l
-19-
Bifrost, the great bridge that allowed deities to traverse the Heavens and the Earth, ended in a large and vast transportation hub known as Himinbjorg. It rested at the base of a long row of mountains at the border of Asgard and was run by a tall and gangly god by the name of Heimdall. In years long past and forgotten, Himinbjorg used to be a simple hall that also served as Heimdall's home, small and with few travelers; it was a waypoint between worlds, one situated in such a location so as to deny entrance to enemy forces-Muspelheim Jotun, originally-who sought to invade the Heavens. The bridge would collapse after it exceeded a certain weight, and the mountains would slow an enemy battalion that would be assaulted by guerrilla forces from hidden, underground barracks.
Most of that still held true: Bifrost could still collapse beneath a set weight and the underground barracks were still manned by soldier-deities under the command of war-gods. Yet with The Great Unification that had happened in the more recent centuries between deities of various pantheons, Himinbjorg had expanded into one of the main transitioning points between dimensions. Young gods of all different makes and models, many without a license yet, served as sentries and customs agents to those who passed through, with Heimdall acting as chief and overseeing all who passed across Bifrost's path.
Now, two new arrivals found themselves swept into the rush of travelers attempting to hurry through Customs and be out of Himinbjorg's crowded-though beautiful-halls. Skuld sighed, eyes rolling up to the expansive stained glass ceiling above their heads. "I hate going through Customs," she grumbled, more to herself than to her companion, who ignored her words in favor of examining the crystal displays hanging from the scaffolding. Each one displayed luminescent blue text denoting specific lanes for guests and residents, and after a moment's search Lind found the one specific to Skuld and herself.
"Let's go," she said, and without glancing towards Skuld, headed off, leaving the Norn to yelp before chasing after her.
"Hey, where are you going?" Skuld demanded. "This isn't the way to Customs."
"Warrior's Path," the woman said. "Valkyries and other war-deities skip the civilian sector. So do individuals accompanying Valkyries. You're accompanying me. Now let's move." Without sparing the Norn a second glance the woman continued onwards, and Skuld chased after her before she could be lost in the ocean of deities making their way through Himinbjorg. Lind led the way down an area Skuld vaguely recognized from her childhood, and the line they came to was near-empty in comparison to the lines the Norn was more familiar with. Lind flashed a digital card to the lone man checking documents, IDs, passports, and orders, and within minutes they were through Customs and out into the main hall.
"Crap, I forgot how fast the Warrior Pantheon moves," Skuld muttered. "Last time I was able to get through there that fast was with Mother." She shuddered at the memory, knowing it'd been bad at the time, but not quite the reasons behind it. Which probably meant it had been bad for her. Chalk one up for buried childhood trauma. Traveling with Ansuz could do that to a person.
"Will you report back to your leadership from here?" Lind asked, ignoring the woman's comments as she eyed a terminal leading to a series of Gates leading to various sectors of Asgard. "I will escort you to them if necessary, however I can be convinced otherwise." Skuld looked at the Valkyrie with a start. "I have other obligations I need to fulfill." The blue-haired woman sent her a sidelong glance. "And I despise playing babysitter to a grown woman."
Skuld observed the woman in shock. To her, Lind had always come across as a bit of a hardass when it came to rules. The type of person who was by-the-book with no exceptions for those around her and was liable to hold people accountable when those rules were broken. To hear Lind speak of such a thing was not just surprising, but went against any assumptions Skuld had made over the past years she'd come to know of the woman. "You'd do that," Skuld stated, uncertain if she'd heard the woman properly. "You'd let me just... go? From here?"
"So long as I am certain you will report to your leadership at once." Lind replied. "I will be calling them to ensure you've spoken with them. How long does it take you to travel to your office from here?"
"Only about fifteen minutes or so," Skuld replied. The idea of lying to the Valkyrie never even crossed her mind in her astonishment. "I shouldn't be too long... maybe a few minutes give or take depending on how crowded the walks are."
Lind nodded. "I will call your leadership thirty minutes from now to ensure you spoke with them," she said. "That will be more than enough time for you to arrive at your office in regards to obstacles that may slow you down." She narrowed her eyes. "Do not make me regret placing any sort of faith in you, Skuld. If I call and learn that you have not arrived, I will hunt you down and drag you back to your superiors bound."
Skuld grimaced at the idea. "It won't come to that," she assured. "I'm not Urd. Unlike her, I like staying off a Fighting Wing's shit list."
Lind blinked, then further surprised Skuld with a short bark of laughter. Up until that point, Skuld wasn't certain the woman even could laugh. "Noted," she said. "Than if we are in agreement, you are free to leave. I've nothing else for you."
Skuld stared at the woman a moment longer, then shook her head in slow disbelief. "I don't think I'll ever understand folks like you," she mumbled. Lind sent her a queer look, and the Norn shrugged. "You're hard to read. You've got... layers, I guess? Personas, maybe? You take one mask off and there's another lying right beneath. It's difficult trying to figure you out. Moreso than even Urd, and she lies her face off." She looked to the ground, growing aware in the gathering silence that she'd said too much. "Sorry, just something I noticed," she said. "Anyways, I'll just be-gotta go. I'll, uh, talk to you later, I guess?" She glanced at Lind's face, and what she saw made her shiver for reasons she could not explain.
It was time to leave.
"Later Lind!" Without a second glance, Skuld turned and rushed into the crowd of deities, hoping to grow lost in the tides. She could still feel the woman's gaze on her back when she reached the terminal gates to Yggdrasil, and a final risk back showed the Valkyrie where she'd left her; standing stock still as spirits and deities, guests and locals, all passed her by. They gave Lind a wide berth, though it appeared to be an unconscious gesture. As if they were avoiding something that had been cordoned off. Something dangerous; a wolf amongst sheep that scented a predator in their midst but could not see it. It made the hair on the back of Skuld's neck prickle in alarm.
It's her eyes. She thought. The Valkyrie's gaze still rested on her, even as she turned and walked... rushed through the terminal. Something about her eyes. It speaks of a beast. Golden-ring eyes like a predator.
Golden rings...
The Valkyrie's gaze haunted her all the way back to Yggdrasil.
XXX
The Sana District of Asgard was one in a constant state of organized chaos. Deities of various pantheons ran to and fro in a mad rush, some with bags on their shoulders and others without. Lind recognized them as acolytes based off the lack of sigils denoting their position Asgard; those younger gods and goddesses training in a specific profession under a god of greater rank. They raced about with the exuberance of youth and the terror of a wrathful master, clutching everything from canisters to technology to vials and paperwork throughout Sana at their master's request. It was a sight reminiscent of Lind's younger days amongst what had become her unit, and the maddening chaos of discipline ingrained with combat arts and tactical advances that had been so drilled into her head.
Those days were long gone now, and at least as an acolyte, Lind was glad to see them over. Anyone who wanted to return to those maddening days was soft in the head and needed to be put away before they could damage themselves further, for surely only a masochist or a demon would miss such abuse.
Amongst these terrorized and stressed deities, other gods and even the occasional spirit walked at a slower pace. Many of them were patients heading from one Tic to another, seeking out the individuals in question who specialized with the specific ailment in question, and amongst the gods at least, there were many. Some of them held a look of terror about them almost identical to those of the acolytes. Those individuals who were not as familiar with Sana as the more regular attendants, and tended to mistake the organized chaos and rushing madness as a sign that something had gone amiss. Exposure to a horrible disease, perhaps, or maybe a chemical spill that would lead to a super virus hailing the onset of Ragnarok.
