Chapter 45 – The Berserker and his stick.  

(Triskelion – SHIELD HQ – November 19th 2013)

Olsen was sitting uncomfortably outside Fury's office, trying very hard not to fidget or let the situation get to his nerves. He cast a quick glance at Teresa Lockett, Fury's personal secretary, who was busy typing away on her computer. The stone-faced secretary gave him a glance, causing Olsen to smile in an attempt to be friendly, but his smile died as her face stayed stoic and she returned to her work. He shifted uncomfortably and glanced at the clock on the opposite wall, anything to keep his mind occupied.

Just as he was about to say something, he heard a quiet beeping from her table and saw a small blue light start to blink. Teresa didn't even look away from her screen, only taking the pen in her hand and tapping the flashing light, cancelling out the noise before turning.

"The Director will see you now Agent Olsen," She responded emotionlessly before turning back to her work.

Olsen was on edge as he stood up and walked to the large sealed double doors that led to Fury's offices. He quickly stopped when he saw no handles or other sign of how the large metal entryway opened. Hoping they were automatic, he waved a hand out in front of him trying to activate a motion sensor but stopped when it became clear that wasn't the case.

"I'm sorry, but how do I op-" Olsen turned to Teresa who didn't answer him but merely placed her palm on a scanner on her desk. The device glowed green and Olsen found the doorway in front of him opening, revealing a short corridor to another one. "-en…. Thank you."

He knew as he walked down the corridor that although couldn't see it, he was being observed by probably the world's most advanced security system. As he reached the end of the corridor he could hear Fury's voice beyond the other doors, which opened up showing the man himself. The Director was leaning over his desk talking into a phone, brow furrowed slightly and voice clearly irritated.

"So, the trail went cold on the East Coast?" He spoke into the phone. He spotted Olsen standing awkwardly and merely waved the young man in.

"Yes sir, as far as I can tell if anything was here, they either cleared out or went so dark even I can't find them." Natasha Romanoff's cold calculated voice came back over the phone.

"Hmph," This clearly wasn't the news he wanted to hear, and his arms instinctively crossed over his chest. The sound of twisting gears could faintly be heard as Olsen saw that the spy's left arm had been replaced with a cybernetic one. "Okay, what about the LuthorCorp angle you were checking out? You said a number of the scientists had disappeared."

"That's dried up as well." Natasha's voice also took on a frustrated tone that could even be heard over the phone. "LuthorCorp officially has them down as being on an extended retreat, but I can't find them anywhere, and neither can LuthorCorp. I've found dozens of emails including some between Luthor and Mercy asking where their people have gone, trying to find them and track down 'missing equipment'."

"Could be Luthor covering his tracks, the man is a master of keeping contingency plans and hedging his bets." Fury sighed as he placed one hand on the back of his head and gave it a slight massage feeling the tension the day was already causing.

"Probably, but if it is then it's one of the best I've seen. If Luthor is involved he has covered his tracks well but I'll keep digging." Natasha responded with professionalism back in her voice which paused slightly before she decided to press on. "….I have found out one thing."

"What is it?" Fury raised one eyebrow curious about what his agent was hesitant to tell him.

"Luthor's going to run for Governor of New York next year. His email shows he had his eye on the Senate but didn't feel like waiting for the next election cycle." She reported, knowing Fury was going to hate the added headache this would create. "He's got a team lined up for the run and is putting feelers out to the parties, he's going to announce in a few weeks. Thought you should know. If he's a governor then our jurisdiction to watch him is going to get complicated."

"Understood, thanks for the heads up. Agent Romanoff, keep to your assignment for the time being, we will worry about politics later." Fury ordered, moving to sit back down at his desk so that he could focus on the other Agent in the room. Worries about Luthor's political run were shelved.

"Will do, sir," Natasha responded immediately, her voice still frigid before it adopted a mischievous tone. "And Olsen, good luck with your next assignment, you're going to love it."

The young agent's eyes widened as he had not made a sound during the entire phone call and had merely sat at one of the chairs in front of Fury's desk. If he didn't make any noise, how did she..?

He was about to ask, when the line suddenly went dead and Fury ended his side of the call. He turned to ask the question burning on his tongue to the Spymaster but a single look was his answer.

Right, Black Widow, enough said.

"So, Olsen, how did you find your last assignment?" Fury surprised the young man with a mundane question that didn't seem in character for the legendary figure.

"Well, it was interesting," Olsen responded, thinking that was the most appropriate answer and avoiding the topic that he was sort-of dating one of his former protectees. "However, sir, I am ready to get back to field assignments."

"Good to hear," Fury responded in a tone that made it seem to Olsen's ears that he wasn't exactly getting a field assignment.

Fury didn't respond any further, instead the spymaster just started focusing on a series of reports on his desk while appearing to ignore Olsen's presence. Papers were soon shifted, and various documents were signed. The younger SHIELD Agent just sat there uncomfortably not sure why he had been summoned and very unsure if the meeting was over. However, just as he was about to say something Fury suddenly refocused his full attention on the young man causing Olsen to straighten up. Fury then suddenly slid a tablet over the desk to Olsen along with a very fat file labelled Project Helios and a new security badge.

"This is your new assignment; you'll be starting immediately." Fury instructed Olsen whose eyes went wide as he picked up the tablet and started accessing the SHIELD database that had been provided to him.

"I'm sorry sir, I think there's been a mistake. It says here I'm going to be SHIELD's liaison with Kal." Olsen replied to his voice hesitant as he read through the project database before picking up the heavy paper file.

"There is no mistake, agent. You've been granted Level 7 clearance and you're going to work with Kal, under what we are calling Project Helios." Fury's voice went cold, clearly not used to people second-guessing his orders. "Kal has informed us that the situation on Asgard has changed and he wants a closer working relationship with SHIELD as a result. As such, he needs a handler. You have the most experience with him, so you're it. Try not to cause an interplanetary incident"

"Understood sir," Olsen replied, giving a clear signal that he fully accepted the assignment and did not want another cold glare from his boss. "Can I ask what Project Helios entailsand why Kal is suddenly willing to work with us?"

