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Simmons: In ancient
times, people believed
the heavens were filled
with gods and monsters
and magical worlds.
Then, as time passed,
those beliefs faded
into myth and folklore.
But now we know the stories were true.
Other worlds, with names
like Asgard, do exist.
And beings once revered
as gods, like Thor,
have returned, leaving us
with more questions and...
an enormous mess to clean up.
Don't say I never gave you anything.
Checking for alien
spectrographic signatures
- one teeny rock at a time.
- Necessary precaution.
We don't want anything alien
getting in the wrong hands.
Still, this is definitely
the type of work
- a monkey could easily do.
- You're our little monkey.
[cellphone rings]
[cellphone beeps]
Don't give me that look.
I'll talk to them when I talk to them.
- Talk to who?
- Mum and Dad.
They want explanations and
answers for... well, all this.
But I don't have any answers.
And, more importantly, I haven't
talked to them since I was ill.
And if they knew that,
they'd be even more terrified.
So, you know...
[cellphone beeps]
...why waste any of our time, really?
You guys may think it's old news,
but it's new... news to everybody else.
So, Asgardians are
aliens from another planet
that visited us thousands of years ago?
Or more.
And because we couldn't
understand aliens,
we thought they were gods?
That's where our Norse
mythology comes from.
[sighs]
That's too crazy.
Do you think other
deities are aliens, too?
Vishnu for sure, right?
You know, it'd be nice if, for once,
Thor and his people sent down
the god of cleaning up after yourself.
They probably have a magic
broom for this kind of thing.
I just wish they'd left
their alien ship behind.
So we can clean that up, too?
So we could go inside,
take a peek under the hood,
maybe take it for a spin.
Come on, you're telling me
piloting an alien ship
- isn't on your bucket list?
- Coulson: I can't think of a single time
when anything alien in
human hands ended well.
Wouldn't mind getting
my human hands on Thor.
He's so dreamy.
- Sure, he's handsome, but ...
- No. He's dreamy.
[device beeps]
- Fitz, is that, um ...
- Definitely not from here.
Another piece of the ship.
What are you doing?
Out of sight...
...out of mind.
That's why we're here.
Keep everything under control.
- Now, who would do something like that?
- Ah, who knows.
Baby, look.
"South of the water,
North of the hill..."
- "...a halo of stones ..."
- "protect the tree still."
Jakob, is this it?
[engine turns over]
[chainsaw revs]
[chainsaw whirring in distance]
[wood splinters]
We should check that out.
Finally, after all this time.
I can't wait to tell the others.
I told you it was real...
and that I would find it.
Are you ready?
[gasps]
[grunts]
[groaning] What you're
feeling, don't fight it.
That rage, it's already inside of you.
Don't be afraid of it.
Don't hide from its power.
Embrace it.
Embrace it!
[screams]
Bjorn: God!
What have you done?
[screams]
1x08 - The Well
I can climb it if you want.
Just talk me through what
to do with the... doodads.
- Yeah, it's only about 15 feet.
- I'll be fine. I'm ...
I'm just a bit more wary
about the height thing
since falling to certain death.
You're afraid.
Hmm? Shaken up?
It's normal.
But some feelings will take over
if you dwell on them.
Especially fear.
Now, keep your eyes ahead.
Focus on what you like to do best.
Yep.
Not falling.
Ward: No, research.
You're a scientist. You
like to figure things out.
- Yes. With my doodads.
- I'm curious.
Whatever was up in these trees
had to be there for centuries, right?
At least a millennium.
Radiocarbon-14 dates some of
these trees at 9,000 years old.
That sounds impossible.
Think the tree grew around it?
I'd have to check the
dendrochronology first
- to know for certain.
- Uh-huh.
But, I mean, the Norway spruce
is a rather fast-growing coniferous,
and I know you're trying
to trick me into going up,
- but I'm going up anyway, so...
- Ward: I'll catch you if you fall.
Screaming, and so much hate in her eyes.
And you said she had a silver stick?
Steel, maybe. I-I don't know.
It, uh, had decorations on it.
Could you describe or draw them?
I didn't get a good look.
I [sniffles] I just ran.
[sniffles]
[crying] Who would
do something so evil?
