AN: I received some very concerning critique about some of my early plot twists (especially about Taylor trigger and world reaction to it). Rn I am trying to come up with good enough edits to make the plot better without the need to rewrite a substantial amount of the whole work. I'll notify readers in the notes corner when these edits will take place
Her cell was unbelievably boring. Plain, ascetic, small. Boring. She had no clock, no windows, no books. Yes, she even considered reading as a worthy time-spending activity, which was so out of her usual modus operandi.
Everything around her was disgustingly monotonous. The walls were the same color as the ceiling and the floor. The blanket and pillow had the same texture. She already hated this place far more than she hated Hebert, even though Hebert was the main reason she was here.
Sophia hated the routine. All this quietness, immutability, and stability-all of it disgusted her to the core. She was a hunter, not a victim, and excitement was one of her main motivators. And now here she was - trapped within four walls, awaiting execution.
Oh yes, the forthcoming press conference was exactly that, an execution. Execution for Sophia as a parahuman. She was no fool and possessed enough common sense to know that the choice Alexandria gave her was only about choosing between execution methods, not punishments.
Anchorage - Sophia knew how to keep her ear to the ground. There was a lot of speculation and legend about Alaska, but most of it boiled down to the fact that Anchorage Protectorate was a really wonderful place with military-grade discipline, harsh winters, and occasional Russian supervillains in fur, and there was no going back from this place exempting really serious situations. Such an alternative to exile.
The asylum was not even funny. To end up in an asylum with the very real psycho capes is an even more unpleasant outcome. "Chance to become a hero after you get out" - Alexandria had a sense of humor. Quite peculiar, but even so. Only Sophia didn't feel like laughing at all.
Escape and find herself at Hebert's mercy? Seemed perfect. Hebert had always been a good prey and a shitty predator, and, even with the implanted beacon, Sophia had no doubt that she would be able to evade her pursuit. But there were other things at play here. It wasn't Hebert herself who was dangerous-no, far from it. It was the creatures she summoned that were dangerous. She didn't know everything, but even here, in her solitary confinement, word had gotten out about the massacre at Brockton Central, followed by the "miraculous" healing.
Except that Sophia was well aware that this was simply a demonstration of what would happen if she provoked those creatures who were guarding Hebert. And she doubted that even if Hebert forgave her - which was ridiculous, that those creatures would leave her alone.
"Ah, why do the right thoughts come so late in people's heads..." suddenly she heard an unknown girlish voice.
Sophia jumped up from the bed, looking around. The room was empty. What was that? Dragon pranking her? Impossible. Dragon didn't seem the type. Maybe Vista's messing with her powers again. No... She doesn't sound like her voice. Then who? Uber and Leet? But what are they doing in the prison block? And it turns out that someone just read her mind?
"No, no, it's not like that, Disgusting Sophia. You sleep sweet and soundly, and in this dream there is no need to read your thoughts - they are in plain sight," the voice was still coming from nowhere and was so pallid that it made Sophia feel uncomfortable. If she really is asleep, though...
"Who are you? Freaking Hebert's new ugly lapdog?"
At that moment Sophia felt as if her lips were scalding with boiling water.
"You don't talk about Fair Lady like that, Sophia."
Hess wanted to snap back at the nasty voice but suddenly found that she couldn't. The words were stuck in her throat, refusing to come out.
"Well, you see, you'd have become a decent young lady after all. Everything your masters need - just some old-fashioned ways when handling an unbecoming girl. Clearly, the New World had lost its roots and traditions. Oh, what a pity."
Sophia felt herself boiling over. That thing acted like she was a queen here.
"Show yourself, bitch!" - she shouted into the emptiness of the room. Even in her sleep, she couldn't get out of here. And that was frightening.
However, just as she said it, her lips burned with boiling water again. Sophia almost howled in helplessness, again not noticing where the blow had come from.
"I had only hoped for your manners, Sophia, and you've disappointed me again. I don't know what your masters see in you that makes them so reluctant to let you go with your misbehavior..." There was a note of regret in the disembodied voice.
"Because I'm a hero! I save fucking people from creatures like you!" Sophia shouted to the void. Again.
The emptiness seemed puzzled and silent for a second, but only for a second.
The next moment it laughed. A laugh as unnatural and inanimate as it is resonant and childlike.
"You call yourself a hero, Stalker. So mote it be. Well, heroes do heroic deeds. Do yours, Sofia. Prove you're not lying. And when you fail... Don't be afraid of my favorite nightmare. It will only kill you. "
Reality changed.
The place where she found herself... was strange. It was... a chessboard that stretched from horizon to horizon. It was a black-and-white square-it made her eyes glaze over. Countless squares, too many to count. Ashy gray dawn was dawning in the sky.
But that wasn't what caught her attention, not at all.
It was a creature akin to a dragon, looming before her, devouring her with its huge orange eyes. Snake-like double-tipped tail wiggled between two monstrous back legs with an unmatching number of claws between two of them.
And it was already raising its enormous paw, ready to strike.