"The Project is mostly close monitoring and outreach. Kal's still very much an independent agent, despite what some are expecting from this project." Fury explained, trying to stifle a groan escaping his lips as he remembered when Kal reached out to him and he created this project how so many people viewed it as Kal capitulating to SHIELD, instead of wanting to work with them. "Your job is mainly to just smooth over any ruffled feathers he might cause, keep an eye on him and try to prevent any avoidable incidents."

"Understood sir," Olsen accepted the explanation. He noted that Fury hadn't answered the second part of his question of why Kal was suddenly willing to work with them. However, he filed that away as none of his concern, as a SHIELD agent he understood sometimes you just weren't meant to know. "Can I ask where the Asgardian is now sir?"

"He's in London currently, he's been visiting Doctor Selvig and helping him recover from his 'issues' resulting from last year." Fury tapped several keys on his desk causing the screen Olsen was holding to change, showing a set of coordinates in Norway. "However, your first assignment with Kal is rendezvousing with a Team in Norway. They were investigating the site in Greenwich but something troubling came up and they relocated; they require backup and expertise that Kal can provide."

"What expertise is that sir?" Olsen asked, glancing up from the tablet that was displaying the location he needed.

"Norse mythology and Asgardian weapons." Fury responded in his usual neutral tone before he remembered he needed to inform Olsen of something else as well. "Oh yeah, you need to know about Agent Coulson, it's going to be better if you tell Kal before you reach Norway."

(The Bus - Geilo Airport, Dagali – Norway - November 20th, 2013)

Phil Coulson was standing uncomfortably as he listened to his number two man Grant Ward deliver the report on their suspects. He wished he could say his discomfort was being caused by the fact that in the space of a day that he had gone from a simple clean up op in Greenwich to investigating a potential Asgardian weapon buried in a tree in Norway that was now being used by an extremist group. However, the truth of his unease was that the situation was forcing him to call in one of only two Asgard experts they had, and someone who believed he was dead.

Coulson's heroic death had apparently been a fiction that Fury had created to give the newly-minted Avengers motivation to overcome their differences and unite over their shared loss. However, he was starting to doubt the official line. Things just weren't adding up, and he had a sense that something was being hidden from him. Nevertheless, Coulson was a good agent if nothing else and knew he needed to push those feelings to one side to focus on the mission at hand. This despite his apprehension on how Kal was going to deal with his survival.

"So, we have identified the suspects who caused the riot: Jakob Nystrom, Age 30, and his girlfriend Petra Larsen." Ward delivered his report gesturing to the screen in their makeshift conference room that displayed the couple's faces and less-than-stellar records. "Leaders of a Norse Paganist hate group. He's a piece of work and, as the saying goes, behind every scumbag is an even worse scumbag of a girlfriend."

"Yeah, and their followers aren't much better. Mostly it's been small-scale, minor stuff, but since what happened in New York and Greenwich their numbers have been growing." Sky took over the report changing the screen to show several dozen acts of vandalism and hate crimes by Norse Paganist Groups. "And since being fueled by the internet they are starting to become a problem, 'Yay Internet' she says sarcastically."

"Norse Paganists?" Dr. Jemma Simmons asked, her scientific mind confused by the religious zealotry she was facing.

"Obsessed with anything derived from Norse Mythology; myths, folktales, stories of Asgard." Sky explained, giving her friend an understanding smile. "Most of them are just harmless kids looking to rebel, but since Kal and Thor showed up, more groups like Jackob and Petra's have been showing up. Theirs are just the first ones to take things to this level."

"And now they have a weapon." Ward chimed back in picking up the 3D printed model that was laying on the table that Fitz had created from the scans of the tree from earlier.

"The scan only accounted for one side. Too much damage to the tree for a complete reproduction." Fitz spoke up, fidgeting slightly and resisting the urge to take the fragile model off of Ward knowing that would not go down well with the trained field operative.

"Yes, but see here?" Jemma jumped back in seeing Fitz's agitation and drawing his and everyone else's focus onto the model's ends that showed jagged breaks. "It's clearly broken on both ends, and these runes are clearly Asgardian, well as far as we can tell."

"So there are more pieces?" Ward asked, wanting a clear picture of what they were dealing with.

"Yeah, two, at least," Fitz responded a little bit haughtily because of the obvious nature of the answer.

"Great, which means Adolf and Eva may be looking for a complete set." Ward said with disgust, almost slamming the 3D model back onto the table as he looked at Jakob and Petra's photos on the screen.

"Can you tell what these markings say?" Sky asked Fitz and Simmons quickly, wanting to veer away from Ward's temper.

"Unfortunately not," Coulson finally spoke up, causing everyone to look at him. "... given our limited knowledge."

"Maybe you should give your buddy the God of Thunder a shout" Sky suggested, her eyes going a little wide at the possibility of meeting the hunk which was Thor. "He gets his power from his hammer right? What if this is his nail to his hammer?"

"I already did. Director Fury told me Thor's currently off-grid, and if he has a cell phone we don't have the number." Phil explained taking his time to examine the 3D model in front of him, giving a small smile to Sky at his attempt to lighten the mood. "SHIELD investigators are on the trail of Nystrom and his followers. We're charged with identifying the object and tracking down the missing pieces. Fortunately for us, the God of Thunder isn't the only person of divinity we have access to."

"He's not?" Sky questioned with somehow wider eyes as she stared in disbelief at Coulson.

"I made a call." Coulson smiled and was about to explain further when Melinda May's voice came over the intercom.

"Coulson, we have someone requesting access to our plane, he's standing outside on the tarmac and says you're expecting him." May's voice was detached and cold as usual.

"I am. Lower the ramp, and you'll want to come down too." Phil responded, his smile growing slightly wider as then turned back his attention to the group at large. "He's early, come on, you'll want to meet our guests."

No one was able to say a word as Coulson spun on his heels and immediately headed to the cargo bay outside their makeshift conference room/lab. As he walked out the ramp started to lower and the whole took up positions next to him eager to see who Phil had called in. Sky was the most excited and was almost giddy as the ramp lowered. Her enthusiasm vanished as all that was revealed was a very young looking man with red hair, freckles and an awkward smile on his face.