I'm sorry for your loss.
[device beeping]
Oh, um, whatever was in here
was definitely not from this world.
Fitz, you getting this?
It's not Chitauri, is it?
No, no, no. Don't worry.
This isn't another viral threat.
Um, hang on.
[device beeps]
Spectrographic signatures
match readings from...
Thor's hammer.
Simmons, whatever was in
that tree is Asgardian.
I-I can see an imprint
of what was embedded.
[sighs]
Scanning for
three-dimensional restoration.
Tell me when.
[beeping]
When.
Um, looks like a staff or a rod.
Well crafted. Engraved.
I'll convert it, print a 3-D model.
This forest is a protected reserve.
I mean, who do they think they are?
Anything else? Details?
Anything that might help
us to find these people
or where they might be hiding?
Sir, doesn't look like they're hiding.
[indistinct shouting]
Sending to your devices now.
Female reporter: ... raiding has left
20 injured, 3 in critical condition.
Reports indicate that
the group of about a dozen
was led by this man and woman,
and though their motive was unclear,
their message was hauntingly
spelled out on the streets of Oslo.
Well, I guess we know
who they think they are.
[indistinct shouting, fire crackles]
Jakob Nystrom, 30.
Girlfriend, Petra Larsen.
Leaders of a Norse Paganist hate group.
And their numbers are growing,
thanks to what happened in Greenwich
and thanks to the internet.
Yay, internet, she said sarcastically.
Norse Paganist?
Obsessed with anything derived
from Norse mythology ...
- stories of Asgard.
- And now a weapon.
The scan only accounted for one side.
Too much damage to the tree
for complete reproduction.
But see here ... it's
clearly broken on both ends.
- So there are more pieces?
- Yeah. Two at least.
Which means Sid and Nancy may
be looking for a complete set.
- And markings? [door opens]
- The Asgardian symbolism.
Hard to translate with
our limited knowledge.
You should give your buddy
the god of thunder a shout.
He gets his power
from his hammer, right?
What if this is his nail to the hammer?
I already did.
Director Fury told me he's off the grid.
And if he has a cellphone,
we don't have the number.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s investigations
are on the trail
of Nystrom and his followers.
We're charged with
identifying the object
and finding any other
pieces before they do.
They seem to have some advantage.
They found this thing
in 150 square kilometers
of Norwegian forest.
Guys. What if it called
to them with magic?
Called to them.
We know it's Asgardian, so the
rules are a little bendy here.
Just because we don't
understand something yet
doesn't mean we should
regress back to the dark ages,
talking of magic and fairy tales.
Actually, that's exactly
what we're going to do.
- Excuse me?
- Really?
When we first found the
hammer in New Mexico,
I consulted one of the
world's leading experts
on Norse mythology ...
Elliot Randolph,
a Professor at a university in Seville.
We'll leave immediately.
Maybe he can tell us
more about these markings.
Well, one must adapt, Elena.
Recent events have
thrown us all for a loop.
I thought I was
teaching Norse mythology.
No, turns out
I'm a history Professor.
So, you're not going to change my grade?
No. I will give you
a week to rewrite it.
I think, in general,
little more history, less lit crit.
But I do hope we're still
on for dinner tonight.
I've included a list of books
there that might help you.
I'll see you later.
Oh!
- Professor Randolph.
- Agent Coulson. Come in, come in.
Waterfield 44.
14-karat-gold nib with
mother-of-pearl inlay.
[chuckles]
That's quite an eye you've got.
I didn't know you were a collector.
On a government salary, not quite.
Well, I'm assuming you found
something on the ground in London.
In a tree in Norway.
And, unfortunately,
we weren't the ones who found it.
It's a 3-D model.
Oh, that is amazing.
Now, based on these runes,
I'd say I'm looking at a
piece of the Berserker staff.
Let's have a look.
[grunts]
Yeah, the myth dates back
to the late 12th century.
It's all about a powerful
warrior from Asgard.
Here.
A soldier in the Berserker army.
- Fitz: Berserker army?
- Oh, yeah.
A powerful army.
Fierce army it was.
Berserkers battled like raging beasts,
destroying everything in their path.
A single Berserker had the
strength of 20 warriors.
