Disclaimer: I still don't own Marvel
A/N: Welcome back everyone! I said I'd try to update sooner, and I hope this qualifies! I also hope the next update is at least as speedy – I really want to get this done for you guys (and for myself!), not because I'm tired of the project, but rather for the opposite; I want it to be available to experience in full.
I'm also doing my best to reformat some of my earlier rambling author's notes into something more structured for the author's commentary (Ao3 exclusive, because I don't think its compliant with FF.N's ToS). I also hope to get that out soon for you all!
Anyways, on with the chapter!
It was too quiet around the compound.
To be entirely honest, it was an opinion Hela never foresaw herself holding. The next few days - the next few hours, really - after meeting with King T'Challa and the Council of Elders had been madness on the level of a Meeting of the Council of Death Gods, but without any of the preparation time. It had gone relatively well, all things considered, but Hela had really expected to find relief in the quiet after announcing herself to Earth's United Nations, giving yet more introductions, filing the Valkyries' death forms, and asking Skurge and Isobel to once again put themselves at risk for her.
Instead, the quiet was discomfiting.
Perhaps it was because she had taken Clint Barton's advice to heart - with all of it's wonderfully Midgardian phrases like "self care" and "work-life balance" - and had made sure to schedule breaks into her day. She had made sure to play with her brothers between meetings, running and grappling with them on the Compound's lawn, and to get to know her new allies between bouts of paperwork. Doctor Banner had braved her father's presence and helped her set up to scry for Jor - setting up a holographic projection of the planet for her to scry with, as Loki offered his advice about how to best set up the spell. Stark had even gone out of his way to make and give her a communication device called a phone, and she had gotten to bond with her newfound cousin as Vision walked her through how to use it.
It had been… Well, it had been nice.
The trouble was that Vision and Stark - as well as Banner and Rhodes - had left for Wakanda three days ago. Lady Doctor Helen Cho - who was technically Vision's mother, which may or may not have made her Hela's aunt; she wasn't quite sure, given her unfamiliarity with both Midgard's cultural landscape and how her cousin regarded those who'd contributed to his existence - had arrived and been briefed, given Hela a grim but sympathetic nod, and soon after joined the others in boarding the quinjet for departure.
She missed them. In her short time at the Compound, Hela had gotten used to the hum and murmur of having more than two other people around her, and having even a fraction of that companionship depart left a palpable absence.
Hela groaned, slamming the tome she did death archival work in shut. Four centuries of exile to adjust to the isolation, Hela Lokidottir, she thought to herself, and now you are unmade by a week's work of socialization diminishing even slightly. Unbelievable.
The scrying rings she'd cast around the holographic globe spun on, still unable to locate her elder brother.
Where are you, Jor?
It would be nice, not to be the oldest - to have someone to talk to about what to make of their father, of what had been done to him and what he had done—
"Okay, you've been sitting here for how many hours now? You need to do literally anything else."
Hela yelped, falling sideways out of her chair fighting the instinct to draw her mace on whoever had startled her. Pietro's face appeared above her - expression somewhere between concerned and laughing.
"Didn't see that coming?" he asked, offering a hand to help her up. Hela, though she took it, fixed him with a baffled look. No one ever saw Pietro coming; was that not a boon of superspeed? Not to mention that this was far from the first time he'd made that joke. To think, she'd thought him serious the first time he'd said it!
"I see little point in offering an answer we both already know, Quicksilver," Hela said slowly, fighting a smile. "You'll have to forgive me for being engrossed in my work."
"The work you shut the book on, you mean?" Pietro quirked a brow. A spark of offense lit in Hela's chest. "Look, I get it. You've already heard about my study habits - Vision really won't let the coffee thing go - so I'm definitely in no place to judge. Doesn't change the fact you need a break."
The offense died as quickly as it came. Hela's shoulders dropped.
"...You're not wrong."
Pietro smiled.
"Hey, my mind's almost as fast as the rest of me. Don't let Wanda convince you otherwise - she's my sister and she knew me when we were twelve. She's biased."
"I shall keep that in mind. Perhaps it is a blessing that Jormungandr has yet to join us," Hela's gaze drifted back to her scrying rings. "No doubt he could tell you similar stories about me."
