Call me Uncle

At nine in the morning, Luke drew a circle and traveled from New York to the small town.

"Having a portal is pretty sweet." Luke took off his Sling Ring and put it in his pocket. Handy as it was, the thing still got in the way.

With it on, he couldn't even open a cola.

He had barely stepped out of the corner when an RV drove past him.

Looking through the windows at the three flustered people inside, Luke recognized them as some of the leads and supporting characters from Thor.

What a coincidence. Luke quietly followed them to the hospital entrance and watched them hand Thor over to the doctors.

Luke went outside Thor's hospital room. Watching a crowd of doctors and nurses examine Thor inside, he shook his head.

The guy really had terrible luck. He had been sent flying by a female driver as soon as he came down the Bifrost, and after finally surviving that, he had actually been knocked out by a little women's stun gun.

"You're a disgrace to thunder gods. Maybe no other thunder god has ever been knocked out by electricity." Luke tapped lightly on the glass a few times and noticed Thor's hand move inside.

A doctor turned to look at the glass in confusion but saw nothing.

Who's playing pranks? The doctor shook his head and turned back to draw some blood from Thor for testing. The man had external injuries, but that hardly stopped them from running another test and making a little more money.

"How dare you hurt the mighty Thor!" Thor woke to find himself pinned to a bed, surrounded by people holding all sorts of things and trying to do something to him.

With the physique of one of the Asgardian Gods, Thor easily flung everyone around him away. But at the doctor's shouts, a crowd rushed into the room and pinned Thor firmly to the bed again.

Jane, Darcy, and Erik stood outside the window, watching in some surprise as the crowd held the man down.

"If he's this healthy, does that mean... we're not responsible anymore?" Darcy pushed up her glasses and asked Jane hesitantly.

"Exactly." Jane nodded. The three were about to leave when they noticed someone beside them taking pictures with a camera.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Jane looked at the man. Was he some tabloid reporter who came running as soon as he heard there was news?

"Nothing. Just taking some pictures to remember the occasion. Just got here, after all."

Luke gave an ambiguous answer, leaving it unclear whether he meant he had just arrived or the guy inside had.

"Oh my God!" Darcy cried in surprise.

"You're the Shadow Lord?"

Luke raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected this boy-crazy girl to recognize him.

"Hello. Yes, that's me, though I prefer people calling me Luke."

"So who is the Shadow Lord?" Jane asked helplessly.

"You don't know?" ×3

Seeing everyone speak in unison, Jane looked utterly helpless.

"Why should I know?"

"Don't you ever go online?" Darcy exclaimed. She took out her newly purchased smartphone, searched for information on the Shadow Lord, and showed it to Jane.

"Oh, this phone looks pretty good." Jane first offered her opinion of the phone. If it wasn't expensive, she might buy one too.

After reading the information on the screen, Jane looked thoroughly shocked.

"Uh, is it still 2010?" Jane asked weakly as she looked at the mountain of information.

"So you have fewer sources of information than an old man like me," Erik said helplessly.

"So what brings you here?" Erik asked Luke. Thanks to a friend with a mysterious identity, he was fairly open to such things.

"I just came to watch the fun. I happened to be traveling around here lately," Luke said, then left.

"Weirdo," Jane remarked, saying nothing more.

Luke didn't care what the three thought of him. He simply looked through the pictures on his camera with delight.

But the moment he left the hospital, he was pulled into the Mirror Dimension.

"Uh, hello, you two!" Luke grew a little reserved as he looked at the two powerful figures watching him.

"Hmm, nice pictures." Ancient One held out her hand, and somehow the camera appeared in it. She looked through the pictures, then handed it to Odin.

Looking at his son in the pictures, Odin seemed rather helpless, but compared to his earlier frustration with his son's failings, he was in a much better mood now.

As long as his life could be prolonged, he could give Thor and Loki enough time to grow!

"If Thor sees these pictures, he'll go mad," Odin said with a smile. He knew his son quite well.

Thor was still an extremely arrogant fellow who liked showing off. In some ways, he was very much like Tony, both so full of themselves, though both would change.

As Odin flipped through a few pictures, his eyes held worry and resignation, but pride as well.

Leaving aside Thor's talent as a monarch, he was undoubtedly an outstanding warrior in battle.