Lind had once counted herself amongst the latter category of terrified newcomers. However after so many repeated visits to Sana under the instruction of either Higher Leadership or under her own volition, she found herself welcoming the familiarity of the place. For all the insanity presented in the main street, there was an underlying feeling of productivity to it that Lind had grown fond of, and in many ways coming to Sana was likened to a trip back to a summer home. She had friends here. Colleagues. Even amongst the busy acolytes, she saw a few familiar faces, and whenever one such person glanced her way she caught their eyes and nodded to them, and was always reward with a brief, though strained, smile as they went about their tasks.
Now, dodging past acolytes and patients, Lind approached one building in particular. It was one of the smaller centers in Sana, located near the district's outskirts away from the larger chaos of the main area. It had been purposefully built away from the larger centers, given the nature of the Tics that worked there. Here, there were fewer acolytes and even less patients, as the Tics that resided in this area were specialists majoring in a particular series of skills for deities or on occasions, lesser spirits, Jotuns, and even the occasional demon. Few acolytes wanted to work as specialists when there was a larger call for broader-skilled Tics whose skills could be placed to a variety of uses, and most deities didn't require the services of a specialist in Asgard.
Yet Lind was amongst those few individuals who did require a specialist, and now, approaching one building in particular, the woman stopped a small distance to observe it. It was one of the newer buildings; one that had been built with the recent turn of the century and held a sleek architecture of rounded angles and soft corners. It was a two-story building, and much smaller than some of the sky scrapers in the more centralized portion of Sana. It rested bathed in the shadows of its neighboring buildings; one a three-story building and the other four-stories, both twice as old as the smaller building that had been wedged between them.
In the late-afternoon sun the shadows almost appeared to move, yet a second glance proved Lind's eyes were playing tricks on her. The woman smirked and shook her head, then approached the shadowy archway leading inside. "Hello Flora," she murmured. "I have no flowers for you today, but I might yet have a treat for you."
The shadows seemed to draw away at her approach, vanishing inside the open doorway, and beneath the white noise of Sana's District, Lind thought she heard a low, hollow moan. Yet that too proved to be her senses playing tricks on her, and as the woman entered the quiet of the building the noise and moving shadows vanished; further proof of an illusion created by something else. The front lobby was empty when she entered, with a skylight providing a small glow that granted sunlight unhindered by the small building's taller neighbors. The Valkyrie ignored the couches and chairs that had been provided for guests, and instead headed directly to the front desk, an area also unmanned by any deities she could see. There was a small sign-in sheet located off to a corner, illuminated by a small, soft glow, and as she signed in something thumped beneath the desk and scurried away.
Lind raised a brow but said nothing, a part of her uncertain if the growls and hisses she was hearing was from her own mind or from one of the few denizens that called this place home. Flora's rather antisocial today, she thought. I wonder if Nebo is okay. She could often judge Nebo's moods based off the actions of his angel, who often acted in place of an acolyte by doing minor chores around the building. For Flora to be absent around a regular guest was odd but not unwarranted, given the angel could be quite foul when its host deity was in a negative mood. Because of that, it wasn't uncommon for Nebo to close shop when something came up that upset him.
Today was a possible exception, however, given that Lind had scheduled an appointment with Nebo a month prior. The Tic specialized in the care and health of angels, and had become Lind's main health care provider after Spear Mint had lost her wing. Unfortunately, he was also one of the main Tics being considered for Belldandy due to his age and experience as a High Tic; one of the senior Tics that dwelt within Asgard. Though he was a specialist, his name had been thrown into the hat due to his long history of treating deities, and as of recently the man had been placed under a great deal of undue stress during the proposition period. Most of Lind's information about the ongoing argument between Tics came straight from Nebo himself. The two had grown a strange and at times quarrelsome friendship between Lind's repeated visits to Nebo's clinic, and Lind had become an ear to vent to when meetings grew particularly stressful. Nebo in particular saw himself as a poor consideration for Belldandy's care, given the direction of practice was geared more towards the health of angels and not so much the health of the deity hosting them. Yet while he'd taken himself out of the discussions, as one of the High Tics he was required to attend the meetings. With it came all the ugly arguments he tried to avoid, and as of late the Tic was returning more and more often in a foul mood.
"Nebo?" Lind peered down the corridor leading past the front lobby. Unlike the front, which was illuminated by the skylight, the hallway was dark and black; not the darkness of poor lighting but a deep, heavy blackness that seemed to devour anything it touched. The woman frowned, for a moment recalling the slim shadows of her nightmare and feeling her skin break out in gooseflesh. Then the darkness withdrew at the sound of soft footsteps, and in its place a man emerged from one of the adjoining rooms. Flora strikes again, she thought. The last meeting amongst the High Tics must have been really bad.
"Ah, Lind, good to see you." Nebo smiled at the Valkyrie as he drew near, and behind him the shadows once more expanded and lengthened, hinting at a creature whose form danced on the edge of Lind's perception. "How you doing, Kyz?"
Nebo was a short man, as far as gods went. With a head full of thick, black curly hair and brown skin, he stood roughly two inches beneath Lind, who was a full, terrifying five foot, four inches. The man had a long, handlebar mustache that he wore with a particular amount of pride, but today the bright sparkle of humor that Lind normally attributed to his dark gaze was absent. Another bad meeting, indeed.
"I'm alright," Lind said. "Spear Mint's showing some signs of the old irritation again, and I had a relapse last night in Midgard."
The man's dark brown eyes widened. "I see. That sounds a little concerning. Let's head back and see what we can do."
Lind nodded and followed him to one of the back rooms. "Flora hasn't come out to greet me today," she said. "Another bad meeting?"
"It depends on how you view it." Nebo replied. "Don't mind Moony, she's sulking. They've finally narrowed down the possible deities to the final three. It almost caused a riot. One of the managgirus threw a chair at the Bel leading the discussion." The man spoke with the remains of an accent from a language long dead in Midgard, slurring the Highkin that had become the more common language of all deities into an almost musical pitch.
"Don't curse. You'll be a bad example for my angels," Lind reprimanded. "And a chair? At the lead Tic? Are you serious?"
Nebo shot her a look as they entered one of the rooms, and in the hallway at their back something rumbled in dissatisfaction. "Kyz, I couldn't make this up if I tried. And did I hear right? Angels? Plural?" He scowled, squinting at her. "I know my Highkin ain't good and my ears are shot, but I could have sworn I heard 'angels'.
"You're ears are fine, Nebo," Lind assured, hopping onto the bench in the center of the room and letting her feet dangle off the edge. "And stop using your native tongue as an excuse. You speak better Highkin than some of the Valkyries who grew up speaking the language." She sent him a pointed look, allowing a small smirk to alight her face when she saw some of the old mirth brighten the older god's eyes once more. He gestured her on without another word, and the smirk grew into an open smile as she felt the wings of both Spear Mint and Cool Mint rise from her back.
Nebo's mouth dropped in shock, and as the two angels emerged to peek over Lind's shoulders, the Valkyrie watched as the man's eyes darted first to Spear Mint, whom he knew, and then to Cool Mint, a stranger with an almost identical face. "Oh…Ina Shin'ar, Ina erset la tari…" He clutched at his heart, and then looked at Lind. "When…?" He looked back at Cool Mint, and his face broke into a smile of such unconditional joy and love that Lind couldn't help but smile with him. "Oh, zi ana, she's beautiful Lind!" he exclaimed. "Oh, sweet damu, sweet little ssaratu, come here. Let me get a look at you, precious child." He gestured to Cool Mint, who glanced at Lind for permission.
