The escape of the three individuals from the Grandmaster's home had the entire guard armed to the teeth and ready to hunt them down. The ruler called for an audience with two individuals who had their hand in the melting pot as well: Loki and Scrapper 142. They marched into a room flaked by guards to face the Grandmaster on a floating platform. Topaz stood by him with the large staff in hand, while an army of servants and followers stood at his back awaiting an order.
"I'm upset," the man stated. "I'm very upset. You know what I like about being upset? The blame. And right now, that's the mindset that I'm in. And you know who I'm blaming?"
"Grandmaster, I can–" Loki spoke up.
"Hey! Hey! Don't interrupt me!"
"Here you go," Topaz said. The woman handed over the staff to the leader, who gave her a disbelieving look.
"Why are you handing me the melt stick? He was interrupting. That's not a capital violation."
She pulled the staff away, disappointed by the decision.
"Now where was I...? My precious champions have come up missing and it's all because of that Lord of Thunder. It's all because of him. Your brother," he pointed at Loki. "Whatever the story is. Adopted, or complicated. I'm sure there's a big history. And the contender that you sold me," he then pointed to the scrapper.
"My dear friend, if you were to give me twelve hours, I can bring them both back to you alive," the God of Mischief reasoned.
"I could do it in two," Scrapper 142 promised.
"I could do it in one."
"Let's stop there," the Grandmaster interrupted. "You know what? I woke up this morning thinking about a public execution. But for now, I'll settle for this sweet little, 'Who's gonna get him first?' game. So you're on the clock."
Scrapper 142 marched from the room, determined to find the fugitives in question. Loki bowed to the ruler before rushing after the female at her heels. Once the two of them were out of sight, he slid up alongside her.
"What have you done?" he questioned.
"I don't answer to you, lackey," Scrapper 142 answered.
"It's Loki." A hand shot out to grip her wrist tightly to pull them to a halt. "And you will answer to the Grandmaster."
She threw off the grip roughly, his other hand snapping out to grab her once more. The action was thrown off yet again, so the god went for the arms next. It resulted in a punch to the face that caused his head to snap back. It took everything in his power to hold his ground with a grunt.
The prince unsheathed a short sword, holding it towards the female. "Why would you help my brother and Arcane escape with that green fool?"
She removed her own thinner dagger to defend herself. "I don't help anyone."
Both of them engaged. Their movements were swift and fluid. Neither were afraid of close combat. They danced around each other, locking up and breaking through holds to try and gain the advantage of the other. One move pinned the scrapper's arm to his front and dragged the leather guard on the lower part of the arms down enough to reveal the tattoo underneath.
"You're a Valkyrie," Loki spoke with surprise.
The female disarmed him quickly to shove him off. Then before he had a chance to recover her boot slammed into the Asgardian's gut. His back hit the wall, hard, sliding to the ground.
"I thought the Valkyrie had all died gruesome deaths," Loki stated.
Her knee slammed into his chest to pin him in place. The pressure made it a bit difficult to breathe.
"Choose your next words wisely," she hissed.
"I'm terribly sorry." No, he wasn't. "Must be a painful memory."
One of his hands shot out to grab hold of her forehead, the action more dangerous than she ever realized. Not only did Loki throw her back into the memories of her past, but it gave him access to it as well.
The Valkyrie Legion rode on the backs of their winged horses at the request of Odin. Hela, the Goddess of Death had attempted to protest her banishment to rightfully claim the throne as her own. They rode towards the woman who stood alone, but their numbers didn't deter her resolve in the slightest. Hundreds of necroswords cut through the air. It fell a great number of riders and their stallions before they even reached the ground. And those that had recovered and began their charge on foot Hela cut them down too. Before they even managed to touch the goddess. Among the Valkyrie that continued to fight stood Scrapper 142. She rushed towards Hela with a sword at the ready. No matter the danger she'd fight to the death. For Asgard. For the throne.
A Valkyrie noticed her fellow comrade in danger. A necrosword barreled down on the Asgardian's position ready to cut her down. The blonde Valkyrie made the decision to sacrifice herself. She leapt into the line of fire to shove Scrapper 142 away. Horrified, the brunette watched the warrior be run through. She was dead before hitting the dirt.