Perhaps Asgard would have a better future with Loki as king and Thor as general.

Odin kept pondering it, finding the idea increasingly feasible.

Uh, is the big guy thinking about smashing my camera?

Watching Odin stand motionless with the camera, Luke gave Ancient One a puzzled look. Does Odin think I made his son look too ugly? Is he going to smash my camera to preserve the royal family's last shred of dignity?

Ancient One glanced at Luke, who kept signaling her with his eyes, then at Odin, who was lost in his fantasies, and coughed softly a few times.

Odin came to his senses, glanced at the increasingly aggrieved Luke, and immediately assumed a majestic air.

Give it a rest, old man. You think I can't tell what kind of Asgardian you are?

Setting aside his identity as All-Father, he was just an ordinary old man who wanted his daughters and sons to succeed.

Still, this old man was rather ruthless. He had locked his eldest daughter away without hesitation, and poor Thor still didn't even know he had an older sister...

Noticing the disdain in Luke's eyes, Odin grew a little uncomfortable. He coughed, composed himself again, and addressed Luke.

"I am the king of the Aesir, All-Father Odin. Mortal, thank you for your help in prolonging my life."

Odin spoke majestically, his battle garments billowing without wind, making him look incomparably powerful.

But Luke had no idea what sort of role-playing the old man was doing and simply kept watching.

With Luke refusing to play along at all, Odin felt a little awkward, but he quickly put it behind him and continued.

"You saved my life, which means you saved the Aesir. Therefore, I have decided! You shall become an Outer Prince of the Aesir!"

True enough. Luke nodded. As the Aesir's ultimate deterrent, Odin kept countless enemies among the stars from rashly invading Asgard.

The Bifrost as a planet-destroying cannon was merely a sideshow. Someone like Odin, who could smash a planet in seconds, was their true foundation and strength.

After all, even Thanos possessed an incredibly powerful fleet, but what truly made him famous was his own formidable combat prowess.

But Luke could no longer remain calm when he heard Odin intended to make him an Outer Prince of the Aesir.

The Aesir truly had the strength to call their ruler the Lord of the Nine Realms. With a strategic weapon like the Bifrost, they could travel freely between the stars and transport troops in vast numbers.

As a renowned powerhouse, Odin also had the combat strength to destroy a planet single-handedly. Though his age now prevented him from fully wielding some of that strength, Luke had just extended his life! The value of this princely title rose along with that, leaving Luke positively itching to accept.

If Luke accepted this title now, he wouldn't even need to fear the Earth Security Council. You dare launch a nuclear missile? I'll have the Aesir switch on the Bifrost for you for a while.

Though that would get him pinned down and beaten by another powerful figure, it would still give him some backing.

Seeing that Luke was tempted, Odin decided to give him another push.

"Making you an Outer Prince outright would certainly provoke objections among the Aesir, so I shall acknowledge you as my brother! Once you have established some prestige among the Aesir, I shall make you a true Outer Prince! Among the Aesir, you will rank below only me and my queen!"

Holy crap, Odin really is going all out!

Luke nodded eagerly, afraid Odin might change his mind.

Really, he didn't care whether he was a prince or not. He just wanted Thor to call him Uncle. It would be nice if Loki did too.

"In that case, the Asgardian Gods welcome you into our ranks!"

Odin spoke with some delight as well. He had finally gotten Luke into his trap.

Now that you're my brother and an Outer Prince of the Aesir, how could you possibly not bring my eldest daughter, one of the Aesir's internal threats, firmly into line?

But he couldn't send Luke against his eldest daughter just yet. That would be sending him to his death. Remembering his eldest son Thor, who was undergoing trials on Earth, Odin thought for a moment.

"You should know about Thor by now. He is currently undergoing trials on Earth, and the hammer you lifted earlier is his weapon. Originally, I wanted him to become a true king, but I have new ideas now. Still, I hope he can overcome his arrogance. Could you help him change, as his uncle?"

Odin stressed the word "uncle," wanting Luke to understand the importance of the matter. But hearing those words, Luke felt he absolutely had to take advantage of this opportunity!

So he thumped his chest and agreed.

As the witness, Ancient One said nothing. After the two finished their discussion, Odin gave Luke a token and sent him back.