"No offence Coulson, but His Holiness is a little underwhelming." Sky leaned forward to look at her boss whose face had formed a small frown, clearly expecting someone else as well.

"Sorry!" Agent Olsen declared as he quickly strode up the ramp, almost tripping as he did so, not giving the elite SHIELD team the greatest first impression. "He's running, for want of a better word, a little late, freak storm over the Atlantic. He should be here soon."

"And you are?" May asked. Her eyebrows raised as high as her voice was sceptical.

"Oh sorry, yes. Agent James Olsen, Level 7. Currently on liaison assignment." Olsen introduced himself while he finally managed to reach the cargo bay of the Bus.

"Liaising with what, or whom?" This time it was Grant's voice that took on a dubious tone.

As if in answer, a sound like the crack of thunder sounded out above them earning a bright smile from the young red-haired agent in front of them.

"Liaison for him." Olsen declared proudly as he took a step back and to the side allowing the team to see the tarmac he had just left.

Suddenly a bright blur flashed before them accompanied by a brief but powerful blast of air. When it died down, it revealed Kal hovering in front of them. The entire team's eyes widened and Sky couldn't help a blush appear on her cheeks as one of the men she and, she suspected, many other women secretly fantasised about appeared before him. Kal didn't bother landing; he just floated forward and only let his feet touch the ground once he was fully in the aircraft, his eyes fully on Coulson. The action caused the man in question to shift slightly, and everyone looked at him worrying what was about to happen.

"It is good to see you again, Son of Coul." Kal declared after a tense moment. There was a genuine smile on his face as he stretched out a large hand that Coulson took. "I am glad that the tidings of your death were proven false."

"It's good to see you again as well Kal." Coulson winced slightly when he took the offered hand, the god quickly withdrawing it after he saw the flash of pain on the man's face. "I've got something here that I need you to have a look at."

"I am here to offer my assistance with whatever you require," Kal spoke with genuine friendship as he quickly looked at the Son of Coul's crew before returning to the man himself. "My brother and I still owe you for your assistance to us and the Lady Jane. So, I am more than happy to help."

"Great, this way please. Fitz-Simmons, could you show our guest here what we've found so far?" Coulson spoke to his science team and indicated to the lab area where the model was, only to find that everyone moved with Kal as well. "And… everyone else too…."

The science area became slightly cramped while everyone filled into the space with Coulson, Fitz and Simmons taking the primary position at the front. Olsen found himself standing next to Ward off to one side near the front, with Ward being his usual stoic self which made the younger man uncomfortable. Sky and May found themselves near the back on the same side, with Sky standing next to Ward.

Although she wished she was closer to the god, like Jemma, who was summoning up their findings, she didn't mind her position as it gave her a great view of Kal's front as he stood on the opposite side of the bus to them. Her face formed a charming grin, which she saw caused a small scowl to appear on Ward's face as he tried to puff himself up, likely feeling small for the first time in his life. Whilst May to her other side just looked stoic as ever, however, Sky saw her eyes lingering on certain toned areas of Kal and a small glint in her eyes, causing the younger woman's smile to grow.

"…And this is the 3D model I created from the scan." Fitz finished up his and Jemma's summary of their findings by passing the incredibly tall man the model of the stick he had created.

Kal gave the young Scottish scientist a grateful nod that he also shared with Jemma as well, causing the young Doctor to fight back a blush that was forming. He then turned his attention to the model in question, bringing it close to his eyes and turning in different directions as he examined it. It was a few moments before Kal's eyes widened slightly and a look of curiosity appeared on his face.

"You recognise it?" Ward was the one to speak shifting forward slightly like a dog or a wolf trying to assert dominance over an intruder in his domain.

However, if that was his intention to Sky's eyes and she guessed everyone else's it failed before he even tried. To a mortal, he looked imposing as usual, but Kal was just on another level that Ward couldn't compete with. The man being faced off against was just…. power was the only word Sky could think of that did Kal justice, power incarnate. He radiated power and confidence in a way Ward could never match no matter how hard he tried.

"I believe so, you said when they found the artefact these criminals apparently gained great strength?" Kal asked, turning his head to Coulson whilst still holding the model.

"Yeah, the survivor said their veins were glowing red and the woman put her fist through a man's chest like it was nothing." Coulson clarified a grimace appearing on his face as he remembered the unpleasant detail.

"Then I believe this to be a piece of an Ódr-stöng." Kal explained using a word that obviously to him explained everything but which just caused everyone to glance at each other hoping someone knew what it meant.

"Sorry, for those of us not raised on Norse Mythology an Ódr-stöng would be…?" Sky asked the question everyone was thinking, lifting her hand up and causing the room's attention to shift to her.

"If I remember my basic Old Norse, 'Ódr' means something like divine madness, anger or poetry? I think it had multiple meanings." Simmons responded with the left side of her face scrunching up as she tried to remember her brief interest in foreign languages. "And 'stöng' means stick I think?"

"Since when do you speak Old Norse"? Fitz questioned his partner with a surprised look on his face as he thought he knew all of Jemma's skills after years of working together.

However, before she could respond Kal responded to the scientist's attempt at translation with a smile. "Almost, the word does not translate well in any mortal tongue. The best rendition I would use is 'Divine Rage Staff', but I think Berserker Staff would be more fitting."

"So it's a weapon that causes rage?" May spoke up, eyeing the model in Kal's hand and always wary of anything that can manipulate emotions, especially since Bahrain.

"Not exactly. The Ódr-stöngs are not weapons as such, they are tools created to help Asgardian Berserkers unlock their own internal rage and physical power for battle. The staff does not create or modify anything, merely unleashes what is buried deep inside, to allow one to harness unbridled rage and push their body to its limits." Kal explained placing the partial model of the staff they had back onto the table.

"That doesn't seem to be a good idea." May spoke up, causing Kal to focus on her. "I mean having a tool that makes your soldiers go mad with rage in battle… I get utilising anger, but this sounds like overkill."