"Hey, you'll find him. You said it yourself - he's good at hiding. Give yourself some time."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome! In any case, since it's the wizards' turn guarding your dad - sorry, probably should've—"
"Apologize not, my friend. There is no need."
"—Us Avengers are taking some time to train. Want to join us?"
"I…" Hela blinked. She hadn't expected that. "I would be honored."
By all means, Bruce should've been nervous; he was going to meet the king of the most technologically advanced nation in the world, not to mention the mind behind the most recent of those advancements, and socialization had never been his forte. In all honesty, a part of him was shocked that he wasn't.
Another part of him, however, knew that it was hard to be nervous when Tony was so obviously excited by something. From practically the moment they took off, Tony had been rambling about the wonders of Wakandan technology. He'd spoken at length about the aerodynamics of their airships to Rhodey, the stability of various vibranium isotopes to Bruce, and the incredible attention to detail of their medical system to Helen. His excitement was infectious - even the Hulk seemed interested, if just because he thought Tony was shaped like a friend.
The fact that Tony'd barely taken a breath through all of this was as concerning as it was impressive.
"Seriously though, their nanotech." Tony said for the fifth time, stars in his eyes. "It's decades beyond the nanotech I have. Princess Shuri is my fucking hero. It's one thing to know that these kids are going to be the future of science, it's a whole other thing to see it in action; and that girl will be leading them, I have no doubt."
"Aw Tones," Rhodey teased, trying and failing to stifle a smile along with Bruce and Vision. "First Harley, then Peter and his friends, and now the Princess of Wakanda? Admit it - you've become the sappy parent who cries at their kids' graduation in your old age."
"Hey!" Tony squawked. "Don't you get on the dad thing too. Pepper's bad enough about it on her own - she doesn't need your help."
"Well, you did give me your last name," Vision chimed in, smiling serenely despite the mischief in their eyes. "And if I might have a part in Asgard's line of succession for Thor's role in my creation, I certainly don't think you can disqualify yourself from fatherhood."
Tony groaned, flopping back.
"Betrayed by my own son!"
The cabin burst out in laughter, Tony grousing for a moment, but soon joining in with the rest. Eventually, however, Dr. Cho took pity on his initial discomfort.
"I have to say I can sympathize with you, Dr. Stark," she chuckled. "I never expected to have a child so soon either - or maybe even ever, given that my work has always been my priority. The irony of my work being the reason I have a son is not lost on me."
"Ah, so you didn't dream of being Victor Frankenstien then?" Vision grinned, sending Helen into another bout of laughter.
"No, certainly not. You can imagine how surprised my family was when I explained the situation to them! Though my mother is now insisting you come visit so she can teach you how to make mandu."
"Dr. Cho," Rhodey cut in, smirking slightly "You might not've expected to pull a Frankenstien, but I've known since college that it was only a matter of time before this one did. I'm afraid you got dragged into an occupational hazard of working with Tony Stark."
"Aww, Platypus! You know me so well! Did you know he even tried to make a bet about it with some of his friends from the Air Force? Carol'd only met me once and she still refused to take him up on it!"
"Tony," Bruce shook his head fondly. "You know you're the only person who'd take that as a compliment, right?"
"Eh," Tony shrugged.
"That's not even the worst of it." Rhodey added. "It wasn't just Carol I pitched the bet at - I pitched it at our friend Maria too. She'd never even met Tony and she told me she didn't take sucker bets!"
Tony and Rhodey broke into rather undignified giggles. Not for the first time, as he shared a look with Vision and Dr. Cho, it occurred to Bruce that his friends were crazy.
Then again, maybe that was how family was meant to be. He certainly wouldn't have it any other way.
Upon arriving in Wakanda, it hit Bruce that he probably should have been nervous. Or at least asked a few questions on how best to greet Wakandan royalty - otherwise Rhodey wouldn't have been able to pull one over on him like that.
Forgive him for wanting to make a good impression! The Hulk made enough bad impressions for him that he'd thought it'd be nice for a change!
Unfortunately for him however, Bruce had forgotten about Rhodey's mischievous streak. To be fair, it was easy to forget about, given Rhodey's more famous roles as stalwart and responsible Avenger, the Iron Bro with the Common Sense, and the team's long-suffering dungeon master (Bruce did not envy him on that front - trying to wrangle Sam and Bucky as they continued their rivalry in-game with increasingly fantastical bullshit was practically syphisyian, but Rhodey somehow managed it).
