A young man stands on the peer in Brooklyn surrounded by hundreds of other soldiers like him waiting to board. He stood alone, feet lined with his broad shoulders. Jaw wound tight. One hand gripping the shoulder strap. He stands among the young mortals of Midgard most with no experience of war. He could tell by the boys crying in the arms of their mothers they were afraid.
He turns his chin away from the sight.
Unlike the mortal men he stands with on the peer, he was not one of them. He might resemble them, wear their clothes, but he had centuries beyond their understanding. This war... the war to end all wars. He often remembers as a boy his own mother telling him war stories. Sitting in the lap of his grandfather Iwaldi with his brother as he retold those times as a King, fighting for his realm.
He remembers the feeling of empowerment and inspiration he felt listening to those stories.
Those feelings have changed to something more sinister leaking beneath the facade he puts on. He was in search for something. What? He doesn't know.
That same feeling he felt as a boy? He knows he will never feel that again no matter what war he fights on what realm. He is the second son, of a second son. He owns no tittles but that of Prince, God of Vengeance.
A duffle bag slung over his shoulder this boy stands firmly as those around him cried as their families sent their young boys off to war, most to never return. He gazed up at the ship rocking on the oceans gently as the break of dawn tried to warm the peer.
The weak rays of this realms sun cannot even warm his cheeks despite finding a spot to relish in. He is an unusual looking boy. Sharp cheek bones, but soft alluring features that gave him his mothers small nose, plump lips and the most piercing eyes of the blue you have ever seen.
He looks around at all the men and boys crying in the arms of their mothers or kissing their wives a final goodbye. He thinks how fleeting their lives are. So minuscule to the years he has lived and the pain he has endured. It's present on his face. The grief held down his broad shoulders and slumped his head most of the time.
The young prince hears a whistle and his battalion number being called out. Those around him began to shuffle towards the loading ramp prying their arms from the women who cried and pleaded, please don't leave!
The sun had risen a little more to cast down a little more light and the street lamps had switched off. As Vali puts his foot down to turn towards the loading ramp something catches his eyes. A face so familiar he could pick it from a crowd of thousands. A face that gave him warmth and comfort since he could remember.
He gravitated toward them carving a path through the crowd. "Mother?" his mouth hangs open shocked and confused. His dark eyebrows are pulled together as he approached her. He can't understand how she was here.
When he finally reached her he pulled her into a tight embrace. "What are you doing here?" he asked, concerned. He speaks with a thick Asgardian accent. Almost whisper like with a roughness behind his tone.
"I was sent to find you." she replied. "It is so good to see you again, son." she beamed brightly. Her hands hugged his arms gazing him up and down in a mortal mans uniform. "Are you well?"
He nodded, glancing to the left of her. "Odin sent you?" he remarked.
His mother pushed for a smile. "The tesseract was stolen." she said. "Heimdall told me so. He has been watching over you."
Vali huffed and raised his head looking over his mothers head. "I am my own person, I do not need to be babysat constantly." he shot. "I told Odin I am capable of doing this."
"I know. But I worry for you so much."
Vali's eyes mets his mothers sadly. He placed a hand to her shoulder. "I know, mother. But trust me when I say I am okay. I am doing well in this realm, I feel like I have a purpose fighting with them. Against the enemy. Even the unknown ones. I have tracked the Tesseract to its stronghold in a church in Norway. In a little village. But they had already gotten there and taken it. That is why I joined their army so that I can better my information and track them down. I am so close, mother!"
"That is why I am here to help you, son."
Vali turned away quickly licking his lips in annoyance. Then he turned back. "I don't need your help. I can do this."
Sigyn stepped to the side of him taking his shoulder and turning his body back to her. "Listen to me, son of mine. You are a prince. You are my son. It is okay to have help from those around you." she firmly told him with a finger. "This healing you are going through requires these steps, Vali. You have been alone for far too long."
He nodded, his head falling forward with a sigh. "The enemy, mother, is an unknown one these mortals fight against. They call themselves Hydra. The weapons division of the Nazi's. Their symbol is a red hydra with a skull. They are more advanced than the common threat. More dangerous, more ambitious and will stop at nothing to gain power. Even if that power is alien."
"The Tesseract has fallen into the wrong hands, my son." she firmly reinstated. "We must get it back before they destroy themselves and this realm. Leave this fight to them we must handle this situation with care."
