The Bifrost opened into a place of soft rolling meadows covered in grass and what seemed to be a man-made park, with gentle hills near the horizon. The air was chill but the sky was a deep shade of blue.
"Where are we?" Hela asked, looking around.
"This is where Jane works." Thor pointed at a glass building. In that moment, from that same building, black jeeps started to pour out.
"Is that normal in Midgard?" Fandral asked.
"Yes. Though it doesn't mean it's good. Keep your weapons sheathed."
"Wait, Heimdall sent us inside the facilities?" Hela looked up at the sky. "Heimdall, fences mark boundaries. You don't send people inside boundaries, you send them to the Gates!"
"I don't see any fences." Sif looked puzzledly around her.
"Over there. They're covered in climbing plants." Hogun pointed to his left.
"Why would they do that? It blocks their vision of incoming enemies," Volstagg asked.
"I think it's not a military facility."
The jeeps started to surround them. "You are inside US government facilities without authorization. Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air."
Thor raised his hands and stepped forward toward the man who spoke. "I am Thor Odinsson, prince and heir to the Asgardian Throne, and I come with a most urgent matter to discuss with Doctor Jane Foster. It is a matter concerning the security of the my Realm." He stopped right in front of the spokesman, hands still in the air.
"We had gathered as much, Sir, but it's protocol." The spokesman chuckled.
"I understand, and commend you for your zealousness in compliance of your duty."
"Thank you, Sir. Now, if you could remain still while I run a scan of your face... Don't close your eyes." The man held a devise to Thor's face, which pulsed with light three times. "There we go, now fingertips in the pads... Perfect, you're all clear. Your companions are...?" He started walking toward them.
"Those are Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun. And she's Hela, Princess and Protector of Helheim."
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Protocol dictates that I should ask for your picture ID's, but I doubt you have anything like that," he chuckled, "so I'll ask to scan your facial features and your fingerprints for future references. Meanwhile, I cannot grant you access to the facility – again, protocol – but I'll ask Dr Foster to come over."
"We'll be happy to comply."
o.o
Ten minutes later, Dr Jane Foster opened the door and headed to the bench they were waiting in.
"Hey, Thor," she said and kissed him. "I thought you were still at the Tower."
"Jane. I'm sorry to come so unexpectedly, but urgent matters have got my attention."
Jane frowned at him while shaking everyone's hand, but stopped in front of Hela.
"I'm not sure we have met...?" she said.
"We haven't." Hela smiled. "I'm Hela, and it's such an honor to meet you, Doctor Foster. I read your paper on the method for Bifrost – sorry, Einstein-Rosen bridges traveling, and theories for the reduction of the necessary machinery without losing power, and I firmly believe in ten years' time you'll have developed a pocket-size bridge ready to operate."
Thor threw a very puzzled look at Hela.
"Wow, thank you. I'm still struggling with the calibration for the landing place, tough. And are you Hela Hela, Thor's niece?"
"Yes, that's me." She noticed Thor staring at her. "What? I try to learn everything I can about every Realm's technology. Midgard is by far the most advancing one."
"Well, since it's an ally's political interplanetary matters that require my help, I'm excused from work today. What's happening?" Jane asked.
"We would prefer more privacy than this. It's a delicate matter, Jane," Thor told her.
"Oh. How delicate?"
"'War' delicate," Hela said.
"My car's in the parking lot."
After careful planning, including Fandral lying on top of everyone else and Hela turning into a parakeet, all the Asgardians fitted into Jane's small car.
o.o
By the time they had reached her house, Jane had already heard the whole recount of the situation and she was frowning.
"So the Bifrost is completely useless in this situation."
"Yes, prreeeeee," parakeet Hela said from her perch on the dashboard. "Helheim can be closed off preeetty much like a tin can. Livamjo can just stopreeeeeeeetfrom connecting. But the technology you used during the Convergence prrreeee works on another prrrreeeeeeenpiple, more like brachwalking, and prrrrrreeeeeeee Roots I hate being a paraprrrrreeeeeee. Damn it all to Musprrreeeheim!"
"There, there, niece." Thor smiled and stroke the feathers on her back. Hela tried to bite his finger.
Jane parked and everybody got out of the car, stretching limbs and working kinks. The door to the house opened and Darcy poked her head out.
"Hey, everyone's here!" Darcy said. She bounced down the stairs on the porch, but stopped short. "Wait, is it the end of the world again?"
"Just of onepree," Hela chirruped, then cleared her throat. "Sorry about that."
o.o
They were gathered in the small living room, Hela and Jane going over the next step of their plan. Hela was clutching a stick-like devise and Jane held the controllers.
"Give me enough time to get the spell going, then turn it on." She tried to adjust her grip. "Uh, the tape is coming off."
"Huh. Darcy, could you bring...?"
"I'm on it." Darcy was already in the kitchen, fishing for something in a drawer. "There we are. Catch!" She threw Jane a roll of tape.
Jane fumbled to catch it, trying to avoid dropping the controllers. "Darcy!"
