Korra had seen some large battleships and airships in her day, but this was something else entirely. She didn't know what to make of any of it. And one glance at Liza told her the girl felt the same way, gaping at the battlefield.
Ben, however, seemed unsurprised. Or uncaring of it. His eyes weren't even focused on the scrap heap but on the city in the distance. "Hmmm," he mumbled. "Should hopefully find some answers there."
"What happened here?" Liza muttered. "What is all of this?"
"Battlefield. Old one," Ben commented, scrunching his misshaped nose. "My guess is it was some sort of invasion, one which I'm guessing the invaders won."
"Invasion?" Korra questioned. "Like another nation?"
"Nah. Well…maybe," Ben scratched his chin. "But I was more thinking of an alien invasion. Probably with superior technology. The people here clearly gave a good fight but lost in the end. Maybe. Again, just speculating. But there was a battle. That's obvious."
"Wait, sorry," Liza held out her hand. "Alien? What's alien?"
Ben turned to her with wide eyes. "Alien? How can you not know what that means? Alien means…well, alien!"
"Um…" Korra frowned. "Alien? Like a foreigner or something? Cause that's all I know about that word."
"Uh, not really," Ben replied. "Alien, well it does mean that but now it means something else too. Aliens are beings not from this world, that come from out there," he gestured to the sky, Korra following his hand with an even deeper frown.
"Wait…like Dangers?" Liza asked.
"Dangers?" Ben blinked at her. "Well, sure some aliens might be dangerous but I don't think it's right to call them all Dangers. I mean, my kids are both aliens and they are a little dangerous but they're also the greatest thing…well, one of the greatest things that ever happened to me."
Now Korra was very confused. "Aliens? Dangers? What are we talking about here?"
"Dangers are what we call the monsters that come from the realm of Fie. The realm of monsters," Liza explained.
Korra blinked. "That sort of sounds like the Spirit World. Except there aren't monst- well, there are some spirits that can be considered monsters but most of them are peaceful or just solitary."
"Well, that ain't the realm of Fie." Liza shuddered a little. "I caught a glimpse of that evil place. It's not something you ever want to see."
"And, it ain't what I'm talking about," Ben interrupted. "That's another dimension, kid. Not what aliens are. Aliens are from other planets." He stared at their blank faces. "You know, from Outer Space."
"What's outer space?" Liza asked.
"Aw jeez," Ben muttered, putting his hand over his face. "Outer space, kid. Out there," he pointed up at the sky. "Where the stars and moon and sun are. That's outer space."
Korra didn't know whether to laugh or run away. "Uh…that can't be true. The moon is just in the sky. You can't reach it."
Ben laughed. "Of course you can, with the right ship. I've been there many times."
Korra was starting to think Ben didn't have all his marbles together. "Ben…that's not possible. The moon is…the moon. It's a celestial body. Not really reachable."
"Aw jeez!" he repeated. "Ugh. What time are you from?" he asked.
"174 AG," Korra replied.
"224 ADD," Liza said.
Ben frowned for a second. "Alright, those times mean nothing to me. The point is this, in my time people designed ships able to travel to the moon and the stars and beyond. There are whole other worlds out there. There ar-"
He was interrupted by a loud crashing sound coming from below them. They all looked down and saw what looked like a woman smashing through several scrap heaps of metal before coming to a stop. She struggled to pick herself up but then a long, black spear of some kind seemed to be thrown at her, striking her in the chest and sending her crashing through more of the broken ships.
Korra looked around for the source and saw another figure a little ways away from the woman, a figure in dark clothing with what looked like antlers on her head. Whoever it was seemed to create another large spear, hurling it as well but the woman was able to dodge the latest attack.
"Who are they?" Liza wondered.
"Doesn't matter," Ben replied gruffly. "They're fighting right now and looks like one's trying to kill the other. And that's one thing that bashful Benjy here takes issue with. So, if you'll excuse me." He then ran for the edge of the cliff, leaping off in a massive jump that carried him high over the ground. Korra watched as he plummeted below, fist raised to attack the figure summoning spears, but at the last second they saw him coming and within a second, a large black hammer materialized in their hands. They swung it up just as Ben came down, striking him across the chest and sending him crashing into several wings of what looked like a giant airplane.