At the woman's nod, the angel floated over to the man, hovering before him as the god took the time to more fully observe her. "Amazing…" he mumbled. "May I see your hand, little ssaratu?"
"She's an angel, not a ssaratu, Nebo," Lind reminded, yet Cool Mint offered her hand to the Tic none the less.
It was pale and delicate in his own sunburnt and leathered hands, and he stroked it gently. "Ssaratu, angel, they both mean the same: One who watches. The Other Half. The Nemesis." The smile did not falter. "And now after the trials you've faced, you have not one, but two beautiful ones." Nebo laughed openly when Cool Mint flushed at his comments, then squeezed her hands and released her. "Hold still for me, sweet child. I must examine you like a proper Tic." He circled her, on occasion reaching out to touch some part of her or to request the angel flex a specific limb. "No scar tissue… amazing, no scar tissue!" he exclaimed. "What an amazing thing… when did you first surface, Sweetling? I do not remember you in our last visit."
"She came to me on Midgard," Lind explained, Spear Mint still hovering at her shoulder. "Do you remember when I spoke of the Norn I was assigned to watch? We got into a pretty bad fight on Asgard."
"Yes, I remember." Nebo paused his examination to send a quick glance to Lind. "The one who unleashed her Tendee form on a third-dimensional plane, yes?"
"That's the one," Lind nodded. "Cool Mint manifested when she was kicking my ass."
"Now what was this about swearing?" Nebo asked, and Lind snorted. "Still… she's perfect though. A complete piece to account for what you lost. Cool Mint, you said? Not 'Pepper Mint' to match her twin?" He looked back at Lind, eyes dancing with humor, and the smile on his face wilted when he caught Lind's expression.
"No," Lind said firmly. "Not 'Pepper Mint'. Never 'Pepper Mint'. Cool Mint."
Nebo raised his hands. "Okay, okay Kyz, I hear you. Cool Mint. Got it." He looked back at the angel for clarification, who nodded. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Cool Mint. Ia mulki, I've been waiting years to say that. Do you know what you represent, Sweetling?"
Cool Mint stared at the man before shaking her head.
"Hope." Nebo stroked his mustache, and his laughter was filled with joy. "You represent hope, Cool Mint." The Tic's smile never left his face as he looked back to Lind and laid eyes on her other angel. "Do not think I've forgotten about you, Spear Mint." Nebo beckoned the other angel forward, and resigned, the angel reluctantly made her way from Lind's side. "Yes, yes. You pout like Moony during an eclipse. Do you fear I will give you a shot once more?"
The angel muttered something that only her twin and Lind would have heard, yet Nebo laughed regardless. "Lind said there was a promise of infection near your scar. If it goes untreated than you will be forced to get a shot, yes? Best to nip it in the bud now before it worsens." With Cool Mint watching them both in curiosity, Nebo moved to examine Spear Mint's back. Lind smiled despite Spear Mint's discomfort through their shared link. Nebo sounded like he was back in his more typical good cheer after meeting Cool Mint, which was how she preferred him; the man tended to wear his heart on his sleeve, and his emotions were infectious, which was why he was normally quick to close shop whenever a foul mood hit him.
"What's this? Spear Mint, have you been cheating on me, Kyz? You've already been treated! There's only a small hint of infection on you!" The angel squirmed to look at her back, and Nebo grabbed a mirror for her to better observe the scar. The crystals that had begun to scale along the edges of the white scar tissue were dull and faint, a sure sign of a recovering infection. "Who you been seeing behind my back, Sweetheart?"
"That was Urd," Lind said.
Nebo looked at her with a start. "The same Norn who you said beat your ass ten minutes ago?" He demanded.
"The one that helped me bring Cool Mint into existence?" Lind clarified as she nodded. "The very same. I was sleeping in the residence she was staying at when I had the relapse. It was a nightmare intense enough to prevent me from awakening. Spear Mint couldn't manifest and so Cool Mint searched for help. Urd's angel ended up hearing her cries and helped wake me up."
"I see," Nebo murmured, eyes narrowing and he brought his face close to Spear Mint's back. "And this is the same house the other Norns were at, right? Belldandy and Skuld?"
"Yes."
"But Urd's angel was the only one to hear Cool Mint's cries?" Nebo continued.
Lind frowned and crossed her arms over her chest in thought. "As far as I could tell, yes. Why? What is it?"
"Eh, nothing Kyz. Just thinking to myself." Nebo dabbed at some of the fading crystal with a small cloth. The shards chipped away into dust at his prying, and the flesh beneath was whole and healthy. Spear Mint, for her part, tried her hardest not to move, but it was obvious she did not enjoy the careful scrutiny. "So you saying she woke you up and gave you a potion? How'd a Norn acquire such a potent tonic? And then figure out how to apply it correctly?"
"Urd made the tonic herself," Lind continued. "Apparently she almost became a Tic before being highlighted for a position as a Norn. Did you ever hear anything about that?"
Nebo's thick eyebrows shot up in surprise. "She must have had quite the master as an acolyte, then. I can almost see where the potion is breaking down what's left of the crystal, it's working so fast." He straightened. "You can relax now, Spear Mint. Lucky girl, your friend's treatment means no shot for you." The angel visibly sighed with relief, and Nebo looked back at Lind. "And I haven't. If she was still considered an acolyte when she and her sisters were considered as Norns, the only Tic to know would have been her master. You know how we hoard acolytes like treasure."
"Why hire help when an acolyte will do twice the hours and thrice the work for no pay?" Lind quoted, and nodded. She'd expected that answer. Masters never advertised the prowess of their apprentices for fear another person might come and steal them away if they were shown to have promise. And amongst Tics, whose professions were amongst the most stressful, any acolyte that showed promise was rarely shown any overt recognition amongst their peers.
"Exactly," Nebo nodded in agreement. "But enough on that, I'm more curious to hear about this relapse. Do you know of anything that could have triggered it?"
Lind shrugged. "I wasn't in Asgard, for one. That in combination with a foreign environment?"
"How foreign?" Nebo eyed her, and Lind pursed her lips, folding her arms across her chest in thought.
"Well… Morisato is part of his country's military…" She murmured. "It could have been that, but…" She looked back at Nebo and shrugged helplessly. "I dreamt. Of what I can no longer say, but I know I dreamt."
Nebo nodded. "What of Cool Mint?" he asked. "How long has she manifested in comparison to when you began to dream once more?"
Lind frowned, drumming her fingers on her arm. "Two… maybe three weeks?" she guessed. "Not long. Last night was the first time I can actively remember having a dream… even if it turned into a relapse."
"That's fine." Nebo nodded. "Remember, a relapse isn't necessarily a bad sign. You're still recovering as well, and any kind of relapse you experience is your mind's way of attempting to sort out what you went through. Even having fully recovered a person can still have nightmares about the event or be reminded of that time from external cueing."
"Right, I remember you telling me that." Lind nodded. "And… I guess I don't know. There were too many external factors to isolate one particular event as the root cause."
"That's understandable." Nebo moved to one of the shelves behind him. "I want you to start recording these events, though. In case it becomes a trend. You said Cool Mint was able to rouse you, right? Keep her on guard in case a situation like that repeats itself. I can't make an exact assessment based off one account, but if I was to judge on this lone case, I'd say that the relapses don't affect her given that she didn't go through the same experiences as you and Spear Mint, given that she hadn't been…" He paused, tapping his foot on the ground. "What is the word…? Not 'manifest' but like an egg in the womb. How do you say… 'incubating'? Bah, that sounds horrible, but I suppose that is what it was. She did not exist when you were held hostage, and her egg only began to incubate after you'd recovered enough basic motor functions to communicate with us."
