London England, Earth.
A large black van was quickly making its way down the streets of downtown London. Within the van four individuals were abuzz with excitement, they were Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, Darcy and a young man named Daryl Wilkins.
Daryl was the newest member of Jane's team, he joined them after Adam had Fury, using his connection with Erik Selvig, recruit Jane Foster into the UNSC, along with her intern Darcy. Daryl was assigned as another intern, he was in fact a UNSC special agent. Although he was from the Science Division, he was still trained in various forms of combat, infiltration and espionage, as well as having the mind for science, especially in research and development.
Darcy had quickly been the one to label him as her intern, which Daryl had no problem with, although he looked unassuming and timid, he was a trained spy and was on a mission assignment, he knew he had to ingratiate himself to the team, so he played his part.
He had slowly been accepted by the team, his thoughts and knowledge, especially with astronomical theories such as what Jane was working on, quickly gained him their approval.
As Daryl drove the large van, the other three were excitedly staring at a monitor while Jane shouted out directions.
"Go to the industrial park, the energy signature for the Wormhole is showing there, hurry Daryl or we will miss it again!" Jane shouted excitedly, they had been chasing after various anomalies that her research had detected as of late.
Thanks to having access to the UNSC databases and technology, Jane was able to begin to create her Foster Theory earlier and was much more knowledgeable of what was happening. The team has tried various times to arrive on site to study the wormhole caused by the alignment of the realms, however they have not been able to get there by the time it disappeared.
"I am doing the best I can here Jane, we aren't that far from the area, we can make it." Daryl said in a fluster, as he was weaving thru traffic, it looked like he was doing his best to get there quickly.
"Didn't you say that the last time? D-man? You made me look bad." Darcy answered back. "If you don't get us there this time. I may have to request a different intern." Darcy said playfully, she enjoyed teasing Daryl
"How was I supposed to know that the forest didn't have a trail for cars." Darryl replied as he scratched his head sheepishly.
As he swerved to avoid a car, his phone rang, "Don't you dare answer that phone mister, concentrate on the road. I don't need a repeat of New Mexico." Jane eyed Darryl as she saw him reach for his phone as he continued thru traffic.
Daryl just smiled and replied, "Oh, did someone answer their phone while driving and cause an issue before?" Daryl said as he looked at Darcy, he continued to answer his phone, ignoring the wide eyed stares he was receiving.
"It was dark ok, and it was in the middle of the desert, how was I supposed to know your boyfriend was going to literally fall from.." Darcy began to explain but was cut off by the sudden sharp turn, and the vehicle coming to a sudden stop.
"Dude, wh..?" Darcy began to ask but suddenly stopped when she noticed Daryl and his changed demeanor. He always was casual looking and a bit timid, now his expression was hardened and serious, he was like a completely different person.
Even Jane and Erik had noticed the sudden change and were hesitant to speak up.
"Understood. Yes sir.. On our way sir." Darryl replied then hung up the phone. Immediately the van sped forward, throwing the others backwards from the force. "Change of plans people, we need to change vehicles." Daryl said as he expertly maneuvered the van through traffic, his speed unlike before, the skill he was now showing stunned the three into silence.
Within minutes he had expertly arrived at an empty clearing.
"Alright, move it. Let's go." Daryl said as he exited the driver seat of the van.
"B...B..But what about the wormhole? My research..." Jane stuttered, she was a bit scared as were the others, everything happened so suddenly and the change in Daryl had them spooked.
The rear doors to the van opened, which startled the three, "That's why we need to hurry, the boss said he will be joining us, this one is different so he said if you wish to go you can join him. Let's hustle it. Chop chop the commander doesn't like to waste time." Darryl said as he began pulling them out. Seeing them start to gather some equipment, Daryl continued, "You won't need it. You will be able to use what the Commander has available. Trust me, it's way better."
Jane looked between her equipment and Daryl hesitantly, but decided to believe him, after hearing his response they had eased a bit. They too worked for the UNSC, so they had heard of this mysterious and enigmatic commander of the UNSC, they had seen his fight with Carol and Thor so they knew he was powerful.
Darcy was the first one out, she was excited to be meeting such a famous person, he was tall handsome and powerful, who wouldn't want to meet such a person.
Erik and Jane looked at each other and shook their heads, they exited the vehicle and looked around at the large empty lot.
"How long till he gets here? We don't know how long we will have till it disappears." Erik asked since he saw no one else there.
"He's already here, come on." Daryl said as he closed the doors and locked the van. The three looked around in confusion, there was nothing but empty fields.
Suddenly to their shock, the Prometheus dropped its cloak and a ramp lowered as Adam and Yelena both walked down to meet them. Yelena, like Adam, had her suit turned into a regular uniform, she followed behind Adam, scanning the surroundings for any danger.
"Welcome Doctor Foster, thank you for joining me. Doctor Selvig and Darcy as well. You three ready to go?" Adam asked as he shook hands with each of them.
"Not like I had a choice." Jane mumbled under her breath, which Adam heard.
"Well safety first Jane. You will get your scans from my ship, you will not leave the ship. You will find I have the best toys aboard and you will keep all your findings. This wormhole is different from the others."
Adam explained as he began boarding the ship.
"Different? How different?" Jane called over as she quickly followed after Adam, she was highly inquisitive and interested in what Adam knew.
