The Conceptual Deck

It turns out no one was eager to fight me after watching what Ema could do. . Of course, while I was as tough and strong as her, at least in my armor, I was considerably less flexible. But they didn't need to know that. Thor looked like he was going to challenge me, but seemed happy to hold off for now

Instead, Ema and I sat on the sidelines, watching Bucky face off against Hogun and Steve against Volstagg, both of which went exactly the way I would have predicted. Both Bucky and Steve could keep up with, and even sometimes hit back, when the Asgardians kept to basic levels. But as soon as they started to push through their restraint, they would trounce the two super soldiers.

"I would say you both stand a fair chance at beating an Asgardian foot soldier, one not blessed with divine nature," Thor explained, not understanding that what he was saying could be misconstrued as condescending.

"The fact that humanity was capable of creating an elixir that brought humans to that level…" Sif said, trailing off for a moment before continuing. "Many galactic species' have been trying for thousands of years to achieve that concept. The fact that Midgard achieved it at such a young age, even if its secrets were lost…"

"That's nothing," Bucky responded, nodding toward me. "Maker could print out his armor by the truckload, and he outmatches us easily."

I looked at Bucky, eyebrow raised, wondering why he decided to throw me under the bus. Then again, I was going out of my way to show off, he might have been attempting to help.

"Yeah, my armor is a combination of a few things," I explained. "It's just about my most powerful work so far. At least on the small scale."

"Come then, we need to test your strength!" Thor said, stepping away from our sparring area.

I shrugged and followed behind the god, my armor forming up around me as I walked. Thor sat down at a small stone and metal table, holding his hand up with his elbow on the smooth surface. I stopped when I realized what he was suggesting.

"Seriously? Arm wrestling?" I asked. "I thought you'd have some sort of special magic strength measuring thing."

"I'm sure we do, somewhere. But what use is strength if you don't have something to compare it to!" Thor said with a smile. "Now sit, test your might!"

I grumbled, leaving the fact that I was hoping to grab a scan of a strength measuring machine unsaid. I sat down and got into the proper position, my armored hand just as big as Thor's was.

"Are you ready my friend?" Thor asked, his muscular arms bulging already.

Sif stood beside us, holding us steady, putting her hands on both of ours. We both held onto the table with our off hands, anchoring ourselves to keep steady.

"Go!" Sif shouted, stepping back to give us space.

Both of us strained against each other, Thor's muscles bulging as he attempted to force my arm down. While I couldn't feel all of the strain since my armor was absorbing most of it, I could feel some of it, enough to feel the burn. We fought against each other, our hands tilting back and forth as we both gained and lost ground. Thor, sensing that I was starting to gain more ground than I was losing, let out a shout and pushed himself even further, passing by his previous limits and slowly levering my arm down. I shouted back in response, using every ounce of strength I could, just managing to hold him back, my hand only a handful of inches from the table.

For a moment, for seconds strung along together, I held the god of thunder back, my arm now shaking under the massive strain. I could feel the damage it was doing to my arm, my amulet healing the microfractures in my bones and the tears in my muscles. I could feel the edge of the stone table crumble in my off hand as I pushed, my armor beginning to creak as I raised my hand another few inches away from the table. A part of my mind noted that the sorcerous protection I had worked into my armor was losing its integrity rapidly.

Before I could even consider how to handle that though, blue sparks of lightning began to dance around Thor's body. I could hear thunder echo in the distance as electricity jumped and crackled around his arm, his eyes full of blue energy. With another roar he pushed my hand back, finally slamming it down into the table with a last surge of energy. The table cracked into chunks, falling to the ground as we both recoiled, releasing each other's hands.

It took a minute for us both to recover, my arm healing from the final bit of damage and Thor wiping the sweat from his face with a towel. My armor was still perfectly intact and was already slowly rebuilding its protection charge. With a thought I shrank it back down to its chest plate form, shaking myself to work out the last bit of tense muscles.

"Maker, that was truly incredible! To create an armor capable of that much power… What an achievement!" Thor said, reaching out and clasping my arm. "Midgard is in good hands with you as one of its protectors."

"Thanks, Thor," I accepted with a smile. "Now I just need to convince the WSC to let me."

"Why? Surely you would not cease protecting your home simply because an organization such as theirs demanded it?" Thor asked as we walked back to where our group had been sparring. "Do they hold sway over you?"

"No, of course not. I wouldn't stop protecting Earth just because the WSC told me to," I assured him, sitting down beside him and looking up at Asgard's sky. "But I'm hoping to get their support. Not because I need it but because I want Earth to develop, I want it to thrive and grow, take its own steps into space, and make its own advancements. I want to help, and I will protect Earth from threats but… I'm not looking to make a Maker empire that is dependent on the stuff I make."