Scrapper 142 hit the ground of the hall in the Grandmaster's building, hard. It took a moment to come back to the present. Every time she blinked the imagery of the battlefield where Hela killed off every Valkyrie in existence on Asgard came through. A part of her life she'd tried to keep buried. Hidden. It's why she drank so much. To forget how she was the only one left. That one comrade had sacrificed herself so she could live. How she ran away and exiled herself on Sakaar. Because she deserved it.
Anger filled the woman. Loki had no right to pry into her past. She was up on her feet with lightning speed to kick the short sword from his grasp. The woman then flattened him to the ground. The attacks were hard and fast to a point that the God of Mischief couldn't react. The Valkyrie sat on his chest to pin him down. He had definitely screwed up from the look on her face. The last thing he saw was a fist that knocked him unconscious.
Scrapper 142 took a moment to compose herself in order to determine how to move forward. One thing was certain. Loki couldn't remain a free agent in order to improve her chances.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once Bruce dressed, the three snuck out of the destroyed quinjet into the streets of Sakaar. They needed to find another way out of this realm to return to Asgard, but none of them were quite sure where to start. The jet had been the game plan all along. Not only that, but the Asgardian was worried about the scientist Hulking out in public, which would blow their cover. Anya and him would most likely be dragged back before the Grandmaster if Hulk broke out.
Anya took up the front as a scout and guide. She also sent out a few of her duplicates to watch for any guards. Meanwhile, Thor continued to hold Bruce's shoulders to lead him through the crowd. Massaging them to try and make him relax. But it didn't really seem to help. Especially since he kept repeating,
"Sun's going down. The sun's getting really low," over and over again. Clearly, he'd forgotten the full lullaby.
"Oh, shoot," Bruce groaned out.
Anya had them stop at a vacant doorstep for the man to collect himself. And awaiting info from her scouting.
"Would you stop saying that?" he asked the god.
"I just need you to stay calm," Thor said.
"Calm? I'm on an alien planet!
"It's just a planet. You've been on a planet before."
"Yeah. One."
"Well, now you've been on two. That's a good thing. It's a new experience."
Anya sighed. New experiences were the last thing Bruce wanted right now after everything that happened.
"My neurons, they're firing faster than my brain can handle the information." Bruce held his head, feeling a headache coming on. "The whole thing is totally different this time. I mean, in the past, I always felt like Hulk and I each had a hand on the wheel. But this time, it's like he had the keys to the car and I was locked in the trunk."
"All right, but you're back now," the prince tried to encourage. "That's all that matters."
"No, it's not what matters. What I'm trying to say, is that if I turn into the Hulk again, Banner may never come back. And we're stranded on a planet that is designed to stress me out."
"We're not stranded. Anya and I are gonna figure out a way to get us home."
The man sighed in relief. "Thank you."
"Not your home, though. Asgard. My home."
Bruce's head snapped up to him in disbelief. "What?"
"Listen, my people are in great danger. You and I, we have to fight this really powerful being, who also happens to be my sister."
"Okay, that is so wrong on so many– I don't want to fight your sister. That's a family issue."
"No, she's an evil being."
"I don't care what she is. I'm not fighting anymore beings. I'm sick of it."
Thor's face dropped. "What?"
"I just told you. If I turn into the Hulk, I am never gonna come back again. And you don't care."
"No, no, no. I'm putting together the team. The Hulk is the fire."
By saying that he hoped that some part of the man remembered the conversation he'd had with Hulk only a short while ago.
It didn't seem to register. "Wait, you're just using me to get to the Hulk."
"What?"
"It's gross." Bruce looked away, not being able to stand the sight of him.
"No, no, no!"
"You don't care about me. You're not my friend."
"No! I don't even like the Hulk. He's all like... 'Smash, smash, smash!'"
"Really?" Bruce looked up at Anya to see if her partner was lying.
However, she was too concerned with keeping lookout to be bothered with this conversation. But then he thought about how good a liar those from S.H.I.E.L.D. were so she'd be no help to help his dilemma.
"I prefer you."
The scientist sighed, "Thanks."