"It's different because of where it connects to, if you go there and end up on the other side, you will die a slow painful death." Adam replied back vaguely but truthfully.
Adam knew it wasn't an exaggeration in saying so, because it was true. When Jane was bonded with the Aether, even though it was for a short time, it had still been within her and it was the cause of the terminal cancer she would be diagnosed with years later.
So by Adam keeping her away from the Reality Stone he would effectively be saving her life. Even using the advanced treatments available with the UNSC was no guarantee that she could be cured.
It wasn't natural or normal cancer, it was caused by the Reality Stone feeding off her life force, also when Malekith stripped the Aether from her body, he didn't do it very gently either. The stress from acting as its vessel and then being violently ripped from within damaged her body and life force greatly.
Stunned by Adam's revelation, a shiver ran down not only Jane's back but also Erik's as well. Jane was like a daughter to Erik, hearing that she had been so close to death made him both tense and relieved at the same time. He was relieved that they had been stopped before something bad happened. He wouldn't know what to do with himself if something happened to Jane, especially if he was there and could've stopped her.
Erik knew that these portals had inherent dangers, many fields of science did. Their excitement for new discoveries, as it usually always does, caused them to lose sight of safety protocols, causing their focus to narrow and forget the possible dangers that they could face.
"Wow, you seem a whole lot more reliable than that other muscle brain." Darcy said as she playfully nudged Jane with her elbow while she winked exaggeratedly at Jane, who in turn rolled her eyes at Darcy's jab at her boyfriend.
Since the events of New Mexico and the Invasion of New York, especially after the invasion since Thor spent more time on Earth now, since he didn't require the Bifrost to traverse back and forth anymore. UNSC had ships and communication capabilities that allowed Thor to call an unmanned vessel to taxi him back and forth. How else could Adam get bountiful amounts of data secretly from Asgard.
"Eve, set the ship's course to the abandoned factory, I am granting Doctor Foster and team full access to the lab and the system sensors aboard the Prometheus for the duration of the mission." Adam spoke aloud once the hatch fully closed and everyone was on board.
Suddenly a holographic life sized image of Eve appeared, "Affirmative Adam, we will arrive at the destination within a few moments, I can show the others to the lab. Come Doctor Foster, I will bring you to see his toys." Eve replied as she gestured for Jane and others to follow her into the ship.
Jane and the two were surprised to see Eve, stunned by such an advanced Artificial Intelligence. Darcy couldn't help but blurt, "Are you real?" After asking this question she ran over to the holographic body of Eve and touched her which shocked the two scientists.
"That is a very interesting question, Miss Darcy, I would be more than happy to discuss the answer with you on what makes something real or not, but first, let me show the others where they will be working." Eve replied as she patted Darcy's head, her shocked expression that she could touch Eve and Eve also patting her was priceless.
The UNSC had hard-light technology, so although she was just a projection, Eve could interact physically with the world as well, within the boundaries of the ship and near Adam.
It was a safety measure built within each suit. If something happened and the SPARTAN became unconscious, the AI could, in theory, project themselves and carry them off the battlefield until they recover, or access a terminal a distance ahead to begin opening the door or begin hacking the terminal, allowing the SPARTAN to be swift and efficient. He could keep his attention at defending the position as his AI did what needed to be done.
As the group followed Eve into the ship, Adam turned to Yelena. "I want you to secure the area, no following me in. Time is different inside so I can't tell you exactly how long I will be gone, but it shouldn't be that long. It depends on how far I am from where I need to be, I am bringing a probe with me so we will not lose communication, if I need help I will call." Adam said with a little chuckle, she had been adamant about following, but he couldn't risk it using her as a host.
Adam knew that Malekith's will was still within the Aether, it was how he was able to trace it back to Jane on Asgard, so he knew it wasn't going to be an easy task to get the Aether into his hands, especially if someone was with him.
The Aether will detect the other stones, it wouldn't want to go to him, it will fight him. It would know as soon as Adam got his hands on it, its previous master's connection would be lost instantly.
Unlike the Mind Stone, the mark left behind by Malekith on the Reality Stone, was left centuries ago so it wouldn't take much for Adam to destroy the mark. Malekith hasn't been in contact with it for centuries, Thanos had recently sent the Mind Stone, so the will was much stronger. This was why Adam had to use tricks, even though he did possess the Space Stone as well.
Just as Yelena gave a nod of understanding, the rear hatch began to open showing the abandoned factory below. Adam and Yelena both jumped off the ship, Yelena landing gracefully on the ground, while Adam hovered just above it.
"Show off. You just wait, I'll be able to do that too." Yelena rolled her eyes as Adam just looked at her with a smile.
It was true, although not as large or powerful as Adam's, the Superconducting Neural Dentrites that were installed in her and the others did give them access to a bio-electric field. So flight was definitely possible, along with others, it was up to them on whether they could begin to use it.
"Secure the area, make sure no one enters. Or leaves if it isn't me. I'm counting on you." Adam said as he floated over to the entrance to the factory, the same one Jane had entered and was sucked in to come upon the Aether.
Yelena began to see a crowd of people gathering and taking pictures and video of them, she began her task of coordinating with local authorities to keep a perimeter and waited, ready to race into the factory at the first sign of danger.