"I remember," Lind said. "The experimental surgery to artificially grow the parts of my Other Half that were destroyed." She looked at Cool Mint with a mixed expression. "No one said I'd be growing a literal twin from my soul."
"No one did. It was unpredictable. You are the first and only person to give consent to the procedure." Nebo shrugged. "And it matters not. I've not seen you in such good health… in such good cheer since I was first assigned to you. She has done you a world of good, Kyz."
Lind felt a small smile tug at her lips. "You're right," she said. "I've felt… I've felt actual emotions since she manifested, Nebo. Not residue shells that I thought were emotions left over from before, not false attempts to generate joy or anger or love, but actual emotion." She looked back at Cool Mint, this time with an expression Nebo had never seen on her face before: affection. "I felt fear for the first time in… Yggdrasil, one hundred years? I almost didn't recognize it at that time. And everything else that's come with it… embarrassment, anger, joy, happiness, excitement, it's almost overwhelming, at times. I get flooded with feelings, and it's like a game trying to identify what it is and then trying to adjust enough to it where I don't alienate those around me by my odd behavior." She laughed. "Between my Special Duty status watching Urd in Asgard and monitoring the training of Valkyries and acolyte-Valkyries with our squadron, I've been… bewildered, stressed, irritated, shoot, I've even been bored, Nebo."
The goddess looked at the Tic, finding Nebo watching her with a large, ear-splitting smile as he listened. "Do you have any idea what that's like? To have been able to sit through meeting after meeting after meeting without any issues for decades, and then all of a sudden you can't sit still because the person droning on is so boring that she's putting you to sleep?" She smiled, then laughed at her own foolery. "It's amazing. It really is, and I love every single bit of it."
"That's wonderful Lind." The man beamed at her. "It sounds as though you really are making a full and complete recovery. Have you noticed any issues other than your sudden emotional recovery?"
Lind looked thoughtful, glancing between the two of her angels. "They're… noisy." She said at last. "In my head. Whenever a decision has to be made, they both want to make their opinion heard, and when they don't agree on something, it's like listening to a pair of children screaming over each other to be heard."
Both her angels had the decency to look abashed by that, Spear Mint looking away with a huff and Cool Mint flushing and looking down at the floor. "Spear Mint has come to be the more logical of the two of them, and Cool Mint… I think it's because she's so, so… young, I guess?-Because she's so young, she tends to defer more to Spear Mint, but if there's something she doesn't like or doesn't appeal to her on a more emotional level, she starts, well… screaming."
Cool Mint's flush darkened, and Spear Mint scowled at the younger twin. "Then of course Spear Mint thinks she's being drowned out, so she'll start screaming too. It's like having a pair of parrots glued to my ears."
Nebo laughed, and both the twins sent an embarrassed look at Lind. "I see, I see," Nebo said. "I suppose that is the price that must be paid for two angels, right?"
"I guess…" Lind trailed off, then brightened at once. "I wouldn't trade it for the world though. They drive me insane and make me the terror of the squadron when it comes to physical training, but I love my girls, loud as they are."
"Good." Nebo nodded in approval. "That's very good." He approached Lind with a small device that she vaguely recognized as a power scale. "Put this on your finger for me?" He held out a pair of open, padded clamps, and she gave him her hand, where he slipped the small clamp onto her index finger. The Valkyrie held the device as Nebo turned to observe a small screen. "How about your energy levels? Have you felt any days where you were particularly fatigued or exhausted? Any days where you felt like your strength was sapped or times where you struggled to train your comrades in the time since Cool Mint's awakening?"
"No," Lind replied. "After the initial surgery, maybe for a while, yes, but I had chalked that up to muscle atrophy after being confined to a bed for so long. But after Cool Mint's actual manifestation? No."
Nebo hummed as he listened to her words, and Cool Mint, ever curious, moved to peer over the Tic's shoulder. Nebo ducked his shoulder a bit so she could get a better look. "See right here?" He gestured to the screen, looking back at the smaller angel. "Right there shows Lind's energy is below average for her." He looked over at Spear Mint. "Could you return to Lind for, about… we'll give it five minutes."
Spear Mint nodded, then drifted towards Lind, descending into the Valkyrie's back as Nebo and Cool Mint returned to the screen. After a minute or two, the god hummed again, stroking his mustache. "Okay, energy is back up to standard levels again. He pointed to the screen for Cool Mint to see. "Right there. See the spike? That's what happens when Lind isn't using her energy to support an angel on the physical plane. It takes a lot for us to summon you and allow you to act autonomously." He looked at the angel. "Now you go and join your big sister, okay Sweetling? Let's see how much energy Lind produces without any angels out."
Cool Mint nodded and returned to Lind as well, and after another couple of minutes Nebo's heavy brows shot up in surprise. "Well that's a change," he stated, then looked back at Lind. "You feel no fatigue when both of your angels are out?" Lind shook her head. "None at all?" Again Lind shook her head, and Nebo returned to the screen. "How about oversaturation when neither are acting autonomous? Have there been any times you've felt overly hyper? Impatient, perhaps? Any times in the past couple of weeks where you can't sit still and need to dispel excess energy somehow?"
Lind frowned. "You just described why I don't have a desk job," she grumbled. "Can I get off this bench and see what you're talking about?"
"Sure." Nebo waved her over, and Lind hopped off the examination table and walked over to Nebo. "If you may, keep the energy display on you for a while longer though. You're showing an unusually high energy signature with both your angels banished." He pointed to the screen, showing where a large spike had manifested on the graph before leveling out at a higher interval. The man pointed to a section about a third of the way beneath the leveled spike. "Right around here is the average energy level for most deities. You're showing an excess level of energy that's bordering on dangerous, Lind."
"And you think it's because I'm hosting two angels?" Lind looked at Nebo with a frown, and the man shrugged.
"It's hard to say without further testing, but based off what we've already gained here, there's a high probability it's in relation to the angels. You said you felt fatigued shortly after the surgery that implanted Cool Mint was complete?"
Lind nodded, and Nebo stroked his mustache in thought. "It looks like your body is attempting to adjust to the demand brought on by two angels," he stated. "It could level out and turn into nothing, and what we're seeing right now is just your body going from one extreme to the next in an attempt to compensate the energy curves. Or it could be something more serious."
"Like what?" Lind sent him a wary look.
Nebo shook his head. "I can't say right now based off the information I have at hand. It's too soon to tell based off this one report. I'll need additional tests before I can make any sort of assessment or hypothesis."
Lind's frown deepened, and Nebo sent her a pointed look. "Don't sulk," he said. "Remember, you're the first of your type to pass through these walls, and so no one, you, me, even the Daitenkaicho, has any idea of what may happen as a result of this. The fact that you literally grew a second angel where everyone else was expecting a new wing for Spearmint is proof of that, and so we have to document everything carefully and ensure no one jumps to conclusions. We take it slow, we take it easy, we take our time."
Lind sighed, exasperated. "I know," she grumbled. "I just hate waiting. Which is funny given the fact that I waited close to a century just to meet Cool Mint and acknowledge the fact that I do indeed hate to wait, but still…"
"I understand," Nebo nodded. "And that will only grow worse with the current energy level you're working with. So here's what we're going to do: I want you to report back here at least once a week so that we can monitor your energy readouts. You refrain from any physical-or magic-intensive work the day prior, that way we can get a more accurate read. Based off what we learn we'll come up with a better game plan after say… six weeks or so." He ignored the despairing look Lind sent him. "Until then, try to refrain from summoning only one of your angels unless absolutely necessary. Either bring them both out or keep them both in; try and treat them as two halves of a whole rather than two individual components, okay? That might help stabilize your energy output, since for the longest time you've been going on one angel."