Fortunately, King T'Challa had the good graces not to single him out for bowing in a culture that apparently didn't do that, for which Bruce was grateful. He was embarrassed enough as it was, and the only reaction he'd gotten - aside from Rhodey stifling giggles, the traitor - was a less than impressed eyebrow raise from Captain Okoye.
Even more fortunately, his embarrassment was forgotten in the wake of the whirlwind that was Princess Shuri and her scientific drive. She'd managed to drag the whole delegation towards her lab as soon as her brother let her, and Bruce felt his jaw drop in awe at the tech he saw on the way there. If he looked right, he could see an actual vibranium mine, not to mention the high-speed maglev trains shuttling the ore to its destination. If it'd been hard to be nervous while Tony was talking about this stuff, it was impossible to be embarrassed when greeted with the real deal.
"Pretty cool, isn't it?" Princess Shuri grinned at him when she noticed him staring. Bruce could only nod absently.
"It's amazing."
"Told'ya, Brucie-bear."
"See, this is the best part of Wakanda opening ourselves to the rest of the world." Princess Shuri laughed. "I am finally getting the global recognition my work deserves! Too many white men were out there thinking they had a shot at being the best - they needed to be put in their place."
"Hey," Tony laughed, tossing his hands up in a mock-surrender. "I cede the title willingly."
Princess Shuri smiled, all cheery false-innocence and teasing smugness punctuated with a little shrug.
"Good. You'd better."
"And here I was looking forward to maybe having a Starbucks or participating in the Olympics." Captain Okoye quipped, forcing Dr. Cho to stifle a laugh. Vision, for their part, failed spectacularly at hiding a smirk, and Rhodey didn't even bother trying not to chuckle.
"Hey, somebody's got to have practical expectations."
"Thank you, Colonel Rhodes." Captain Okoye smiled primly, but with a twinkle in her eye. "I perfectly agree."
They'd already signed all the necessary non-disclosure agreements on the quinjet, so when they actually reached the lab, the only thing they had to contend with was maneuvering in and finding a place for the regeneration cradle. When they finally had it settled, Princess Shuri got to examining it straight away.
"So, this is how you made the Vision?" She asked, peering into the cradle as she went to open it. Dr. Cho nodded.
"Its original function - and frankly, what I still intend to use it for - was medical. Tissue regeneration in the form of printed grafts while using a stabilization field to prevent any injuries from worsening."
"Huh!" Princess Shuri exclaimed, her head almost completely hidden in the now open cradle. "We do something similar here in Wakanda with our Kimoyo beads - though it's rather more a stabilizing anchor than a stabilizing field. Very interesting."
"Thank you, Princess."
"Just call me Shuri," the young genius said dismissively as she re-emerged from the cradle. "It's going to get weird if we spend the whole time fussing over titles when there's work to be done."
"In that case, just call me Helen," Dr. Cho smiled. I can't speak for the others, of course, but…"
"Just Bruce is fine."
"You can call me Rhodey - or James, if you really want."
"You already just call me 'Stark,' kid."
"And you can drop the 'the' in front of the 'Vision' - that's my hero's epithet. Vision's just my name."
Shuri snorted, smiling broadly.
"Well alright then, Vision-who's-superhero-name-is-just their-normal-name-with-'the'-in-front-of-it, how about you lay down on the examination table? We should get started."
Jane knew something was wrong the moment she got the call. Maria Hill may technically work at Stark Industries now, but calls from anyone associated with SHIELD - barring Thor, of course; though she had met him first, so that didn't count - had never boded well for Jane in the past.
Things only got worse the longer the call went on.
It wasn't Ms. Hill's fault, of course, but being told you were needed at the Avengers Compound as soon as possible for reasons that couldn't be disclosed even on Jane's relatively secured line spoke of ill news.
So now Jane was flying into New York with only the knowledge that whatever was happening was catastrophic, Darcy, and Ian. At Ms. Hill's request, she'd left Erik behind to man the lab, though was careful to inform him to be on his guard and keep his phone on ringer.
Jane could only think of one reason why Hill would request Erik stay behind, and if her hunch was right, she owed the God of Mischief another punch in the jaw.
The only boon in all of this was getting to see Thor again. Their work kept their relationship long-distance by nature, so an in person meeting - even if it was on business and with the shadow of whatever was going on looming over their heads - would be well cherished..