Back at the hospital entrance, Luke happily hung the token at his waist and sauntered over to where the hammer lay.

The hammer was here anyway. Thor would definitely come, so there was no fear of him running off.

"Hey, Coulson, another sleepless night? Those dark circles are getting worse."

After his usual teasing of Coulson, who held a cup of coffee, Luke glanced at Mjolnir. It wasn't much different from before, just a little lower down, since Luke had lifted it and thrown it back down.

The researchers had now set up a little ladder at the edge of the pit. Otherwise, they couldn't get down.

Ignoring Coulson, who seemed to have something to say but held back, Luke ran off to a corner to play games and wait for nightfall.

Night soon fell. Luke set his nearly dead phone aside to charge, then went to the surveillance room and hovered beside Coulson.

Coulson gave Luke a couple of strange looks but said nothing, keeping his eyes on the researchers studying the hammer.

Seeing that the day had passed without incident, Coulson breathed a sigh of relief and was about to turn and chat with Luke, when the surveillance screens suddenly began flickering and frequently filling with static.

"What's happening? Research team?" Coulson glanced at the innocent-looking Luke and called the research team over the radio.

Thank heavens the radio was unaffected. Otherwise, delays in relaying information could easily leave gaps.

"The magnetic field emitted by this meteorite has suddenly changed drastically! It's strong enough to affect the equipment nearby!"

The researcher shouted in shock. No one had expected the hammer, which had remained inactive all day, to suddenly show a new change.

"Alert! The fence at the southeast corner of the base has been breached! An unidentified life-form has entered the base!"

Misfortunes never came alone. Another piece of bad news reached Coulson.

At some point, dark clouds had covered the previously clear sky, and a heavy rain suddenly began to fall, as though heralding something about to happen.

"Barton, get to high ground!" Coulson hurriedly called Hawkeye. He glanced at Luke, who stood beside him with nothing to do, and wanted to say something, but ultimately didn't.

This guy... better keep him as my trump card.

With that thought, Coulson hurriedly ordered the other agents to search the base for unidentified life-forms.

The agents quickly conducted a thorough sweep and discovered that several people had already stopped responding.

At once, more than half the base's personnel rushed toward the locations where those people had lost contact, while Barton alone guarded the areas left short of personnel.

If anyone tried to create a diversion, Hawkeye would show them the capabilities of a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent!

The agents soon discovered Thor, who made no attempt to hide. They immediately tried firing their various guns, but for some reason, every weapon malfunctioned.

Whether stun guns or any other kind, none of them would fire!

Damn it! It's that magnetic field!

Having discovered the problem, Coulson angrily slammed his headset onto the desk and turned to ask Luke to act, only to find that Luke had disappeared from behind him at some point.

Luke was now standing beside Hawkeye. The two had used lifting equipment to rise into the air, securing a prime vantage point to watch the show.

Completely unaffected by Luke taking pictures beside him, Hawkeye moved his hand, nocked an arrow, and silently aimed at Thor as he tore through everyone.

Thor plowed through every obstacle, beating up the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. like they were security guards at a market.

"Coulson, I have him in my sights. Do you need me to take the shot?"

Coulson had intended to order Hawkeye to take Thor down immediately, but for some reason, recalling all the things Luke had said and his intense interest in all of this, he inexplicably said something else.

"Hold your fire. I want to see what he can do."

And so Thor made his way to the edge of the pit. Seeing the familiar hammer before him, his face lit up, and he jumped straight down.

Holy crap. Luke watched Thor jump down, then slip when his foot landed in the mud.

While marveling at how this nephew of his didn't seem very bright, he mercilessly snapped picture after picture.

Thor wiped the mud off his face and looked around.

No one here. Good. The mighty Thor hasn't embarrassed himself! And he certainly hasn't taken an embarrassing fall!

Unaware that his every move was being recorded and photographed, Thor grabbed the hammer and tried to lift it as he always had.

But...

The hammer didn't budge. In disbelief, Thor tried with both hands, but still couldn't move it an inch.

"No... Father, no!" Thor roared at the sky and sank to his knees in dejection.

His father really had banished him.

Watching the motionless hammer, Coulson felt a little disappointed and sent people to seize Thor. But a figure dropped from the sky and landed before him.

"Hey, Thor. I'm your father's brother. You can call me Uncle."