"Oops, sorry."
"Here, hold this." Jane put the controllers on Sif's hands and started taping the rod together. "Here we go. When you're ready."
Hela closed her eyes and concentrated. "Go ahead," she finally said. A tiny spark flew from the device and seemed to hold in the air. "It's working!" Hela shouted. "It's small but I can see Helheim!"
Suddenly everything around them started moving as if a light wind blew. It stopped, and hair, papers, pens and even the tape started floating, and the lights went on and off.
Then everything started spinning, rocketing around, bouncing off walls and floor, hitting people and surfaces, flying and twisting and smacking. Abruptly, everything stopped and dropped to the floor, the portal to Helheim enlarging at the same time.
"Crap," Hela said, and an unseen force pulled them toward the portal.
She rolled on the ground, trying to find purchase to stop. When she finally did, she stood up, checked the fastening of her cape and shook the grime off her dress.
"Is anybody hurt?" Thor asked.
There was a chorus of nos, and the Asgardians gathered around Jane and Darcy, who looked winded and sore, but had nothing worse than scratches and minor cuts. Hela was inspecting them closely.
"Will they need healing stones? I have some," Sif asked.
"Don't worry," Hela answered, conjuring balms and bandages, "there's nothing I can't handle with my somewhat lacking healing skills. That's something I should learn. I can't do anything for the plant, though."
"Which plant?" Jane asked and Hela nodded in its direction. "Oh."
"No, my philodendron!" Darcy cried. "I was doing my best to keep it alive."
"Told you so," Jane said. "You're the death of every plant that crosses your path. Shame on you."
"I feel bad enough already, Jane. Hey, you're a witch, right?" she asked Hela.
"I would prefer 'sorceress', really."
"Well, sorceress, can you do some hocus pocus to keep it alive?"
Hela shrugged. "Sure." She conjured a shovel and handed it to Fandral. "Could you dig a hole for Darcy's plant, Fandral?"
"I would appreciate it, like, a lot." Darcy flashed him a smile.
"Anything for a lady as fair as you, Miss Darcy."
"That was overkill," Hela said smiling, while dressing one of Jane's cuts.
Darcy grinned at her, while Sif snorted and Jane rolled her eyes. They were smiling too, though.
"That was slightly scary," Thor said.
"Slightly?" Volstagg guffawed. "Two women are slightly scary. Four? Four can bring down empires, and that's terrifying."
"Then thank God there's four of us," Jane said.
"What do you mean?"
"Equipment's broken. We're stuck in here with no way to bring in reinforcements."
"Are you kidding? Jane, please tell me you're kidding," Darcy begged.
Jane shook her head.
"Then we'd better get going," Hela said. "I don't want to be found when I can reveal myself in due time."
"Where to?" Hogun asked.
"Northern Niflheim. I want to know what exactly that bastard is hiding. Though it probably won't be pretty to look at."
"How far away is it?" Sif said.
"Behind those mountains," Hela said and stood up. Green light surrounded her, replacing her dress with her armor and her cape became a scarf tied around her waist. She fastened her sword and daggers on her belt. "We'll have to walk. I can't transport you, and brachwalking would bring too much attention."
o.o
The closer they got to Niflheim, the colder it became, until they were stepping on frosted ground that cracked slightly under their feet.
"The climate is changing too fast. It's incredible," Jane said looking around, Thor hugging her tightly to keep off the cold.
"There is a... it's like a glacier or the pole, just much smaller, in the middle of Niflheim, but the mountains make a ring that keep the cold in. And talking about cold, does anyone need warm clothes? I have some," Hela explained and took a look at Darcy, wrapped in Fandral's cape and shaking.
"That may be a wonderful idea," Fandral said.
Hela conjured some blankets. "It's all I have," she said, handing them out.
"None for you, niece?"
"No, I'm doing fine."
"You know your hands are turning blue, right?" Darcy pointed out. Fandral tensed next to her. "What?"
"I won't get cold." An awkward silence fell, and they kept walking.
"What did I say?" Darcy whispered to Fandral.
"She's half Jotun."
"Oh. And, um... that's bad?"
"It's just... we don't talk about it."
"Don't worry about it," Hela said, falling back at their side. "No harm done. And I make some awesome snowmen."
"Sorry, anyway," Darcy said sincerely. Hela smiled at her.
o.o
They were walking through the woods on a ravine, their steps silent and their voices hushed. A strange air surrounded the area.
Thor stopped and tilted his head to the right, listening intently. He turned to his companions, frowning, and cocked his head. Everyone nodded. He readied Mjolnir and pointed at Sif and Hogun, who went to scout. Thor, Fandral and Volstagg formed a protective half circle around Jane and Darcy, while Hela stood apart, peeking through the trees.
"What's going on?" Jane whispered.
"Sounds like a encampment," Thor whispered back.
"People live here?" Darcy asked.
"No," Hela murmured to them.
"That's bad," Volstagg said, rising his ax.
They remained in silence until Hogun and Sif came back.
