Project K4-712

Episode 4: Secrets

{Future KD: Hold up. lemme cook...}

Luke's POV

After taking a few minutes to catch my breath and shake off the adrenaline, I made my way up to the bridge. Thor and Coulson were deep in conversation, so naturally, I eased myself into earshot.

"We moved Jane Foster as soon as the doctor was taken," Coulson was explaining, a photo of a pretty brunette flashing onto a screen. "We've got an excellent observatory in Tromsø. She was asked to consult there very suddenly yesterday."

He added with a reassuring smile, "Handsome fee, private jet, very remote. She's safe and sound."

Thor nodded, his eyes lingering on the image of Jane. "Thank you," he said, a hint of warmth in his voice. "It's no accident Loki is taking Erik Selvig. I dread what he plans for him once he's done. Erik is a good man."

"Well," I chimed in, catching Thor's attention, "coming from the God of Thunder, that's high praise indeed."

The three of us strolled across the bridge, the hum of the Helicarrier a constant backdrop to our conversation.

"Selvig mentions you quite a bit," Coulson remarked to Thor with a warm smile. "You had a big impact on him. Hell, you changed everything around here."

Thor's face clouded over. "They were better as they were," he said quietly. "We pretend on Asgard that we're more advanced, but we- we come here battling like Bildschneip"

Coulson stopped dead in his tracks, his head snapping around to face Thor. "Like what?" he asked, a puzzled expression on his face.

Thor gestured with his hands, trying to describe the creature. "You know, those massive, scaly beasts with the enormous antlers? Surely you have them here?"

Coulson just stared at him blankly. "Nope," he said, popping the 'p'.

I burst out laughing, slapping Coulson on the back. "Don't sweat it, Phil," I chuckled. "Some cultural references just get lost in translation."

"Huh! Well, they are absolutely repulsive." Thor explained, a grimace on his face. "Big, smelly, and with a tendency to trample everything they come across."

He moved to the window, gazing out at the clouds below. "When I first came to Earth, Loki's anger followed me," he said, a hint of sorrow in his voice. "And your people suffered for it. Now, it seems history is repeating itself. In my younger days, I courted war."

I couldn't help but chime in, my own past echoing Thor's words. "Been there, done that," I admitted. "But I learned the hard way that vengeance is a dead end. The day my father died, he told me, 'A path paved with blood and death is only born from anger and revenge. True war is fueled by greed and envy.' It hit me then that if I followed that path, I'd only end up hurting those I cared about, destroying the world my father wanted to protect."

"War hasn't started yet, Luke," Fury interjected, his voice a quiet rumble. He turned to Thor. "You think you can get your brother to spill the beans about the Tesseract?" Thor and I exchanged a glance, both of us unsure of the answer.

Thor let out a heavy sigh, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "I do not know. Loki's mind is far afield;" he confessed, a hint of sorrow in his voice. "it's not just power he craves, it's vengeance upon me. There's no pain would prise his need from him."