Avengers: Generations

by imaAvenger

The Avengers fought and won the battle for peace. HYDRA and A.I.M. fell. The world moved on, and so did the team. Peace entered the world and normality entered their lives as they began to go their separate ways. Now 2042, the Avengers' children are faced with returning evil. Their lives have been woven together by a force known only as Destiny.

17. Chapter 16: So Much To Do

A/N: Hello again! Welcome to another exciting chapter of Avengers: Generations! The next chapter should be up in a week or two because it was all originally going to be one chapter, but it was going to be too long, heh. SO chapter 16, Valda shenanigans and such. Also, foreshadowing so pay attention xD

Disclaimer: We all know Marvel wouldn't own a story like this because there will eventually be an ending...

Chapter 16: So Much To Do...

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Doctor Lang's Office. S.H.I.E.L.D. Base 0457, Lower Manhattan, New York. Saturday, September 20th, 2042. 8:15 pm.

Why am I still here…

Cassandra scrolls down the tenth page of Agent Ellison's report on the current status of the Zemo Baronage. She's not quite sure what all this has to do with what happened at Stark Tower two weeks ago, but there must be a reason a busy man like the Security Coordinator looked into it so thoroughly. Cass has checked her watch more times than necessary, not wanting to stay past nine. Kyle is waiting for her at the apartment, but she still needs to prepare everything for Kerry while she's out tomorrow AND meet Daisy at the base she's found for the…team? Is that what they'll be? Do they even have a name yet?

"Ugh…" she grunts. She rubs her forehead, the sinus pressure making her brain ache.

There's too much to do and not enough time. It seems like there's never been enough time. She sighs. She wanted to visit her dad but hasn't had a chance to since the incident with the Gamma monsters. Scott isn't going anywhere, but if he wakes up and she's not there—no. That won't happen. She'll be there.

She dismisses the thought as her phone buzzes beside her laptop. It's another message from Kyle—telling her to wake him when she gets home. She purses her lips and taps her fingers on her desk. Nothing would make her happier than going home to her fiancé right now, but there's work to be done, but she can't focus on this unnecessarily long report. Cassandra closes her laptop and slides it into her leather messenger bag. She works quickly to gather and organize all the files her aid will need for tomorrow and arranges them by patient. Once everything looks in order, she grabs her stuff and drops the files in the box on the outside of her door. She scuttles down the hallway and outside to the streets of Lower Manhattan to catch a taxi, smiling at the security guards on the way out.

She waves down a yellow cab and hops in. Daisy told her to meet her on the other side of Lower, close to Jersey. She's not sure how she was able to find somewhere for the Legacies to meet so quickly, but Daisy has always been a doomsday prepper. She probably had somewhere planned before they even agreed to help us, Cassandra thinks. Buildings and other cars pass by slowly as the driver navigates down the crowded streets of Manhattan Island. She closes her eyes for a minute to rest since it looks like the drive might take longer than she thought. Trying to ignore the drainage making her nauseated, she stares out the window. Every building they pass reminds her of when she was a young and clueless heroine, wanting desperately to make the world a better place. They pass some apartment buildings, and she remembers growing tall enough to keep them from tipping over when she was sixteen. The café down the block, she accidentally stepped on and crushed their patio tables in the same incident. She lets out a quiet chuckle. So much of Lower Manhattan holds memories of a different time. A time when people wondered where the Avengers were, and how they were going to fix the mutant crisis…but they couldn't. No one could. The car takes a deep curve as they pass by a statue—a monument to all the lives lost during the Mutant Equality Movement. She's seen the bronze image many times before as she's passed through Equality Park, but every time it hurts her heart just a little. Her teenage years were spent in a time of turmoil for the United States. Every day at school, they heard about the Mutant Rights activists and gangs on the news, and every day, someone would ask, "what about the Avengers?" Cassandra got tired of hearing that question. She and her friends—the would-be Young Avengers—were trying their best to help. However, they weren't given much chance to. Her dad used to tell her that things would work themselves out…she just hated that "working itself out" had to be Captain America's death.

Cassadra looks down at her watch as another message from Kyle pops up. A soft smile pulls at her lips as she looks at the picture he sent of the dinner he's making—guess he didn't go to sleep after all. She wants to be there with him right now, wrapped in his arms, eating his cooking, hearing his little whistle. She just wants to be his wife, but the world is too busy trying to fall apart around them both. She looks up and notices the cab has started to slow down. They're here. She hands the driver cash and slides a tip in his little tip jar before she exits the car. Cass stops and stares at the gates surrounding this old SHIELD airstrip. It's small and the weeds have grown up through the pavement, showing the wear of the years it's been abandoned. She walks up to the gated entrance and punches in the code Daisy gave her earlier. The keypad blinks green and the lock clicks, allowing her in. She pushes the gate open and then closed behind her. She makes the short trek to a small air traffic control tower that's seen better days. She can't remember exactly why this runway was abandoned, but it makes the perfect unassuming place for a secret SHIELD project. As she reaches the door to the control tower, the metal door swings open.

Daisy greets her with her hair pushed back by a headband, and the sleeves of her shirt rolled up. She's in olive green overalls and has a dirty rag hanging from her pocket—not exactly what Cassandra expected. "Come on in! Did you have trouble with the gate?"

"No, the code worked just like you said. I can't believe it doesn't have a keycard entrance."

"Well, this place is pretty old," Daisy says. She locks the door behind Cass and leads her to an elevator in the center of the tower. Its circular shape is odd, but given the building's purpose, it makes sense…kind of. They hop in the elevator and start to descend.

"So, what made you think of this place as a potential place for the kids?" Cassandra asks.

"It's off the radar. And the underground barracks have everything they need, a control center, rooms, a kitchen, showers, gym…the whole nine yards. And it's so old, no one will even think about coming here—it's not even on the Shield grid anymore," she says with a smile. The elevator stops on basement level 3 and Daisy leads her into an open area. The entry way isn't like the Helicarrier in style at all. Things are bright and well lit, unlike the dark industrial look the Helicarrier sports. This place even has art on the walls.

"You mentioned barracks, did agents used to live here?" Cassandra asks. She can tell walking through here that Daisy must've been here cleaning for hours already. There's barely a speck of dust that she can tell.

"Yes, the agents that worked here also lived down here. I've even found a few little things they left behind. Speaking of, want a watch?" Daisy whips something shiny out of her pocket and shows Cassandra a literal watch.

"What?" Cass can't hold back a laugh as she takes the metal linked watch from Daisy's hand.

"Yeah, that's the coolest thing I've found so far. But it's mostly just been dead rats and dust. I've already gotten the second level basement cleaned up so far, but the barracks are taking longer than I expected," she says. Daisy takes Cassandra farther down the hallway and into what looks like a sprawling living area complete with couches, a T.V., a pool table, dining table and a few chairs scattered about. "The girls' rooms and bathrooms are on that side and the guys' are down this hallway." She points to their left and right as she speaks.

"Wow, this place has everything. What's on level one and two?" Cassandra asks as she takes a look around. The living room is a little outdated, but the couch looks like it was barely used, along with literally everything else. She notices a steam cleaner sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch. Cass raises a brow and realizes Daisy has already steamed all the fabric surfaces down here.

"Level one is the command room, lab, meeting rooms, med bay, and armory. Level two is the gym, training rooms, kitchen, and I there's even a locker room. This level has taken me the most time to clean, but I think it'll be worth it," Daisy says. A proud smile stretches across her face as she takes a seat at the dining table.

"Daisy, this place already looks great. If I had known you had this much work to do, I would've come to help you," Cass says.

Daisy chuckles. "I know you had a lot of work to do too. Besides, I can handle it. I actually like cleaning. It helps me focus."

"So, what are we going to do about stocking this place? I don't know about you, but I don't think I have the extra savings to pay for much."

"Me either. But don't worry, when I talk to General Pennington tomorrow, I think our first order of business will be to supply things here. Then we can worry about everything else."

Cassandra pauses and looks around. "You're going through with it?"

Daisy stands and throws her cleaning rag over her shoulder. "I don't think I have a choice at this point."

Cassandra sighs and sits at the table. "I hate we're having to jump through all these hoops, but I feel like there's not many options. Speaking of, I read Ellis's very detailed report on the Zemo Baronage."

"Conclusions?" Daisy says.

"Elliot needs an editor, but aside from that, if a Zemo is involved, it would have to be the grandson, Hulderich."

Daisy's eyes go wide. "There's a grandson?"