Instinctively, Sophia tried to move into her Breaker form to slip under the monster's paws and...
The huge paw encased in black scales approached too quickly and, instead of slipping through the incorporeality, sent Sophia flying.
It was as if Sophia had been hit by a truck, rushing at full speed-so powerful was the impact. The flight lasted a few seconds, during which Sophia was able to recover her knocked-out breath somehow, to regroup enough to turn the inevitable damage of falling flat into an almost painless roll.
She spat blood. That blow had definitely broken a few of her ribs, if not worse. Hess realized that she wouldn't survive another blow like that.
The distance separating her and the dragon was about twenty meters, and the creature was in no hurry to shorten it. That gave Sophia a brief respite. Her first question was, why the hell hadn't she been able to use her Breaker form?
Sophia tried again to conjure up a sensation in her head for the transition-but nothing happened. Nothing at all. Even the electric suppressor bracelets that the PRT used on her were just electrocuting her the moment she tried to activate the ability, the ability itself was working fine.
But now... Whoever the projection that sent her here was, it took away Sofia's abilities. And as she assessed her chances against the twenty-foot-tall creature that scowled at her with jagged rows of huge razor-sharp teeth, Hess could say with certainty that it was too tough a game for her in the current circumstances.
But what choice did she have?
Sophia looked around. For miles around, she saw no buildings, no pits, no opportunities for shelter.
There was no way she could escape from here.
In desperation, she screamed upward somewhere.
"Is that it? You just brought me here to die?"
However, the answer came from nowhere she could have guessed.
"Rrr... Alice... Why aren't you fighting? Who are you calling? Will the Frabjous Day die in vain?" The monster roared, almost puzzled.
"I'm not Alice!" Hess yelled back, convinced that if it-whatever it was-can talk, and from the looks of it, quite intelligently, it's bound to be manageable.
"Not r... Alice?" - In an instant, the creature leaped, bridging the distance that separated them in a split second. The huge yellow eye was right in front of Sophia, scrutinizing her. Huge nostrils that smelled faintly of smoke drew noisily in the air around her. - "Rrr... You're not Alice, girl... You have an odd coloration, but why did you call me here?"
"I had nothing to do with it! Some strange invisible creature shoved me here, taking all my strength. Said I could call myself a hero, and sent me to you to perform a "feat,"" Sophia said in air quotes with her fingers.
"So that's how it is. Dear Alice sends some weakling here again, instead of giving me a decent fight. Or maybe you're worthy of chopping my head off. To emerge victorious on Frabjous Day?
The orange eye stared at her intently, without blinking. It frightened Sophia. It was as if she were petrified at the sight of this monster.
Sophia hesitated, but ultimately she understood her chances.
"I... am... not... worthy..." she murmured softly.
"Rrr... You, humans, don't know how to talk so you can be heard! Louder."
A tongue of flame erupted from his mouth as he spoke, almost scorching Sophia's hair.
"I AM NOT WORTHY!" - Sophia almost shouted, still unable to move. Perhaps for the first time in her life, she felt like a piece of juicy meat caught in the eyes of a ravenous predator.
"Rrr... Too bad. I had hoped that for once Dear Alice would once again fight and slay me on the new Frabjous Day. Well, then, prepare to die, Unworthy one. There is no glory in admitting defeat when the battle has not yet begun."
Sophia tried to object, but she had to duck because the giant jaws closed on the spot where her head had been a moment ago.
She tried to think of something, to curse the hell out of Alice. Her chest ached, and she couldn't breathe properly. She had no weapon. No abilities. Nothing. They were in a bare field with not even a rock in sight.
And how was she supposed to fight against... this?
A mighty paw struck her from behind. She simply had no time to react. The pain in her already broken ribs pierced her entire body, knocking her unconscious. The impact of her face against the stone pavement of the place she was in, too, gave her no pleasant sensation. She felt something salty run down her lips. Apparently, her nose had been broken, too.
As easily as it had dented her into the ground, a huge paw lifted her into the air, bringing her so close to her eyes again that Sophia could see her own reflection in the exorbitantly huge irises.
"'Shall Frabjous Day come anew, Jabberwock will always be ready to fight.' Tell that to Brave Alice when you meet her in your death, girl"
When the huge jaws were about to close on her head, turning her into mush, Sophia felt an irresistible force pulling her upward. Everything around her seemed to freeze before it began to melt into the maelstrom of colors
"Ah, Disgusting Sophia, you're waking up. What a pity, what a pity. But if you're still alive... Please, relay a message to your masters: "I will come to them every night until Sweet Mistress feels that the punishment was enough. And who knows if I will only stop at dreams...""
That was the last thing Sophia heard before she came to her senses with a thunderous sigh as if she had drowned out of the abyss.
**linebreak**
She didn't quite remember how she got here. It seemed like she'd offered to take the Thunder God for a walk through Midgard, to show him its wonders. Did it happen after… third mug of mead?