Stark had sent a private plane to gather them, and so she, Darcy, and Ian landed on an equally private airstrip where a large van was waiting for them. More importantly, however, was that Thor stood by the van waiting for them and waving excitedly when they arrived.
Fondness and warmth bloomed in Jane's chest at the sight. He'd come to get them - to get her - personally. It was sweet.
"My Lady Jane!" Thor boomed as soon as she and the others were in reasonable yelling range, and Jane took off running. It wasn't particularly elegant running, what with the suitcase, but Thor was still able to sweep her - and, indeed, her suitcase - up in an embrace without any trouble.
"My Lady Jane," he said again once he'd set her down, smiling softly. "It is wonderful to see you again."
"It's good to see you too, Thor." The words came out as barely more than a whisper, and Jane knew her own smile was equally sappy. She couldn't bring herself to care.
"Hey, I get that you're courting and all, but budge up, Jane. No monopolizing the Thor hugs."
"Lady Darcy!" Thor lit up, and solved the conundrum by simply extending one arm and sweeping her into a group hug with them. Darcy all but tackled them in her enthusiasm, and Jane laughed into Thor's chest.
"Ian the Intern!" Thor's voice sounded from above Jane's head. "Hail and well met!"
"Um, hello as well!"
Judging by his tone, Jane would bet Ian was giving an awkward little wave.
The group hug parted, and as she drew back, Jane caught Thor's expression sombering. Her earlier sense of dread returned, settling low in her stomach.
"My friends, my love…" Thor sighed. "There is much to discuss, and little of it good. Let us load ourselves and your equipment into the van, and we shall speak there.
One Mr. Happy Hogan greeted them from the front seat, and as soon as everything was packed and settled, he started the car and switched on a signal jammer both. The dread in Jane's stomach, which had never really left after returning, only grew heavier.
The barrage of information that followed didn't help.
Thor had a niece - which alone opened up so many questions Jane had for her boyfriend - Loki had apparently faked his own death again, and someone named Thanos was trying to end the universe. Odin had apparently also stripped both Thor and Loki of their powers and banished them, for reasons that quite frankly made no sense, and that was why Jane and company were being called in. They needed a way to get around the banishment and into Asgard for the sake of half of everyone.
Jane supposed she signed up for this bullshit when she decided to date a Norse god. She'd known things would be crazy, given how they'd met and especially after Malekith. Still, that didn't make it any easier to process. Seeing the distressed looks on his companion's faces, Thor smiled sadly.
"All hope is not lost, I assure you," he offered, reaching back to squeeze Jane's hand gently for a moment. "The United Nations has approved Hela's presence on earth, as well as the necessity of the mission, even if we yet not know which countries shall offer aid nor how they would like us to operate within their borders outside of emergency protocols should the need arise.
"I have also spent the past few days in meetings closer to home - the team and I, joined by Lady Pepper Potts and Nicholas Fury, have been tracking down the former director's earthly allies. We've already made contact with a Sharon Carter and - as you are aware - with Fury's former second, Maria Hill. We are hopeful that with our combined forces, we will be able to garner more support."
Jane shared a look with Darcy, and then another with Ian. She was sure she looked as anxious as they did.
"...Well," Darcy said finally, "At least I brought my taser."
A/N: And that's a wrap for now! Just three notes before we go:
1. Hela calls Helen Cho "Lady Doctor" not because she's surprised that a woman is a doctor, but because Helen is sort of Vision's mom, and given that Vision is technically a Prince of Asgard, Hela automatically gave her a nobility title. We don't see it due to the time lapse, but you can imagine, if you'd like, that she did much the same to Tony and Bruce before they finally convinced her to drop it.
2. As a general note, this fic will also not be canon-compliant for anything that follows Endgame. I might pull some things that I like and will fit in this verse from such official content (Sam's family, the mechanics of Monica Rambeau's powers, Loki as D. B. Cooper, etc.), but most stuff, you know, just doesn't work here given how canon divergent this fic is. The reason I bring this up now is because I mentioned Sharon Carter in this chapter – this is just a notice that the Sharon we see in Sympathy will not be the Sharon seen in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
3. Rhodey is well aware that Carol and Maria were in a relationship – he's just following the maxim of "friends don't out friends."
See you next time!