"Yeah, a grandson that has taken over the estate because he had a falling out with his father, Helmut. The family split a couple of years ago, leaving the Baronage solely in Hulderich's hands," Cass says. Another message from Kyle pops up on her watch. Guilt pokes at her heart as she dismisses it.

"Why didn't Helmut take the Baronage?"

"Apparently—according to rumors online spread from the housekeepers it's because Helmut and his wife wanted nothing to do with the Zemo legacy. They took all the money they needed and disappeared into South America. At least, that's what Elliot has gathered," Cassandra says. She can feel that she's been sitting too long, and the exhaustion is trying to creep up on her.

Daisy furrows her brow, clearly trying to piece everything together. "So why would Hulderich be involved in whatever is going on here in the States?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe we could try to get some more info from Talbot? How is he doing?" Cass says as she stands.

"Not good," Daisy says, a troubled expression on her face. "The doctor's and Banner are trying everything, but they're having to keep him sedated because he's in too much pain."

Damn, Cass thinks. He's really the only lead we have but he shouldn't have to suffer. This is too much, honestly. Too much for her or Daisy or Bruce Banner to have to deal with. There are so many things they don't know yet, and so many possibilities to have to contend with. Cassandra stops her thoughts from spiraling any further and lays her bag on the table. She takes off her blazer and rolls up the sleeves of her sweater.

"There's too much for us to worry about and question right now. Let's get this place finished and clean, okay?"

Daisy meets her blue-gray eyes with a small smile. She hands her a clean rag from her back pocket and the two women get to work. If they can at least focus on preparing this place for the new team, then maybe that's one less aspect of this circus they have to worry about. And one less thing to worry about is one less thing keeping Cassandra up at night. She already has plenty of those anyway.

Asgard Castle, Asgard. Sunday, September 21st, 2042. Early Morning.

Thor wanders through the silent courtyard in the wee hours of the morning. It hasn't taken him long to get back into his routine since his detour to Jotunheim. It's puzzling to him that the very reason he traveled so far with his son in tow—into a potentially hostile situation—is starting to fade. The clouds are still there, but they're not dropping feet of snow like before. In fact, some of the snow along the cobblestone pathways has even started to melt. What it all means, Thor knows not. He only hopes it was a freak bout of weather that has cleared itself up. Yet, something deep in his gut tells him it's not, and his fears of the worst are correct. Nothing has proven my fears right yet, he thinks. His eyes scan the trees that a few months ago were full of greenery, now barren of leaves and blooms. The trees in the courtyard have always been some of his favorites. Thor remembers a time when he cared not for trees or flowers, but on his return to Asgard to aid his father in leading the kingdom, he came to appreciate the beauty surrounding the castle. Especially on days when he needed a minute away from the council meetings, he would hide out here in the southern courtyard. This was also where he and Jarle would read stories together, and where he would chase Valda while her giggles filled the garden. He smiles. Those days were precious to him—when his children were little and didn't care that he was the Prince of Asgard. All they cared about was he was Father. Valda called him "Pop" for a long time because "Father" was too much for her. He loved it when she called him that.

The tired Prince strolls down the pathway a little further and sits down on a bench off the cobblestone. Memories flood his mind in the loneliness of morning as he longs for the days when he was everything to his little girl. A heavy sigh escapes his lips. He remembers one day in particular that sparks his thoughts every time he passes through this garden.

It was a sunny and bright midday. He had managed to escape another drawn-out conversation with the Blacksmith about his workers' guild and found his little Princess lying on her belly, reading under a tree. Her tiny brow was furrowed as if she wasn't happy about the content of her book. Why her tutor had left her unattended was beyond him, considering her mischievous nature. Nevertheless, he slowly approached and asked her what she was reading. She very seriously looked up at him and said "I don't know, I haven't learned yet." It took every fiber of Thor's being not to laugh in this precious little one's face, but instead he nodded and sat down next to her. She closed the book and rolled over on her back, staring up at the leaves. Valda couldn't have been more than four at the time, but had icy blue eyes filled with such wonder. She asked him about the Tree Spirits and if they could read.

"I am not sure," Thor said. "Perhaps that is a question for Grandmother." Valda then promptly stood up and told her father to chase her. The tiny little blonde took off without a second thought and was halfway to the other side of the courtyard before Thor realized what she said. He leapt into action and "gave chase" as slowly as possible. She squealed as her ivory curls bounced with every step she took. With every glance back at him, her giggles grew louder, and she ran faster until their chase landed them all the way at the end of the South Gate. Thor had not realized how far they had gone until he could see the towns below.

"Valda!" he called, but her path did not waver. He started running for real when she got a little too close for comfort to the gate and he scooped her up in his arms. Her giggles and screams pierced his ears like nothing had before as he tossed her over his shoulder and carried her back to the garden. She begged him to put her down, but he knew better—he had lived with her for four years after all. Valda threatened to tell mother and Thor almost laughed at her tenacity. There were times he had forgotten how sick she was when she was born.

Suddenly, the warm and fuzzy memories of Valda as a little girl are quickly replaced by memories of her birth. Nurses and physicians running in and out of Jane's birth chamber, Valda's tiny cries for help, and hours spent pacing up and down the halls while Frigga watched Jarle. It was bad enough he had just returned home from the memorial of one of his dearest friends—Captain America—but now his wife and daughter were fighting for their lives. He shakes the images away and stands up from the bench. Maybe he should've stayed in bed with Jane for a few hours longer and rested like she insisted. What good will a few more hours of sleep do? He's not Odin. He's still just Thor, overwhelmed Prince of Asgard and horrible father. He starts back towards the tower, thinking maybe it's time to get back to work. Even if the snow has ceased for now, he still must find the cause of why it started in the first place. He needs to find the answer, and it needs to be anything but what he fears it truly is. Odin, if any harm befalls my daughter because of you, I promise you I will do to you as you have done to her.

Thor's heavy footfalls sound down the corridors as he enters the main tower. He had every intention of taking a detour past the kitchen for a snack, but he can't help but think about the conversation he and Jane had late last night in this very hallway.

"All I'm saying is maybe you should go talk to her. She needs to hear it from you about what you two found out in Jotunheim," Jane had said. She made a very good point, as she always does concerning their children. With their littlest on her hip, she pushed a slender finger against his chest and told him to go talk to Valda—and he had every intention to. Ever since he got back has been one meeting after another, and he hasn't even seen Valda in two days. However, Jane is right. He needs to talk to her. His cornflower eyes peer out a window as he passes by. Maybe it's not too early to talk to her, he thinks. Thor makes a course-correction to his direction and starts walking towards Valda's room. With his long strides, it doesn't take him long to reach her door. His hand reaches up to knock, but he pauses before his knuckles touch the wood. Maybe he shouldn't do this right now. Waking Valda up for a serious conversation doesn't sound like a good idea to him. Yet, he knows if he doesn't do this now, the resentment she feels for him will only grow. All she wants is to be included, Thor. She just wants to feel as important as Jarle is to the kingdom, Jane's words echo through his mind. He heaves a sigh and finally knocks on the door.

"Valda?" he says. He waits for an answer, but none comes. She's probably not awake yet. He gives it a few more seconds before knocking again. He calls her name again but still no peep from her.

"I'm coming in." He opens the door slowly and sees her form completely covered under the blankets. She must be knocked out. He steps closer and softens his voice. "Valda."

He sits on the edge of her bed and rests a hand on her back, but what he feels isn't his daughter. What he touches is something soft and cold. He furrows his brow and pulls back the blanket just a little, but instead of ivory curls spilling out, he finds a pillow. Actually, there are several pillows, all lined up to look like someone sleeping in her bed. He bolts up and looks around. Her knapsack and sword are gone. Her favorite boots are gone too. How could he not have noticed when he walked in? Thor slings her door open and runs down the hallway. Jarle happens to turn a corner in time to see his towering father trucking down the hallway. He meets his eyes and immediately turns on his heels to go back the way he came.

"Jarle!" Thor's voice booms.

Jarle stops in his tracks with a shudder. He slowly turns around, his voice small and shaky. "Yes, father?"

Thor waits until he stands right in front of his son to speak. "Where. Is. Valda?"

Jarle's eyes go wide, and he squeezes his lips together, his eyes locked in a terrifying stare with his clearly enraged father. "Father…I-I, I'm not sure where she went exactly—" He can't even finish before Thor interrupts.

"You knew?!" He yells.

"I didn't, father, I just knew she was thinking about it! I didn't know she would," he says impossibly fast.

Thor growls and points his finger at his son, pushing his index finger square in his chest. "I will deal with you later."

