The shift in the atmosphere happened just past noon.

  The clouds over the desert didn't just gather; they were dragged into a violent, unnatural funnel. A second ter, a massive pilr of light fallen into the earth a few miles outside Puente Antiguo. The shockwave rattled the storefront windows all the way down the main street.

  I was sitting on the hood of my car at the edge of town. I didn't flinch. I just watched the dust plume rise on the horizon.

  A convoy of SHIELD SUVs sped past me a few minutes ter, sirens bring as they rushed toward the impact zone. They never came back.

  About ten minutes passed. Then, bck smoke began to rise from the desert scrub. It was followed by a rhythmic, heavy thud that vibrated through the ground.

  The Destroyer was walking into town.

  It stood ten feet tall, built from interlocking strips of dark, metallic Uru. It didn't move like a robot. It moved with the heavy, deliberate steps of a man wearing full armor.

  People panicked. Locals abandoned their cars and ran in the opposite direction.

  A pair of surviving SHIELD agents pulled their SUV sideways across the main street, drawing their sidearms. One of them grabbed a megaphone.

  "Unidentified entity," the agent yelled and his voice shaking. "Halt and identify yourself."

  The Destroyer didn't slow down. Its metal facepte slid down, revealing a hollow interior that glowed with blinding light.

  It fired.

  A beam of concentrated heat shot from its face. It hit the SHIELD SUV. The vehicle didn't just explode; the metal instantly vaporized. The sheer shockwave blew the agents off their feet and straight through the pte-gss window of a nearby diner.

  The Warriors Three and Sif charged down the street, drawing their weapons. "For Asgard!" Volstagg bellowed.

  It was a brave effort, but completely useless. The Destroyer swatted Volstagg aside like a toy. Sif managed to vault onto its back and drive her double-bded spear through its neck, but the machine simply twisted its torso backward and bsted her off.

  The machine turned its glowing face toward the sidewalk. Jane, Darcy, and Selvig were huddled behind a pickup truck, frozen in terror. Thor was standing in front of them, powerless, watching his friends get beaten.

  The facepte slid down again. The orange energy built up in its chest, targeting the truck.

  I pushed off the hood of my car.

  I didn't run. I simply walked into the center of the street, pcing myself directly between the Destroyer and the civilians.

  The machine fired.

  I raised my right hand, palm out, anchoring my stance. I didn't summon a fshy, glowing shield. I just locked the air in front of me, compressing the atmospheric pressure and reinforcing it with a dense yer of my own vitality. It formed a sheer, invisible wall.

  The energy beam smmed into it.

  The impact sounded like a bomb going off. The air around the beam superheated instantly, warping the light. The asphalt beneath my dress shoes turned liquid, bubbling from the heat off the beam.

  I didn't move.

  The Destroyer was powered by the Odinforce and currently wielding the petty fury of a frightened prince. But against me, it was just noise. The kinetic transfer died the moment it touched my space. I stood perfectly still, watching the molten energy fre and wash harmlessly against the invisible barrier.

  The beam sustained for five seconds. When it finally cut off, the machine's facepte slid back up, the metal cooling to a dull red.

  The street was dead silent, save for the crackle of burning cars.

  Jane and Selvig were staring at me from behind the truck, completely stunned. I lowered my hand. My cuffs were still perfectly crisp.

  I looked over my shoulder at Thor.

  I told him calmly, my voice carrying over the crackling fires. "This is not my fight."

  Thor looked at the melting pavement, then at the smoking machine. He understood. This wasn't a monster to be sin; it was his brother throwing a tantrum from across the universe. It was an Asgardian problem.

  Thor gave a slow nod. He stepped out from behind the truck.

  "Thor, what are you doing?" Jane yelled, grabbing his arm.

  "It's targeting me, Jane," Thor said gently, pulling his arm away. "If I stay, you all die."

  He walked past me, stepping out from the safety of the invisible wall. He didn't pick up a weapon. He just walked toward the ten-foot-tall killing machine.

  "Brother," Thor called out. His voice echoed in the ruined street.

  The Destroyer stopped advancing. It tilted its head slightly, listening.

  "Whatever I have done to wrong you," Thor said, stopping a few feet away from it. He spread his arms open, leaving his chest completely defenseless. "Whatever I have done to lead you to do this, I am truly sorry. But these people are innocent. Taking their lives will gain you nothing."

  Thor looked up into the dark, bnk face.

  "So take mine," Thor offered. "And end this."

  The Destroyer stood motionless for a long moment. Inside the armor, millions of miles away, Loki was making his choice.

  Then, the facepte opened. But the machine didn't fire an energy beam. It simply swung its massive, heavy metal arm.

  The backhand caught Thor directly in the ribs.

  Bone snapped loudly. Thor was thrown backward, tumbling across the pavement. He came to a stop in the dirt, completely still.

  "Thor!" Jane screamed, running out from cover and dropping to her knees beside him.

  I watched the machine turn its back and begin to walk away, its mission apparently accomplished. I slid my hands into my pockets.

  Thor was bleeding out in the dirt. To anyone else, it looked like the end. But I kept my eyes on the sky. I could already feel the static building in the atmosphere. The thunder was coming.