"Damn it," Korra muttered. She then moved to leap off as well but Liza suddenly stopped her.
"Hey, before you go jumping off of cliffs, remember that I can't do that," she said. "So why don't you- Hey!" she cried out indignantly as Korra suddenly grabbed hold of her and lifted her up over her shoulder.
"Hold on tight," Korra told her before leaping off the side of the cliff. Liza shrieked in terror but Korra grinned as they fell down the cliffside. She concentrated and just before they could strike the cliff wall, she pulled on her earthbending, using her body to guide it to her needs. The second her feet touched the rock, it molded to her will, allowing her to slide down the wall easily. She grinned wildly, the experience reminding her of the times she went sledding down snow mounds as a child in the Southern Water Tribe. But that smile quickly faded as she heard more crashing sounds. Ben and the woman were now fighting together, trying to take down the antlered-figure but whoever they were, they were powerful, wielding two dark blades easily and constantly creating more to keep Ben and the woman on their toes.
Korra slid to a stop, putting Liza down who looked a little dizzy from the ride, and then started running toward the battle, dodging around the scrap heaps and wrecks around her. As she got closer, she could start to see the people better. The woman they had seen was wearing an armor that covered most of her body with some strange blue skirt like thing but her shoulders were bare. She had flowing black hair with some sort of tiara at the top.
The other figure, who Korra could now see was also a woman, was wearing a full body green and black suit with a cape sprawled down her back. She still had the antlers but now it was clear it was more of a crown, the ends all pointed sharp. She was currently fighting the first woman blade to blade, both expert sword combatants as they stabbed and parried in such dizzying moves that it was hard for Korra to keep track.
"Come on!" Liza urged, rushing past her, sword raised. She plunged right into the battle, coming at the crown woman from the side. The woman saw her coming and shot out a dark blade right for her and Liza narrowly dodged it. She then attacked but the woman danced out of the way. Two blades materialized in her hands and she swung them at Liza, spinning around so fast that Liza could barely block the blows fast enough. She responded by kicking out at the woman but it didn't seem to faze her in the slightest. Liza actually backed off and Korra saw her step gingerly on her foot.
Who exactly was this woman?
"Back up kid!" Ben bellowed and Korra glanced to her side, ducking as he threw the entire plane wreckage past her. Liza had also looked up at his words and threw herself out of the way as the wreck came down on top of the woman. Korra watched closely, not sure how much that had helped.
"Who is this woman?" she asked the other woman in armor.
"She said her name is Hela," the woman replied, twirling her sword in hand. "And she demanded to know what had happened to her. I was unable to answer her so she attacked."
"Seems like a lovely lady," Ben said dryly.
"Maybe we try talking to her," Korra suggested.
"I have tried," the other woman said. "She doesn't really want to. She seems more interested in fighting."
As if on cue, the wreckage was torn apart and the woman Hela walked out easily, looking like she got hit by wrecked ships every day. She glared over at Ben and raised her hand, as if to conjure more weapons.
"Wait!" Korra stepped forward, holding her hands out. "Just hold on for a second. You're Hela, right?"
"Ah, at last someone recognizes me," the woman grinned in triumph.
Korra froze for a second and then decided not to say she had just learned the name from the other woman. "Right, yes. So you want to know what happened to you? Well, we don't know but I'm going to assume it happened to all of us if what happened to you was randomly appearing here with no explanation?"
Hela regarded her and Korra stifled the urge to raise a rock wall between them. There was a dangerous light in the woman's eyes that she didn't like. She did, however, lower her hand.
"If what you say is true, then it seems we have a common enemy," she said.
"So," Korra took a cautious step for now, "maybe it would be best if we worked together on how to solve this?" She then carefully held her hand out.
Hela regarded it and her for a moment longer. Korra could feel the tension thickening in the air and could see the others around her preparing for whatever came next. Then Hela took her hand in firm shake.
"Allies," she said. "For now."
The other woman stepped forward, eyeing Hela warily. "Why should we trust you?" she asked.
Hela smirked. "Don't. This is an alliance of convenience, nothing more. I would rather work with you against this common threat than against both of you. Even though I would annihilate both of you. It would just take longer that way."
