Blue Is the Color of My Soul

Part 3: First Glance

 When I got out of the bathroom, I noticed my phone had one missed call and a voicemail. I checked it and it was an unknown number. I listened to the voicemail. “Hello Kathryn, this is Agent Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. I received a phone call from your father, Agent Byrd, in regards to the offer I had set up for you. I am glad to hear you accepted. At exactly 1:00 pm I will arrange a ride for you. Please be ready, as time is of the essence.” I looked at the time on my cell phone and realized it was 12:40 pm. “Shit,” I muttered as I scrambled to arrange an outfit and get ready.

            I was finally done getting ready around 12:53. I managed to tie my long black hair up in a high bun, and found some black dress pants and green blouse to wear. I was eager to leave, as I didn’t know what to expect. I heard the doorbell ring, and as I looked out the peep hole I saw a man dressed in a suit waiting outside the door. I gathered my things inside a purse and opened the door. “Hello Ms. Byrd, I am here to take you to the base. Are you ready to go?” I smiled nervously and nodded, locking and closing the door behind ME. “This way, please watch your step.” He helped me get into the black SUV, and closed the door. He got in the car, looking around – probably to make sure no one was following us.

            In a matter of 30 minutes or so we arrived to the makeshift base. It was enormous – several large white domes were interconnected through a series of white, plastic hallways. Before I could take it all in, the man opened the door and made a gesture with his hand for me to get out. I got out, and took a deep breath. “Okay Ms. Byrd. Before I escort you in to the facility there are some things I have to tell you. First, you are prohibited to tell anyone what goes on here. Everything that happens here stays here, and if you are caught leaking any information you will be prosecuted. Is that clear?” I nodded nervously, and said yes. “Very well, follow me Ms. Byrd.”

            I followed him through a maze of hallways, until we arrived to an office. He opened the door and inside was Agent Coulson, smiling warmly from his desk. “Hello Kathryn, please come inside.” He looked at the man and said, “Agent Jones you can leave her with me.” The agent nodded, and closed the door. I sat down in a chair in front of Coulson and smiled back at him. “Well, Kathryn, I have a lot to share with you. Do you know why are you are here?” I looked at him nervously, holding tight on to my purse, which was still hanging off my shoulder. “From what my father told me, he said you needed me. He mentioned that you needed an anthropologist with an interest or background in mythology to help you further understand a hammer you found in a field.” I had said this hesitantly; unsure that this was the answer he was looking for. He nodded, “Your response is partially correct. This is no ordinary hammer however. We found this hammer approximately 52 hours ago and we want to know more about it. We don’t know where it came from, and we don’t know who it belongs to. It’s not entirely tangible due to its weight… It is too heavy for one to carry around. We had to use a special crane to lift it.” He paused for a moment, and looked me in the eyes. “You see, this hammer doesn’t seem like something that would be casually lying around in a field. I need you to understand that what we’re dealing with here isn’t just some hammer – it’s far more than that. I need someone like you, who understands artifacts and mythology to help me identify what it may be. Even if it sounds farfetched – we want you to tell us what you think it might be, and who it may possibly belong to.” I looked at him, shocked that he would believe that this hammer were something other-worldly. It just didn’t seem ethical for someone to believe this.

            I opened my mouth, but I didn’t really know what to tell him. “Uh, okay… are you going to show me it today?” I said, nervously. “Well yes, of course. But first I need you to sign some papers to verify that you won’t share anything that goes on here. It is vital that you understand that if you tell anyone other than your father what is going on, you will be held for arrest immediately. We are dealing with something very big here. Any leaked information could be disastrous. Do you understand?” “Yes… I understand,” I said as he placed a packet of paperwork in front of me. “Good, now sign these documents while I prepare an ID for you.” 