"But if I'm being honest, when it comes to fighting evil beings, he is very powerful and useful."
"Yeah, Banner's powerful and useful too."
The god made a face, nose scrunching up. "Is he though?"
"How many PhDs does Hulk have? Zero. How many PhDs does Banner have? Seven."
"Fine," Thor sighed, "you don't have to fight anyone. But we're in danger here, so we have to move."
The god stood to search through scraps that had been discarded in a pile near the door. He pulled a large blanket looking thing free.
"What are you doing with that?" Bruce asked.
"I need a disguise," Thor said. "I'm a fugitive." He tugged the item over his head. "Anya?"
"I–"
"I need a disguise," the scientist spoke up before she could.
"You are the disguise."
He ignored the god, fishing out a pair of glasses from a jacket pocket and put them on. "I'll be Tony Stark."
"What?"
"Yeah. Tony and the gypsies."
"No, no, you're not Tony. You're Bruce. Bruce Banner."
"Then why did you dress me up like Tony?"
"Because you were naked," Thor pointed out.
"... Okay, I'll give you that." The man tugged at the crotch of the pants to situate himself better.
"What are you doing? Stop doing that."
"Tony wears his pants super tight."
"Stop it!"
"I'm sorry."
"Why are you being so weird?"
"I don't know. Maybe the fact I was trapped for two years inside of a monster made me a little weird," Bruce spoke through clenched teeth.
Anya drew back a step from the way his veins began to protrude from the base of the neck, green in color. The young woman gave Thor a warning look to not push him any further.
"Hey, shh, it's okay," Thor reassured. "You're good. Calm down. Listen, we're gonna go to Asgard and you're not going to have to think about the Hulk ever again. All right?"
The veins receded. "All right."
"Good, now that that's settled," Anya spoke up. "If the two of you have forgotten, you know I can conceal our location by using a mirage."
The look on their faces made it appear like a lightbulb had gone off in their heads.
"Like in Wakanda," Bruce said.
Neither of them realized her eyes glowing red earlier since she'd always been faced away looking ahead.
"Exactly. I've been doing that since we left the quinjet."
"But I thought it caused a lot of strain to do that?"
"I've had a lot of practice in the last two years, Bruce. Things have changed greatly for me."
"Oh, right..."
"Where do we go from here?" Thor questioned.
"I don't know, but we should keep moving just to be safe," she said.
All nodded in agreement and they went to move from the stoop. Suddenly, a green powder bomb went off right in front of their faces. In this distraction an entire parade had marched its way down the street. There were banners, puppets, large papier- mâché busts of the Hulk, streamers, other smoke bombs, and cheers. Anya choked on the powder, coughing crazily to clear it away with the wave of a hand. Thor's eyes watered to try and see through the haze. Though the most unfortunate one of them all was Bruce, who got the green bomb directly in front of him. His whole face had turned that a neon green color, spitting out some that got in his mouth.
"Hulk! Hulk! Hulk!" the fans chanted.
They had followed the Grandmaster's suggestion to celebrate his champions. There were even red smoke bombs and Sakaarians dressed in the same color that began to mingle with the Hulk's crowd.
By the time Thor and Anya collected themselves they had become surrounded by civilians. Nothing about this situation was calming in the slightest. It didn't spell well for the scientist's condition.
"Oh, this is bad," Thor muttered.
Both of them looked to the space between them to find Bruce gone. In his daze, the man stumbled off with the flow of the crowd. He'd probably thought his teammates had been pushing him along, only to realize too late when he managed to clear his eyes that he was alone.
"Banner!"
"Bruce!" Anya called out.
"Banner! Banner!"
The two of them rushed into a crowded courtyard where the celebration had converged.
"We have to find him!" the young woman spoke over the noise. "He's out of range, I can't cover him!"
They made their way slowly down a staircase to try and gain a better view over all the heads.
"Banner!"
"Thor! Anya!" a voice managed to break through.
"Over there!" the agent pointed.
Bruce stumbled over his feet in an attempt to not run into anyone. However, he was so concerned looking ahead he didn't look behind. His back bumped into the back of another alien. Anya's eyes widened, rushing down the steps. The separation left Thor outside the illusion, but he followed quickly.
