"The heir to Asgard. Why are you here? Why did you lose your power? And when do you intend to leave Earth?"
Phil Coulson kept his tone measured and professional.
This interrogation mattered.
Behind the observation glass sat people far above his pay grade, and recordings of the conversation would likely circulate through the highest levels of multiple governments afterward.
After all, this was humanity's first peaceful contact with an extraterrestrial civilization.
Raditz didn't count.
He'd arrived trying to conquer the planet.
More importantly, Drex Valen's attitude toward Thor raised serious questions. And this wasn't just any alien.
This was Thor.
The Thunder God of Norse mythology.
"If you return everything your people stole from Jane," Thor said while glancing toward her, "then I will answer your questions."
Coulson sighed internally.
"We confiscated the equipment for her own safety," he replied. "But if this is truly important to you, arrangements can be made."
"Yes!"
Jane pumped a fist in victory so fast it almost looked rehearsed.
Coulson silently decided he was absolutely reclaiming that compensation check later.
Thor lowered his gaze.
"I am no longer heir to Asgard."
The words carried visible pain.
"I was exiled."
The room quieted immediately.
"Because of my arrogance and foolishness, I endangered my companions and provoked war between Asgard and the Frost Giants. My father judged me unworthy of the throne and banished me to Midgard."
"Midgard means Earth," Drex explained calmly for everyone else in the room. "The central realm in Norse cosmology."
Coulson clicked his recorder once.
"And your powers were taken at the same time?"
Thor nodded slowly.
"I lost the ability to command thunder and storms. I am no longer worthy to wield my hammer."
Every word sounded heavier than the last.
"So," Coulson continued carefully, "your arrival on Earth is effectively punishment. If that punishment ends... would you leave?"
That was one of the most important questions.
Fury had already reported the existence of Thor and Mjolnir up the chain of command. Certain powerful people would inevitably become interested in Asgardian biology and technology.
Thor staying on Earth too long could become dangerous for everyone involved.
Especially Thor.
Thor's expression dimmed further.
"There is nowhere for me to return to."
His voice carried genuine grief now.
"War erupted between Asgard and Jotunheim. My father fell during the conflict. As part of the peace agreement... I was permanently exiled."
And without his power, Thor knew he would only become a burden even if he somehow returned home.
Coulson leaned back slightly.
"Sounds very mythological."
"Because your people mistook advanced civilizations for gods," Drex said casually while sipping coffee. "Ancient humans encountered beings with immense power and long lifespans. Religion formed naturally around them."
Thor nodded faintly.
"We are not gods," he admitted. "Only different."
"Exactly," Drex continued. "Over generations, stories evolve. Myths get rewritten, exaggerated, mythologized further. Eventually fiction and history blur together."
"That's actually a very scientific explanation," Jane said immediately, giving Drex an approving look. "Personally, I think magic is probably just another branch of science we don't understand yet."
She looked significantly more interested in Drex than the depressed alien prince sitting beside her.
Honestly, it wasn't hard to understand why.
Drex Valen was practically America's golden myth at this point.
No scandals.
No public relationships.
Ridiculously handsome.
Built like a genetically engineered war god.
And somehow still more popular than Captain America during the peak post-Cold-War nostalgia years.
For five consecutive years, he'd ranked number one on global polls asking which man people most wanted to spend a night with.
Some wealthy heiresses had reportedly spent fortunes just trying to arrange dinner dates with him.
At this point, his face probably generated more money than Stark Industries weapons contracts.
Nick Fury sat silently in the observation room, expression unreadable as always.
He ignored Jane's reaction completely.
Thor mattered more.
"So what happens now?" Coulson asked. "If you truly can't return to Asgard... what kind of life do you want here?"
"A normal one?" he continued. "Marriage? Family? Living quietly on Earth?"
Thor hesitated.
"I... don't know."
Too much had happened too quickly.
But when Coulson mentioned family...
Thor unconsciously glanced toward Jane.
Then his expression darkened again.
Asgardians lived for thousands of years.
Humans did not.
That thought clearly troubled him.
"Then perhaps you'd consider joining us," Coulson suggested carefully. "The Bureau could provide protection and resources. Your friends would receive offers as well."
"I decline on his behalf."
Jane cut in instantly before Thor could answer.
"He's not joining you people. Neither are we."
Thor might've lost his powers, but he still came from a vastly advanced civilization. Jane understood human nature well enough to know exactly what governments would eventually do if given unrestricted access to him.
Compared to being dissected in a lab somewhere?
Becoming her boyfriend sounded significantly healthier.
At that moment, Drex suddenly appeared inside the interrogation room.
No door opened.
No warning sounded.
One moment he wasn't there.
The next moment he was standing beside the table.
Jane nearly jumped out of her chair.
The agents, meanwhile, barely reacted.
At this point, everyone inside the Bureau had simply accepted that their Director operated under his own laws of reality.
Thor narrowed his eyes immediately.
He already understood Drex wasn't ordinary.
At minimum, he was clearly the leader of Midgard's defenders.
"Have you considered another possibility?" Drex asked calmly.
Thor frowned.
"What possibility?"
"What if your exile is part of a larger conspiracy?"
The room went completely silent.
Drex didn't immediately expose Loki.
That would sound too much like manipulation.
Instead, he approached the situation logically.
"You've lost your powers," Drex continued. "The Frost Giants know that. Suppose they convinced Loki and the Queen to agree to your permanent exile..."
Thor's expression changed slightly.
Then Drex finished the thought.
"And while you remain stranded on Midgard, vulnerable and powerless, they assassinate you."
Thor shot to his feet instantly.
Drex's voice remained perfectly calm.
"With the God of Thunder dead, Asgard loses its greatest frontline warrior. After that, a full invasion of Asgard becomes much easier."
The realization hit Thor like a hammer strike.
And for the first time since arriving on Earth...
He genuinely started thinking.