So whoever wielded the staff
got superhuman strength?
Fighting with it put the warrior
into a state of uncontrollable rage.
The staff contained
a very powerful magic.
Or a scientific attribute
we've yet to discover.
Analytically minded
and pretty as a peach.
- The warrior in the story?
- Well, in the story,
he came to Earth to fight,
but he ended up falling in love.
- With whom?
- With life on Earth.
Humanity.
He fell so much in love
that when his army returned
to Asgard, he stayed behind.
What happened to the staff?
Well, he didn't want its dark magic
falling into the wrong hands,
so he broke it into three pieces
and hid each one in
a different location.
The manuscript wouldn't happen to say
where he hid them, would it?
Actually, it does.
In three verses.
Now, let's all bear in mind
these are poetic abstracts
from long-lost ancient texts.
So, there is one about a tree,
which they've found, it seems.
Another is, "East of
the river, sun overhead,
buried in Earth with
the bones of the dead."
That's a bit macabre, isn't it?
There's another here.
Well, this one doesn't
even have a rhyme.
But the gist of it is "close to god."
That could be anything, then.
It could also mean nothing.
I was hoping for less metaphor,
more longitude and latitude.
Well, I mean, it does stand to reason
to search near Viking
raid routes, doesn't it?
Now, there have been some
recent interesting findings
of Norse relics on Baffin
island off the coast of Canada.
Yeah, virtual treasure
trove of new artifacts.
We'll start there, then.
Thank you, Professor.
Did you know there's mount
Thor on Baffin island?
- I did not.
- Do you know what's not on mount Thor?
Anything Asgardian at all.
Our agents on the ground
haven't found a thing.
What about you?
Nystrom's deep-web message boards
are just abuzz with psychos.
They believe they're gonna ascend
to be the gods of destruction
and death. People suck, sir.
That's your progress?
"People suck"?
These people do. And there's also
chatter about going underground.
- Could mean going incognito or ...
- Or searching for the next piece.
Randolph said to check Viking routes.
Find any others?
There's some sites along
the Volga river in Russia,
- some in Kiev, and weirdly, here.
- In Seville, Spain?
It's a long shot, but
Vikings sacked Seville twice.
We found one promising
location with Viking relics ...
El Divino NiƱo.
A church built on the ruins
of an 8th-century crypt
- built on Roman ruins from 206 B.C.
- East of a river.
And lots of bones.
Let's see what we can dig up.
See what I did there?
Must be nice ...
have a mandatory nap time.
Siesta isn't mandatory.
Just very pleasant.
How you doing, Agent Ward?
Wishing I was shorter.
Nothing yet.
All my readings are normal.
What about you, Skye? Any luck?
I'm lucky my S.O. volunteered
to take the super-creepy hallway
instead of the slightly
less-creepy dungeon-room place.
I got nothing.
Sorry ... nada.
Ward, your spectrograph is
reading something near you.
- I don't see anything.
- Well, it's right in front of you.
Oh, wait. No. Uh, okay, hold on.
It's moving. Northwest.
- Visual contact.
- Okay Ward, turn left.
I have a wonderful explanation.
Ran into some unexpected com...
[gasps]
[groans]
- Ward, what's happening?
- His device just went down.
- Skye, can you get ...
- Already on it.
Ward.
Are you all right?
[gasping]
Hey, hey, hey.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Grant, calm down.
Calm down, please.
Calm down. [sighs]
[breathing heavily]
[shakily] The staff ... he has it.
Something's wrong with Ward.
The staff's gone.
Someone took it.
Nystrom: I have one, too.
He can't just disappear.
[whoosh, scream]
He'll have to turn up some... where.
[metal crunches] There we go.
A block South of the church.
- Professor.
- I screwed up.
- This is ridiculous.
- It's anything but. Ward, you passed out.
And you were acting not right.
Coulson ordered me to
give you a full work-up,
and that's exactly what I'm doing.
Um, before you lost consciousness,
were you feeling claustrophobic?
- Why?
- She's ruling out a panic attack.
- I don't panic. Ever.
- There we go. Ruled out.
- Touching the staff caused it, right?
- Simmons: Any residual effects?
