A week later, Mark packed up his essentials into a duffel bag and loaded them into the trunk of his old sedan, deciding on a whim to drive to New Mexico rather than fly since he had always liked the open road for clearing his head, the long stretches of highway giving him time to think without the rush of soaring through the clouds. The journey took nearly three days, with stops at roadside motels and diners where he blended in as just another traveler, but he finally arrived in Puente Antiguo, a dusty little town in the New Mexico desert that felt worlds away from New York.
He checked into a modest hotel on the outskirts, paying cash for a month's stay in a room with a view of endless sand, where he unpacked his few clothes, set up his laptop on the rickety desk, and took a quick shower to wash off the road grime before heading out to the address he had for Dr. Jane Foster's lab, a converted warehouse on the edge of town that looked more like a mechanic's garage than a cutting-edge research facility.
When he arrived, the place was in a frenzy, with people rushing around inside through the open bay door, grabbing keys and jackets as if they were late for something. Mark knocked on the frame and stepped in cautiously, asking, "Is this a bad time?"
A young woman with dark hair in a messy ponytail turned from where she was stuffing papers into a bag, her eyes lighting up as she took him in, cute and dorky in her oversized sweater and glasses that slipped down her nose, she gave him a flirtacious smile. "Never a bad time for you," she said with a wink, pushing her glasses up as she leaned against the table.
Mark laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as a flush crept up his cheeks. "Uh, thanks... I think. I'm looking for Dr. Jane Foster."
The woman pointed across the room with a grin, joking, "She's the one running around like her house is on fire—literally, if you count the experiments that go wrong here."
Mark followed her gesture to see a focused woman with brown hair barking orders while grabbing a set of car keys, "Everything okay?" He asked a little worried.
An older man with a gray beard and a Scandinavian accent paused from collecting a notebook, glancing over with a reassuring nod. "It's fine, we're just on the way to the hospital to collect our friend."
"Oh," Mark said, stepping back slightly. "I can come back later if it's better, there is no rush."
Jane turned to him now, her expression harried but polite as she extended a hand. "I'm sorry, we're in a bit of a rush. I'm Dr. Foster."
Mark shook her hand firmly. "I'm Mark Grayson."
Jane pulled back, curiosity cutting through the need to go find the stranger, "What brings you here, Mr. Grayson?"
"I've been reading up on your work," Mark replied, "and I believe you could help me on a project I'm working on."
She raised an eyebrow, glancing at her watch before asking, "What kind of project?"
"Interdimensional teleportation," Mark said plainly, watching her reaction shift from distraction to intrigue.
Jane's eyes narrowed with sudden interest. "Interdimensional teleportation?" she echoed, blinking as if she had to make sure she heard that right. Her hand tightened slightly on the strap of her bag. "That's not something people usually show up at my door to talk about."
"But," she added, glancing at her watch, "I need to get to the hospital. We had an event last night, and we need to go pick someone up."
Mark nodded. "No problem at all, I can see you're dealing with something urgent here, so I'll just come back another time when things settle down."
Darcy, still leaning against the table with that cute, dorky grin that crinkled her eyes behind her glasses, chimed in before anyone else could respond. "Oh, come on, he should totally tag along—who knows, maybe tall, dark, and mysterious here can help."
The older man shook his head with a sigh, as he gathered a stack of notes under his arm. "We shouldn't drag a stranger into this mess, Darcy; it's complicated enough without involving outsiders in our... peculiarities."
Darcy whined playfully, crossing her arms and pouting in that endearing way that made her look like a child rather than an intern. "Come on, Erik, this involves the interdimensional Rosen bum bridge or whatever thingy Jane's always ranting about; he literally just said he's working on something similar, so why not bring him?"
Mark felt his cheeks warm again, laughing sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck and glanced away. "Hey, I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I don't want to be a bother, if you're in a rush, I can wait."
Jane paused in her frantic gathering of keys and a notepad, turning fully to him now with a spark of genuine curiosity cutting through her distraction. "Actually, you can come, I'm interested in hearing more about your project, and if it's related to what we're dealing with, it might even help; just follow us in your car if you have one," she quickly decided.
Mark agreed with a nod, grateful for the invite. "Sounds good, I'll tail you guys; lead the way."
As they all filed out toward Jane's SUV, Darcy fell into step beside Mark for a moment, bumping his shoulder lightly with hers and flashing another flirtatious smile. "You know, if the science talk gets boring, we could always grab coffee after—your treat, since you're the one crashing our party and because I'm an intern."
Mark chuckled, shaking his head as he headed to his sedan parked across the street. "I'll keep that in mind...thanks for the invite." He slid into the driver's seat, and started the engine; he couldn't help laughing to himself as he pulled out behind them, the situation already more exciting than he had anticipated when he set out from New York. He was fearing this small town being boring, based on how remote it is.
The drive to the hospital was short, winding through the streets of Puente Antiguo. Mark's phone buzzed in the cupholder halfway there, pulling his attention for a quick glance at the screen.