Thor and I watched the field for a little while longer before the group eventually split up and headed out. Sif and the Warriors three had their own business to attend to, while team Earthling had a meeting with Odin. I made a quick detour to the Void Skipper before meeting back up with Thor.

Thor brought us all to a small dining hall after we all cleaned up a bit, Peggy, Steve, and Bucky changing out of their armor and into their casual clothes while I got dressed into my usual self-cleaning outfit, including my leather jacket. After we shared a small lunch we made our way through the palace, eventually stopping outside of a rather thick door, one carved with intricate patterns and detailed with gold and other precious metals.

Thor gave us all a look, before knocking on the door, opening it, and stepping inside immediately. The interior was lined with bookshelves, display cases, and art, lit by torches and an ambient light I couldn't identify. On the far end of the study was a small table, where Frigga and Odin sat.

"Mother, Father," Thor said with a formal nod. "Your guests are here."

Neither Frigga nor Odin stood, though he did gesture to the chairs along the opposite side of the beautifully carved table that they were sitting at. I lead the other three to the chairs, claiming one opposite Odin, doing my best not to freak out. When I sat, Ema stood behind me, her hand on my shoulder. Peggy, Steve, and Bucky sat down beside me, while Thor walked around the table to sit beside his mother.

For a long moment the room was silent, save the crackling fire that burned a dozen or so feet behind the three gods on the other side of the table. Eventually, Odin spoke.

" Asgard has protected Midgard for millennia," He said, sitting back in his chair, one hand on the table. "I swore to shield your ancestors from the dangers of the galaxy when I saw their potential. They battled the forces of Jotunheim with everything they had, an act that impressed me greatly. Twice now, my son Loki led attacks to your doorstep, and twice the forces of Midgard have defended your realm against threats they should not have been forced to encounter."

"With all due respect Your Majesty, your son Thor has been a great help in both of those battles," Peggy said, after a polite pause to make sure she wouldn't interrupt the god-king of Asgard.

"I might have been instrumental in stopping Loki's rampage with the Destroyer armor, but Midgard defended itself from the Chitauri. I was one hero among many that day," Thor corrected, Steve, nodding in reluctant agreement.

"What would you have from us?" Odin asked, looking at the other three. "What boon would you ask of me and of Asgard in recompense for our failure?"

Steve moved to respond, probably to deny that he wanted anything or to explain they were just doing their duty, but Peggy stopped him. She leaned forward and smiled.

"We ask you to deal favorably with our representatives. We would like the relationship between our peoples to be more open and active, instead of the silent protector and ward," She explained with a smile. "Despite our differences in development, I believe we have much to offer each other."

Odin nodded, Frigga smiling beside him.

"Very well. Your political representatives are meeting with our diplomats as we speak. I shall inform them to relax some of their stronger requirements. But, do not misunderstand." Odin said, staring the three veterans down. "We will not uplift Humanity. We swore to protect Midgard because we wanted you to develop on your own, because of the great potential we saw in you. Uplifting your planet goes against everything agreed to."

They discussed some of the things Asgard was willing to offer, mostly information on threats that might be out in the galaxy, as well as a brief discussion of trading, and a potential media exchange. It was mostly general things though, Peggy insisting that the diplomats, both the ones we brought with us as well as any that might travel here in the future would be better suited to discuss the specifics. Odin seemed to agree, eventually shifting his focus to me.

"Maker. You have taken a significant portion of Hiemdalls time the last few months," He said, his good eye staring into me. "It has been a long time since I have had to rely so heavily on his sight."

"I hope it's been entertaining at least," I said.

"If by entertaining you mean worryingly prolific, suspiciously powerful, and knowledgeable about things there is no way for you to know, then yes," Odin responded with a straight face.

The room was silent again, the once calm atmosphere replaced by a tension that surprised the out-of-time trio beside me. I did my best not to show any outward panic as I waited for Odin to continue.

"Your experimentation with the Destroyer armor alone was almost enough to prompt my intervention. Even now your armor is derived from something I sacrificed my own sweat, blood, and power to create. Its purpose was to defend Asgard, not arm you with power beyond your kin," He said after a pause. "The only reason I did not descend upon your little quarry workshop was the respect you showed the armors connection to myself. If you had meddled with the Odinforce I would have turned you and your companion to ash."

I felt Ema's hand on my shoulder tighten almost imperceptibly at the threat, but I trusted her to control herself. Instead, I stared at one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy down.

"The Destroyer armor was abandoned on Earth," I responded simply, continuing after a pause. "Whatever problem resulted in that is not my fault. Do not act like I kicked down Asgard's door and stole your only method of defense."

