"Stop staring, you're making me uncomfortable." Loki tells Thor and Valkyrie who're sitting across a gold adorned table from her.
Thor lightly chuckles then turns to look at Valkyrie. They both chuckle at Loki's uncomfort. "I'm sorry sister," Thor says, "but seeing you like this is rather fascinating." Loki glares angrily at Thor, who keeps talking. "I mean, I'm used to you shape shifting and taking other forms, but you so rarely take on something so... unique."
"Unique?' Loki asks. "What do you mean by that? I've taken on the form of women several times in your presence. Or did you forget about the many times we fooled Father into letting us venture outside the kingdom?"
"No, no, I remember." Thor replies. "We went on many adventures back in our childhood." Thor sits back to reminisce. "It's just, you've never looked better."
"Hang on," Loki frowns, "what are you trying to say, Brother?"
"He's trying to say, you look cute!" Valkyrie jumps in. "Adorable even."
"I'm sorry?!" Loki responds, offended. "I'm glad my image amuses you! I know what kind of spell to cast on you the next time I'm in a foul mood."
"Oh, come off it brother." Thor says with a chuckle. "We're just japing with you. We mean no offense. And you really do look good. Doesn't he look good, Nebula?"
Nebula is across the room from them looking at himself in one of the Grandmaster's vanity mirrors. He runs his hand over his scalp and sees a short layer of hair is starting to grow. His eyes wander down to his chiseled chin and he sees the signs of a beard as well. He is not sure what he is feeling, but he's sure these changes are definitely stirring up some emotions.
"Nebula?" Thor calls.
Nebula turns toward Thor, confused. "What?"
"Isn't Loki adorable in her new form?" Thor asks, pointing at his sister.
Nebula looks at Loki for a long moment, then toward Thor and Valkyrie. "I wouldn't know."
"Oh, come on!" Valkyrie protests. "How can you not know? Don't you find her attractive?"
Nebula shakes his head. "She's not my type."
"Whoaa!" Thor says happily. Loki actually looks a little offended. "Not your type?" Thor asks, excitedly. "What is your type? Is it the Drax type, with the big knockers!" Thor does a lewd gesture."
"Thor!" Valkyrie snaps. "That's rude!"
"What?" Thor asks. "It's just us! The guys! We don't have to be gentlemen."
"What about Loki?" Valkyrie points at her.
"What?" Thor asks. "She's my brother."
"I assure you," Loki adds, "I became quite desensitized to Thor's antics, ages ago."
"See, she doesn't mind!" Thor says happily.
"Are you sure?" Valkyrie asks.
"Look at you!" Thor says jokingly. "Valkyrie, the gentleman."
"I'm not a gentleman!" Valkyrie protests.
"I can vouch for that!" Loki responds.
"Hey! You shut up." Valkyrie tells her. The three start laughing and even Nebula can't help but smirk.
The room suddenly goes dead quiet when the door leading to the bridge opens up and Hela comes walking in. He takes a few quick paces inward and looks at the three sitting down. "You guys didn't start drinking without me, did you?" He asks.
Thor, Valkyrie, and Loki turn toward each other with confused looks. They have a wordless conversation with their eyes, wondering whether Hela was being serious.
"What?" Hela asks, when they all turn back toward him.
"We weren't planning on drinking with you." Thor responds.
"Oh you weren't?" Hela asks, somewhat sarcastically. He takes a few steps to his left, away from Nebula and approaches another large mirror. "Then, I guess I don't have to share any of this." Hela taps the side of the mirror which opens with a loud audible hiss. Cold air rushes out to reveal a deep cooler filled with liquors, spirits, wines, and a large variety of alien concoctions.
Hela reaches into the cooler, grabs a huge bottle of something red, pops it open, and starts to drink from it after a quick sniff.
"Uhh..." Valkyrie mutters with a look of longing on his face.
"Hey! Those are mine!" Loki protests.
Hela stops drinking and lowers the bottle with a light splash. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize this ship was yours." He tells Loki.
"Well it is!" Loki says challengingly. "I stole it fair and square, and everything on it."
"Well," Hela responds with a bit of a hiccup, "I stole it from you!" He taps the side of the cooler, causing it to close. "Which makes it mine, now."
"Hang on!" Valkyrie calls out. "Are you already drunk?"
Hela gives Valkyrie a look of denial. "Does it matter?"
"Wait, were you pregaming?" Thor asks.
"Pregaming?" Valkyrie asks, looking at Thor, then Loki.
"It's when you start drinking before you start drinking." Loki says. "It's an Earth term but I'm sure you're familiar with the custom."
"What made you think you were going to drink with us?" Thor asks, more surprised than upset.