The alien turned on the man. The snarl on his lips made Bruce quickly step back from the way the creature towered over him. Anya grabbed the back of the scientist's shirt to tug him away. The alien blinked in a bewildered manner by the fact that the human disappeared right before his eyes. Thor planted himself between Anya and Bruce's position in relation to the threat, ready to defend them when the creature suddenly went ridged. Electrical shocks danced along the skin and dropped the large alien to the ground. On the other side stood Scrapper 142, hand on hip, electrical device in hand. Her eyes scanned the empty area carefully.
"I know you're there," she said. "I saw you." When nothing appeared, a sigh escaped her lips, "I'm not here to drag you back to the Grandmaster. I want to talk."
Anya believed her, allowing the illusion to come down.
"Hi," Thor greeted.
"Hi," Scrapper 142 greeted.
The Asgardian motioned towards the unconscious alien. "I was gonna do that."
"Yeah, well, I did it first."
"That's good." Her eyes drifted to Bruce in a questioning manner. Thor shifted his weight to keep him out of sight. "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here? I thought you were leaving."
"I got sidetracked."
"What with the...?" She motioned towards the ratty blanket over his head.
"It's my disguise," the Asgardian defended.
"But I can see your face."
"Not when I do this, you can't." A hand pulled up the bottom half of the blanket up to obscure his features from the nose down.
"Anya's way is better."
"How did you know it's her doing?"
She gave him a look. "Please, I've picked up a thing or two about your girlfriend before you showed up in Sakaar." The young woman grinned off to the side. She always liked the Valkyrie's spunk once they got to know one another.
Thor hesitated to answer to the dig before saying, "Your hair looks nice. I like what you did with it. Change it? Wash it maybe?"
Her head shook, taking up the lead. They needed to move away from the celebrations to somewhere quieter. They passed a vendor where Anya swiped a cloth from the back end out of sight. She handed it over for Bruce to wipe the green powder off his face.
"What are those things on her eyes?" the scientist asked. "Are those people that she's killed? She's so beautiful and strong and courageous."
"Who is this guy?" Scrapper 142 asked.
"He's a friend," Thor answered quickly.
"Who? Me? I'm Bruce."
"I feel like I know you," the female Asgardian said.
"I feel like I know you too."
The Valkyrie led them to a building and into a deserted hallway. It almost took on the appearance of an apartment building in Anya's eyes. The woman stopped them at the end of the space.
"Look, I've spent years in a haze, trying to forget my past," she said. "Sakaar seemed like the best place to drink and forget, and to die one day."
"I was thinking that you drink too much, and that probably was gonna kill you," Thor pointed out.
"I don't plan to stop drinking."
"Oh..."
"But I don't wanna forget. I can't turn away anymore so if I'm gonna die, well, it may as well be driving my sword through the heart of that murderous hag."
"Good."
The three of them nodded in agreement that that seemed like a good plan.
"So, I'm saying that I wanna be on the team. Has it got a name?"
"Yeah," Thor looked to Anya and Bruce a bit lost. They hadn't really thought of a name. "It's called... the R–Revengers."
"Revengers?"
"Because I'm getting revenge. You're getting revenge." She shrugged in agreement that the name did make sense. "Anya... kind of gets revenge. And, do you want revenge?" Thor then asked the scientist.
"I'm kind of– I'm undecided," Bruce said.
"Okay."
"Also, I've got a peace offering," Scrapper 142 smiled.
The door panel beside them pulled up once the code had been entered. She waltzed right in, but the others paused at the frame from the sight before them.
"Surprise," Loki greeted.
The scrapper had the God of Mischief chained up and sitting on the ground. One look at the space proved to Anya that this was the female's home. Though Thor was more concerned with the fact that this could possibly not be his brother that sat before them. To be safe, he picked up an empty canister to throw at his head. Unlike their interaction the holding room for the gladiators, this time, the object bounced off.
"Ow."
"Just had to be sure," Thor said.
The Asgardian stepped into the home to follow Anya towards the joined kitchen area, while Bruce continued to stare.
"Hello, Bruce," the god greeted.