Thor storms off as Jarle's knees buckle and he slumps against the wall. The Prince of Asgard trucks down the corridors of the castle faster than he has before. He throws the doors to the outside open and heads for the stables. He starts yelling for Sif before he even reaches the stables, crunching down on icy snow as he walks. The snow has stopped falling and has begun to freeze together, turning into thick sheets of ice across the courtyards. He gets to the cobblestone walkway when his yelling finally summons Lady Sif from the barn. She slides open the doors and pops her head out with a confused look.

"What do you want, Thor? Why are you yelling for me this early?"

"Have you seen Valda?!" He yells, slightly out of breath.

"Val—what? No, I have not seen her since our lessons two days ago. What has she done this time?" Sif asks, her breath rising through the air.

Thor sighs and squeezes the bridge of his nose. "Take guards and search the towns for her—but only your most trusted. I do not want anyone to panic." With no further explanation he storms off towards the Bifrost.

"Wait, Thor! What is going on?"

He continues to truck out of earshot, finally lifting off the ground when he gets clear of the heavily snowed in areas. Adrenaline and rage pounds in his ears. Where could she have gone, surely she has not left Asgard? She wouldn't. Perhaps she has run into the mountains as she has before…but the mountains can be dangerous, his thoughts race as Heimdall comes into view. The ever-present guard over the Nine Realms stands resolute at the rainbow bridge's end, axe in hand. He doesn't turn around when Thor lands beside him in a huff.

"Your Highness, you must slow down," Heimdall says, never once taking his eyes off the Bifrost.

"Heimdall," Thor starts, "I could not find Valda in her room this morning. Where do you see her?"

The watchman raises a brow and looks at Thor from the corner of his eyes. "I will tell you, Prince. But you must first promise to listen to what I say."

Thor furrows his brows, completely confused by his meaning. "I will, now please tell me where my daughter is. Is she in the mountains again?"

"Thor, she is not in Asgard."

Thor's mind blanks. He can feel his fists clench as his pulse spikes. "What?!" He yells.

"Thor do not raise your voice to me. Your daughter is safe, but you must listen—"

"How?! How did she leave Asgard? Where has she gone? Is she in Vanaheim? I told her never to go past the mountains. Why has she defied me?! I…" he stops as a hand touches his forearm. He turns to Heimdall, his golden eyes piercing through Thor's panic.

"Young Prince, let us talk to your wife." His calm voice doesn't match Thor's very upset demeanor. He doesn't understand why Heimdall is so calm about this. He was told to never let Valda leave—he was told to always keep an eye on her. Why did he let her leave the safety of the castle and not notify him immediately? Thor somehow manages to nod to Heimdall as he opens a portal into the castle, right outside of Thor and Jane's room. They step through together and Thor knocks on the door before entering.

"Jane, Heimdall and I must speak with you. It's about Valda." A few creaks of the wooden floor sound along with Jane's voice telling them to wait a second. She opens the doors to their chamber, clearly just waking up.

"What's wrong?" she asks with a yawn.

Thor barges in, panic still coursing through him. "Valda is gone, I went to speak with her this morning because I had not seen her lately and she was not there, but she wanted me to believe she was."

"What? She ran away? There's no way she'd do something like that…right Heimdall?" Jane's voice cracks a little as worry fills her blue eyes. "Heimdall? Where's my daughter?"

Heimdall closes the door to their room as he enters. "Yesterday morn, I saw Princess Valda enter the vault of artifacts and take the Traveler's Medallion. It took her to the Travel's gateway where she fled to Earth."

"The Traveler's Medallion is cursed! She knows this," Thor yells.

"The guardian of the medallion escaped with her, but those on Earth helped her banish it back to the gateway. She is safe with the heroes."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Jane asks.

With every word out of Heimdall's mouth as he explains, Thor can feel his whole body getting hot as lightning starts to crackle around him. Jane looks down at her arms, watching the hair start to stand.

"Thor, love, calm down. He just said that she's safe. Who is she with? Shield? Sword?"

"She is with the Inhuman Daisy Johnson."

Jane sighs in relief. "Daisy is the Director of Shield, which means Valda is in the safest place she could be! All we have to do is go get her," Jane says. She touches Thor's arm in an attempt to calm him, but his eyes have started to glaze over white as the clouds outside darken.

"She will never leave Asgard again," he mutters.

"Thor, please. You know she's always wanted to go to Earth, and she gets crazy ideas sometimes—"

"She mustn't!" his voice booms. Jane recoils her hand and steps back. Her response brings Thor back down…but only a little. His eyes clear to see the hurt in Jane's eyes. Something in him cracks a little, as he stares into his wife's eyes. He wishes he could be truthful with her, but Heimdall, of all people, should understand the severity of the situation. He looks to Heimdall, who hasn't said another word. "Surely you both understand why I am angry? I must go retrieve her before something bad happens!"

"I would suggest not, Your Highness," Heimdall finally speaks up.

"Excuse me?" Thor says with a sharp turn of his head.

"Perhaps this is what needs to happen. Some time on Earth might curb her desire to explore. And, once she has had her fill, she might be more willing to stay in Asgard under your protection."

Thor cuts his eyes at Heimdall. He can't believe a trusted friend and ally would suggest such an idea, knowing that Valda could be in danger or worse, a danger to others—a fact Heimdall well knows. Jane speaks up and softly agrees.

"Maybe Heimdall is right, Thor. Maybe Val just needs a little break. She's been upset ever since you left for Jotunheim."

"Which is why I wanted to speak with her this morning," Thor quips. "I know she has been distant since I arrived home."

"Because you didn't even offer to take her too," Jane says.

"I could not have taken her—" Thor studders. "Her recklessness could have put the trip in jeopardy, or worse, she could've upset the Jotuns."

"She's sixteen, Thor, I think she's learned enough about Asgardian politics to be helpful, and the experience would be good for her," Jane says.

"She is not ready! She is too young!" Thor stomps over to the balcony doors as he sees the clouds begin to part. She doesn't understand, I can't tell her either. If she knew what Valda was capable of, Jane wouldn't question me so. He's calmed down a little, but not enough to accept what they are suggesting. Father, I need your help.

"Lady Jane is right. If Valda knows that you value her opinion and her presence as a Princess, she might then be more willing to listen to your guidance."

"And what if she—" He turns back to them, tears welling in his eyes as he bites his tongue on the words he wants to say. "What if she brings trouble to Earth without realizing herself? I cannot bear for her or my friends there to be hurt…"

Jane and Heimdall exchange a concerned look. "Thor, baby, let's just think about it for a minute, okay?" Jane says. She sits on the side of their bed and pats the space next to her for Thor to join. Heimdall walks over to where Thor was standing by the balcony, peering outside into the chilly morning. The silence in the room is uncomfortable as Thor clutches the blanket beside him. Jane's expression is pensive in thought, but she hasn't said anything to him yet. He understands why Jane might be confused by his reaction, but Heimdall? Why is he even entertaining the idea of letting Valda out of their sight for more than a day? She's already been gone for two days at the most, and no one knew. Except Heimdall, he thinks. How could he betray him like this? Thor has always been able to trust the Keeper of the Bifrost, just as Odin has. However, with Odin still in slumber, Thor has more to worry about than his daughter's misadventures. He has too much on his plate for one more thing to go wrong right now.

"This is preposterous," Thor says, jumping up to his feet. "I will go and retrieve her at once."

"Wait, Thor," Jane grabs his wrist. "If we were to let Valda stay on Earth for just a few days, that wouldn't hurt anyone, would it? Especially if you or I go with her?"

Thor blinks hard. What is she thinking? "I cannot leave Asgard when we have the storms to worry about…I," he pauses and looks to Heimdall.

"Please, Thor?" Jane, who has fully turned on her begging eyes, clasps her hands together. You do not know what you ask of me. He can't let Valda go wild somewhere other than Asgard right now. He can't let her be like him—not with so much at stake. Oh no, he thinks. What am I doing?

"Jane…what if—" he sighs. His wife takes his hands in hers and squeezes.

"Valda will be okay if one of us is with her. Right, Heimdall?" she says.

Heimdall turns towards them and nods. "I can accompany Lady Jane on her leave of Asgard, your Highness. We shall see to it that Valda is brought home unharmed—if you so wish it."

Confusion tightens his chest. He can't just let them both leave Asgard when they have so much to figure out while Odin sleeps, but he also is unsure of Heimdall's motives now. What if things go south? What if…no, when Valda gets in trouble, what will Heimdall do? If Jane goes, wouldn't Astrid need to accompany her, or could Thor watch their littlest one by himself? He shakes his head, hands still clutched in his wife's.