"Now hang on!" Valkyrie suddenly interrupts. "If we're going to be stuck on a ship together, the least we can do is act civil toward one another..." Thor gives Valkyrie a judgmental look. "And maybe we can... I don't know bond over drinks." Valkyrie continues.
Thor turns toward Hela and tries to weigh his options.
"I for one wouldn't mind hearing old tales of our father, over lets say, some of that Alfheim wine." Loki says.
"Alfheim wine?" Thor asks, suddenly yearning. "I haven't had Alfheim wine since we were half-height."
"Not since father caught us smuggling it from his temporary hiding spot." Loki smiles mischievously. "He was furious."
"So you're the ones who drank it all?" Hela smirks judgingly.
"No!" Thor replies. "We hardly had any."
"I'll have you know, it was confiscated." Loki updates Hela. "He was hiding it from the Light Elves, during a conference. Hence how we got a hold of it." Loki crosses her arms with a look of disappointment. "Apparently it was obtained illegally. He was very angry when they took it back."
"Yeah, I'll say." Hela struts up to the table smugly. "I plundered that wine before either of you two was even a thought in fathers mind. It was during my reign... our reign."
"Hold up! You invaded Alfheim?" Valkyrie cannot believe what he is hearing. "I've got to hear about this!" He reaches across the table and pushes a seat out for Hela.
"Don't mind if I do." Hela sits thumping the bottle on the table. The three Asgardians watch it with longing eyes.
"So, when did you invade Alfheim?" Valkyrie feigns interest. "This had to be before my time as well."
"Oh this was definitely well before your time." Hela reminisces. "Father was significantly more spontaneous in those days. He'd capture a horde of cave trolls and bilchsteim. Set them free in the gardens at night. Caught them completely off guard." He starts to snicker, but when he doesn't get a response he looks at his audience. They're still staring at the wine.
"Oh, very well!" Hela waves his hand and magics five large mugs onto the table.
"Yes!" Thor cheers, forgetting his grudge already. "My good man!" He pats Hela on the shoulder, earning him a slightly dirty look. Despite her concern, even Loki also looks eager to try the wine.
Hela pours them each a cup then turns toward Nebula, who is still sitting by the vanity mirror. "How about you, handsome. Are you going to join us?"
Nebula seems a little surprised by the invite. "I do not think it either wise... nor safe." He says, openly judging Hela.
Hela looks a little offended but before he can answer, Thor speaks up. "Oh, come on brother, Nebula! What's a few drinks amongst friends?"
Nebula lightly shakes his head, but is interrupted by Hela. "Brother?" he asks, turning back toward Thor, "Is this another one of Odin's?"
"No! Nebula is different." Thor defends. "He is my brother in arms, and he must join us."
"I shouldn't."
"Oh, come off it, Nebula!" Valkyrie says. "He's drinking with us too, what harm could he do?"
"Yes," Hela turns back toward Nebula and looks him up and down, "what harm indeed?"
Nebula is now feeling very uncomfortable but is not sure if it's from Hela's ogling or peer pressure. "Very well." He responds. "But I will only have one."
"Great! Let's have a toast!" Thor raises his glass. "To brothers!"
"To brothers." Loki responds.
"Hang on!" Valkyrie responds. "I'm not sure I'm ready to be your brother." He then turns to Loki. "And what about her, she's not technically your brother anymore."
"That can be easily remedied." Loki cast an illusion, converting back to her male image.
"What about the rest of us?" Valkyrie continues to plead his case. "The three of us used to be girls."
"Do you want the wine, or not?" Hela interrupts him.
The threat of losing the wine seems to do the trick. Valkyrie thinks for only a moment before responding. "Well, yes."
"Then, shut up!" Hela tells him. "To brothers!" He cheers, while raising his mug. The others join in as they clink their mugs. They all take a drink together.
Nebula's eyes widen in surprise as he pulls the drink away from his lips. He suddenly can't resist smiling very lightly. He goes back in for another sip.
"Whoa!" Valkyrie exclaims. "Has this stuff always been this good?"
"It only gets better with age." Hela responds.
"It's intense isn't it?" Thor tells Valkyrie with a smile. "As you were saying, brother!" He gestures toward Hela to continue his story.
"Oh yes, we are sneaking into Ljosalfgard, and before we can even step away from the gates, father gets gored by one of his own bilchsteim." Hela begins to laugh. "His screaming set off every alarm in the forest. We had light elves crawling out trees, streams, and every bush imaginable. The element of surprise was completely taken away."
Thor is laughing. "That must have been horrible."
"Yes, it was!" Hela leans back. "Horribly funny."
"Wait, is that why he limps?" Loki inquires.