            I signed the paperwork, careful to read it the fine print on each page. After I was done, I got my picture taken, and Coulson handed me my ID. “Alright Kathryn, you’re all set. Let’s take a look at the hammer. I’m sure you’re eager to see it.” He smiled, and opened the door for me. We went through a series of hallways, and one of them caught my attention as I passed through it. There was a giant hole torn in the wall, as if someone broke through. I tapped Coulson’s shoulder and pointed it out. “Did something happen?” I said curiously as we passed by the huge hole in the plastic, white wall. “Yesterday we had a guy break in to the facility. He was trying to steal the hammer.”  “Steal the hammer? Why would he want to do that?” I looked at him with a confused expression, and he looked back at me. “Well, that’s what I have to find out today. We have him detained; I’ll be questioning him soon.” 

            I thought to myself who in their right mind would want to steal a hammer. “Okay, so this is the dome in which it’s being contained. Are you ready?” he said as we stood in front of a door with a tiny window on it. “Yes,” I said nodding. “Watch your step,” he said as he opened the door. I stepped into the facility amazed at how large it was. I looked up and was surprised to see a balcony looking down over the facility, and in the center lay a hammer on a chunk of what seemed to be dirt or rock. I looked around, noticing a large tear in the wall of the facility. “So this is the hammer…” I said to myself as I walked up to it. 

            It was impressive; the mallet was made of some sort of silver metal – a metal I could not recognize. The shaft was brown, wrapped intricately with a material I couldn’t recognize either – It almost looked leathery, but I wasn’t sure. Inscribed on the side of the mallet was a symbol which appeared to be Norse in origin.  There was small text on it that seemed to be written in a Nordic language.  I was amazed at how meticulously it was crafted, as if it was made by the hands of a divine creature. I examined with wide eyes, I was in awe of its beauty. “Has anything caught your eye about the hammer?” said Coulson, as he stood behind me. “Yes, from looking at it, it seems to be Norse. The writing and symbol on it is Norse.” I looked at him with excited eyes. He smiled, “That’s a great find. I’m sure you will find more about it and tell me everything you find. Write down everything in this notebook.” He handed me a small black notebook and pen. “I’ll be back later. I have to interrogate our intruder,” he said with a slight smile on his face. He walked away swiftly, and I turned to look down at the hammer again. I set my purse on the ground and examined it, lightly running my fingers across the mallet’s surface.

            The metal felt cool against my touch, and was very smooth. I wrote down a few details about the surface texture and examined it some more. I squatted next to it and got a better look at it, taking my time examining every square inch of its exterior. Then suddenly out of the corner of my eye I could see a tall, thin figure in a dark suit walking around the right of the facility. He stopped about ten feet away from me. I looked up at him in complete disbelief as I caught a glimpse of his face. He was pale, with black hair that was elegantly slicked back. He had a prominent jawline, and striking emerald green eyes. His face was gorgeous, and he looked as though he was carved out of marble. I felt my heart beat wildly as I realized it was him – the man from my dreams. The man I thought I’d never meet. I rubbed my eyes, making sure I wasn’t hallucinating. He looked at me dead in the eyes and I swore I felt as though I was invisible. I quieted my thoughts in fear that they would be exposed. His eyes scanned me like I was the text of a book, and he slowly turned away. 

            I felt dizzy, and had to sit down on the ground to catch my breath. A staff member came running to me, with a worried look on his face. “Are you alright? I thought you were going to faint!” I looked at him, wiping the cold sweat off my forehead. “I’ll be fine,” I said, nervously smiling as he handed me a cup of water. I drank the water, refreshing my dry mouth. “Thank you for your concern.” “No problem. Please, be careful,” he said smiling. “If you need anything, please let me know. My name is Edward Schaub. But you can call me Ed for short.” I placed the cup of water down, and smiled. “My name is Kathryn Byrd.” We shook hands and I turned red immediately, because my hand was clammy against his. “Nice to meet you, Kathryn, please let me know if you’re not feeling well.” I nodded, and he walked away back to his computer. 

            I looked back in the direction of the mystery man, and to my dismay he was gone. I sat there, wondering if I’d ever see his face again.