"Thor, if you're worried about Astrid, your mother can handle her. I can handle going to Earth and honestly…I wouldn't mind the visit," she says with a sheepish smile. "And I'll be extra safe if Heimdall goes with me."

Her blue eyes pierce right through his worry as he sees something deep in them. Somewhere in her begging eyes there's a little longing for home peeking through…a longing to see Earth. He doesn't need reminding that their family hasn't been back to Midgard since she was pregnant with Valda, and she would never do that to make him feel guilty. But something in him stirs when he thinks about how long he's kept his wife from returning to her homeland…if only she truly knew what she was asking.

"Jane," he starts in a low voice. "I cannot tell you what to do. If you would like to accompany Valda to Earth for a couple of days, you may do so. But please, my love, please bring her back soon."

Jane breaks into a huge grin as she touches her hands to his cheeks, watching as tears slip past his guard. "Everything will be fine, okay? Trust me."

Thor tries not to sniffle as he nods. "I do." Jane's arms wrap around his neck before she scuttles out the door of their room, saying something about talking to Frigga. Thor is left alone with Heimdall. The seer turns to him, and Thor takes a few steps forward to meet him before he can leave the room. He presses his hand to Heimdall's arm as his lip curls under his facial hair.

"You and I are not finished speaking about this. If you knowingly allowed my wife and daughter to be thrust into danger, I will make sure Odin knows of your betrayal. Know this, you have lost my trust today, Seer…and that is not something I take lightly."

Heimdall meets Thor's eyes with his own golden stare. "Neither do I, Prince." He steps out of the room, leaving the young Prince to himself. With the door closed, he finally buckles under the weight of the situation. He sits on the bed, tears still threatening to fall down his cheeks. Why is this happening now? If Odin were awake, he could guide Thor in what to do, but he's not. With still several months of Odinsleep to go, Thor is on his own, running a kingdom and trying to be a good father to three drastically different children—one being very much like him. More than he would like to admit. Valda has always been his special, little girl, but with every passing year of disappointing her, he fears there will be a moment in their relationship he cannot recover from. If her disappointment turns into resentment, will things ever be the same? I love her so much, but I cannot protect her unless she is here with me, he thinks. Has my approach been wrong all these years? No! I am doing exactly as I must to keep her safe from herself…am I not? There are too many things swirling in his head to sort through or understand. The only thought he can't escape, "I must speak with Odin."

He's right. Odin is the only one who can help him now, even though Odin is the one who put him in this mess in the first place.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, above New York City. 8:30 am.

Valda's icy blue eyes flutter open to the sunlight pouring in from her windows. She blinks and stretches and yawns before scooting up in her bed. She scans the room semi-consciously as her gaze lands on the huge windows across the room. My windows down look like that…the Princess springs out of bed, almost tripping over herself as she scrambles for the windows. She gets within an inch of touching them but hesitates. Her hands hover near the glass as she looks down and sees the waves of the bay lapping underneath her. I'm…I'm actually in New York? A wild grin pulls at her lips as she finally presses her hands to the glass. She can see the tall and shining buildings from here, as well as helicopters and even—

"Dear Odin, is that Stark Tower?!" she squeals.

Valda covers her mouth with her hands as she takes in the view from her window. She's here. She's actually, finally here. Her heart fills with elation but as suddenly as it came, it crashes down with a single thought. When will father come to drag me home? Surely, he must know I'm gone by now…he could be here any second and I still have so much to see!

Valda turns from the window and jumps back on the bed and over it. She rushes to the door and is about to run out when she realizes she's still in her night clothes. She quickly pivots and rushes over to her knapsack, rummaging through it until she gets her clothes. She bolts into the bathroom and dresses faster than she ever has—she must have set a new record even Eira would be proud of. As she fastens her belt into place and adjusts the red draping attached to it, a knock on her door sounds.

No…it can't be already.

"Valda, it's Agent Hill. Director Johnson suggested I take you sightseeing today. Can I come in?"

Valda leans against the bathroom door as she breathes a sigh of relief. It's not her father. Not yet. She runs over to the door and swings it open for Agent Hill. She looks pretty much the same as yesterday, except she's not wearing her uniform. Instead, she dons some black pants with holes in them, a black shirt, and a denim jacket with little thingies on it.

"What are those?" Valda asks. Lila looks down at what she's pointing at and laughs.

"These are patches. I sew them on because it's a show or band I like, or I just think they're cute." She offers Valda a smile and the young girl welcomes her in.

"I think they're cute too! But why do you have holes in your pants? Do you need new ones?" Again, the agent laughs at her.

"No, it's more of a style choice. A lot of people wear holey jeans. But I really like your outfit," Lila says. Valda grins and does a little spin for her draping to twirl. "Yes! I love it. Do you normally wear this?"

Valda looks down at her outfit and rocks on her heels a little. "This is normally what I wear in the summer, but it's been snowing in Asgard the last couple of months."

"I see, well it's still pretty warm here, so it'll be perfect for our little adventure," Lila says with a wink.

Valda can barely contain her excitement. "I can't wait, Agent Hill! Just let me get my boots on!"

"Just call me Lila for today." The two exchange a smile before Valda snatches her boots off the floor and starts yanking them on. She wraps the long support straps around her calves and crisscrosses them up to her mid thighs. Once they're nicely tied up, she reaches for one last item in her bag. She pulls out a thin, gold circlet with small wings extending from the sides. She tucks her hair precisely where it needs to go for her circlet to stay perfectly on her head. Valda takes a deep breath before turning to Lila with a huge smile on her freckled face.

"I'm ready for our adventure!" She runs out the door with Lila trailing behind calling for her to slow down.

Apartment 12b, East 119th Street, East Harlem. 10:15 am.

Markus slowly drags his razor for one last sweep across his cheek. The shadow he had grown over the last couple of days was an interesting look on him, but he wasn't a fan—and since he had two seconds to himself before work, he decided to take advantage of it. He turns the water on and cleans up the space around him. He might have gotten a little glob of shaving cream here and there…and everywhere else on the counter. After his face and razor are rinsed, he finishes wiping up his mess. His emerald eyes take one final look at himself in the mirror before he gets dressed. His ribs show no sign of bruising from a week ago, nor are there any scratches from yesterday. His ankle feels as good as new from the doctor on the Helicarrier too. It's just like when he was a kid and fell off the roof at school trying to prove he could fly to his classmates. He hurt his knees when he fell, but two days later, he was fine. He's always been like this.

I've got to be more careful, he thinks, knowing full well he won't. Markus runs his fingers over his rib cage. He's always been amazed at his body's ability to heal so quickly, but it's also given him the confidence to do some stupid stuff—like jumping off the roof in elementary school. And even more recently, going toe-to-toe with a mutated monster ten times his size. His injuries could've been a lot worse than a hurt ankle, but he also has what some might call "dumb luck". Dumb luck is an understatement, he thinks. He walks into his tiny bedroom which doesn't have much room for anything other than his bed and a nightstand. He's lucky his closet is big, otherwise he wouldn't even have room for his clothes. That's just the cost of living in New York City. You get the space you can afford. However, with all this running off from work he's had to do the last couple of weeks, he's not sure how much longer he'll be able to afford what he already has if he can't go to work.

Maybe SHIELD will pay? I mean, I know we're supposed to be a secret team and all, but I don't think compensation would be asking too much.

He rifles through his closet and grabs some jeans and one of his favorite t-shirts. The Galaga logo has started to crinkle and crack from washing, but he still dons it proudly. With his pants and socks on, Markus walks across the hall to what was listed as a second bedroom by the realtor, which is more accurately a large walk-in closet. He likes to think of it as his office. He came in here to find his phone, but his obsession wall forces him to pause. He hasn't added anything to the red-string timeline since he met Kassidy. So much has happened since then—it's hard to believe that was only two weeks ago. Two weeks brought with it so many new faces and opportunities…hopefully one of those being a one-on-one conversation with Tony Stark himself.

Markus sighs and plops down in his desk chair, staring up at the space above his desk. He wishes he could say all the information tacked to the wall was important and groundbreaking in his search for the truth, but most of it is little, insignificant pieces of information he's gathered over the years. Not enough for a break in the case. His phone buzzes, taking his eyes away from the wall for a moment. It's from Kassidy—another meme. His lips crack into a stupid grin as he looks at the tenth funny picture they've exchanged so far today. He knows he just saw her yesterday, but he already wants to see her again. She's one of those people you just can't get enough of, at least, she is to him. His new friend sent him a meme about New York roadwork, and he chuckles to himself. As much as he loves this, there's so much he wants to ask her. He wants to ask about her dad, about her relationship with Antonio, how she became the vigilante he admires so much…and like, a million other things. He just can't bring himself to ask her anything serious. Guess we'll stick to memes for now. He scrolls through his photo library to find the perfect return fire, but a little typing bubble catches his eyes. The three dots float for a few seconds, then a little message pops up.

