce's office.
[NPC: Sitwell]
[Favorability: -30]
[Profile: Hydra operative]
"It's you." Sitwell's face twisted like he'd just bitten into something sour. Clearly, he knew Darren was the one who'd stolen his wallet last time.
"Come on, don't be so stiff," Darren said with a grin. "We're on the same team, aren't we?"
Sitwell narrowed his eyes. "I know we both work for S.H.I.E.L.D., but I don't recall us being close."
"Cut the act." Darren clapped a hand on his shoulder and leaned in close, his voice low and steady.
"Hail Hydra."
Sitwell froze. His eyes darted around the hallway, making sure no one heard, before exhaling shakily.
"Are you insane?" he hissed. "Do you want to blow our cover?"
Darren looked offended. "You didn't respond to the call. What, are you a S.H.I.E.L.D. mole planted in Hydra now?"
He reached into his jacket and flashed a golden Desert Eagle.
Sitwell stiffened. "...Hail Hydra."
"Good," Darren said, smiling as the gun vanished from sight.
Sitwell's eye twitched. If he could take Darren in a fight, he'd have decked him already.
"I've got an important mission," Darren said suddenly, his tone all business. "I'll need your cooperation."
Sitwell frowned. "Cooperate how?"
"Simple. Hand over your car keys and your wallet."
"..."
Sitwell blinked. What kind of mission required his wallet?
Before he could speak, Darren barked, "Hail Hydra!"
Sitwell clenched his jaw. "...Hail Hydra."
Hydra's code was absolute: never question orders. It was how they'd survived inside S.H.I.E.L.D. for years without detection. If someone gave the call, you obeyed. No exceptions.
So, gritting his teeth, Sitwell surrendered both his keys and his wallet.
Watching Darren drive off in his car, Sitwell stood there seething. Somehow, it didn't feel like cooperation—it felt like getting mugged.
...
Now armed with Hydra's "password," Darren drove Sitwell's car all the way to the quiet town of Puente Antiguo. He didn't rush to find Thor right away, instead checking into a small motel first—naturally, on Sitwell's dime.
The next morning, he finally spotted Thor inside a local pizza joint, happily devouring slice after slice.
Was it Darren's imagination, or had Thor gotten rounder? Probably not. Being stuck in confinement with five greasy meals a day would do that to a man—especially one currently lacking divine metabolism.
Seated with Thor were Selvig, a long-haired woman, and a bespectacled girl who looked like she'd never made more than thirty grand in her life.
Darren strolled in, pulled out a chair, and helped himself to a slice.
"Hey, that's our pizza!" the girl protested.
Mouth full, Darren smiled. "You forged records and took a suspect out of S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. I'm within my rights to detain all of you."
Their faces paled instantly. They knew who he was now.
The long-haired woman, Jane glared at him. "You people from S.H.I.E.L.D. already confiscated our research and equipment. Now you want to arrest us too? Do you have any idea how oppressive your organization is?"
"Yup," Darren said without hesitation.
"..."
They had expected at least a token denial, maybe a half-hearted justification. Instead, he gave them none.
Thor didn't seem bothered. "Darren! You're here! What brings you?"
"Nothing big," Darren said casually. "Just here to keep an eye on you."
The three humans fell silent. Was he... serious?
But as time passed, they realized Darren wasn't exactly "watching" them. He was freeloading—eating their food, lounging around, joining in their small talk.
Soon the tension broke, and the group began laughing about how they first met Thor—how they'd thought he was a lunatic and tasered him out of panic.
Darren nodded thoughtfully as he munched on his slice. Everyone knew the God of Thunder's one true weakness—electricity. Totally reasonable.
After that incident, Jane had taken him in, covering his meals and lodging. Of course, that kind of charity wasn't for everyone; not everyone had Thor's face and physique.
If he'd looked any less godlike, he'd probably be in a psych ward by now, boasting to his fellow patients about being the God of Thunder—only to find the next beds occupied by "Hephaestus," "Zeus," "Apollo," and "Poseidon."
...
Their laughter was interrupted by a rhythmic tapping on the window.
They turned to see four figures outside, dressed in unfamiliar armor, waving excitedly at Thor.
Thor's eyes widened in disbelief, then joy. "My friends! You came!"
Darren's gaze flicked across them—Hogun, Fandral, Volstagg, and Lady Sif. All Asgardian warriors.
"Thor," Sif said gravely, "we've come to bring you home."
Thor froze, then shook his head. "You know I can't go back. Because of me, Asgard went to war with Jotunheim. My father is dead because of it. I must remain in exile."
Tears welled in his eyes as he bit fiercely into another slice of pizza.
Sif frowned. "Who told you Odin is dead? He's not. He's only fallen into the Odinsleep."
"My father isn't dead?" Thor gaped, his slice halfway to his mouth. "But Loki told me he was!"
"Loki deceived you," Sif said coldly.
She quickly recounted everything that had happened in Asgard since Thor's exile.
By the end, Thor sat there stunned. "So... Loki didn't actually kill millions of Frost Giants?"
Darren sighed softly. "Buddy... that's not really the point."