Vali looked at the ship and back to his mother. "I cannot just leave them, mother. My comrades need me. I cannot let them fight this alone."
"let me help you." she implied, softly. "Finding the Tesseract will determine the future of this realm and its survival. Once we have the Tesseract safely on Asgard, you may return to help fight this war."
The whistle blows again and the regiment number is called. "107th battalion! Boarding now, finale call!"
Sergeant James Bucky Barnes stands by the boarding ramp greeting each member of his regiment onto the ship and taking their names. By the time the list was finished, he realised he was missing a man. He tried surveying the crowd with his eyes knowing that was not going to work.
"Hey." Bucky Barnes turned to the last soldiers climbing the ramp. "Have you seen Vali Lokison? He hasn't checked in yet, it's unlike him. He usually first one here."
"I dunno, Sarge."
"He left to see some real pretty lady." he lazily motioned to the crowd.
Bucky hummed. "That's also unlike him." he shrugged. "What'd she look like?" he asked, curiously.
The soldier shrugged. "Real pretty like, and all."
"White hair." the other said. "Strange too."
Bucky Barnes turned back to the crowd still unable to see his soldier among the people. He jumped onto a crate next to him to get a better look. Not far into the crowd he can see Vali and the woman he met last night. They were speaking and urgently by the looks of things. He tried to call out to him and wave him down.
Bucky was happy he was speaking to his mother and saying his goodbyes but the ship was going to leave. He jumped down from the crate and made his way toward them pushing between people as quickly as he could calling out for Vali. He finally broke through and when he got there... they were gone. He turned to see if they walked away and nothing. Vali was a tall man and a young women with white hair does not go unnoticed easily.
It was like they just vanished into thin air.
The ship blew its last whistle and Bucky turned tail and ran towards the loading ramp. He skipped up the ramp stopping halfway to search the crowd with the height advantage. They were just gone. Hoping Vali got onto the ship, Bucky Barnes boarded.
LOGYN
The darkness shrouded this little village like a cold hug. Heavy fog rests on the desolation of this town in Tonsberg, Norway. A single street lamp cast down dim yellow light onto the pavement. A once quant little village with honest people now left to ashes and ruin.
"Hydra had already done this and gone when I reached this place." explained Vali, his eyes searching the night around them. "The people have long fled and this is all that remains." he walked forward to a large building. He still armoured the Midgardian military uniform.
The front entrance had been caved inwards and brickwork lay strewn with the construction of the old church. Large tracks are left in the dirt and Sigyn surmises some large machinery did this when they stormed and raided the village. Smoke still willows from the brunt out embers playing in the gentle breeze. Sigyn followed her son suit stepping over the crumbled bricks inside the church.
In the centre is an open sarcophagus and an old man laying on the floor. He was still too fresh to be the corpse inside. Sigyn stands atop of the pile of the bricks that tumbled into the large open room like a bucket of pebbles tipped over. "Whoever did this will pay." she carefully makes her way down into the church. She makes her way over to the old man where her son stands.
"He rests in Valhalla now." she kneeled down the old man. "He died fighting trying to protect something precious."
Vali gestured a hand to the sarcophagus. "They initially thought the Tesseract was inside. They killed him once they discovered it was fake." then he moved around the coffin to the adjacent wall where a large slab of old oak was carved Yggdrasil, the World Tree.
A snake intertwined at the roots, and two swans on the surface of the water, and a tiny squirrel hiding in the foliage of the branches. But where the Snakes head should be, was a missing square. "It was hidden in a compartment." Vali explained. "They took it and left."
"Now the enemy has it." Sigyn makes her way over. "We need to find who did this."
"I was working closely with a secret organisation within the American Army. A special unit to counteract Hydra." Vali stood admiring the carving closely. "And I know who has it. The commander of Hydra. Johann Schmidt who has become a close confidant of Hitler himself."
"The man leading this war?" she pondered. "All the palace staff talk about Hitler. It is all they talk about frankly. How could such a man as he, be capable of this?" it was a rhetorical question, and it made Sigyn laugh to herself.
"He is an evil man. He has killed thousands of innocence in in-humane ways."
"Then we will find him and stop him." Sigyn paused in her words. Vali turned to question her when she turned to face a small blinking red light. Vali chuckled to himself shaking his head.
Vali flailed his arm before hooking his thumb into his belt. "I told you they are advancing, mother." he stated.
In Sigyn's hand appears a silver dagger and to the camera she says. "The gods are watching and we are coming for you." she slings the dagger clean through the air and it strikes the camera down. It hits the ground and breaks open.
