As Tony's phone rang, Abel was having lunch with Thor. He had ordered five large pizzas and managed to eat about a third of one. As for the rest, they were all accompanied by beer—Thor's beer.
Watching him eat, Abel couldn't help but think that if Thor kept this up, he wouldn't have to wait long to see the "Fat Thor" version in advance.
The phone kept ringing. Abel glanced at the screen and saw Tony's name flashing. Without hesitation, he picked up.
"Tony, any updates?"
"The Tesseract was just taken. The one who took it calls himself Loki. He's got four superpowered individuals under his command, including a mind-controlled Hawkeye."
Tony continued, "Based on the surveillance footage provided by S.H.I.E.L.D., we've identified two of them. One is Dr. Samuel Sterns, who's been missing for three years. The other is Carl 'Crusher' Creel, a New York underground boxer.
"Both have gained superpowers. Sterns' head is noticeably deformed, and his abilities seem to be brain-related."
"That makes three, including Hawkeye. What about the fourth one? Who is he?" Abel asked.
At the mention of Loki's name, Thor immediately set down his beer and turned his gaze toward Abel, listening intently.
"It's not a 'he,' it's a 'she.' We ran a facial recognition scan but couldn't identify her. However, her outfit resembles Loki's, which suggests she might be from Asgard."
Abel gave Thor a subtle nod, signaling him not to worry, before speaking into the phone again. "Tony, can you send me the surveillance footage? I might be able to identify her."
"Sure, give me a sec."
Not long after, Abel's phone dinged with an incoming message. He immediately opened the video Tony had sent, zooming in on a clearer frame of the mysterious woman. After a moment of scrutiny, he recognized her—a strikingly beautiful sorceress.
"Thor, do you know her?"
Thor took the phone from Abel, and the moment his eyes landed on the image, he spoke without hesitation.
"That's Amora. She's an Asgardian sorceress—an extremely powerful one. She's incredibly gifted in magic, and among our people, she's one of the most skilled enchantresses.
"Before I left Asgard, there were rumors that she had disappeared. I never expected her to show up here... and allied with Loki, no less."
"What are her abilities?" Abel asked as he hung up the call—some things weren't meant for Tony's ears.
Thor cleared his throat, looking slightly uncomfortable. "She's a master of enchantment, particularly... seduction. Her mental abilities are extremely powerful. When she uses her charm magic, almost no man can resist her. Even in Asgard, only a few are immune."
He quickly added, "But don't underestimate her just because of that. Her magical abilities go far beyond enchantment. She's a formidable opponent. My advice? If you want to deal with her, send a female warrior. Otherwise... well, things could get complicated."
"Charm magic, huh?" Abel smirked. "That's not a problem for me. But for you... yeah, I can see how that'd be an issue."
Thor coughed again, looking slightly embarrassed. Abel, of course, had already figured out what that meant. Over the past year, their friendship had grown deep, and Abel knew Thor well enough to see through him.
"Ahem... let's not talk about her anymore," Thor changed the subject. "You said Loki already has the Tesseract?"
Abel nodded. "Yeah, he's got it."
Thor immediately stood up, his expression serious. "If that's the case, we need to stop him before he does something irreversible."
"He's already escaped with it. Can you track him down?"
"Not directly, but someone in Asgard can."
"Heimdall?"
"Exactly. I need to return to Asgard and ask Heimdall for help. I'll also gather reinforcements—if Loki has allies, I'll need mine too."
"Alright, I get it. Just do me one favor—don't summon the Bifröst near my house. I don't want any unwanted attention. That would be... inconvenient."
As Abel spoke, he raised his left hand slightly. A golden, flame-like light flickered, and a familiar ring materialized on his finger. With a casual gesture, he opened a portal.
"This will take you to a remote area outside New York. You can summon the Bifröst from there. Also, Earth's authorities will likely start taking action against Loki soon. If you don't want them to capture him first, you'd better hurry."
"Got it. See you soon, Abel."
With that, Thor stepped through the portal, vanishing from Abel's home. Moments later, in an isolated field outside New York, he called upon Heimdall and disappeared in a flash of rainbow light.
Abel closed the portal and returned to his seat, ready to continue his meal. He wasn't full yet.
But just as he picked up his slice of pizza, there was a knock at the door.
Slightly annoyed, Abel got up to answer it. When he opened the door, he found Tony standing there—alongside Happy Hogan.
Raising an eyebrow, Abel asked, "What are you doing here?"
Tony stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, scanning the room as if expecting to find someone. When he saw no sign of Thor, he smirked.
"And where's the so-called 'god in a cape'?"
"He left. Went back to Asgard to track down Loki and rally some backup."
"Tch. Ran off pretty fast, didn't he?" Tony scoffed. To him, if Loki and Amora were from Asgard and causing trouble on Earth, Asgard should be taking responsibility.
"He'll be back soon," Abel said, sitting back down. "But I doubt you came all this way just to complain about Thor."
Tony shrugged and walked over to the kitchen, pulling out a bottle of wine he had stashed in Abel's fridge. Pouring himself a glass, he took a sip before turning to Abel with a more serious expression.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. sent me as a messenger. So, Abel—what do you think about joining the Avengers?"