"So, last time I saw you, you were trying to kill everybody," the scientist said. "Where are you at these days?"
"It varies from moment to moment."
Bruce looked horrified by the statement and how calm the Asgardian acted saying it.
"Is that a Dragonfang?" Thor asked.
Scrapper 142 had emerged from a back room with a weapon wrapped in a cobalt blue fabric.
"It is," she confirmed.
"My God," he spoke in awe. The prince was quick to unsheathe the weapon to marvel at the craft. "This is the famed sword of the Valkyrie."
His childlike wonder made the females share a grin.
"So, Sakaar and Asgard are about as far apart as any two known systems," Scrapper 142 said. "Our best bet is through a wormhole just outside of city limits. Refuel on Xandar, and we can be back in Asgard in eighteen months."
"Nope," Thor said. "We're going through the big one."
He pointed out the window that had a clear view of the largest wormhole of the lot in the sky.
"The Devils' Anus?"
"Anus?" Bruce questioned. His head poked up from the fridge door where he'd found something to eat. "Wait, wait, wait. Whose anus?"
"Do you even know what you're eating?" Anya asked.
"No... but it's good. And I'm starving."
She decided it was best not to tell him what the contents of that sandwich were.
"For the record, I didn't know it was called that when I picked it," Thor said in regards to the wormhole.
"That looks like a collapsing neutron star inside of an Einstein-Rosen Bridge," Bruce observed as he approached the window.
"We need another ship then," Scrapper 142 said, taking a swig of a bottle. "That would tear mine to pieces."
"She's right," Anya said. "We need one that can withstand the geodetic strain from the singularity."
"And has an offline power steering system that could also function without the on-board computer," Bruce added.
"And we need one with cup holders because we're gonna die," the Valkyrie pointed out. "So, drinks!"
The scientist stared at the female with a bit of confusion. "Do I know you? I feel like I know you."
"I feel like I know you too," she smiled moving to collect what they needed for the journey, "it's weird."
"What do you say?" Thor asked the man. "Uncharted metagalactic travel through a volatile cosmic gateway? Talk about an adventure."
The Asgardian raised a first to bump, but Bruce met it with the palm of his hand in agreement. He was in.
"We still need a ship in order to have this so-called adventure," Anya said.
"There are one or two ships," Scrapper 142 said. She dropped a duffle bag onto the table and the agent began to shift through the contents to take inventory. "Absolute top of the line models–"
"I don't mean to impose–" Loki spoke up.
Though his input was not wanted from the way the scrapper tossed the now empty bottle at a corner of the wall near him.
"But, uh, the Grandmaster has a great many ships. I may even have stolen the access codes to his security system."
"And suddenly you're overcome with an urge to do the right thing," the Valkyrie scoffed.
"Heavens, no," he chuckled. "I've clearly run out of favor with the Grandmaster, and in exchange for codes and access to a ship, I'm asking for safe passage through the Anus."
"You're telling us that you can get us access into the garage without setting off any alarms?" Thor questioned.
"Yes, brother. I can."
"Okay, can I just... A quick FYI," Bruce cut in.
The man drew the four of them together to talk a little lower, though the small space didn't offer the best privacy.
"I was just talking to him a couple minutes ago and he was totally ready to kill any of us."
"He did try to kill me," the Valkyrie muttered.
"Yeah, me too," Thor spoke lowly. "On many, many occasions. There was one time when we were children, he transformed himself into a snake, and he knows that I love snakes. And I went to pick it up to admire it and he transformed back into himself and he was like, 'Ah! It's me!' And he stabbed me. We were eight at the time."
Loki smirked from his corner at the memory. Such fond times. When things were simpler.
"Nearly succeeded with me a few years back in New York," Anya added. "But he has had his moments since then."
"Care to enlighten us?" the woman wondered. "Since you don't seem to hold a grudge at the fact that that he nearly killed you. That's something I would never forget."
"He did protect me on the Dark World, Thor. And while Thor's been gone... he's assisted me in many ways through the Grandmaster's social circle and gathered information where I couldn't."
Though, the later may have been because it helped increased his chances when it came to bets thinking on it now. Plus, the god spoke of taking care of her once he overthrew the ruler on the throne. But she chose not to bring that up to the public since it was a more private conversation.