Are you exhibiting
any extra s-strength?
Why don't I find out on that guy?
Why don't we not do that?
What's the last thing you remember
before you lost consciousness?
- This is a waste of time.
- Um.
- We need to find the staff.
- What exactly do you remember?
Something I hadn't thought
about in a long time.
- Why don't we leave it alone?
- Well, I mean, he just
pulled his arm out of this...
[whispering indistinctly]
Quiet!
I want to hear this.
[beeping]
One of my men is hurt.
The staff is gone.
- I didn't want any of that to happen.
- What did you want?
- The staff's power for yourself?
- Nothing like that.
[sighs]
You know, I just wanted to
be the first to study it,
to prove that the Berserkers
were actually here,
a part of history.
- You think about that.
- Oh, I'm thinking about it.
What are you doing?
Your heart rate's rising.
Adrenaline's spiking.
You need to calm down,
not get worked up.
[sighs]
[breathes deeply]
The memory ... was
it about your brother?
Drop it.
Ward, if you need to
get it out, I am here ...
Right. To talk.
Because that's what you do ...
talk... and talk.
Don't you ever get tired
of hearing your own voice?
- Ward, stop.
- Simmons: Well! This makes more sense.
Ward, what you're
experiencing, this feeling ...
- it's chemistry.
- Hope so.
Yeah, spikes in his
adrenocorticotropic hormone.
It's like those stories you hear
when a mother is able to
lift a car to save her baby.
An adrenaline surge
can create a massive ...
Stop talking!
Just fix it!
I wish I could.
We can relieve some of the symptoms.
I'm going to give you
10cc of benzodiazepine.
Chill pill. Good idea.
A sedative? Not gonna happen.
Yeah, well, be reasonable.
Look how you're behaving.
And if I'm sedated and we cross
paths with those juiced freaks,
the ones who flip cars
and smash people up,
are you gonna take them on?
Keep us safe?
Or am I gonna have to
save Simmons' ***... again?
That was just a biochemical reaction.
He didn't mean all that.
- No, I know.
- No explanation necessary.
- How'd they find it?
- I have no idea how they found it.
They may have the original texts.
I wasn't involved.
You know, it was just a
chance to uncover something
that the gods brought
down from the heavens.
Aliens brought it. From space.
I've spent some one-on-one
time with aliens before.
Didn't work out too well.
So cases like this are personal to me.
That's all I know.
Get comfortable.
[grunting]
Help me!
Please! Help me!
Help me!
- Ward!
- Please!
Hey, Ward!
You should be more careful.
- I'm fine. You?
- I'm working it out.
[grunts]
You're punching things.
The last thing you
need is to punch things.
- You got a better idea?
- Let me help you.
The only help I need
is to stop those guys
before they hurt somebody else.
[crowd cheers]
We are the new order!
Our world is being taken by gods!
We will become gods and take it back!
This is the new order!
Are you ready to take back the power?
[cheering continues]
[knock on door]
- A moment, sir?
- Come on in.
I'm concerned that my
exposure to that weapon
has compromised my ability
to do my job.
- Go on.
- You're familiar with my family history.
So, for obvious reasons, I
don't think back to childhood.
Ever. There are things I
put away a long time ago.
On lockdown.
Because to do this, I have
to be focused, tactical.
I can't be distracted.
Especially by things that
happened a lifetime ago.
You're saying touching the
staff unlocked certain memories.
My worst memory.
[voice breaking]
The first time I felt...
hate.
[normal voice]
And it won't go away.
I don't trust myself.
The way I went off at Skye
and Fitz-Simmons in the lab ...
Grant... you telling me this
makes me feel I can trust you.
Him, on the other hand...
I can't get the Professor to talk.
You've got some rage built up.
Maybe it's time to let it out.
You need to start talking.
I told Agent Coulson everything I know.
You're lying.
Tell me what that thing
did to me and how fix it.
I swear I don't know.
Okay, then.
[door opens]
You were right.
He's Asgardian.
Good thing.
Otherwise, that would have
been awfully embarrassing.
Okay, I have to know.
- How did you figure me out?
- Coulson: Did the math.
One ... you're not the first
Asgardian I've had in custody.
You guys don't flinch
or panic in captivity.