"Right." Lind tried to hide her scowl and failed. "Okay. Both or neither, got it. But a full day of… rest? Once a week?" She grimaced. "Isn't that a bit… excessive?"
"Zi kia, you Valkyries and your training." Nebo muttered under his breath. "They brainwash you into thinking a day of rest is too much as an acolyte, then expect you to carry the world on your shoulders with a smile when a war is called." The man rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Lind, you work hard enough as it is, and your body needs the opportunity to repair itself. The world does not revolve around Valkyries chucking boulders at each other because they think it instills strength nor cleaning buildings until even the sand looks polished against the light of the sun because you seem to think it is good discipline work."
"Hey," Lind protested. "That last one only happened once. Private Kara pissed me off mightily in Japan."
"You're not helping your case," Nebo said flatly. "What I'm saying is that you need to stop and smell the flowers on occasion. Go out and relax with friends. Take some time for yourself. Stop working yourself to the bone. Maybe a day where you aren't overexerting yourself will slow the spikes in energy a bit and help it even out with your angels to a bit more regular pace."
"I suppose…" Lind mumbled.
Nebo sighed. "You are so difficult some times. Go down to Midgard. Use the rest day to meet with Urd and ensure she's not getting into trouble, if you get too restless. Take some time to learn about a foreign culture. Do something other than throwing boulders and destroying pole arms in mock combat runs, okay? Otherwise I'll have your leadership chain you to a bed and confine you to Quarters for twenty-four hours."
Lind paled at once. "You wouldn't dare," she whispered.
Nebo sent her a level stare. "Try me."
"Okay, fine!" Lind snapped. "One full day of rest. No boulders, no rucks, no drills, no training. Got it. I'll go down to Midgard and make the other Norns' lives a nightmare instead, alright?"
"Good girl." Nebo nodded in approval. "Now, let's get you scheduled. Let's say on… Monday. That will give you all of Sunday to rest and recuperate before reporting for duty the next day. We'll do it first thing in the morning, that way you can get back to your schedule of masochistic tendencies."
"Sweat more, bleed less," Lind grumbled.
Nebo deliberately ignored her. "Stop by at eight and we'll go from there. Do you need an appointment slip?"
Lind sighed, realizing she wasn't about to get any further with him. Any more prodding and he was liable to make it two days of rest. "No," she said. "The squadron recognizes the fact I'm on Special Duty status. Most of them don't bother much with me unless I've already scheduled training for them."
"Good. Then I'll see you next Monday?" Nebo sent her an imploring look, and Lind reluctantly nodded in agreement.
"Then you're free to go."
Lind nodded, taking off the device on her finger and returning it to Nebo. "About Cool Mint though…" The Valkyrie started, and Nebo looked at her in fresh interest. "The others… Cool Mint is a sign of success. A sign of hope. You said so yourself." She stopped and bit her lip, for a moment glancing back at the energy chart that had dropped to the negative now that it was no longer connected to another person. "I mean… with Cool Mint's success, do you think it'd be possible for…"
Nebo considered her words for a long moment, his face somber. "It would depend on their family," he said. "The procedure is still considered 'experimental', Lind, and the rest of your unit is unable to give consent in their current state. You were the only one who came out with an angel still on your person, and even then, it was close to fifty years before you regained the higher brain function necessary to agree to the procedure."
"I know." Lind agreed. "I know, but… do you think, if that consent was given…"
"That they'd recover?" Nebo asked, and his voice was gentle.
Lind nodded.
"It's possible." Nebo continued. "Though it would take an indefinite amount of time. The formula is still undergoing trial and error, and you at least had an angel that could be used to formulate what was lost. But your unit… they're missing that. An angel. That beast you fought while held prisoner consumed everything, and all that was left was the shell. There'd only be a small trace of the ssaratu from which to recreate what was lost, and that could span a millennia. It took you close to a century before Cool Mint was complete enough to manifest, and that was with an angel that had lost one wing. To recreate an angel from something as minor as…dust. Shed skin. Discarded DNA… it's impossible to judge." The man shook his head. "I want to say it's possible. Cool Mint is proof enough of that. But I also don't want to put blind faith in a system still in its R&D phase."
"I see," Lind murmured. "Perhaps it is too much to hope for, just yet."
"No." Nebo shook his head. "Hope is what they need right now. It doesn't account for much in the grand scheme of things, I know, but sometimes the spirit wanders from the body, and even if it cannot commune, it can still hear. Hold faith and pass on the good word, if it pleases you. One Tic's words matter little in the grand scheme of things."
Lind grinned at the man, but it was weak. A small little half-smile more reminiscent of the Valkyrie trying to mimic emotions rather than an actual smile with meaning. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Do that." Nebo moved to embrace her in a hug. "You've got two beautiful angels riding on your shoulders, Lind. You're experiencing emotions other Tics said you'd never feel again. You are proof that there is reason to hope, just as I told Cool Mint." He released her.
"Thanks, Nebo." This time the smile on Lind's face was a bit more honest. "I think I needed to hear that. I'll keep your words to heart. I'll see you on Monday?"
Nebo nodded, and with a final goodbye Lind departed the room. For a moment, as she stepped into the hallway, once more the Valkyrie was engulfed by the eerie sensation of being watched by another presence. Yet a glance around her reveled the shadows were still and the air quiet, and the goddess was alone. Nothing, be it a ssaratu called by the flowers and moon, or a monster from haunting nightmares of buried memories, followed her out of the building.
XXX
The Sana District sat in a large dust bowl of a valley surrounded by mountains and jagged terrain. The original intention of this had been as an initial quarantine. Back in the days where diseases tended to gather and outbreaks occurred en masse, it was easier and at times safer to separate those ill and those working with the ill from other deities by harsh terrain and harsher fauna. It diminished the chance of a new disease spreading into a plague, and during those darker years in early Asgard, the dustbowl had served its design well.
Now, however, with modern medicine at the heights of achievement and Tics needed more than ever to treat the weak and ill, routes and transportation hubs had been built into the surrounding landscape, easing the distance needed to travel for the ailed. Markets had been built up along the edges and wells dug to provide sanitation and water for those within Sana, making life easier for Tic, acolyte, and patient who came to dwell there.
Yet its initial purpose had never been forgotten, and the Aesir had learned nothing if not caution in their many years of life. A sudden outbreak or a chemical attack was always a possibility where good hands worked their hardest, and even the gods were victims to fatigue when worked to exhaustion. Be it through accident or cruel intent, no one wanted to risk an outbreak in an area filled with hazardous materials, regardless of the best laid plans.
As such, amongst the markets on the outskirts of Sana was a small Valkyrie base. It was tiny; smaller even than the marketplace where those stationed nearby gathered their supplies. Another intentional design by the Powers That Be: better to lose a handful of Valkyries who could warn off others rather than an entire Wing of Aesir, Valkyries, and the Civilian deities who supported them as a community. It was an area that drilled regularly for a possible chemical, biological, or radiological attack, where gas masks were a more common occurrence than anyone wanted to outright admit, and for the past century it had been Lind's home of record since being rescued by recovery forces from a clandestine demon's base a lifetime ago.