"That is true," Thor mused.
Still, Valkyrie and Bruce weren't fully convinced. Loki never did anything that wasn't to his own benefit from what they knew of him.
"If we're boosting a ship, we're gonna need to draw some guards away from the palace," the female Asgardian pointed out.
"Why not set the beast loose?" Loki suggested. He eyed the scientist in a way that made the man shift uncomfortably.
Thor glared in his brother's direction, "Shut up."
"You guys have a beast?" Scrapper 142 asked. This was exciting news.
"No, there's no beast. He's just being stupid. We're going to start a revolution."
"Revolution?" Bruce questioned.
"I'll explain later."
"Who's this guy again?" the Valkyrie asked, observing the human.
"I'll explain later."
As the others prepared themselves, Anya stepped up in front of Loki to observe him.
"You know, for as long as we were working together, you never let on that the Hulk was on this planet," Loki said. "And a champion at that."
"It didn't seem to be important information to you at the time since he wasn't permitted to attend the events," Anya said.
"Knowing that the beast is loose is always information that is deemed important."
"Still thinking back on your invasion of New York City when he threw you around like a ragdoll in Tony's tower?"
A glare was the only response she needed, which made the young woman chuckle.
"What is this I hear about you losing favor with the Grandmaster?" Anya wondered. "I thought you had that in the bag since I noticed you sitting in his box at the arena."
"Thor's little escape attempt with his two champions have placed me in a bad light by association."
"He knows that you are brothers?"
"Thor had a big mouth when he arrived in the presence of the Grandmaster."
"Despite the fact that you've lost favor, do you think you'll stay on Sakaar to carry off your initial plan to overthrow him? Or will you come with us back to Asgard."
"I believe... that despite this setback, I will stay."
"Does Thor know?"
His silence said it all.
"I think you should tell him."
"Why?" Loki questioned. "He will try to convince me otherwise to return 'home'."
"You may be surprised. And you won't know his thoughts till you talk about it."
"We're not one for communication."
Anya laughed. "Yes, I know."
"Thank you," he suddenly said.
The gratitude surprised the young woman. "For what?"
"For defending me earlier in front of them."
"It was the truth. I told Thor of what the both of us have gone through in his absence."
"Still, you didn't have to do that."
"No, but it was the right thing to do. You didn't have to help me or visit. Even without my suggestion to ask around for my own benefit of knowledge, you would've done just fine on your own."
"Anya," Bruce called over. "We're almost ready to go."
She stepped away from the God of Mischief, and he watched her shoulder some of the scrapper's bags to take with them. Why didn't he say anything to Thor when he first arrived on Sakaar and inquired about the mortal's whereabouts. It was partly the truth that his brother's appearance had been a startling one. Caught him off guard for a moment. But before the chair wheeled the prince away and Thor begged him to find Anya... he could've said something then. However, the god kept his mouth shut.
Maybe it was because things had been going so well on Sakaar. He was scheming, manipulating, working his way up to the top to be in the Grandmaster's ear. It was all going according to plan, a life that he wanted. One not overshadowed like on Asgard. And surprisingly, there was a mortal in his corner. One that Loki didn't see himself working or getting along with by any means due to their past. Yet the two of them came to an understanding given the situation. Came to an agreement. Anya may have doubted his word when he said that he'd take care of her once retired from the arena, but the god was serious. Loki planned to allow the agent to live in peace, if that's what she wished. A life without fighting or struggle so her life wasn't cut short.
Hell, maybe he'd even make her an advisor once he ruled over Sakaar? If that's what the young woman wished. In the beginning, at their first meeting years ago, he failed to see her usefulness. Now it was clear just how capable the mortal was. An interesting find amongst her race. There was almost a sense of relief that Loki could finally be himself without Thor around. As well as a comfort that he wasn't completely alone in the presence of Anya. Yet the moment his brother arrived, that bubble shattered. For Anya would not stay now that they were reunited. She'd follow wherever he went, while the prince messed up everything else Loki had worked hard for in his wake. Case in point, being in trouble with the Grandmaster currently and tied up in the scrapper's home.