When would be a good time to go see Tony?

Markus's heart drops. He thought she was sending him something funny but instead, she sends impending doom. What if Mr. Stark doesn't have the answers he's looking for? Kassidy would probably say "talk to him anyway" because who knows? On the other hand…

Markus starts typing, then stops. Then starts again, then stops. The more he thinks about it, the more he doesn't want to talk to anyone about this. I mean, my mom has been hiding something from me my whole life, and Tony Stark isn't exactly known for keeping secrets. What if this is a waste of everyone's time? What if the only way to find out who my dad is, is through my mom? He leans back in his chair and stares at the ceiling. Carol wanted to talk to him, begged even, but eight years is a long time for anger and bitterness to fester into resentment. Who is he kidding, it's been a lot longer than eight years of this hurt deepening. He groans and shoots Kassy a quick message about checking his schedule when he clocks in today. He's working the closing shift, so Mr. Estevez should have the schedule ready by this afternoon. Part of him wants to lie and say he can't because of work, but Kassidy works too. The guilt would be too much when she's going to all this trouble just to get Markus a chance to talk to Tony Stark. Even if he doesn't know anything about my dad, maybe he knows someone who does?

Kassidy's typing bubble pops up again, and she sends him a thumbs up with another meme. He smiles and stands, walking into the living room to get his shoes on. For once, he really just wants to go to work and be a mindless food service drone for eight hours. He doesn't want to think about Carol, or Tony Stark, or Kassy…well maybe he does want to think about Kassidy a little bit. He shakes his head to get rid of the blush he can feel on his cheeks and grabs his jacket off the couch. Keys in hand and mask in his pocket, his heads out the door for another normal day. At least, he hopes so. He's too tired for any more emergency calls from SHIELD. He locks up his apartment on his way out and hears the door across the hall open. I swear, if Mrs. Lebowski is going to harass me today, I think I'll cry.

But it wasn't Mrs. Lebowski behind him. "Danvers, long time no see," a younger female voice rings. "I saw you on the news last week. You really got beat up."

He turns around to see his neighbor Danielle in her doorway with a trash bag in hand. She's tall and lean, but scary muscular, with tightly curled hair braided back. Her hazel eyes stare at him as he stands with a stupid look on his face.

"What, forgot I lived here?"

"Um…uh, no! Not at all, I knew that," he stammers. "H-how's it going?"

She rolls her eyes and scoffs. "Been great, since you haven't bothered to ask lately."

"Dani, I'm sorry, you know I've been busy," Markus says. He shoves his keys in his pocket and follows her down the hallway as she walks towards the trash shoot.

"Yeah, busy playing hero when you could've been working for me. But that's in the past, right?" Dani says. Her words cut like a knife, clearly still pissed about what happened between them. Markus isn't very happy about it either.

"Danielle, I'm sorry. I just…I didn't think working for a P.I. was a good idea. I didn't mean to ghost you, I just didn't think you wanted to talk to me," he says. She stops at the end of the hall near the stairs where a little metal flap built into the wall for residents to throw their trash. Danielle shoves the bag down then gets extremely close to Markus.

"That's not what I'm mad about Danvers, and you know it…but fine, if you want to pretend that's what it's about, okay. Keep living in your happy little delusion." Danielle shoulder-checks him as she passes by, slamming her apartment door shut behind her. Markus clenches his fists and sighs. It was two dates…he thinks. He knows it was a lot more than that, but Dani was just too much too fast. He wasn't ready. Besides, she lives a more dangerous lifestyle than he does, and he couldn't keep up. Despite his choices and clumsy personality, he doesn't want to die young. He feels his phone buzz, knowing it's probably another meme from Kassidy, but he can't bring himself to answer it. Markus quickly hops down the stairs and out of the building. Maybe work will be distracting enough for him to forget about everything pressuring him at once. No thinking about mom, or Kassidy or anything else…just good ole' fashioned foodservice.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. 10:28 am.

There was a time in Daisy's life when hiding in a closet or a storage room was normal. She did a lot of recon and surveillance work for Fury back in the day. However, she assumed she had left the need to sneak around behind when she became a director. Her assumption was wrong.

Daisy has found that the only places she can truly have a private conversation save from prying ears are the storage rooms on board. So here she is again, just like she and Cass were the other night. My back still hurts from all the cleaning I did that night…she thinks. She's been clutching a burner phone Pennington gave her for thirty minutes now waiting for his call. She looks at her watch as she taps her foot. The World Security Council has scheduled a meeting today and it's approaching fast. Daisy's nervous she won't have enough time to talk to him before he leaves for London again. I guess I could talk to him when he gets back…no, we need to hammer this out now. I can't waste any more time. Just as her thoughts start to drift, the phone finally rings. She slides her finger across the screen to answer and General Pennington's familiar English voice sounds.

"Good morning, Director. Forgive my tardiness, there was a mishap with my luggage."

"The WSC meeting is happening soon, so we need to get things straight before I talk to them…for my own sanity," Daisy says. She stands up from the crate she was sitting on and starts pacing around the small space.

"Of course, let's jump right in. What have you decided, my dear?" he says.

"We'll accept your help, but I have a few terms of my own," she starts.

"I'm listening."

"Firstly, I have a base almost ready for them. I would need a small amount of funding to keep the place powered and off the grid, as well as their needs stocked in the barracks area. They won't be living there, but I want them to have as many amenities as possible while they work there," she says. She continues to list off a few more items—nothing extravagant—just a few practical things that she can't siphon from SHIELD without anyone noticing. "I'll create a budget and send it over to you as soon as I can. I also would like to supply them with suits, and I already have a designer in mind."

"A designer? Well, I see you've truly thought of everything. I would be more than happy to supply you and your team with everything you may so desire. Of course, things will have to be sent in a roundabout way, but my assistant Lt. General Wills will give you the details. From now on, Wills will be our liaison. If anything should arise, reach out to him first to avert suspicion," Pennington says.

"Yes, of course, thank you sir," Daisy says. She breathes a sigh of relief and sits down on a different crate this time. This was a lot easier than she thought, but she hates to think of how bad things had to get before she received the help she needed. I thought that's what the WSC was for…to make things easier for me, she thinks. "General, can I ask you one more thing before you go?"

"Of course, Director." His calm and soothing voice gives Daisy the confidence she needs to ask her questions.

"Sir, I remember you said previously that there are others on the council who support me, but why has it taken so long for you to reach out if you believed me about what's going on in the criminal underworld?"

The storage room goes silent for a moment, but the General quickly forms an answer for her. "I wish it wasn't so, but none of us in your favor have had the chance to. Councilwoman Wiler has the rest of the council under her thumb, and only now because of the incident at Stark Tower, is she having to scramble to explain herself. I'm sure she'll have come up with some convincing statements about the whole ordeal to keep the others in line, however…myself and others see what you are trying to do. Whatever personal bias Wiler holds against you aside, know that my men and I will do whatever we must to bring balance back to the council. I pray she gets voted out soon, but until then, I'll play nice, which means turning down your requests from time to time."

Daisy sighs. "I understand sir."

"Know this though, your requests do not go unheard. Your supporters and I came to the decision together that I should be the one to reach out, considering I have the most pull on the council—next to the royal pain of course," Pennington says with a chuckle.

Daisy snickers at his comment, but she can see what he means. With Wiler holding the monopoly on how far the council is willing to help SHIELD, their hands are tied. Pennington has the leeway they need because of his position in the British National Army. A position that he could be putting at risk for the sake of Daisy's plan. She smiles to herself. She's never felt like she could trust the council members too much but was merely forced to take their guidance to heart. She understands with SHIELD being an international presence that there must be checks and balances. She never thought those same checks and balances would make it hard for her to do her own job.

"I'll have Wills reach out to you once we've landed in London. I've already passed along my absence from today's meeting to Wiler. Heaven help me, I thought she was going to bite my head off," he laughs.

"That sounds like her. Thank you, sir, really. I hope you have a safe flight."

"I look forward to hearing from you. Good day," he says, signing off. Once the call is over, Daisy lets a little of her tremors loose and crushes the phone in her hand. She dumps it in a small trash can and finally frees herself from the storage closet she's been hiding in for an hour now. She looks down at her watch and panic sets in as she realizes the meeting starts in two minutes and she's nowhere near the meeting room. She takes off to the nearest elevator and slams the buttons for the top floor. When she reaches the top floor, she runs out of the elevator and down the hallway. Agent Phillips comes into view outside the meeting room.