Camp Uruku had been named after its location near at the base of the Uruku mountains, a place once damned and cursed by deities and spirits alike due to how easily its fell to the diseases of the Sana's dustbowl location. Some had even gone so far as to claim it was haunted by the many souls of restless entities incapable of reincarnating, leading to the formation of Camp Uruku's mascot: The Restless Larvae. "Death's door is but a wall to overcome. Strength. Integrity. Honor." Indeed, if Lind were to judge, the dead outnumbered the living in Uruku ten to one; though it was a small base, it also held one of the largest warrior graveyards in Asgard, and even spirits and the occasional Jotun could be found amongst the many markers located just outside Camp Uruku's gates.
Where old warriors come to die. Lind thought as she walked past the graveyard in question. It was a morose thought, one that put her ill at ease as the Valkyries on shift at the front gate examined her ID and waved her through. It being a Sunday, there were few Valkyries about, most having exchanged the small base for trips into the market outside of base or going for a Gate Hop to one of the larger cities in Asgard. Only those working shifts through the weekend or the rare soul roaming on base were spotted, and those less than a handful. It produced a desolate image of the camp, one that Lind could almost feel as she added herself to one of the few off-duty Valkyries heading about their business on base.
The warrior stopped at a quick exchange mart located near the dining facilities, picking up a couple pieces of fruit and several bottles of water before heading on her way once more. She headed past the Higher Residential and VP area where officers and senior non-commissioned officers lived and then past the Middle Residential area where she lived with the other non-commissioned officers. Past the barracks where the lower-tier Valkyries resided and then past the work centers where most of the Valkyries, Lind included, operated throughout the week.
Lind made her way towards the back near the base of the Uruku Mountains, where a facility was built into a cliff face. One of the original buildings designed to shelter against any local CBRNE threat, it had long since been repurposed into a stasis chamber for the ill and wounded recovering from grievous injuries. The facility wasn't so much an actual building as it was an expansion into the mountain itself, and one heavily guarded by Valkyrie security forces at all times. A special access badge was required just to enter the premises of the facility, and those within were closely monitored for any signs of questionable activity.
It was all for a good purpose, and previous lessons learned had shown the necessity of watching anyone who entered a stasis chamber; those injured warriors within were locked in stasis crystals, their bodies the irregular tendee forms that were more accurate portrayals of the Valkyries or Aeisr involved. The crystals were necessary for the tendee-deities involved, as many of those in stasis were in a state of being where their bodies would start to decay without regular treatment. For those within the chamber, many were in a critical state where a cure was either unavailable or undergoing development. The crystals served a secondary purpose of protection for the deities from outside forces as well, yet even crystal could break under enough pressure, thus calling for additional guards to monitor guests for suspicious activity.
Over the past century, Lind had grown as familiar with the guards on post as she had with the many Tics in Sana. Now, approaching the small guard shed barring Valkyries without a badge from access, she stepped up to see who was on shift that afternoon. "Hail, Private Fulgora, Private Spes." She raised her hand in greeting, and a pair of faces peered out at her from the guard shack.
A smile spread acros Fulgora's face. "Hail Sergeant," she greeted. "Fair weather?"
"As well as it will ever be." Lind dug into her blouse and dug out a badge hanging from a lanyard around her neck. "How long have you been on shift?"
"About eight hours," Spes muttered, dark face framed with hair twice as black. "The weekends are the worst, Sergeant. Nothing to do and we can't do anything but stand guard."
Lind nodded. "Anyone stop by to relieve you for food?"
"You see, now you're assuming people remember we're out here." Fulgora smiled, but it was strained. "Some of the girls on patrol stopped by about four hours ago, but that was right before the Guardsmount. Haven't seen anyone pass by here since."
"Figured as much." Lind offered the bags she'd picked up from the quick mart to the two Valkyries. "Split it between the two of you. If no one's come to relieve you by the time I leave, I'll bring back something a bit more sustainable."
"Thank you, Sergeant," Spes said. "Some of the other visitors have been passing us energy bars from inside, so we're not hurting too badly out here. But having some food that isn't candy is much appreciated."
Lind nodded, and after a quick look at her badge to ensure she had the proper authority to enter, was waved through by Private Fulgora. The woman continued onwards, approaching the facility's second safeguard, an electronically locked door that could only be opened by the badge itself. The badge reader gave a small, sharp beep, and the door clicked loudly as the lock was disengaged. The woman grabbed the door and swung it open, then pulled it closed behind her, listening for the telltale beep and click that indicated the lock was reengaged.
The room she entered was one with lock boxes and various signs warning against magical and electromagnetic interference, followed by a secondary door rigged with a scanner and another posted guard. The Valkyrie stowed her cell phone in one of the lock boxes, withdrawing the magic suppressor that rested inside the cubby and slipping it onto her wrist. From there she locked the box and pocketed the key, then proceeded through the second door and into the main complex area.
The main lobby was comprised of pristine white walls and crystal displays of information, where Valkyries and Tics of various professions went about their business with a gentle murmur. Lind joined the slower rush, passing from one room to the next, down various floors deeper into the mountain and finally to one particular section of the complex that Lind had devoted to her memory. She stared at the door, feeling an almost foreign feeling or trepidation churn in her stomach.
I don't like this place, she realized. I've… never liked this place. Not since waking up here. Not in the years since.
Why? Cool Mint asked, and Lind realized something else in that moment. Lind had never come to this place after Cool Mint's manifestation, and while the memories of awakening in the facility were still accessible, Cool Mint had no frame of emotion by which to connect the area with. Spear Mint could make the connection after having been with Lind for so long, but Cool Mint didn't have that same level of experience yet.
This was where I woke up. Lind replied. After I was rescued. I'd been comatose like the rest of my unit, and they'd brought us all here. The woman sucked in a heavy breath, then opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her. They said I awoke screaming and howling like an animal. I don't remember it like that though.
No. Spear Mint agreed. There was just the memories of that beast and that room… In the back of Lind's mind she imagined she heard a fluttering wing, as though Spear Mint had grown restless from where she resided in her soul.
It brought with it a horrid shudder, and an image, a memory, flashed across Lind's eyes. For a brief moment the room disappeared, and in its place came something else: a glaring white room whose ceiling stretched up into eternity with only a single door for entry. A long mirror stretched out along one side of the room, hiding the demons that watched her. A long, segmented body (like a centipede, she'd thought back then) surrounding her. Clawed limbs, too many to count, pinning her to the floor as she tried to escape. Her eyes roaming the room madly as a horrible shriek filled her ears. Looking up into a black void surrounded by silver teeth and-
The image vanished, and Lind found herself with her back pressed against the door. She was panting, and she could feel sweat trickling down her neck and to between her breasts, only to be absorbed by the fabric of her uniform.
"What was that?" Lind rasped. She clutched her brow with a hand that trembled, squeezing her eyes shut before opening them and blinking rapidly. "That was-Spear Mint? Are you okay?"
I'm okay. The angel sounded as shaken as Lind herself. I didn't like it, but I'm okay. I felt my right wing for a moment, Lind. It hurt. Like it was… bound, and I couldn't stretch it or move it. Like it had cramped up somehow. It's gone now though.
I'm sorry! Cool Mint this time. I didn't understand, and I wanted to see and I went into your memories and, and, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!
Lind swallowed, then took several deep breaths. "Ask next time, Cool Mint. I'll share what I remember with you, but you need to ask. We need to prepare ourselves for those memories." Her hands were trembling as she let them fall to her sides. "Holy fuck grenades, Cool Mint."
I'm sorry, Lind. Cool Mint apologized again. I didn't know it'd hurt you and Spear Mint like that. Lind could feel the guilt radiating from the angel. I'll ask next time, I promise. Sorry Spear Mint.