"To a human perhaps, but for Asgardians it is different. Rage for us is much more focused, a more intense yet precise feeling. It is a powerful tool, just look at your Doctor Banner. His power comes from such a place," Kal clarified explaining why such a tool existed in a way mortals would understand. "Although it is still a danger, I concede. The staff is also supposed to be used in conjunction with certain herbs, potions and other tools to allow for more control."

"Wait, you said tools with an S on the end as in plural?" Sky spoke up, her eyes widening at Kal's choice of words, before he answered May's question. "Are you telling me there are more of these things out there?"

"Yes, a great many of them, but such devices are only found on Asgard. For one to be on Midgard is puzzling." Kal clarified his meaning before his words caused further alarm, but the look of confusion he had was not setting any one at ease.

"Can you tell anything else about it, like maybe where the missing pieces are?" Coulson asked, hoping Kal would know a way of finding ancient Asgardian relics. "The people looking for this Staff seemed to know it was in this specific tree out of 150 square kilometres of forest, and we could really use a head start."

"From what I can tell this appears to be a second-generation version of the staff, so it is not from the Jotun War or from my father's wars." Kal's burrow became furrowed as he thought deeply about one of the tools of a Berserker being on earth. "It likely belonged to the Berserker Army that came to this realm about 900 years ago. Other than that, however, I can tell you little else. All these staves were supposed to have been brought back to Asgard after the Army left your realm."

"Well, seems like you guys missed one." Ward chimed in sternly. "How do we know you guys didn't leave this behind on purpose?"

"Ward, that's enough" Coulson's voice cut in harshly. With Ward put back in his box, he turned back to the group, releasing a sigh. "Well luckily for us, I know someone who might be able to help narrow down the search. When we found Mjolnir in New Mexico I consulted with one of the world's leading experts on Norse Mythology, Professor Elliot Randolph. A professor at a university in Seville, he might be able to help us find out how Nystrom knew about this staff. We leave immediately; Kal would you mind accompanying us for the time being? I'd prefer to learn more about this Staff's capabilities"

"Of course," Kal gave a bow of his head and then followed Coulson out of the lab up to his office to discuss more in private.

As they left Sky couldn't help but lean forward and keep her eyes fixated on Kal as he walked past her and then out of the room, a grin on her face.

"So hot," Sky exclaimed a grin on her face after Kal left the room.

"Really?" Ward responded with a scoff escaping his lips as he looked at Sky in disbelief.

"Yeah, I mean he's okay but nothing to gawk at." Fitz found himself in the rare position of backing Ward up, as he too found himself uncomfortable seeing the small blush Jemma had on her face and her eyes still lingering on the doorway.

"No, he's hot," May responded, her voice stoic but slightly teasing causing everyone to look at her.

"So hot." Jemma's whisper caused Fitz to twist around wide-eyed, before he stood taller and puffed out his chest. Jemma then realised that she had said it out loud and blushed hard before trying to backtrack. "I mean he appears to be very warm, from a thermodynamic point of view."

(University of Seville – Seville, Spain - November 20th, 2013)

Jemma was grinning to herself as she had managed to snag the spot walking next to Kal as they entered the university, whilst the red-haired SHIELD Agent he had arrived with walked on the other side, leaving Fitz trailing behind them. She couldn't help but glance at the tall powerhouse of a man that walked next to her, especially now that he was wearing a suit and had thick glasses on. Her mind raced with endless scientific queries to ask of him. Coulson had requested that if Kal was coming to see Professor Randolph with them, he needed a disguise, and this is what he had come up with.

"So, how's is it walking amongst the mortals?" Jemma couldn't help but ask the question as she glanced up at Kal's impossibly well-chiselled features, not sure how else to start talking to an actual alien.

"I have spent quite some time on your world, so the experience is not new to me." He smiled back down at the strange young woman that reminded him a bit of Jane. "However, in general, your world is little different to the others I have visited. Your people seem to always be in some form of danger."

Jemma was about to ask something else when Coulson suddenly cut her off, stopping abruptly as they reached the end of a corridor. Coulson knocked on the door only to find that it was already partially opened and could hear two voices talking inside.

"I will give you a week to rewrite." As Coulson opened the door he saw the professor he was looking for talking to a young and very beautiful female student "I think, in general, little more history, less lit-crit. But I do hope we're still on for dinner tonight."

The woman just gave a small smirk as she walked out of the office passing by the group trying to get in, only pausing to give Kal a teasing smile before pushing on. Coulson was quick to capitalise on the opening and strode into the office his hand outstretched which Professor Randolph took a little startled as the group came in.

"Professor Randolph." Coulson greeted a wide smile on his face as he shook the professor's hand, as everyone else filled in.

Olsen was about to move to the forefront of the group but hung back as he saw Kal had stopped walking and was now staring at the professor. The rest of the group filled in as Coulson started talking to the professor and showed him a replica of the staff they had found. The two quickly moved into a discussion of the object in question.

"What is it?" Olsen asked while his own vision glanced at the professor that Kal seemed to be staring at.

"I do not know; this Professor looks familiar, and there is something about him." Kal responded in a quiet whisper, his eyes never leaving the man as he tried for the life of him to figure out where he knew him from.

"Well, this appears to a piece of the Berserker Staff." Randolph said as he stood up again, having leaned over next to a light to look at the 3D model Coulson had given him before moving over to a stack of books. "Let's have a look. Ah yes, here we are, the myth dates back to the late 12th century. It's all about a powerful warrior from Asgard. Have a look. A soldier in the Berserker Army."

Randolph laid a heavy book on a table in front of Coulson, Fitz and Jemma, giving a wary glance back at Kal whose presence seemed to be the only part of this incident that rattled him, at least to Olsen's eyes. Coulson glanced at the Professor, sensing his nervousness, but then looked at the book which depicted a rough image of a tall and powerful warrior.

"Berserker Army? Who were they here to fight?" Fitz asked the question having already read the two open pages in front of them which only summoned up the myth nothing else.