"Sir, I've been looking for you! The meeting is about to start and I've—" he starts.

"I know, sorry! Do you have the list?" Daisy says. He hands her a holotablet with the order of the meeting on it and they scurry inside. She runs her fingers through her silky, black hair to straighten it up before she's broadcast to the council. The meeting room is somewhat dimly lit, the only light coming from the glow of the huge monitor in front of her on the wall. The monitor is one, big screen, but it's divided up into seven separate screens for each councilman. Their screens are already loading as Daisy tugs at her uniform in an attempt to prepare herself. Agent Phillips gives a thumbs up with his signature soft smile and she turns to the screens as the silhouettes of all but General Pennington's appear on the monitor.

"Good morning, Director Johnson, as you can see, Councilman Pennington is unable to attend for outside business today," Wiler says. Her shrill voice and angered tone pierce Daisy's confidence like a sword. "If you are ready, let's begin with the highest priority on the list." She pauses for a moment, and it looks like she has her own documents she's looking over, but it's hard to tell when she's blurred out. Daisy's stomach turns as she waits in silence with the other council members.

"Ah, yes, here we are. I'm sure everyone saw the spectacle on the news a few days ago. Not only did Shield's late response time put people in danger, but Tony Stark himself—along with a few others on the scene—was the first to react to the situation. I also see here that the person responsible for the whole escapade escaped…and the other suspect in question is not doing well. Am I correct, Director?"

Daisy gulps. This is not off to a great start. "Yes, Councilwoman. Unfortunately, our response time was longer than expected, as we didn't have many agents capable or experienced with a situation like the one we were faced with. We scrambled to get as many feet on the ground as possible but given the circumstances we spoke about in our last meeting; you could see that it was difficult to respond accordingly." Okay, maybe I should tone down the pettiness, but she needs to know this is her fault.

Wiler scoffs, but Daisy could swear she heard Councilman T'Shan chuckle. "Are you giving us excuses, Johnson? Lives were at a greater risk because of the delay," she says.

"No one values the lives of the public more than Shield, mam. Which is why I'm very grateful to Mr. Stark and the others who helped contain the mutants to the Stark Tower block," Daisy returns fire. She knows this back and forth with Wiler could go on for hours, and honestly, she wishes it would so she didn't have to tell the council anything else she's found out. Boy, they'd have a field-day if they found out the Zemo family could be involved.

"We are very grateful to Stark as well," Councilman T'Shan finally speaks. "I understand Shield has been in a difficult position lately because of our ignorance to the situation at hand."

Daisy tries to keep her eyes from going wide at T'Shan's pointed remark. Is this what Pennington was talking about when he said there were others on the council who supported me? T'Shan has never said anything like this before… "Thankfully the situation has been dealt with, sir. The Gamma Unit is helping those who were affected by the shots, and one of the suspects has been apprehended. However, as you said earlier, Councilwoman Wiler, he is in critical condition."

"Has he given you any information?" Councilman Zheng says, with a dry and unamused tone.

"No sir. He's been too ill to give us anything. The injuries he sustained from his mutation were too extensive," Daisy says. She hopes what little information she's feeding them will pacify them for now, but she's sure Wiler has another comment up her sleeve.

"Director, if I may?" Councilwoman Germaine's French accent comes soft and sweet.

"Of course."

"Considering the odds that day, I would say your response and subsequent damage control thus far have been exceptional. I agree that the matter must be looked into further, and we must find out where this Gamma serum came from. I would say those are our top priorities. Does the council agree?"

Daisy listens to the murmurs as she fights a smirk. Pennington called out T'Shan and St. Germaine as two of her supporters, and as Ms. Germaine redirects the conversation onto something the others can't say no to, Daisy feels a warmth in her chest. This is the first time a meeting with the council has started to turn in her favor. This is different…it's nice.

"I agree," Councilman Peron from Brazil chimes. "Wiler, we cannot have more mutants running through the streets."

"I agree Peron, but Johnson must be held accountib—"

"Then it is settled," T'Shan says, speaking over Wiler. "Director, focus all your attention on finding the source of the serum. The instability of Gamma radiation is too risky to take lightly."

"Of course, sir. I'll get my security director on it immediately," Daisy says. "If there's nothing else, I would like to request the temporary reinstatement of the Damage Control unit. I'll send over my top picks for recruitment from my ranks as well as the budget for getting the crew up and running again."

"Order to the council!" Wiler's voice booms. All conversations cease in her wake. "We are not finished addressing the Stark Tower incident."

Daisy holds in an eye roll. She thought they had steam rolled over her, but of course Wiler had to have the last word. She steels herself for more yelling, but Agent Phillips movements in the corner of her eye distracts her. She watches him quietly walk over to the door to see Agent Ellis popping his head in. She starts to panic and hopes that he doesn't try to join the meeting. That doesn't appear to be what's happening. Elliot looks frantic and presses Phillips to bring Daisy over. She's trying really hard to listen to whatever it is Wiler is fussing about, but she can't while her security coordinator is waving at her.

"Is there something wrong, Director?" Councilwoman Wiler asks, her tone full of venom.

"Uh, I think there might be. I'm very sorry, I think I might need to cut this meeting short. Please send any further concerns to my assistant and I will be happy to address them later. Johnson out," Daisy says. She tabs a few buttons on her holotablet, and the screen goes back to the SHIELD logo.

"Daisy, we have a problem," Ellis says, finally fully walking into the meeting room.

"What is so important that it had to interrupt my meeting?"

"Jane Foster is here," Elliot says.

Daisy drops her tablet on the floor. "Wha…what?"

"Jane and Heimdall have arrived on the deck, Daisy. I just so happened to be top side when the portal opened up. How did you not see all of the sensor notifications going off?"

"I mute everything for her when she's in a meeting with the WSC or Wiler yells at us," Ian says.

"They must be here for Valda," Daisy mumbles. Ian and Elliot both look to her, one of them clearly panicked. She reaches down and picks up her tablet, finally seeing all of the muted notifications from the ships' sensors. "Okay, no sweat. I know why they're here. Phillips, please bring them to my office. Ellis, you're with me. Turn the alerts off and tell everyone it's fine…I don't need another call from Abigail Brand."

Without a word, all three of them jump into action. Phillips rushes out of the room and disappears down the corridor while Daisy and Elliot walk to her office. She peeks over at Elliot as they walk, his face a little too serious for the current situation. She wants to ask him what's wrong, but she also doesn't want to hear the three-hour speech he'll give if she does. The silence lasts until they reach her office. She places her hand on the security pad and the doors open, but once they close behind her, Agent Ellis's demeanor drastically shifts.

"Okay, Elliot, out with it. There's no way the Asgardians showing up has you this mad," Daisy says. She walks around her desk and takes a seat as Ellis follows her, propping is arms on the other side of her desk. His mahogany brown eyes meet her cool blues with a concerned stare.

"I had just gotten off a Quinn jet when I saw Foster and Heimdall arrive. I just came from the GEU…Daisy…the crow mutant…Matthew Talbot—he passed away an hour ago."

Before she realizes it, curses fall from her mouth. How could this day get any better? "What happened?"

"I was talking to Dr. Edwards this morning about his condition and within seconds his heart monitor started sounding weird, the next thing I knew he was coding and they rushed me out. No more than a minute later, he died." Elliot leans back and sits in the chair behind him, head in his hands. "There was nothing she could do. The serum killed him."

Daisy leans back in her chair and rubs her eyes. "He was the only one who knew what was happening…God, what about his family?"

"I've taken care of it, don't worry. I'm moving them somewhere safe, and they've already been notified."

Daisy looks at Ellis, wondering if she should even ask. "Do you think his wife might know something?"

The question hangs in the air for a moment when Elliot sighs and meets her eyes. "I plan to ask her once we get the funeral arrangements taken care of. I'm sure she'll know her husband was into something…she may not know what, but she might be able to give us something to work with."

Her fingers tap in an anxious rhythm on her desk. Her jaw clenches as thoughts of this man, a marine, a father, a husband, someone who was being blackmailed and now his life has been taken from him? She slams her fist on the desk and stands, looking out the window behind her. "Tell his wife that I will personally find out who did this."

The sound of her office doors opening draws both of their attention. "Sir, Lady Foster and sir Heimdall here to see you."

The Liberty Island Ferry, New York. 11:03 am.