"No, but it definitely didn't help his strut one bit." Hela jokes. "Naturally we should have retreated, but he was stubborn, and all the noise made it much easier to access their cellars."
"Did you intentionally come to steal the wine?" Valkyrie asks.
"No, we were trying to invade, but didn't get the gates open." Hela says matter of factly. "Normally we'd conquer by means of brute force, but if you've ever been to Alfheim, you'd know, they have the terrain advantage."
"Terrain advantage?" Valkyrie asks.
"Lots of trees." Loki responds.
"We're going to need some more." Hela starts filling their mugs again. Even Nebula seems eager for another drink. Hela gets up and starts walking to the hidden cooler. "So, anyway. It was a good thing I didn't come home empty handed, because with father's failure and injuries, mother was furious."
"Mother was furious?" Thor asks. "I can't imagine her wanting him to succeed."
"Not your mother, idiot." Hela says, as he opens the hidden compartment. "My mother."
The surprising revelation causes Thor to spit up.
"Hey, don't waste that!" Valkyrie protests.
Hela pulls out two large bottles of random drinks. "What? Did you really think father was always the simple family man?" The cooler closes as he walks back to the table. "I mean, as far as I can tell, this one is a frost giant." He points at Loki.
"No, Loki is adopted..." Thor fills in the gap.
"And what of Hermod, Balder, and Tyr?" Hela asks.
"Hermod and Tyr? Who's Balder?" Thor asks.
Valkyrie raises his eyebrows with concern.
"Zeus almighty!" Hela says, turning toward Valkyrie. "Did they raise this one on Midgar?"
"One would think." Loki jokes.
"Well then, drink up brothers." Hela says filling his next cup with something random. "We have much catching up to do."
*** Hours later ***
Thor and Valkyrie are laughing hysterically while Loki is leaning back and enjoying her drink. Hela is shaking his head with a smirk and Nebula is pouring himself another drink.
"Thor did something similar to that on Sakaar, shortly before we arrived on Asgard." Valkyrie says, continue a previous conversation. "He goes into this long drawn out speech about being a SUPER hero, then proceeds to nail himself... right in the face with an exercise ball."
Hela starts laughing and Nebula chuckles.
"I was trying to break the window." Thor laughs, wiping a tear from his eye. "I didn't know they were reinforced."
"You are very much like our father." Hela says. "It's a shame you let this era put this hero idea in your head. You would have made a great conqueror."
"Oh, it wasn't the era." Loki responds. "If you ask me, I think it was a girl. What was her name?"
Valkyrie chuckles then pauses. "Wait, what?"
"It wasn't a girl..." Thor says, "Jane just happened to be there when I found my purpose."
"And what purpose was that?" Loki asks.
"To be a good king!" Thor answers.
"And that wasn't your purpose before?" Valkyrie presses conversation.
"Well it was, but she may have inspired me... a little." Thor blushes.
"A little?" Loki scoffs. "You haven't left Midgar since. I should know. I was on Asgard the whole time!"
"They needed me to fight robots and terrorists!" Thor tries to protest. "What about you? You were spending a lot of time with that giantess from Jotunheim. What was her name? Anger-something?"
"Who?" Valkyrie asks excitedly.
"That was different." Loki says. "She was hardly life changing."
"But you liked her!" Thor counters
An alarm starts going off from the door leading to the deck.
"Oh shit..." Hela says as he stumbles to get up.
"What is it?" Valkyrie asks.
"We're here." Hela responds as he tries to regain his footing.
"Olympus?" Loki asks with a skeptical look.
"No," Hela opens the door, "I had to make a quick stop."
Nebula turns around as Valkyrie and Thor lean forward to look through the open door. They can all see past Hela. There is a planet hardly illuminated by light directly ahead.
A look of recognition flashes across Nebula's face. "Where are we?"
"Vormir." Hela answers. "Let's get this over with."
*** Moments later ***
The Commodore is landing high up a barely illuminated mountain. The wind howls lightly and as the ship settles. The back of the ship slowly opens and the five occupants stumble out. Several of them are still laughing and chatting loudly.
Nebula's face is actually flush and somewhat purple, but he is trying hard to concentrate. Hela is clearly stumbling the most, but still able to walk.
As he walks forward there does not seem to be anything of significance directly ahead, aside from a sudden drop. Seemingly from the shadows, a figure cloaked in darkness comes forward and approaches the party.
"Johnathan! You ugly mare!" Hela shouts. "What is your charming demeanor still doing here?" Hela turns back toward Thor and the others. "I found this foul creature stranded on the planet. He was practically starving!"
"Johnathan?" Thor asks. "That's a Midgar name."
"When you promised me freedom from my post," Red Skull says with an angry grin, "You neglected to mention I would have to find my own way home."