"The myth only says it was a deadly enemy. The Berserker Army was a powerful force. They were said to battle like raging beasts, a single warrior had the strength of 20 men, destroying everything in their paths only listening to their commander and god." Randolph relayed the myth giving Fitz a grin, thankful for meeting another curious mind.

"And who was their god?" Coulson asked standing up from looking at the old heavy tome, curious as it could give insight into Nystrom's mentality if they knew which Norse god he was trying to emulate.

"Why, Kal of course. The youngest son of Odin was said to have led the raging Berserkers across the realms in his father's name." Randolph explained, whilst he suspiciously looked at Kal who was still standing at the back of the room. "He was the god of the Berserkers. Legend says it was from a fraction of Kal's own rage and fire that Berserkers got their power, it was him who gave them the staffs."

"So, whoever wielded the staff gained superhuman strength?" Coulson was focusing on the key issue of the staff again.

"Fighting with it put the warrior into a state of uncontrollable ra-" Randolph responded to Coulson's question only Kal suddenly cut him off, speaking very loudly.

"Folkvang!" Kal snapped his fingers as he spoke the strange word that caused everyone to look at him confusing everyone except Professor Randolph, who went pale. "That is where I know you from!"

"Kal, you know this man?" Coulson asked, his eyes going wide as he stepped back from the Professor pushing Fitz and Simmons behind him.

"I do, and this is no man." Kal strode forward, his eyes locking onto the professor a wide grin on his face as he revealed the great secret. "He is Asgardian. When we were young, he fought against my brother Thor on the field of Folkvang, he was a stonemason's apprentice then."

"Hold on, that's not… aw, shit" Elliot swore as his cover was blown and he failed to come up with a plausible way to deny Kal's claim. "Alright, hard to argue with an Odinson. I'm honestly surprised you remembered me, your brother knocked me out with a hell of a backswing two seconds into that fight."

"I do, and I remember more than just that. Your name is, or was, Frøkn Knutson, and you were a member of the fifth battalion under Thegn Egil Skallagrimson." Kal word's shocked the exposed Asgardian whose eyes widened, not expecting a prince to remember him let alone who he had served with. "You fought well against the Faerie; I take it you faked your death when we pushed their forces off of this world?"

"Wasn't difficult, my battalion was in the first wave and nearly wiped out in the last battle. Everyone else was looking for survivors. I just sort of… slipped away." Randolph shrugged as he spoke, seeing no reason not to be truthful. Honesty, he figured, might be his last hope. "I wandered over to the nearest settlement and persuaded a farm maiden to let me spend a few nights in her barn."

"So you're the warrior from the story, you created the myth? The staff is yours?" Olsen spoke up moving forward, eyeing the Asgardian warily, he had recently seen what they were capable of.

"That story I didn't write!" Randolph scoffed, running a hand over his face as he let out a deep sigh. "I was just fine laying low while I took a well-deserved vacation. Then I had to open my big mouth to a pretty little French girl, and next thing I know, her brother the priest turned it into a whole thing."

"Why didn't you just keep the staff?" Coulson questioned, wondering if someone wanted to stay out of sight and protected would give up their main means of defence.

"That staff, you know… well, you do." Randolph replied pointing at Kal as he spoke, sighing as he reminisced about a point in his life he had tried hard to forget. "Some of the other guys loved the power that came with all the rage and anger, not me, I hated the thing. I was a stonemason. I broke rocks for hundreds of years, I only signed up to see other places. Soon as I found the right places to ditch that stupid toothpick, I moved on."

"So where are the other pieces of the staff? Where is your weapon, soldier?" Kal asked, taking a step forward towards Randolph causing the man to stumble a little and hold up a hand in his defence.

"Okay okay! Jesus, take it down a notch. I hid one in the forest where we fought the last battle, which I am guessing is the one these angsty brats found. The second is here in Seville, in the catacombs beneath the city, and the third one's in Ireland." Randolph revealed, raising his hands up to defend himself. "Look, I never wanted to hurt anyone, that's why I hid the blasted things, I just want to live my life, okay?"

"We will discuss your desertion from Asgard later." Kal turned away from the fearful professor and faced Coulson. "I can retrieve the staff if you desire?"

Coulson merely shook his head at the offer.

"Thanks, but my team can find the pieces . Besides, we need to take him to the Bus for further questioning and you're the only person that can get him there without a potential incident." Coulson explained, now that they knew where the staff was there wouldn't be an issue in recovering it.

"Incident? Coulson, Phil, I'm not gonna…" The professor protested Coulson's explanation, disliking being characterised as dangerous.

"Maybe so, but I can't take the risk," Coulson responded giving a sympathetic nod but his expression was clear he wasn't budging on the issue.

The exposed Asgardian didn't say anything more and merely gestured for them to lead the way as Coulson called in the situation to May. It would be simple enough to send Ward and Skye down into the catacombs with scanning equipment to find the second piece of the staff. Meanwhile, the good professor went to the bus so that Kal and he could interrogate the deserter, to make sure he was as harmless as he claimed.

(The Bus – Secure SHIELD Airstrip – 15 miles outside Seville)

It took them a little while to reach their aircraft and get the professor secured, by the time they did Skye and Ward had already left and May had secured the holding cell. Coulson had dumped Professor Randolph, or Frøkn Knutson as he was really called, into the cell, and left him to stew awhile. The senior SHIELD agent wanted to get the lay of the land from Kal on the man before trying to start any interrogation at all.

"So, what do you know about Elliot Randolph née Knutson?" He asked Kal, who was facing the screen in his private office whilst he sat behind his desk.

"Truly? Nothing." His guest glanced over his shoulder at Coulson who looked surprised at the statement.

"But you knew who he was?" Coulson raised an eyebrow at Kal's statement, finding it very odd.

"Yes, because he served under me, I have an excellent memory, my friend. I have found simply knowing the names of your soldiers goes a long way toward raising their morale." Kal explained as he turned with a regretful look on his face that he couldn't be more helpful. "Even then I only remember him because the Berserker Army was my first independent command, and the campaign was…. memorable"

"Bad one I take it?" Coulson asked, glancing from Kal to the imprisoned Asgardian on the screen.