Lila has probably ridden this little boat to Liberty Island at least fifteen times while she was in school. It was all her middle school ever did for field trips, and frankly, she got tired of seeing the old green lady. The breeze coming off the bay is nice, and the sound of the waves splashing against the boat is soothing, but it's not enough to cover up the loud and obnoxious tourists. The place she's stationed herself is near the back of the ferry, and when she turns around, she can see a group of school kids on the top deck. Gross, she thinks. Gross because loud kids, but also gross because she used to be one of those loud kids. She rolls her dark, russet eyes and turns back to face the bay. She checks her watch and realizes that she hasn't checked on Valda in about ten minutes, and if she's picked up anything about this girl since she's known her, it might be a bad idea to leave her alone for that long. Valda begged her to stand at the front of the Ferry—just like all the other out-of-towners always want to. Lila groans. She leaves her cozy spot in the back and makes her way through the groups of people all crowded together on this tiny ferry to see the little Princess standing at the front point of the boat. She sighs, somewhat relieved. She's not sure what she was expecting, but she's just glad Valda is still on the boat.

"Hey, you sure you want to stay up here the whole ride? It's pretty crowded," Lila says. She tucks her hands in her jacket pockets and looks around her, eyeing anyone too close.

Valda turns around to face her, eyes bright and smile wide. "No! I love it right here! You can see everything." The breeze coming off the bay is cool and blows the Princess's long, ivory hair off her shoulders. Lila watches the teen, who is enjoying this boat ride way more than teen her ever did. She wonders what she's missing here…maybe it's because she's lived here her whole life, or maybe she's just too tired to really care. She turns around and leans her back against the rail next to Valda, watching her six instead of taking in the view. Normal people, on a normal New York afternoon surround them, ignorant of the presence of royalty. Lila has always been amazed at the carelessness and unawareness of others. Anyone could tell by looking at Valda that she didn't belong in this picture, but people usually judge first and ask questions later. She wonders how many people are thinking that right now. Valda doesn't notice them or if she does, she doesn't mind. She's probably used to this kind of attention as a princess anyway.

As the ship bobs up and down on the waves of the river, the sun catches on Valda's circlet. Lila had forgotten she put it on this morning before they left, but her attention catches on the little wings extending from the sides. They remind her of Thor's helmet from when he was an Avenger. There's so many questions Lila wants to ask her, why she ran away, what her life is like in Asgard, what pushed her to make such a decision knowing she would likely get her into serious trouble. Was New York really worth her father's wrath?

"The Ferry will be docking in two minutes. Please remain where you are until the ship has fully stopped…" a speaker overhead continues giving instructions to its passengers. Out of the corner of Lila's eye, Valda is bouncing with excitement as the docks near closer to the boat. The other passengers do the exact opposite of what the person over the speaker told them, and they crowd around the exit ramp.

"Stay close to me," Lila says. Valda turns towards her chaperone and stands close to her, bumping elbows. I didn't mean that close, she thinks. The next few minutes of chaos may or may not have spiked Lila's heart rate. Instead of staying close like she asked, Valda exclaimed that she wanted to get to the front of the line and in the process, left Lila behind at the front of the ferry. Lila took to pushing through the crowd despite protests, occasionally flashing her SHIELD badge on her hip. She didn't want to draw unwanted attention to the princess, but she'd rather people talk than get in her way.

"Valda!" Lila calls. She jumps onto the dock and looks around, but she's not tall enough to see over all the tourists. The kids on their school trip split and shove past her as they unload, ignoring their teachers' panicked cries for their attention. Same, Teach. Same, Lila thinks. She takes care not to knock any of the kids over and gets ahead of the crowd where she can finally see Valda. The girl is standing at the bottom of the concrete steps that lead up to the main gardens around the base of the statue. Lila jogs over to her while Valda is completely unaware of her surroundings as she stares up at Lady Liberty. Lila really wants to scold her, but she can't bring herself to say anything that will ruin this moment for her…and it seems like she's really having a moment. Instead, she gently touches Valda's shoulder.

"Hey, try to stay with me, okay? There's a lot of people here. We'll get to everything you want to see, but I need you to stick close. I don't want to have to pull out my blaster," Lila says.

Valda quickly wipes a few stray tears from her face and meets Lila with a smile and a nod. From there, the two make their way up the steps and towards the fun, touristy part of the trip.

After an hour or two, Lila couldn't take it anymore. She wanted desperately to duck out of the museum and sit outside on a secluded bench somewhere, but Valda was so wrapped up in the tour guide's spiel. She decided instead to find a place along the wall and watch Valda from there. Valda is relatively tall, and she sticks out like a sore thumb with her platinum blonde curls all the way down her back. From this vantage point, Valda can't disappear on her. Even still, she knows the princess will want to climb all the way to the top, but Lila isn't going to do that—no matter how disappointed Valda looks. Eventually, the tour is over, and Valda seems to have had enough of the fanfare. She joins Lila and they take a brief walk through the gift shop where Valda manages to touch every cheap piece of plastic present. She ooed and ahed over the snow globes and the hats and the T-shirts. Lila didn't want to spoil the teen's fun, but she was finding it hard not to roll her eyes as everyone else spent way more money than this stuff was worth. Something in particular however, Valda couldn't seem to put down. It was a simple little necklace, hanging on a spinning wrack on the checkout counter. It was silver and had a drop pendant of a star. The star didn't have anything special on it like fake stones, or words, but it was shaped after the star that tops the biggest Christmas tree in Madison Square Gardens. Lila recognized it, but Valda just seemed to think it was pretty. She sighed and decided that if Valda was going to go to all this trouble to visit New York, she should at least take home a souvenir.

With all of Lila's skills as a SHIELD agent working directly under Johnson, she buys the necklace for Valda without her noticing and quickly hides it in the pocket of her denim jacket. Once Valda has had her fill, Lila shuffles her out of the gift shop-museum or whatnot, and they finally make it back outside for a breath of fresh air.

"I wasn't expecting there to be so many people!" Valda says. "They were a little rude as well."

"Welcome to New York," Lila chuckles. "Why don't you find us a bench and I'll grab us a snack."

"OOoo! Can I try a hotdog…oh wait! Or a pretzel?!" Valda's excited face almost makes Lila feel bad about the disappointment she's about to feel after getting what she wants.

"Sure kid. Just wait here, okay?" Lila starts towards the nearest food cart, spinning around halfway and yelling, "I mean it!" Valda did, in fact, find a bench to sit on. Lila turns back to greet the hotdog-guy and get through this social interaction as quickly as possible. She steals a few glances in Valda's direction, just to make sure she hadn't run off, but she's still sitting on the bench. However, an older couple with a dog stopped in front of her while she aggressively pets the big, fluffy dog. The Chow-Chow doesn't seem to mind though, Lila just hopes the elderly couple isn't too friendly. The vendor hands over her order and she hurries back to the princess. The couple and the dog have moved on, leaving a cloud of loose hair surrounding Valda.

"Did you see the wolf?! He was sooooo fluffy! I've never seen one like that before," Valda says. Her icy eyes are still locked onto the dog as Lila hands her a hotdog and a pretzel and sits next to her on the bench.

"Yeah, we just call them dogs here." Lila sits back and munches on her hotdog while Valda rambles about the animals in Asgard—and then several other subjects that don't make sense to Lila, but she nods along. She lets the Princess talk for a while about whatever she wants or whatever she's thinking about, which she seems to need. With this much to say, she wonders how often Valda is allowed to speak her mind at home. Lila understands on a deep level about an oppressive home-life. Of course, she doesn't know all the details, but life with her mom wasn't exactly easy. Maria Hill was a great SHIELD agent, but not so much a mom. Maybe Thor and her mom are similar in that way…great heroes, lacking parents.

"But then my brother Jarle jumped in and talked me out of getting in trouble—Which he doesn't do often but I appreciated it." Valda finishes talking about whatever it was…Lila wasn't really listening.

"Do you have a good relationship with your siblings?" Lila asks.

"Oh, well, my brother can be a bit difficult," she starts as she bites off a chunk of her pretzel. "He's mister 'I never break the rules' at home, although he does often stand up for me. And my little sister is still very young, so I haven't decided if I like her yet. She is very cute however."

Lila chokes on her food a little bit. She wasn't expecting that sort of comment about a baby, but here they are. "Well, your brother sounds trustworthy at least."

"Oh, he is," she says with a smile Lila can't quite place. The young royal looks across the brick walkways with tress casting shade over everyone, her smile fading into a sad longing. Lila wants to ask, but she feels it best she doesn't. They finish up their hotdogs and as she collects their trash, her phone starts to go off in her pocket. She rolls her eyes and checks to see who's calling, and wouldn't you know it's work. What a surprise.