Two ... a Waterfield 44?
On a lit Professor's salary?
I don't think so.
And lastly,
when I tell someone I've
had some one-on-one time
with an alien,
they tend to be a little curious.
Well, you're certainly more
observant than most, Agent Coulson.
So, you're the Asgardian
warrior who stayed.
Please don't tell anyone.
I had no clue.
Did you?
Hidden in plain sight...
an actual Asgardian.
Brilliant.
How long do you suppose
he's been on our planet?
A thousand years.
Maybe more.
If we could just cut
him open a little bit,
get some tissue samples,
maybe some bodily fluids,
- we could find out.
- Or we could just ask him, weirdo.
[sighs]
This is way, way better
than the History channel.
I mean, this guy has lived
through all the scary stuff ...
the crusades, the black death, disco.
[device beeps]
What are you doing?
Sealing the interrogation-room door.
Coulson's orders.
[lock engages]
Ah, locking me in.
Well, I've been in tighter spots.
This room is made of
a silicon carbide-coated
Vibranium alloy.
Meant for prisoners like yourself.
But you're in here, too.
And eventually, somebody
will open that door.
Not if I tell them not to.
So, the myth is your autobiography.
I didn't write it. I didn't
want anyone to know about me.
Then I had to open my big mouth.
Were you captured?
Tortured?
***.
I met a French girl in 1546.
Ah, she loved stories.
So... I told her a great one,
all about the peaceful
Asgardian warrior who stayed.
Now, how was I to know her
brother the priest would
write it all down and turn it
into, I don't know, a thing?
Do you know Thor?
Oh, sure, I spent all
my days palling around
with the future King of Asgard.
No, I don't know Thor.
I was a mason.
I broke rocks. Mm-hmm.
[chuckling]
For thousands of years.
If you can imagine that.
So when they came, asking
for people to fight,
yes, of course I signed up.
I think, really,
I just wanted to travel.
- But you had the staff.
- I hated that thing.
Other guys loved all the power
that comes with the rage.
No, I didn't like it at all.
- And you don't, either, it seems.
- What did it do to me?
It shines a light into your dark places.
Doesn't matter if
you're human, Asgardian.
The effect is the same ...
unpleasant.
"Shines a light."
That's no explanation.
It was forged from a rare metal
and reacts to whoever is holding it.
Or interacts.
I went to such great lengths
to make sure that the
staff wasn't found.
Unfortunately, since the
myth was written down,
people have been searching
for it for centuries.
I need your help to stop them
before they get the
last piece of your staff.
Oh, I am a pacifist now.
And you don't want to risk
your identity being discovered.
Listen, I wouldn't worry too much
about these angry youths.
They always calm down,
and eventually, they die of old age.
And that is one of the
pleasant aspects of life here.
[taps table]
- Everything changes.
- I'll tell you what's gonna change ...
your anonymity... unless you help up
find the final piece of your staff.
You may not know Thor.
But I do.
My first love on this
planet was Ireland.
There was a monastery,
and the monks gave me
a nice, warm place to sleep,
some soup,
- and some mulled wine.
- "Near god."
The effects of the staff...
are they permanent?
The strength wears off.
You will feel exhausted afterwards.
You'll need sleep.
What about... the other effects?
Oh, that dark, nasty ache
in the pit of your stomach,
the rage in your chest
that makes you feel
as if your heart's about to explode?
It's worse on humans.
But give it a few decades,
and it'll wear off, too.
Great.
[case slams]
Are you sure Ward's okay
to go into the field?
[vehicle door slams]
He's not exactly acting like himself.
But he knows it.
He'll be fine.
I'm with Coulson.
Well, it's been a while. I wonder ...
Ah, yes. There it is.
Still here.
Well, the nose isn't
quite right, but ...
Fitz: That's you?
Yeah. They venerated
me a bit as a saint.
They're idiots.
- Where's the staff?
- It's upstairs.
Skye: Is that the normal
Ward or the new, angrier Ward?
I can't tell.
May: It's quiet.
Why do you think I trusted
them with my secret?
They take a vow of silence.
But when you get them talking...
they squeal.
[grunts]
If you want to defeat a god,
you must become one.