"I know that in many cultures on your world the Faerie, or Fay Folk, are seen as small lovable beings with wings, but I assure you they are some of the most dangerous creatures you'll ever meet." The prince's tone was deadly serious and reminded him of some of the veteran Agents he trained with who talked about Leviathan and Hydra. "Most are fair and just, if mischievous, whilst they are in their home realm of Avalon under the watchful eye of Wise King Oberon. But when they escape... they are creatures of pure chaos. They have no regard for anything but their own fun, the few that came here threatened to tear reality apart until we stopped them, but not before a great many warriors were lost."

"Do you think that is why he deserted?" Coulson asked, filing away the information Kal had told him whilst giving a nod at the screen showing Randolph.

"Perhaps. The war against the rogue Faerie was brutal" Kal said, his voice clearly indicating that although he thought the war carried weight it wasn't the full reason for the desertion. "However, I suspect his claim of wanting to see other places is true enough. Verily, Asgard is a shining realm, but in the glory of its majestic lights there are dark shadows."

"What do you want to do with him?" Coulson pressed Kal wanting to know what the man thought they should do with his fellow Asgardian.

"It is no longer my decision, as I am a prince no longer," Kal said with a slight solemness in his tone, which Coulson felt sounded very close to regret. "However, if you want my advice, if his story proves true I would suggest letting him go. The man is a pleasure seeker, not a conqueror or destroyer. If he returns to Asgard, he'll face the headsman's axe for desertion."

Coulson was about to say something else when his communicator went off and Skye's frantic voice came pouring out.

"Coulson! We need backup now!" Skye's voice was frantic and the desperation could be heard. "Ward is down! Send help!"

"Kal, I need yo-" Coulson didn't even need to finish his request before feeling the mighty gust signalling his rapid departure.

(200 meters beneath EL Divino Niño Church)

Skye was panicking as she tried to lift Ward off the ground and move him somewhere more secure but was struggling to even drag him. The op as it was had been going well up until Ward had signalled he had found the Staff, then she lost radio contact with him. She had raced over to him only to find Petra Larsen, one of the Norse Paganist leaders crouching over his unconscious body with the staff in hand. Luckily her arrival had seemed to have spooked Petra, and the terrorist just booked it.

Skye was about to radio again and ask what she was supposed to do when she felt a rush of air behind her. The blast of wind caused her adrenaline to kick in and she spun and launched the heaviest punch she could. Skye's eyes widened as she felt her hand connect not with a face but with Kal's hand who just caught the mortal's blow.

"Oh my god! Kal!" Skye's voice was part shock, part relieved as she suddenly felt everything was going to be okay. "It was the Norse Paganists, I showed up and found Ward like this. Can you do anything?"

Kal looked down at the unconscious SHIELD Agent and gave him a quick scan with his vision, a grimace forming on his face. Agent Ward's vitals were all over the place, his body had been flushed with adrenaline and his brain chemistry was unbalanced. Kal could see the cause: magic, ancient and powerful, had unbalanced the man's Hugr.

"Ward's Hugr is unbalanced," Kal explained but seeing the look of confusion in her eyes at the unfamiliar word clarified his meaning. "His mind spirit, the aspect that governs his control and balances his being is unaligned. For now, he is okay. Remain here and I will return to aid him, but I must find the pieces of the staff"

"Petra Larsen has it; she ran off when I showed up." Skye breathed a sigh of relief now that she knew Ward was going to be okay. "She went that way."

Kal gave a nod, then turned his vision to the surrounding area only to curse slightly. The catacombs had started as Roman, so they had a large amount of lead from the coffins and pipes that had bled into the surrounding earth. The effect was that his vision was partially obscured and seeing around the area was difficult, but not impossible as he quickly spotted a group moving through the area.

He quickly flew through the tunnel only to stop as he reached a group of what he could only describe as angry youths, angry male youths since there was no sign of Petra Larsen. What caused him to pause was that they were wearing armbands with his crest on them, but unlike the others which he had seen which were red, blue and gold, these were black and white. His arrival caused the group to freeze in their attempted escape and he was about to speak when one of them fell to his knees in front of Kal.

"Oh Lord Kal, we are honoured by your presence." The young man spoke with a reverence that deeply troubled Kal. He had heard it before, but only from the most zealous followers of the worst faiths he had encountered. "We shall soon feast with you as equals in the halls of Valhalla!"

"Please, kindly stand down, I just wa-" Kal raised his hands to show he was no threat, recognising the young men were just confused and misled but was cut off when the man in front yelled out.

"VALHALLA!" The abrupt shout was echoed by his compatriots who all suddenly pressed their forearms strangely, immediately causing their bodies to glow red.

Before Kal could react, the area he was in was ripped apart as the people in front of him exploded. Everything around him vanished in a wave of heat and devastation. As the dust settled, he opened his eyes to see that the explosion had levelled the catacombs and the church they had been under.

Kal could already hear sirens sounding out above him, but his main focus shifted to two people he had known to be in the tunnels and were near the explosion. He turned and rocketed back to the area where he had left Skye and Ward and found Skye unconscious, covered in dirt but otherwise unharmed. Ward was likewise unscathed; the explosion had merely covered the man in grit and debris but inflicted no injuries. He bent down and, with little effort, placed both mortals over one arm and headed back to Coulson and the others while deeply disturbed at what had occurred.

(The Bus – Somewhere over the Bay of Biscay - November 21st, 2013)

Coulson sat in his office with the young SHIELD agent who was acting as Kal's liaison as he flicked through various news channels. The reports were much the same, a massive explosion had levelled the ancient EL Divino Niño church in Seville and Kal had responded to the scene. Luckily no one had been killed as it had been a Wednesday at noon, and no one was in the church at the time.

"Did Randolph give up the last location of the missing piece?" Coulson asked the younger agent as he switched off the television and focused his full attention on the younger agent.