The tension ratcheted up another notch, with Steve gripping the arm of his chair tightly.

"That being said, I do understand this is a grey area," I admitted. "Which is why I am willing to pay you back for what I used."

I flicked out a card behind me, the card landing about ten feet away before being replaced by the hulking form of three sets of Destroyer armor. Thor was standing, Mjolnir in his hand before I could even bring my hand back from my flick, with Steve and Bucky just behind him.

Odin of course didn't move.

"Three fully repaired Destroyer armors, save the part responsible for hooking it up to your control," I explained. "I figured it would be best to wait for that part."

Odin stared at the massive form of metal, examining it with a critical eye. He eventually looked back down at me.

"How long would it take to finish their connections?"

"An hour or so," I answered with a shrug. "It's not a difficult process."

"...I will accept the replacements and drop my grievance for using it in the method you have," Odin said. "I will go as far as to allow you to keep using it, as long as you do so with caution."

"I will," I said simply, biting back a retort. I didn't need his permission, and any grievance he had was tenuous at best.

"Now, however, we get to the true issue at hand. The Tesseract and the scepter," Odin said, still sitting back in his chair. "Or, as you correctly determined, the Space and Mind Stone."

"Father, did you know what the Tesseract was?" Thor asked, his eyes wide as he looked at Odin.

"I did," Odin explained, not hesitating for a moment. "I have known what it was from the moment it entered my vault. But its true nature was better off forgotten."

"Not forgotten enough," I responded, shaking my head. "I'm pretty sure whoever sent your son to Earth knew exactly what it was."

"That… is not good news," Odin said, shaking his head and stroking his beard, continuing after a moment in thought. "All the more reason for it to return to our vault. We will use it to repair the Bifrost, and then seal it away, guarded by the Destroyer armors."

"Keeping two stones together is too much of a risk," I said, shaking my head. "Let me keep the Tesseract. I'll keep it on the Void Skipper until I finish my next ship, which-"

"And how can we trust that you will be able to keep it safe?" Odin asked. "I would sooner let the Collector hold onto-"

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" I asked, leaning forward, my eyes wide. "Taneleer is insane! He is too obsessed with his collection to be trusted with anything this important. He would use the Tesseract to gather anything he wanted from anywhere he pleased, and the Mind Stone to bend the will of anyone he wants to make them willing exhibits. I-"

Ema squeezed my shoulder, hard enough to hurt and stop me mid-sentence. Odin's baffling suggestion had caught me by surprise, enough to get me talking before I could think about what I was saying. I managed to hold back the curse on my lips, but only just barely.

"How do you know of the Collector, Carson Walsh?" Odin asked, now looking very interested. "You have a worrying amount of knowledge that no mortal Midgardian should, how is that possible?"

"That's a whole lot of not your business," I said, still cursing internally. "Especially since you would willingly surrender an Infinity Stone to someone keeping slaves and kidnapping sentients for his own collection!"

"His collection is one of the safest-"

"Husband, please tell me you don't actually consider that a good idea." Frigga cut in, looking at Odin in utter surprise. "He is a menace! You know this, you almost destroyed Knowhere yourself when you learned he was looking for an Asgardian to add to his collection!"

"Places capable of reliably containing an Infinity Stone are not commonplace!" Odin said, shaking his head. "We-"

"If your solution is to give it to the Collector then the only way your taking it from me is by looting my dead, probably carbonized corpse," I said, my heart starting to pound in my chest. "Fuck, I would rather give it back to Loki."

"I agree with Maker, husband," Frigga said, shaking her head. "Please do not lose yourself in what you think is necessary. The greater good is useless if it leaves no good behind."

Once again I could feel the tension in the room ratcheting up a few notches. Odin was quiet for a long while, staring at me directly without blinking. After what felt like minutes of him staring he finally let out a long breath.

"The Tesseract was vital to the creation of the Bifrost, Maker, as I am sure Thor informed you. I assume you have some sort of alternative?"

I let out a long breath and nodded.

"I believe I have made a device that should be able to repair the Bifrost without the Tesseract. Even if it is not capable of it, making it so it is would be an easy task," I explained. "It should also be capable of repairing any building, of any size and any power. It is yours, as is the Mind Stone, in exchange for allowing me to keep the Tesseract."

Again Odin was silent for a long while, like he was staring down into my soul.

"Agreed," He said with a finality that seemed to noticeably shift the room.

"Good, good," I said, leaning back in my chair, unable to keep the relief from showing on my face. "Now, I was under the understanding that Asgard was interested in some samples of my creations?"