"Just come back the way you came." Hela says sarcastically.
Red Skull is sneering now.
"Johnny boy was sent here by the space stone, seeking power." Hela snickers. "I offered him a chance..."
"What happened to your face?" Thor asks.
"Odinson!" Valkyrie snaps while smacking Thor's arm. "That's rude."
"Speaking of chances." Hela continues. He raises his right hand and flips it over, revealing the Soul Stone. "How would you like your old job back?"
Nebula's eyes light up brightly. Thor and the others stop chatting and look on in awe.
"What are you doing with that?" Thor asks nervously.
"Well, I can't just keep carrying it around." Hela stumbles. "One of you idiots is likely to try and fight me for it."
"So you're planning on leaving it here?" Valkyrie asks.
"Why not?" Hela shrugs. "It's worked for the last several millennia." He prepares to toss it."
"Whoa, wait!" Thor shouts.
Hela stops and drunkenly sways in the air for a moment listening. "Yes?" He finally asks after a short silence.
"How will we get it back?" Thor asks.
"A soul for a soul." Hela responds. "That has always been how it works."
"But," Thor tries to protest.
"Too late!" Hela says with a chuckle as he tosses the stone over the cliff. Loki and Valkyrie both rush forward hoping to catch it, but due to inebriation they're clearly not quick enough. After a long moment, a beam of light comes from down below and shoots upward, then slowly dims. Both Loki and Valkyrie walk to the edge and look down. Somehow they know the stone is gone.
"Is that why you were sharing your wine?" Loki asks aloud. "So we'd be too drunk to try and stop you?"
Hela thinks about the question for a moment before responding. "Yeah, that and I wanted to drink..." Hela turns to Red Skull. "Well Schmidt-son, are you coming with or would you prefer to stay here?"
Red Skull studies Hela's face, wondering if he is being teased again. After not getting a sarcastic comment, he answers. "I grow weary of my watch. I will join you on your venture." Red Skull begins to follow Hela.
"Well, come on, let's go!" Hela motions for the others to follow. They are still processing what just happened and having a hard time deciding what to do. "You're welcome to try and take it back, but I'd prefer if it's after we've restored Asgard."
Thor, Valkyrie, and Loki look between each other, sharing a silent thought before making their decision. "We will come." Thor says. They all turn to follow, except one person.
Nebula who was standing behind them all is now standing in between them and the ship.
"How about you, handsome?" Hela asks. "Are you coming?" He begins walking around Nebula, toward the Commodore.
Nebula continues to stare toward the cliff. "I have a question." He states.
The entire group looks toward him. "Yes?" Hela asks.
"Can the stone bring someone back?" Nebula asks.
Hela frowns. "If you are referring to who I think your are, it's never been done before..." He smirks suddenly. "But you are welcome to try." Nebula turns and locks eyes with Hela. "Preferably, after our mission..?" Hela asks.
Nebula is feeling flustered. He looks back toward the cliff, then Hela. It only takes him a moment to decide. "Very well... After the mission."
"That's a good lad." Hela says, turning back to the ship.
As soon as the others look away, Nebula reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small device. He presses a button on top and it begins to flash. He tries to hide it, but it catches Red Skull's attention. They pause and lock eyes for a moment. Red Skull only nods.
Nebula is not sure what the gesture implies, but he gets the feeling Red Skull does not plan on snitching. The others are still too drunk to notice Nebula toss the tracker into the nearby dust.
"On second thought," Red Skull says unexpectedly, "I think I will wait for your return."
Nebula tries to hide his concerned look. Fortunately no one notices.
"You will?" Hela asks, turning around somewhat surprised.
Red Skull looks toward Hela and lies. "If your companions plan to return, perhaps I can parlay a favor with them when they return." He then turns toward Nebula. "If that is fine with you?"
Nebula is even more nervous now, and afraid of how to answer.
"Fine... Whatever." Hela answers him. They are all too drunk to even realize how suspicious the situation seems. Nebula feels a slight rush of relief, as they all start walking toward the ship again.
Red Skull nods once more at Nebula. Nebula wants to know what he is planning, but spots the tracker flashing. Someone was answering. He chooses to return the nod and walk away. Seconds later, all but Red Skull board the Commodore.
Jonathan Schmidt watches the ship rise and slowly pull away before turning toward the tracker. He kneels down to pick it up.
"Hello? Nebula? Nebula!?" Rocket shouts over the communicator. "He's not answering." There is mumbling in the background as Rocket talks to the crew. "Nebula, just stay there. We're coming to you."
Red Skull decides to leave the communicator/tracker, and smiles at not having to lift a finger, knowing he is getting another chance to obtain his goal.