Kal had dropped off Ward and Skye back at the Bus before departing to deal with the damage in Seville, which had fortunately not taken him long. Once he had returned, the Kryptonian powerhouse had marched straight into the interrogation room and proceeded to have a short but intense conversation with their guest. However, the two had spoken in their native tongue, meaning no one else had any idea what was being said. Kal had seemed satisfied, then spoke with Olsen briefly left again.

"I think so,.Kal just told me the subject is not a threat and that he would find us when he returned." Olsen shrugged feeling like he was failing at being a liaison but found Coulson merely nodded with understanding.

"Good, one less thing to worry about. In the meantime, we have the issue of whatever that staff did to Ward and what the hell happened to Nystrom's people." Coulson straightened up and headed for the door with Olsen trailing behind him.

They found Ward and the rest of his crew, minus May who was flying the aircraft, in the lab where Simmons was busying herself looking over Ward and Skye. The latter of whom looked like he was ready to rip someone in half whilst the former was looking very concerned about the agent's behaviour. As Coulson walked in Simmons spotted him and immediately intercepted her superior so they could talk without being overheard.

"How is he?" Coulson asked, eyeing Ward's heavy breathing and clenched fists from the corner of his eye.

"He's n-" Jemma started only for Ward to cut her off, evidently having heard her hushed whisper.

"I'm fine!" Ward's voice was almost feral and the glare he gave Jemma chilled the scientist to the bone.

"You're not fine," Jemma responded softly. Although Ward was frightening her, she knew he was not in full control of his emotions. "Your brain chemistry is all over the place, your heart rate is rising to alarming levels, and I don't even want to mention how much adrenaline is in your system."

"Well fix it then!" Ward rounded on her, the sudden motion caused Coulson to step forward and place himself between Jemma and Ward, giving his agent a pointed look. "Sorry…I just…the staff, it brought up some very unpleasant memories. I'll be fine, I promise."

"The memories, they're about your brother right?" Skye moved in and spoke softly to Ward trying to figure out how to help him.

"Drop it, now." Ward leaned in and all but snarled at Skye causing her to back up slightly seeing a dangerous glint in his eye that she had never seen before. He then reeled back like a bear about to pounce and slammed his fist into the table shattering the glass worktop "None of this is your concern, you aren't EVEN A REAL SHIELD AGENT! IF WE SHOULD BE DOING ANYTHING IT'S FINDING THE PEOPLE WHO BLEW UP A CHURCH!"

"Agent Ward, stand down!" Coulson moved forward pulling Skye away from his clearly compromised agent.

"WHY SHOULD I?" Ward's rage remained undimmed as he changed targets from Skye to Coulson, seemingly ignorant of the fact that Jemma was prepping a sedative and Olsen's hand had gone to his gun. "YOU TELL ME, SIR, WHY SHOULD I LISTEN TO ANY OF Yo-"

"Because your friends are asking you." Kal's clear, strong voice sounded out, cutting off Ward as the Kryptonian walked into the lab carrying a large bundle of cloth in one hand. "Agent Ward, you are unwell, please stand down and allow me to help."

"OH GREAT! The alien, the very thing SHIELD is supposed to defend against, is giving ME orders!" Ward rounded on the new arrival, his condition overriding his brain as he strode over to the larger, more powerful man. "What are you going to do to st-"

Ward's tirade ended as Kal placed a hand on the man's shoulders and spoke just above a whisper.

"Sleep" Kal uttered the word quietly but it seemed to echo around the room, causing everyone in the room to suddenly feel exhausted.

Ward however took the full brunt of the effect and slumped backwards into unconsciousness. Kal caught the large SHIELD agent and gently manoeuvred him to a seat whilst he started to snore.

"What did you do to him?" Skye asked, shaking her head as she tried to stifle a yawn threatening to escape her lips.

"Simple sleeping enchantment," Kal explained as he moved from Ward and placed the bundle of cloth he had brought on the table; the action caused the cloth to shift slightly and show the final piece of the staff. "Usually doesn't work so well on higher lifeforms, but Ward's Hugr is unbalanced and he's susceptible to simpler magics."

"Can you help him?" Olsen asked moving forward, although he didn't know Ward personally, they were fellow SHIELD agents and looking out for each other was part of the job.

"I am. Sleep will help, and I have shifted part of his Hugr back, it will allow him to correct his imbalance himself. Allow him to sleep and when he wakes, he'll be fine, albeit very hungry and exhausted for a few days." Kal reassured the group whilst shifting around the room to focus on the final piece of staff he had retrieved from Ireland.

"Understood, I see you've retrieved the last piece of the staff, makes our job easier." Coulson moved forward and looked at the last piece of the staff that had a brutal club-like head. "Simmons will keep an eye on Ward, but for now we need to focus on Nystrom and his followers. Fitz-Simmons, any idea what the hell happened with their followers, and why they went all burning man on us."

"Actually yes," Fitz responded, moving over to the table and picking up his tablet, tapping it a few times to show his findings on the lab's main screen. "We managed to get a sample of what remained and we found this."

The screen showed human cells, but something was wrong with them. They were red and pulsating as if they were trying to divide but couldn't. Although clearly worrying, Coulson had no idea what this meant and looked at both his scientists for an explanation.

"It's a modified version of Extremis, which was originally developed by Aldrich Killian and A.I.M." Jemma stepped in and explained their findings in layman's terms. "Someone's done some excellent genetic manipulation on it sir, well not excellent as in morally good, they sequenced more than a mil-"

"A bomb, they turned it into a bomb sir." Fitz cut off his partner as she started to ramble and get lost in the science. "A highly effective, scary, people-exploding bomb."

"I thought SHIELD confiscated everything to do with Extremis after the Norco incident last year?" Olsen asked up remembering the incident as he had almost been assigned clean up duty for it before starting his undercover role in England.

"They did, I'll call HQ and have them look into it. However, we need to figure out what we are going to do next." Coulson spoke up looking down the piece of the staff they had trying to figure out who they were going to find the other pieces. "Kal can you track the other pieces?"

"I have already instructed my fortress to scan this world for the staff's signature," Kal responded, crossing his arms as he glanced from Ward to staff feeling that as a Prince of As…a former Prince of Asgard he needed to set this right. "Once we have found it, I'll retrieve the pieces and you can arrest Nystrom and his followers."