"This Hydra. They are the weapons specialist unit of the Nazi's. I believe they intend to use the Tesseract somehow to create more powerful weapons."
"And how were you going to stop them exactly?" she asked.
"I was..." Vali trailed off, then sighed. "I don't know exactly. I didn't have an initial plan. My first instinct was to join their ranks and work my way up, gather a unit of men and storm their base."
"That might take years, Vali. You have the strength of ten mortal men. Why not take it yourself?"
"I don't know where they took the Tesseract!" he snapped.
"Heimdall will tell us."
"I don't need anyone to help me, I want to do this on my own!" his voice grew. Then silence befell them. Vali sighed putting his head into his hands.
"Calm yourself, Vali." Sigyn soothed.
His hands dropped back at his side and he turned his face away. "Sorry, mother." he slumped his shoulders. "I have it under control."
"Every second that we stand here, Vali, is wasted precious time Hydra is using to fuel the Tesseract for bad things. Your friend, Sergeant James Bucky Barnes. What can he do to help us?"
He scoffed. "It's not like I can just go up to him and tell him about the Tesseract and Hydra, and our plan and ask him to help us. It doesn't work that way here, mother. There is a chain of command and Bucky Barnes is not as high on that chain. He gets told what to do by superiors and he tells the foot soldiers what to do." Vali kicked at the ground. His face still turned away. "These people do not believe in us anymore and even if we were to show ourselves the consequences would be terrible."
"Well, you do not want the help of our people." Sigyn implied. "I understand you want to prove yourself and there is no shame. But I cannot help you, if you do not allow me to. You must give me some option here, Vali."
Vali looked up with a deep breath gazing at the high arched ceilings. "We once stood here with Ragnar." he said. "Before this was established. Do you remember?"
"I remember."
"One of the greatest men to grace this realm. And I fought alongside Ragnar and his sons!" Vali proudly proclaimed. "I did not ask for help when we conquered England. I did not ask for help when the winters were harsh. I did not ask for help when food was scarce. And I will not ask for it now." Vali turned to face his mother, waving a dramatic finger. "I will make sure the Tesseract will never fall into the wrong hands." and he turns and storms from the church.
Sigyn let out a breath. She closed her eyes bitting down on her lip. "Gods know I try, sister." she whispered. There's a rush of feathers and Sigyn opens her eyes. Munin rests on the open coffin staring at her. "Let us be." she told the bird.
Munin cawed at her turning its head to the side, blinking at her. Sigyn shooed the bird with her hand and it hopped to the other side cawing. "What do you want?" she snapped at the bird. The crow cawed again looking into the open coffin. Sigyn looks inside to see the resting body of a crusader.
England.
She knew her next move.
LOGYN
The oceans swelled beneath the large ship rocking and pushing like a beast lurked beneath its surface. The waves slammed up against the metal violently spraying onto the deck above. Day break had just risen above the distant horizon painting the sky a deep red and orange as it embrued into the silhouette of the night sky slowly fazing out the stars.
Ahead of them was England. A land Sigyn once stood on so long ago during Ragnar's reign. A land she had not been to since. She admired the dark horizon which England sat on in the distance. "How long has it been?" she questioned.
Vali shrugged. "I haven't been keeping track." he muttered a reply. "How exactly are we to convince the Sergeant?"
"I'm not sure." Sigyn gazed over the rails keeping her from the ocean that beat the ship beneath. The waters are too dark to see anything beyond the churning waves. "Have you met with Forseti at all?"
"No. He is determined to stay hidden in Norway." Vali says. "I should do the same."
Sigyn casted Vali a saddened glance. "Do not throw yourself into despair, my son. You should try and reconnect with him."
"Why? Forseti is next to inherit the throne of Vanaheim and yet he hides away. He does nothing for the realms and here I am fighting their wars for them! He is not worthy."
Sigyn placed a hand on Vali's arm to calm him. "Yes... the line of succession falls unto him, but he has not been crowned prince heir."
"Yet." corrected Vali, he grips the railing with both fists. Sigyn takes her hand away. "For good reason." he spat. A voice from the deck then suddenly interrupted them. Vali turned on his heel quickly.
"What the hell?" the voice said.
"Sarge." Vali comes forward. "Let me explain."