Spear Mint grumbled something that Lind didn't bother catching, and as both her angels once more fell silent, Lind turned her attention outward once more to the large room she was in. It wasn't so much one room as it was a series of interconnected rooms that had been expanded to house her entire unit under one quadrant. Though the room was narrow, she could see it stretch back to close to one hundred feet. There were five individual stations within the room, one for each member of Lind's unit, to include the station Lind herself had awoken in so many years ago. Behind the final station, one of only two empty beds, was a secondary room that was partially concealed by a collapsible wall.
The Valkyrie sighed as her eyes roamed from one stasis crystal to the next, each lined neatly against the adjoining wall. "I suppose I might as well introduce you to the team, Cool Mint." She pursed her lips, attempted a smile, failed, and didn't bother with a second try. "Cool Mint, allow me to introduce you to the fallen members of Fighting Wings Flight Twenty-four, under the four fifty-ninth attack squadron, four fifty-ninth attack wing, transient unit Uruku." Her arm swept to the stasis crystals before her.
She fell silent, once more observing the stasis crystals before her. The room was quiet aside from Lind herself; none of the technology in the room produced any noticeable noise, nor did the stasis crystals produce any sounds for the miasmic beings resting dormant inside. "I could go on." Her voice was soft in the silence. "I could tell you our flight's history, our victories, our fame, our faults, our defeats… all of it. We have a rich history-a history you are now a part of as well… but with them as they are now, it would feel…flat. Insubstantial. Weak." Lind shook her head sadly. "Our tale is one that deserves to be shared amongst our brethren, yes, but to speak of it now… it's…" She trailed off, at a loss of words.
It would be admitting defeat. Spear Mint supplied. To abandon our sisters, who sleep as deeply as we once had and who may yet recover.
Lind nodded. "They… we were all comatose when we were rescued. All of us. Major Sanngrior, Lance Corporal Mist, Private Gunnr, and me, back when I was a Private too."
All but one, Spear Mint continued. But we never saw Sergeant Rota again after they numbered us and separated us. She was the only one who wasn't recovered.
Will you tell me about them? Cool Mint asked, and it was a strange request. The younger angel had easy access to all of Lind's memories, having been born of her soul, and on some deep, subconscious level, even held Spear Mint's memories as her own. Yet it was not just the request that was strange. There was something in the angel's tone that spoke of more than a simple question. Something Lind couldn't identify but felt was important.
It made Lind pause, for a moment staring into space in consideration. She shrugged. "I suppose it couldn't hurt," she said. "I've not shared their tales in many years…" She snorted. "The last I spoke of them… the first I'd spoken of them since recovering had been with Morisato." The goddess shook her head. "Perhaps I'm doing them a dishonor. Yggdrasil knows if it was Gunnr or Mist in my place, they'd be raving about the stupidity of our unit and the situations we found ourselves in. Not with the demons, no-not that. But training? Running one hundred miles with a ruck you could barely shoulder because Major Sanngrior thought it was 'fun'? Mist whistling her little tune until it got stuck in everyone's head? Gunnr's ill luck with additional duties?" A small smile swept across her face, there one minute and gone the next. "Yggdrasil, and I was no better-a new Private right alongside Gunnr and terrified of everyone and everything because of what they put acolytes through. And Sergeant Rota grousing over us lower-tier Valkyries, Nest Mother though she was."
Lind shook her head. "We're lucky, Cool Mint. I don't know how much you actually understand about Valkyrie structure but… when an acolyte is assigned to a flight, it is usually the first and only family she'll come to know. We work together, train together, eat together, and sleep together. We build a strong comradery between each individual in the flight, so as to better operate in combat." She paused and thought for a moment, then said, "I suppose in some ways, we're comparable to Morisato and his Seal Team. Cooperation and communication are instilled as early as possible, and we're quick to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses, and then work hard to pair each other with the individual who can best improve on those weaknesses."
Now the Valkyrie chuckled. "Major Sanngrior was big on that." She approached one of the stasis crystals in particular, and rested a hand on the transparent mineral, watching as the miasma form within churned in tight, looping coils. "She was the terror of our little unit. We called her 'Durga' because of how violent she was. For her it was always 'train, train, train'. If we weren't training our bodies, then we were training our minds, if not our minds, out magics, if not our magics, our bodies, and Yggdrasil forbid she find you resting or slacking off." The woman sighed, examining the rigid crystals that encompassed the tendee form within. "She's a terrifying person. I still have never met a woman just so, so knowledgeable about…everything, I guess. There'd be times when Sergeant Rota would convince her to give us some down time to recover, and the Major would bring up just some… random topic about… Niflheim, Jotenheim, demons, spirits, polmil, weapons systems, anything and everything, and she'd start prodding the waters to see what we knew, then go into this whole discussion on how one weapon system worked or how one of the Nine Worlds operated per their doctrine. And this was on top of not just staying on top of us, but running us all ragged with physical training and magical theory as well."
She sounds very intimidating, Cool Mint said.
She is, Spear Mint replied. I feel that if she were to ever meet the Daimakaicho, there would be no more wars; Sanngrior would simply glare at the woman and send her and her entourage running for the hills.
You make her out to be a monster, Cool Mint reprimanded.
In some ways, she was, Spear Mint replied. But her training worked, and I don't think any of us would even be alive right now if not for the skills she instilled in all of us, injuries or not.
So that's why you drill the other Valkyries so hard… Cool Mint murmured. Lind nodded in affirmative.
"Sweat more, bleed less," the woman stated. "Those were words the Major lived by, and we were terrified of her training regime on a daily basis because of it. If she'd had things her way, Major Sanngrior would have worked us until we couldn't move anymore. Thankfully Sergeant Rota was there to act as a bit of a buffer between us of the lower tier and the Major."
"Sergeant Rota was… a character. She was a particularly salty Valkyrie-one of those who made a life out of the military, but had seen through the bullshit that was attributed to it long ago. It made her very blunt and grouchy, and she drove the Major insane because of it. But as Major Sanngrior's second in command, there wasn't really anything that could be done. The two would butt heads constantly, which worked in our favor because it gave us lower-tiers the chance to sneak off and take a break."
The Valkyrie moved to a separate stasis crystal, the various branching clusters curving upwards and parting like the parted maw of a beast. "Mist was good about that. She could recognize when the Major and the Sergeant were about to get into a debate, and she'd grab Gunnr and me-both of us the new 'babies' back then, and all three of us would slip away. By the time one of them-Major Sanngrior or Sergeant Rota-found us again, Mist would give a warning and we'd be on our faces doing some kind of exercise-some kind of training to make us look busy. Rota would usually leave us be or, better yet, cut us loose, but if it was Major Sanngrior it'd be enough to start some sort of grueling nightmare training once more."
Lind grimaced at the memory. The Major's voice still came easily to mind, "Who's ready for a ruck march? Grab your weapons, grab your armor, we're going for a run, from here all the way to the Central District. Gunnr. Lind. You two up front where I can see you. Gunnr, you're the flag bearer-what are you-no! Other side, numbnuts! You want to knock out Lind while she's calling cadence? Lind, I swear on Yggdrasil's three roots, if I can't hear you singing from the back of the formation, I will personally stone you. Mist? What are you doing looking around with that stupid look on your face? Get your ass moving! Rota? Rota? Where the hell is Rota?!"
"Behind you Ma'am. Might want to pause the run. Captain Herja from the Intelligence flight wants to talk to you. Said it was urgent."