"How long will that take?" Skye asked, eyeing the unconscious Ward with worry and then looking back at a piece of the staff that had caused it.

As if answering, a flashing light appeared on one of Kal's gauntlets, indicating that the fortress's sensors had detected the staff. He pressed it and everyone's eyes went wide as a holographic image of the earth was displayed with a flashing red dot on the coast of Norway. Kal's eyes narrowed as he saw the location and Coulson was able to hear the small whisper escaping from his lips.

"Of course." Kal grimaced as he let out the small whisper as he recognised where this fanatical cult had set up: Lakstad. "I'll leave now and retrieve the Staff, contact your forces to be ready to round up these fanatics."

Coulson was about to protest and say they needed to go in together but, seeing the look on his face and knowing he had no leverage, merely sighed and gave a sharp nod. Kal then reached down and picked up the staff piece he had brought, not willing to leave it in mortal hands, especially SHIELD after the disaster with the Tesseract. Jemma made to argue, wanting to study the strange object but a sharp look from Coulson stopped her. Kal then turned, striding back out to the cargo hold whose doors opened up allowing the god to launch himself into the air.

(Abandoned Warehouse – Lakstad, Norway)

"We are the New Order!" Jakob Nystrom stood tall on a raised platform as he held the twin pieces of the staff in his hand and worked up his followers into a fervour. "Our world is being taken back by the true gods! Thor, Kal and Loki have returned! Only gods will survive what is coming! We will take their power, then we will ascend! AND RULE!"

Nystrom lifted his hands in the air holding the two pieces of the staff and watched in triumph as the entire crowd exploded into cheers and chants. He would use their anger and hate, fuel it with the staff to sweep away the weak governments and then his lover and him would rule unopposed. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her, Petra, looking stoically into the crowd. He knew why she was like this, she was a true believer even more fanatical than he was, and she disliked the deal he had made with the blonde woman in a white suit for the tech and weapons that was fuelling their campaign. However, her opinion didn't matter; he knew what he was doing, it was all a means to an end.

"THIS IS THE NEW ORDER! WHO WILL FOLL-" Nystrom started up another tirade ready to rile them up further only for a gust of wind to knock him over.

The powerful rush of wind knocked everyone to the floor as Kal punched through the roof and appeared above their head in a mighty crash. He had slammed his hands together, not bothering to be gentle with this hate-filled group of murderers, as he floated down to where Nystrom was. The Norse paganist leader recoiled slightly as the god landed but when he saw his followers watching he jumped to his feet and swung at the interloper with all the power the Staff gave him.

Kal didn't even bother to move, he let the staff connect with his face and listened to the sickening crunch as the bones in both of Nystrom's arms snapped from the recoil. The man dropped the pieces of the staff and let out an almost inhuman wail of pain. However, the screams were cut off when Kal placed a mighty hand around his throat and lifted the man off of the ground.

"You will tell your followers to stand down, and then tell SHIELD everything they wish to kn-" Kal's voice was calm and measured taking on a forceful tone, and he could see his words were having the desired effect.

He was cut off when Nystrom suddenly started convulsing in his arms. The man's veins turned red, and before Kal could react he erupted in fire. He wasn't the only one either, nearly a third of Nystrom's followers, whom Kal guessed had been the most zealous, exploded as well. This was all that was needed as the modified Extremis detonated with enough force to incinerate the building and the surrounding three blocks.

Kal merely lowered his still outstretched hand, completely unharmed as he stared at the devastation around him. The only things that had survived were him and the pieces of the Berserker Staff, which were lodged into the earth a few dozen feet away. He could already hear the sirens approaching as he moved over and retrieved them, he then scanned over the area only to release a bitter sigh. None of the other buildings in the area had been occupied, so no one else had died, but none of Nystrom's followers had survived to relinquish their secrets.

Kal took one final gaze over the area before he departed back to his fortress with the remaining parts of the Berserker staff in hand. He would make sure they were secure in the vault he had created for dangerous weapons like these before returning to Coulson and aiding Agent Ward in his recovery. As he flew his mind was racing, trying to figure out what was going on, which sinister force had aided Nystrom. They were clearly ruthless and cruel, sentencing their allies to a brutal death as soon as it was convenient.

The real question at that moment however was: Did this someone plan for him to be involved, or was his presence interfering with a larger plan?

(Lex Luthor Campaign Headquarters – Downtown New York City - November 22nd, 2013 )

"Sir, I don't understand." Mercy closed the door as she activated the room's privacy system that ensured their conversation would not be overheard or recorded. "We've successfully distanced ourselves from Cadmus, the creations don't even know we were involved. I thought the plan was to lay low until we won the election."

"Hmm, Yes." Lex responded casually as he adjusted the Windsor knot of his white silk necktie in preparation for a campaign speech, his tone showing little concern over the incident.

"Sir, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I don't know why we involved ourselves with Nystrom and his… group." Mercy responded by biting back the harsh words she would have used if she had been talking to anyone but her boss. "We are under huge media scrutiny, SHIELD is still watching us and….sir, I don't understand why take the risk."

"Because, Mercy, the risk as you put it isn't mine. It's our partner's." Lex sighed as he finished fixing his tie and placing his jacket back on ready for the event. "All the equipment, all the funding came from HYRDA. The personnel who delivered it? Also HYDRA. The only persons who could link anything to us were Nystrom and his little girlfriend, both of whom have been removed. So there is no risk."

"But…. why do any of it, sir?" Mercy asked, unable to keep the worry out of her voice.

Her boss seemed to be all over the place these days, working with HYRDA on Cadmus, only to suddenly distance himself from the project, and then run for Governor of New York State. She trusted her boss but was starting to worry about him. His plans had always been enigmatic, but usually they were more subtle than this, and she was worried he was losing his edge.

"Testing Mercy, testing," Lex responded with a smug smile as he moved out of the office toward the front door where a limo was waiting, leaving Mercy behind worried about what other 'tests' he was going to do.