"Who the hell are you people?" Bucky marches forward, his nostrils flared. "I searched the quarters for you, deserter. How are you on this ship?" he stands toe to toe with Vali. He looked around him to see that same strange women wearing strange armour. "What the hell is this? Is she really your mom, cause hell, she looks way to damn young. Are you smuggling her or something, soldier?"
"Allow us to explain." Sigyn persuaded. "We are here on greater deeds for a purpose greater than your own."
Bucky scoffed shaking his head. "What? Do you know who I am?"
"You are Sergeant James Bucky Barnes of the 107th regiment, and you are going to help us."
"Just wait a minute, just who do you think you people are?"
"Just let me do the talking, mother." pleaded Vali, stepping back into the view of his sergeant. "We're not from this planet."
Bucky blinked.
"What." Bucky scoffed. "Like aliens? Are you on an illegal substance?"
"Yes - I mean no! And I understand this might be confusing and hard to accept, but I was sent here on a mission from Asgard to retrieve a powerful weapon back which Hydra has taken. And if they learn to use its power they might just win this war and I am here to help stop them."
"Oh, really?" Bucky shakes his head. "I ought to discharge you dishonourably for bringing a civilian aboard a war ship and deserting your post, soldier!"
Vali shook his head and turned to his mother shrugging. "I told you." he tells her. Sigyn then marched forward and Bucky tells her to remain where she is. She continued her quest and before Bucky Barnes could say another word she placed a hand to his forehead.
His eyes rolled back and his mouth falls open. He is delved deep into his minds eye. Space and time rips open. Stars are born, they grow and die. Galaxies formed. Vegetation grows from the dirt from naught but a bulb. The seasons change. The sun and moon chase each other around and around. The seas rise and fall into desert. Rainforests grow and wither.
It was as if all the secrets of the universe are opened to his mind and he understood.
Sigyn takes her hand away and Bucky's head lumps forward as he takes in a huge breath. He looks around to find that he is still on the ship where he was last standing. He cleared his throat, fixed his uniform and smoothed down his hair and placed back his hat.
Vali looked from Bucky to his mother. "What did you do?"
She looked at Vali. "I opened his mind." she turned back to Bucky who still seemed dazed and confused. "Do you see now?" Sigyn questioned, peering deep into his eyes.
Bucky nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "What was that?" his voice sounded strained.
"We are old gods from an ancient time. Your life is fleeting to the true meaning of the universe and none of it will matter unless we take back what was stolen."
"I understand." whispered Bucky, still dazed.
Sigyn took a step closer. "You will tell nobody of this, am I understood?" Bucky nodded. "You are a good man, James Bucky Barnes." she said to him. "And you have been a good friend to my son. But now we need your help. Will you take us to Johann Schmidt?"
Bucky straightened himself out. "I, uh, no promises. I'll have to put in a request and that can take days, weeks, or even months. We'll have to complete our mission here first. I'll need some more information on where you intend to go... I just don't understand why you need my help? Why not do it yourself?"
Sigyn's jaw tightened. She looked from Bucky to Vali, and stepped back.
Vali licked his lips, swaying with the motion of the boat. "I wan to do this. Without the help of the gods." he clearly emphasised the last part strongly. "Secondly, I don't want the gods toiling in my business with a mission they entrusted to me."
Sigyn looks at her son. She says nothing.
Vali then goes on to explain to his sergeant who Hydra is and what they want. He explains the object which they stole and its power, and he explains why he joined their armies to better disguise himself. "I've had contacts and information." Vali explained. "A secret unit within the war which I am not authorised to say. We've had tips that their base is in Austria."
"Wait." Bucky stopped him. "Our next instalment in in Azzano, Italy. "That's basically next door to Austria."
"What are we doing there?"
"I've just been given word there's a Nazi base hidden there. And we're going to take it down and with the both of you on our side, that can be made easier!" he rejoiced. "I can install you as a nurse in our regiment. Do you have some kind of healing power or something, ma'am?"
"Oh." Sigyn's eyes widened. "Only a variation, but you understand we cannot do anything that will give away our status."
"Completely, ma'am. The deal is; if you help us, we'll help you."
Sigyn held out her hand. "Deal." she said without a second thought. Bucky gazed the goddess from head to toe hesitant. He looked at her formally extended hand and the fixed face she held. He looked at Vali. And he remembers all the things he was shown.
"You have yourself a deal, missy." he locked hands with the goddess with a firm grip, and they shook hands.
"Day break is among us, Sergeant." she stated. "We must prepare now."