But she no longer remembered when she had that winged helmet on her head. It seemed that at some point Thor had pulled it from somewhere from behind her, arguing that every Valkyrie was supposed to wear such a helmet. Or was it after they fought together?
Then... Then they came to this bar.
"Innkeeper! Thou shall bring more drinks! One for me and my sister!" Thor shouted in a booming voice, shaking his empty mug. It had to be said that God had come here with exactly his mug. Which was more like a small bucket with a handle than a mug.
The barman, apparently judging sensibly the size of the visitor, preferred not to comment on the age of his helmeted companion, silently filling the mug for the sixth time with the best ale the bar had to offer.
Taylor, all red from drinking under her helmet, silently clinked her much less capacious mug with the god of thunder.
**linebreak**
"Your recipe," the bartender nonchalantly placed the long check on the counter.
The thunder god looked at the piece of paper in bewilderment. He poked his companion with his fist, who stared into the void with an unseeing gaze. With a hazy look at the bill, the girl turned to her companion.
"They… hic!... are asking for… hic!... payment for drinks. That's a big num… hic!...ber." - It really took an effort out of Taylor to talk in coherent sentences.
The God of Thunder laughed. Reaching into the hem of his fur cloak, he drew out a handful of shiny gold coins.
"Eric's son once sacrificed that gold to me, taking it from someone here. Will that be enough?"
The bartender, looking at the pile of gold coins that even looked worth more than his entire bar, nodded furiously.
**linebreak**
A few hours later. A few minutes before dawn. Boardwalk.
"T-thor?" - Asked the girl in the Valkyrie helmet, leaning on the parapet and looking strangely into the distance, toward the bay.
"Yes, Midgardsöttir?" Scandinavian God was literally glowing. Perhaps it was the small lightning bolts running through his body.
"L-legends say that your hammer is capable of destroying anything. I-is that true?"
God thought for a moment.
"There are many wonders in the Nine Worlds... But I doubt there is anything here in Midgard made by mortal hands that I cannot destroy."
The girl slowly turned to face Thor.
"Then… could you possibly fulfill my request?" Though she was under the influence of the Alphheimian hop that gave her courage in battle, she looked at him now with almost complete seriousness.
The God of Thunder smiled.
"Anything for a Midgardsöttir. Ask and thou shall receive"
Girl weakly smiled at him. And turned towards the sea. The cold wasn't bothering her - mead running in her veins made sure of that. She was silent for a few moments before speaking.
"Once this city had been a good port. But then... All sorts of things happened. A great big merchant ship... made of metal, you see. It sank there, out of the bay. We couldn't take it out. And without it... Without it, you can't go into port anymore. And ever since then... Ever since then, this town has been dying. My father... He was... He worked with ships. And he always dreamed... That the day would come when we'd take care of this problem. Take this... Ship... And then, then this town could be alive again. And I thought... Could you... Could you destroy the ship lying at the bottom?" When she ended her plea, she was on the verge of tears. For she wished not for herself, but for her father. A dream that she inherited.
The God of Thunder listened silently to her narrative. But he wasn't the only one. What one knew, all knew. And he heard her story and her request. He could not refuse in any case, but obedience and voluntary compliance were two different things...
Without saying a word, he drew his hammer from behind his belt. Raising it to the heavens, he invoked his powers.
He was the God of War. God of thunder and storms. The God Protector. His destiny was an eternal battle until the end of times when he finally could rest, but he valued peace. And though his time is gone, though his worshippers have long since perished under the weight of the ages, the world itself holds the memory of the Thunderer.
Nature responded. Heavy coal-black clouds instantly covered the horizon, sparkling with a myriad of electrical discharges. More of them came every second, illuminating darkened skies. But no lightning struck the earth as they awaited the command of their master.
Mjollnir in his hands reverberated, responding to his wishes. His oldest friend and ally, he was in agreement with Odinson. This was a rightful cause. A worthy deed. A selfless wish.
He looked at the girl staring up at the sky, fascinated, tears forgotten.
"I am honored, Sister."
For the first time in millennia, he had the chance to change things. To make world a better place. To save thousands of lives, to rewrite destiny. So much could be done for one swing of his hammer. Destroying a ship, even a metal one was a child's play compared to fighting the Midgardstrunn. This world may face its Ragnarok, but its defender finally was here.
M̵̨̰̣͔͉̍j̴̘̼̜̯̳̺͍͙̠̫̼̻͕̖͂̾͂̉͝ö̶̢͚͈̮̻͍͖̭̲͌͆̄l̷̖̥͔̻̺͙̤͈̤̓̀̇͜ͅl̸̛̬͔̪̭̻̦͉̠̫͓͚͕̺̳̏̎̔̏̓͐̒̎̀̒̔̽n̷̦̮̥̅͂̽̉̓̊̍̑͑̔̃̚͝ͅî̴̻̻͕̰͖̫͈͉̗̹͔͇̱̞͙r̵̡̲̲̲̘̝͎̲̪̩̅̐̃̀̅̈̄
The hammer struck. And the sea baffled in bright white light, illuminating the still unborn dawn as it was a bright day.