Colleen: Hey stranger! Back in NY next week. Hit me up for some Mr. Chow's? Miss our late-night sessions... Let's catch up soon.
Mark smiled, a warmth spreading through him at the message since he had missed Colleen more than he realized, her sudden trip back to Japan for family reasons leaving a gap in his life that texts and calls hadn't fully filled, and it would be nice to hang out again. His mind drifted briefly to a flashback of their last night together before she left, her lithe body writhing underneath him on his bed as he thrust deep inside her, her moans filling the room—"Ahh, Mark, yes!"—her nails digging into his back while she clenched around him, pulling him closer until he came hard, filling her with his release as she shuddered in ecstasy beneath him.
He shook off the memory with a grin, focusing back on the road just in time to pull into the hospital parking lot behind Jane's SUV, where the group piled out and hurried inside through the automatic doors. Mark caught up as they reached the front desk, where Jane leaned forward breathlessly and asked for the guy they had brought in last night.
The nurse checked her computer and directed them to a room down the hall, but when they pushed open the door, the bed was empty, sheets rumpled and an IV stand knocked askew as if someone had left in a hurry. Jane cursed under her breath, running a hand through her hair in frustration, while Erik muttered something in Swedish that sounded equally annoyed, and Mark stood in the doorway, confused as he scanned the room. "How did he get out? Wasn't he hurt?"
They walked back to the car dejectedly, the energy from earlier deflated like a punctured tire, and Mark fell into step beside Jane, "Why's this guy so important anyway? You all seem pretty worked up about finding him." He asked.
Jane sighed, unlocking the SUV as she explained, "Part of the research I'm doing here is connected to these anomalous weather events that have been happening across the world—strange storms with no natural cause, leaving behind energy signatures that don't match anything on Earth. I believe they're Einstein-Rosen bridges; wormholes, essentially because of the exotic matter traces and gravitational distortions they emit, and that man... he came through one last night, right in the middle of a cyclone we were tracking."
Darcy piped up from the back, sliding into the passenger seat with a smirk. "Yeah, and I tased him; though it was his fault, he was acting all weird and aggressive, so zap! Down he went."
Mark chuckled, leaning against his car door as they prepared to leave. "That's an interesting theory—wormholes popping up randomly? Sounds like it could explain a lot of weird stuff."
Erik snorted from the driver's side, starting the engine. "Interesting? It's storm chasing—reckless, if you ask me."
Jane shot him an offended look. "You saw the markings on the ground, Erik; once we find him, we'll know for sure, and it could prove everything."
Mark nodded thoughtfully, pushing off his car. "I'll meet you back at the lab, don't want to slow you down any more."
As they pulled out of the parking lot, Jane backed up the SUV slowly, but Mark's eyes caught movement in the rearview, a tall blond man stepping into the path without noticing, and in a split second, he rushed forward, shoving both the man and the bumper's trajectory out of the way just as the vehicle lurched to a stop.
The man stumbled but caught himself, surprised as he straightened up with a booming laugh. "Thank you, my good man. I did not see that cart moving into me; your strength is impressive!"
Jane jumped out of the SUV, her face pale as she apologized profusely. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there at all!" Then her eyes widened in shock, recognition hitting her like a wave. "It's you."
The man tilted his head, grinning broadly. "Of course I am me, who else would I be?"
Mark pointed at him, piecing it together. "This the guy you're looking for?"
Darcy leaned out the window, nodding enthusiastically. "That's him, big blonde hunk, a little crazy."
The man turned his gaze to Darcy, his expression shifting to one of mock offense as he took a step forward. "You... you are that foul witch who cast the lightning curse upon me last night!"
Mark put a hand on his chest firmly, holding him back. "Whoa there big guy, why don't we calm down a second."
The man stepped back immediately, holding his hands up in surrender with a hearty chuckle. "Have no fear, fellow warrior. Thor Odinson does not harm women or children; I merely wished to ask the witch to lift her spell so I may regain my full strength."
Darcy rolled her eyes, annoyed but amused as she explained from the car. "It was a taser, not a spell, and I'm not a witch; it's electricity in a can, buddy, nothing magical about it."
Jane interrupted quickly. "Can we talk? Please—about what happened last night, the storm, where you came from..."
Thor opened his mouth to respond, but his stomach rumbled loudly, cutting him off as he placed a hand on it. "I am in need of food, my strength wanes without sustenance."
He turned to walk off down the street, but Jane called after him. "Wait! We can get you food; come with us, and we can talk over a meal."
Thor paused, turning back with a wide smile that lit up his face. "A feast with a pretty maiden? Agreed, I accept your hospitality."
Darcy rolled her eyes again, slumping back in her seat. "This guy's a moron."
Mark smiled, watching the exchange with genuine amusement. "I think he's great."
(AN: our boy Thor is on the scene and our girl Darcy, the girl with the best tits in the MCU. I think? Hey hit me up on the comments with a girl with better tits. Hope you enjoyed.)
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