[screams]
[both grunt]
[both grunt]
[both scream]
We need to help him!
I'll get her.
- How is he?
- I don't know what to do. He's not human.
He's dying.
Yeah. We know, but she doesn't
understand his anatomy.
- And I'm even w...
- What in god's name?
- Oh, my god.
- Sometimes, you have to just jump in
and figure things out.
Now, Asgardians regenerate
faster than we do.
Maybe we can keep him
alive long enough ...
- For his body to heal itself.
- Okay, what am I looking for?
His heart.
[grunts]
Boy: Help me!
Oh, okay. I think I got it.
- Heart.
- Oh, yeah.
Can you feel a tear or rupture?
Clamp down *** his heart.
Try to slow the bleeding.
- Grant, drop the staff.
- Get away from me.
- Agent Ward!
- This isn't you.
[door opens]
Get back.
Please! Help me!
[indistinct shouting]
Please!
Please!
Help me!
Please, help me!
[gasping]
Grant! Help me!
[crying]
Grant! Please!
Help me!
Please!
Grant!
- Not yet, Grant.
- Help me!
- But he's gonna ...
- Not yet!
Throw him the rope, and
I'll throw you in there, too.
[cries]
[sniffles]
Please!
Grant!
[breathing heavily]
Oh, my god. Are you okay?
Come here.
Oh, you've got to be
kidding me. [sighs]
This time, let me help.
Okay.
[gasps]
[screams]
[grunts]
I am not afraid of you.
[both scream]
[groans]
Randolph: [gasps]
Am I dead?
Apparently not.
[laughs]
You are easily the most beautiful thing
I've seen in a thousand years.
[sighs]
[birds chirping]
Coulson did that?
He just shoved his hand inside?
Well, he had to. I froze,
didn't know what to do.
Hey, you didn't freeze.
You just got... [scoffs]
...put in a situation ...
[cellphone rings]
- Maybe I should jump in.
- Yeah.
[cellphone beeps]
Hi, Dad.
Yeah, it's great to
hear your voice, too.
I've been meaning to call
you for a couple of days.
It's been a difficult few weeks.
When you held it, did you see anything?
Then how?
- How did you hold all three?
- Because I see it every day.
I know that look.
You tempted?
Now, what is it you want to see?
Coulson: You and I have a lot in common.
We've both been stabbed in the heart.
I was killed.
Well, almost.
I'm hazy on that.
Afterwards... it's kind of a blank.
I have no memory of being revived,
of being in a hospital.
Just... woke up a few months later.
And are you haunted by it, Mr. Coulson?
No.
Not exactly.
Then what's the problem?
I suppose you're right.
Can we give you a lift
back to the university?
Randolph: Well, you know,
with Europe's new fascination
with all things Asgardian,
I'm wondering if it's time
to start over somewhere else.
Nice beach?
Life of tropical drinks and massages?
Mm, oh, I'd get bored.
You should consider
the American Northwest.
Maybe Portland.
Good food scene.
Great philharmonic.
Well, if you will come and visit.
It's not everyone I get
to share my stories with.
Sure.
And if Thor's in town,
I'll introduce you.
[insects chirping]
[mid-tempo Celtic music playing]
Skye: Hey.
I could get used to turndown service
and little mints on my pillow.
Overnights aren't standard.
We deserve a nice night.
You especially.
- How you feeling?
- Not great.
I'm sorry.
For before.
I'm...
I'm not that guy.
When you're a guy who saves lives,
I can overlook a little Hulk rage.
No harm, no foul.
Does everything just roll off your back?
No. If it helped, I'd rage
all the time, but it doesn't.
What I saw...
[voice breaking]
it was about my brother.
I figured.
I know you're not one to talk,
but, like I said, I'm here.
My shoulder's free.
[inhales deeply]
I'm beat.
Another time, maybe.
Well, you know where I live.
[sighs]
Coulson: "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
will return in a moment.
[soft music playing]
- Did I fall asleep?
- For a little while.
But, uh, that's good.
It means you are relaxed.
That's precisely how
I'm feeling ... relaxed.
Honestly, Tahiti's too good to be true.
I know.
[echoing] It's a magical place.
[gasps]
[breathing heavily]