"There's about forty skeletons in combat gear and a field tent," Sif said.
"Distance?"
"Less than a mile away."
"We can bypass them then, take a round way."
"Just forty of them?" Hela asked. "Are you sure?"
"Why?"
"There's usually sixty to seventy on each company. If they're patrolling we have to move fast be
fore they catch up." She took two sticks she found on the floor and gave them to the Midgardians.
"What? Why?" Jane took the stick.
"Running may... stop being an option at some point."
Jane frowned and her eyes darted to Thor.
"Most probably unnecessary," he said and took her free hand, "but a wise precaution."
"That's it," Darcy spoke. "When we get back home, I'm gonna buy a sword or something and kidnap you," she poked Fandral on the chest, "to teach me how to use it."
"And I'd be honored," Fandral smiled put his hand on his chest, "though I would prefer the gentleness of persuasive words to the violence of a kidnapping, Milady."
"I hate to interrupt your, um, moment, my friends," Thor said, "but we need to leave this place, and fast."
o.o
They had walked half a mile in the opposite of direction the camp when a patrol spotted them and sounded the alarm. It was a low, rumbling sound that was more felt than heard. Thor, Sif and Volstagg charged ahead while Hogun, Fandral and Hela kept the rear. Three brief hits and the skeletons lay scattered on the floor in a matter of seconds.
"They reform, uncle. We have to go now," Hela told Thor and sprinted away. "Over here." She pushed some shrubbery out of the way and slid down a slope.
The rest followed her, hearing the bones shaking behind them.
"Why are we running? Those... guards are nothing we cannot handle," Fandral said.
"I'm not worried about those." Hela didn't slow down. "I'm worried about the rest."
"What rest?" Volstagg asked.
"Companies are connected. Now that the alarm's rung they are-" She was interrupted by a loud noise, clatters and clangs from above the trees coming their way. "-here," she finished as the firsts bones crashed on the ground. As soon as the skeletons started forming the Asgardians pounced on them, slashing and crushing and smashing, but there were too many pieces and they reformed almost immediately.
"Hela!" Thor threw his hammer to his left felling three foes, ripped the skull of a skeleton and threw it at another. "Can you do something?" He turned right and let Sif's glaive pass by his side, destroying another foe as Mjolnir came back to his hand.
"Yes!" Hela dropped to chop the feet off a skeleton with her sword and kicked it on the pelvis. "But I'll have to stop fighting!" She locked her dagger between the forearm bones of another skeleton and blasted it away with magic.
"Do it! We have this!"
She dropped back to a relatively clear area, where Jane and Darcy were swinging their weapons and kicking away stray bones.
"Are you using swords?"
"The bones dropped them!" Jane took a whole arm, tore it apart and chucked it.
"It's like Minecraft but with less zombie pigmen! And more creepy!" Darcy kicked a femur.
"What the roots is a zombie pigman?" Hela muttered and sat on the floor near them, untying the scarf from around her waist. "This may get ugly to look at, ladies, but don't get distracted!" She placed the scarf on the floor.
The Midgardians were too busy keeping the skeletons that trespassed the circle of Asgardians to notice at first, but then the smell – like old dust and long-rotten flesh – hit them. They looked down and saw Hela. Half her hair had gone from shining black to gray and brittle, and the little skin they could glimpse was wrinkled and spotted like an old lady's. The smell was coming from her.
"Hela, are you ok?! Hela!" Jane shouted.
"Skeletons, skeletons!" Hela shouted back.
Jane took a skull connected to an arm and threw it at a skeleton at Fandral's back while Darcy smacked a two-legged hand and sent it flying.
"I've had crazy days but this is just goddamn ridiculous," Jane said. "And how are this things even staying together? Get off me!" She flung a hand away.
"Hela! Hurry up!" Fandral's voice floated over to them.
"What about the day," Darcy kicked another mismatched collection of bones, "we drove to Florida with Erik for that stuff he needed?"
"With the 'gator?"
"Yep."
"I wonder if they ever got the car to the surface. Still, I wasn't fighting... bones that day." Jane's speech fell flat as the skeletons around her started dropping to the ground, now nothing but a pile of motionless bones. "Did you do that?" she asked Hela.
"Yes." Hela stretched out and grabbed her scarf, her skin and hair going back to normal. "Sorry you had to see this."
"See what?" Hela waved her hand over her left side. Jane shrugged. "It's... weird, and I thought you were sick and... sorry, it caught me by surprise."
"It's understandable if you're... shaken by it."
"It's kinda creepy, yeah," Darcy piped in, "but cool creepy, like Halloween."
Hela snorted and stood up, watching the Asgardians walk toward them. "Well, now that you know my secret I'll have to kill you." The women stared at her. "Sorry, it was a bad joke. Thanks for not shrieking, though."
"Is this the way to treat your subjects, Hela? I thought I had taught you better, daughter." A bone was kicked in her direction.
Hela whipped around and met a pair of eyes, green as her own. "Father?"