The God of Mischief didn't want Anya to leave for selfish reasons. Hoping that Thor would move on in search of the young woman elsewhere once he earned his freedom. Though he could never say that to either of them, knowing just how bad that sounded. All the god could do was lie to Anya halfheartedly, and accept that their agreement would never come to pass. Their alliance was over.
Thor marched towards Loki, whose train of thought broke, as he was released from the chains.
"What are you thinking about?" Thor asked.
"It's nothing," Loki said.
"You better not be up to an of your old tricks."
His eyes rolled. "Unfortunately, I'm stuck with you lot for the time being, as returning to the Grandmaster is not in my best interest."
In the underground garage to the facility where Brunnhilde's ship sat, they began to prepare for the task at hand. Anya stepped into the cockpit where the woman was charting her course.
"So, a Valkyrie huh?" Anya said.
"You know of us?" she wondered.
"I've read a lot of Asgardian texts while Thor traveled throughout the Nine Realms in search of a way to stop Ragnarok. And to discover more about the Infinity Stones."
"My real name is Brunnhilde."
The young woman held out a hand towards the female. "Nice to meet you, my name is Anya Fredrickson of Midgard. I also go by Mirage or Arcane, depending on the situation."
She took the gesture to shake hands with a smile. "It's nice to meet you too. So, what was that back there with the boys? You friend Bruce and Thor were there on the streets and then, they were gone. Before I disposed of that alien for you."
"Ah, that, well... I guess I can tell you now since I know for sure you're not working for the Grandmaster. It's another extension of myself to create mirages." Three duplicates appeared in the space behind the young woman. "I've always seamlessly transitioned between them and myself in the presence of others. But I can manipulate my surroundings to completely conceal myself."
"When sometimes you weren't in the arena fighting?"
"Oh, I was always there. But half the time, I was observing to learn more about an opponent that I had never handled before."
"That's a handy magic trick."
"I'm sure you've also noticed how my weapons of choice sometimes take on other shapes and forms when in certain situations."
"Yes, of course. That dark material that becomes an extension of yourself. I've never seen anything like it before."
"It's just a guise for what's really below the surface. Why my eyes glow red when it's activated. Why my mirages can alternate between solid beings and illusions."
The dark matter came to the surface like a cloak over the young woman's shoulders to take the shape of armor.
"What is it?" Brunnhilde asked.
"The Aether.
The woman's eyes widened, taking a step back in surprise.
"The Aether? No, that can't be possible."
"Years ago, I accidentally became to the host of the Aether. Thor, Loki, and I fought against the Dark Elves to restore the balance at the height of the Convergence. In the process, I lost the dark matter to Malekith before he met his demise. Though we came to find out that some remained behind. This is only a quarter of its power. The rest has been hidden away."
"To be the host... that's dangerous."
"I know. As a whole it nearly killed me. But what I have doesn't threaten my well-being. We've learned to work together. We protect one another."
"The Aether is an agent of darkness."
"Where there is bad there's always a hint of good. And vice versa. This extension accepted my role among the Avengers team on Midgard. It doesn't fight it. Which is why we work so well together."
Anya extended a hand towards the Valkyrie to take.
"It won't hurt you. The Aether recognizes you as an ally. Otherwise, it would've come out in the training room when we spared to kill you."
Hesitantly, Brunnhilde reached forward to allow the dark matter to wrap between the fingers. "This is so weird... we've always known the Aether to be a terrible power. To see it like this..."
"I know." The Aether receded back into the host.
"Have you always been able to create mirages?"
"Yes, but it was always limited to myself."
"It makes sense then how the two of you have managed to work in tandem since the Aether can bend reality as well. It's a handy skill to have in your arsenal now that your abilities are no longer limited to just yourself."
The young woman nodded in agreement.
A knock came to the side of the ship, causing them to glance out the back. Bruce was walking up the lift to join them.
"We're ready," Thor said, peeking his head in. "Are you?"
"Been ready," Brunnhilde answered.
Anya smiled at the prince. "We'll see you in the air."
"Be careful," he said.
The drawbridge began to pull up for the aircraft to close up.
"I always am."