"Valda, I've got to take this call really quick. Stay here, it shouldn't take long." Valda nods and scoots down the bench, offering up more space to other visitors.

Lila finds a quiet enough spot near a ledge and sits down. "What's up, Phillips?"

Her young friend responds with panic in his voice. "Lila, Jane Foster and Heimdall are on the Helicarrier right now."

"What? Already?" Lila says, looking over to Valda. She's talking to more strangers about who knows what, unaware of her mother coming to get her. "Well, do I need to bring her back?"

"Not right now, I think Ms. Foster might be coming to you guys. I just wanted to call and give you a heads up to prepare Valda," Ian says.

Lila sighs and rubs the bridge of her nose. And here I thought today was going well, she thinks. "Is she talking to Johnson?"

"Yeah, they've been in there for about thirty minutes now. I think they might be talking about letting Valda stay a little longer, but I'm not sure. She asked me to step out and call you. I feel so bad for everyone," Ian says.

"Me too, but there's not much we can do except follow orders. If I need to stay put, I will, but I don't know if I have the heart to cut our plans for the day short," she says. Valda looks as though she's made friends with a few people now and is enjoying whatever the conversation is about. Her face is so happy and full of curiosity for the people she's talking to. The last thing Lila wants to do is return her to the cold, hard reality she tried so hard to run away from.

"Wait, I think they're coming out now. I need to go, but I'll text you with any updates!" Ian quickly signs off. Lila tucks her phone away in her pocket and sighs. She doesn't want to be the one to deliver the news that her mom has come to get her. She doesn't really have a choice either. Lila takes a deep breath to steel herself for the conversation she's about to have. Valda, none the wiser, waves goodbye to her new friends as she smiles at Lila. The young Princess's bright and happy expression makes this even worse for her now—but she presses on. Valda needs to know what's coming for her.

"Those nice people complemented my crown, but they didn't know it was a crown, isn't that funny?" she giggles. "They have no idea I'm a Princess," she says in a not-so-quiet whisper.

Lila rolls her eyes and smiles. Valda is enjoying the anonymity, and the crowds around her couldn't care less about who or what she is. She thinks they're drawn to her rosy demeaner or her cheery smile, or maybe they can tell she's been couped up her whole life, like Lila can. She sits next to the teen as Valda regals all the interesting things she's seen so far today. Somewhere between her rambling, Lila gets a text from Ian, alerting her that Jane is on the way now. She taps her watch and looks back at Valda who must have noticed the change in her expression.

"What's wrong?" she asks, concern in her icy eyes.

"Um, well, it's not that something is wrong per say, it's just that—" Lila starts. Unfortunately, her words fall off as glowing yellow swirls light up the brickwork of the courtyard. Lila realizes too late that when Ian said they were on their way, he meant teleportation…not a Quinn Jet. They look at each other in panic as the yellow light opens a door from what looks like the Helicarrier's blacktop. Heimdall standing at the front stretches out his staff, leading Jane through the opening.

"Lila," Valda manages to squeak out.

"Valda, I'm sorry, I was trying to tell you before they arrived," Lila whispers. The portal closes in a burst of golden glow and Jane immediately locks eyes with them.

"Mother! Um…I uh, I can explain!" Valda rambles, scrambling to her feet.

"Valda, thank the gods you're safe!" Jane rushes over and wraps her arms around her daughter. Lila, wide-eyed, looks over at Heimdall as he looms behind them. They nod to each other, and she turns back to Valda. She looks just as shocked as Lila—this is not the reaction either of them were expecting.

Jane pulls back and cups Valda's face in her hands. "Are you sure you're okay? Director Johnson told me—"

"I'm fine, mother, truly!" Valda escapes her worried mother's clutches and backs up, holding her arms close to her chest.

Lila knows that look, that anxious look written all over her freckled face. She doesn't look afraid of her mother, just nervous that she's disappointed. Lila is very familiar with that feeling. A booming voice snaps her attention away from overanalyzing the royals.

"Perhaps we should give them space," Heimdall says. The crowd that's slowly gathered must have overheard him, and combined with his stature and the way he wields his staff, the group parts. Lila nods and walks back to the bricked wall, standing in the shade of the trees. Valda looked to her for help, but they both knew there was nothing she could do to help her wiggle out of Jane's authority.

The women exchange a quick back and forth until Valda drops her head, and Janes leads her to some unoccupied benches away from the people—who, at this point, look too scared of the entourage to try to listen in or ask questions. They're nervous glances at the Royalty as they scurry by is enough to make Lila laugh. People are always sticking their noses where they don't belong…just like her.

"Is she in trouble?" Lila knows the answer but wanted to ask from a third-party perspective.

Heimdall sighs heavily. "Yes…with her father. He is not pleased with her excursion. However, I believe her mother will make the right decision for her."

"Is that why Thor isn't here?" Lila presses further, hoping to get a better understanding of the situation. She doesn't quite understand if it's the way she relates or if she feels bad for Valda, but she's invested.

"Yes. We thought it best for Lady Jane to handle the situation. Thor tends to…speak out of turn when it comes to the young Princess." Heimdall peers over Lila's head—not that he has to try—and watches Jane and Valda as they speak. Lila follows his line of vision and notices that their hands are joined together as they talk. She never had conversations with her mom like that. Hers always ended with slamming doors or running over to the Rogers's house late at night. But as she watches Jane and Valda, she's glad that their relationship is nothing like that of hers and her mom's.

"So, is she going home with you today? Because we still had a few things on the bucket list to go see," Lila says with a smirk.

Heimdall chuckles and relaxes his grip on the towering, golden staff. "I would wish it that she might stay, but I am not the decider of her fate," he pauses. "Her fate has already been decided."

Lila raises a brow at his comment. She's not exactly sure what he's referring to, but it sounded ominous enough without further context, she isn't sure she wants to know the context. "Oh wait," she says. She pushes herself off the wall she was propped on as Jane and Valda stand from their bench, wrapping each other in a tight hug. It looks like Jane whispered something in her daughter's ear and she pulls back. Her face looks shocked, but it quickly changes to excitement…and tears? She's bouncing up and down now and is running straight for Lila. Valda throws her arms around her neck and squeals in her ear.

"What is it," Lila laughs, trying to pull Valda off her.

"Mother said we can stay a few days! Can you believe it?!"

"W-wow, really?" Lila looks over to Heimdall who is clearly amused by the situation. "That-that's great! Are you going to stay on the Helicarrier?"

"For now, yes," Jane says with a smile. She puts her arm around Valda's shoulders and reaches out her other hand to Lila. She looks down at it and back at Jane. The Shield Agent gently touches her fingers to Jane's hand and the future Queen of Asgard gives it a squeeze. "Thank you for watching after her. Things have been really hard lately for my family, so I'm thankful you agreed to take her around the city."

"It was nothing, really. I was happy to show her around," Lila says, giving Valda a wink. Heimdall taps his staff to the ground and opens another portal back to the Helicarrier, extending a hand to Lila as well.

"Oh, um, I actually live down here, so don't worry about me."

He nods. "As you wish. My Lady?"

"Thanks. Oh, Agent Hill? You're welcome to join us tomorrow. It's been a while since I've been to New York, I might need a native guide to show us what's new?" Jane says, the yellow of the portal making her glow.

Lila chuckles. "You know nothing ever really changes in this city."

Jane's smile falters slightly as she takes Valda by the hand. "I know. Have a good afternoon." Valda waves to Lila as they disappear into the portal, leaving behind a little burst of light after they're gone.

She sighs as the people who were trying to be stealthy about watching them start to murmur and disperse. Lila flashes her badge and nods to the crowd, silently threatening them to move along and enjoy their mediocre family trip to the Big Apple. I guess I can take the long way home…while I'm here. Lila makes a slow circle around the base of Lady Liberty, taking in the sweet fall breeze as the day gets warmer. She knew Valda would get whisked away as soon as they said her mom was coming, but she didn't expect them to go back to the Helicarrier. She thought she would never see her again after their conversation, considering everything Valda told her about her dad. But who knows? Maybe she'll get to hang out with her tomorrow, and maybe she'll feel a little bit better about when Valda returns home. She'll know she did everything she could to make her short visit worthwhile. Valda deserves that much, at least, that's what Lila thinks.

---

A/N: Thought's on Lila? And what do Thor and Heimdall know that Jane and Valda don't? Also, I don't know if I said this already, but Jarle's name is pronounced like Yarle. Anyway, COMMENT!

Up Next: So Little Time