"Daitenkaicho's left nut, what the hell is it now?"
"She says she can't speak over unencrpyted comms."
"Mother of the Blessed Abyss, can I be left to train my fucking flight of fools for five minutes? Rota, take over for me, let's see what that blasted flight wants this time. I swear, if it's another exercise along the DMZ…"
Lind blinked, rousing herself from her memories. "I'd forgotten that," she mumbled, then looked down at the Mist's stasis crystal. "That… that had been right before we'd received orders to deploy. It was my first deployment. Gunnr's too, and Mist's second." She rubbed her brow, eyes squeezing shut as a sharp pain rose in the back of her brain. With it came more voices from the past, none of which she was prepared for.
"Pepper, Strife." Lind and Gunnr looked to Sgt. Rota as the Major, a large, intimidating woman with tan skin and angular facial features, left the area. "Get Fog. I need to speak with you all while Durga's distracted."
"I got it." Gunnr rushed off, and Lind watched the blonde go, a pensive frown on her face. Rota only used all their callsigns when things were going either really good or really bad, and the woman's tone spoke towards the latter. She looked back at the lone NCO in their small flight of five, watching as Rota, sometimes called 'Sleet' because of her pale and outlandish features, paced the room restlessly. Gunnr returned with Mist at her side, and Rota gestured them to gather close to her.
"There was an attack on one of our outposts in the Wasteland," she said, voice rough and grating from years of shouting orders. "The Intel Captain couldn't share all the details over the phone with me, but higher leadership is going to be calling for adhoc deployments. Return to your barracks and grab your Mo Bags. Make sure you have everything you need. We're on standby for the Major's word to drop."
"What are we going to do?" Lind ventured, not quite expecting an answer.
"Patrols, mostly," Rota replied. "We're going to be guarding one of our bases and doing convoys with other flights to see if we can weed out any demons that might be encroaching on our territory. We haven't got much intel to go off of, so we're the acting collectors for the Intel folks to pass on to our later relief. The joys of acting First Responders." She looked at the three of them, her face grim. "I know this is sudden, but remember, this is what we've been training for. It's time to put the skills we've mastered through training and practice to use."
She looked between Lind and Gunnr. "Pepper, Strife, this will be your first deployment. The demons along the DMZ have been acting up recently, and we've been receiving word that they've been conducting a multitude of exercises in the past couple of months. There's been a lot of tension along the Wasteland because of that, and a lot more battles because of that tension. You will see combat, and so I need to stress to you the importance of following the Major's orders once we leave Camp Uruku. Keep your heads down when we head out. This isn't about glory. This isn't about bragging rights. Valkyries who get cocky on the battlefield are the first to die, and you won't be the first or the last to fall if you think your youth and training makes you invincible. Remember, there are other ways to die than a shot through the heart or a shot in the head. Do you understand?"
"Yes Sergeant." Lind and Gunnr mumbled together, and Rota nodded.
"Good." She looked at Mist. "Fog, make sure these two have their Mo Bags ready to go. Do a bag drag with them while we still have time to ensure they've got everything and aren't bringing a bunch of useless shit with them. We won't have time to do a bag drag when the orders drop, and I don't trust these two enough to pack their own bags."
"Yes Sergeant." Mist nodded for effect.
"Good." Rota fell silent, looking the three of them over once more with that pensive frown. "You're released for the day. Keep calm and don't waste your energy. We're going to have a long couple of days ahead of us."
"Why am I remembering this all now?" Lind whispered, clutching her head and rubbing the section of her skull that throbbed. "Cool Mint?" She called. "Is it you?"
For a moment there was silence, then a tentative, "yes" arose in her mind. I'm sorry, I-I'm trying to understand everything a bit more. Our flight. What you and Spear Mint went through. But everytime I try and draw on the memories it seems to affect you as well, Lind." Cool Mint sounded upset. I'm sorry, I'm not intentionally trying to drag the memories up, they just-just happen, and I don't know how to control them.
"It's okay, Cool Mint. It's alright. I'm not mad," Lind soothed. "Just… hang on a moment, alright?" The Valkyrie looked around, observing the stasis crystals holding her flight's tendee form once more. Most of her memories pertaining to that time… to her flight-had left her following her awakening from her own comatose state, and she'd never shed much light on the possibility of regaining those lost fragments. She'd never even considered the possibility of…
The woman shook her head. Have I really done them such a dishonor? she wondered. To never even make the attempt to remember their own sacrifices? The thought made her stomach churn, and for a moment Lind felt sick. I'd have left their memories to rot in my subconscious if not for Cool Mint's digging. She realized, and felt a wave of anger towards herself for her own selfishness. "Cool Mint… if I asked you to remember that deployment for me… could you?" she called. "If I asked you to try and dig up those memories for me… it would allow me to see what I forgot, right?"
Lind, think carefully before you do this, Spear Mint warned. You forgot that time for a reason, remember? The Tics said it was a self-defense mechanism.
"I know," Lind agreed. "And at the time, I had one angel and a severe injury that would have required that mental block. But I've recovered since then. I need to know, Spear Mint. We all do."
I'm not sure about this… Cool Mint was hesitant as well. The nightmare… I had to get help in order to rouse you, remember? World of Elegance was the only angel who came to our aid, and at that point I considered even that more luck than cause. If I start rooting around for those memories, Lind… you've got that magic destabilizer on your wrist. I won't be able to manifest and run for help like last time. If I can't rouse you out of it or stop it… if Spear Mint can't stop it… you'll be trapped in your own mind, Lind.
"I know." The Valkyrie took a deep breath, than left towards the far end of the small line of stasis crystals, coming to the collapsing wall and pulling it back. Inside was a meditation room; Valkyrie tradition dictated one be crafted for any Valkyrie suffering a grievous injury. In times long past it was said that meditation would allow a Valkyrie to commune with those who'd passed on while in service. A strong enough meditation was said to draw the lingering remains of those specific individuals, and if the user's will was strong enough, at times a wish could be made to those deceased on behalf of those injured in combat. Over the years the belief had grown more into a superstition rather than an actual practice, but a meditation room it remained none the less. The room was decorated with personal items of Valkyries long since deceased who'd once been a part of Lind's specific unit, and under banisters and decrepit weapons long past their prime, Lind folded her legs beneath her and sat down.
She tugged her Shi Baku in reflection-another tradition devolved into superstition-and then spoke. "I need to remember, Girls. For the Major. For Mist and Gunnr. For Sergeant Rota, whom we never recovered." She scowled, feeling her heart begin to thrum rapidly and feeling her head beginning to throb in tune to her pulse. "I might learn something. Something I forgot. Something I can use to help them. Something to tell me what happened to Rota."
Lind, please reconsider this, Cool Mint pleaded. I won't be able to stop it once it starts. You'll be buried under it until it's over.
"That's what I'm expecting." Lind grit her teeth. "Let's do this, Cool Mint!"
And with a line that echoed the ghosts of her past, both Cool Mint and Spear Mint spoke up: Demons will dance on your grave for your idiocy one day, Pepper. And as Lind felt herself fall into her memories, a piece of her smiled, for the voice she heard was not of her angels but Rota's, once upon a time in a land far, far away.
A/N: Merry Christmas! A day late I know.
Comments of a Madwoman: Happy holidays everyone. Remember, this story diverges from canon quite a bit, and we're starting to see more of that with Lind's story. This entire arch is more of an interlude between this and the upcoming one, so we'll focus a bit more on this section before moving back to Midgard. Enjoy, as we go on a bit of a world-building tour with Lind and her flight.