"Great, glad to know where we stand," Korra nodded. She felt like she was making a deal with a devil, but she had recently worked with Kuvira to take down the remains of her Earth Empire and had that turned out alright. Here was hoping she could go two-for-two.
"I'm Korra," she introduced herself. "That's Liza and Ben. And you already met…"
"Diana," the other woman said, lowering her sword. "My name is Diana."
"Very well," Hela said in a tone that conveyed how much she didn't care. "Now, before we continue this drivel, I suggest we head towards the city. Speaking from experience, the leader is usually in the castle of some kind."
Korra nodded, knowing that was in fact true.
"I still think ol' Doom is behind this. And if he is, he's gonna get a good clobbering from me," Ben growled, rubbing his fist into his hand in emphasis.
They started walking, Liza saddling up next to Korra. "You really think trusting her is a good idea?" she asked, pointing over at Hela who had taken the lead.
"Of course not. But it's better than fighting her right now. Just keep an eye on her."
Liza snorted. "Didn't need to tell me that." She then backed away a little, glaring at Hela's back.
Diana and Ben were at the rear, muttering to themselves. Korra slowed down a bit until she was next to them. "What are you talking about?" she asked.
"Comparing notes," Ben replied. "Seems we're from similar worlds. Versions of Earth where superheroes are rampant. Very similar except we don't share any familiar heroes. Do share the same history though. That's funny."
Korra frowned. "Superheroes?" she questioned. "What does adding super mean?"
"Meaning you have powers 'superior' to others," Ben explained, rolling his eyes and adding air quotes as he said superior. "Course that's just a bunch a bull. I know several people without powers who put up a better fight than those that do. Captain America, for one. And Iron Man's power is just making suits of armor for him to fight in. And his big brain, course. And Black Widow's a one-woman army all by herself."
Diana nodded. "Yes, on my world we have Batman, a man without any powers but who uses his brains and skills to defeat his foes, no matter how super powered they may be."
Korra frowned. Sounded a little similar to the benders back home. And someone prepared for super powered threats sounded like the Equalists, especially Mustache Man who had been a real pain in the butt. She explained this to them and Diana nodded thoughtfully. "Fascinating," she said. "It seems we have all been brought from vastly different worlds to this one."
"The question is why?" Korra said.
"Speaking as someone who's been abducted more than once and seen it happen many times to other people, I can honestly say we're probably here for one reason," Ben said grimly.
"And what's that?"
"To fight," he replied simply. "We're here to fight for someone else's entertainment."
"That's a cheerful thought," Korra muttered. She had fought for entertainment before back in the pro-bending arena with Mako and Bolin, but this was way different. Where was the arena then? They had fought the cyclops miles away. Did that mean the whole area was an arena? Or, as Ben had said earlier, this world. Was that the arena?
That thought terrified her.
As they passed one of the larger wrecks, Diana sighed sadly. "It seems no matter how hard I or any of my comrades try, worlds still seem determined to war against one another."
Korra looked at her sharply. "Worlds?" she asked.
Ben smirked at her. "Yeah kid. More than one. Other planets out there," he pointed up. "Like I told ya."
Korra blinked, still not sure how to handle that news. To be able to travel upwards, past the sky. She had heard some scientists talking about it the last time she'd been in Zaofu, but she'd never given it much thought, never fully believed it. It was incredible to think about.
But then she focused on what Diana had been saying. "All the worlds?" she asked. "All of them do…this?" she gestured to the wrecks around them.
Diana gave her a sad smile. "War is a universal language, it seems. Multiversal, actually. No matter where I go, there are always those who seek power and will do whatever it takes to achieve it."
Korra thought back to all the enemies she'd faced over the years. Amon, Unalaq, Vaatu, the Earth Queen, Zaheer, Kuvira, Tokuga, and Guan. Diana was right. No matter how hard she tried, there was always someone else out there seeking power.
Ben sniffed. "We have a whole list of enemies and potential threats, ones we've battled probably a dozen times already but always come back for more. The Mole Man, Wizard, Puppet Master (who nearly ruined my honeymoon, by the way), Annihilus, Mad Thinker. And then there's Galactus, a big cosmic planet-eating monster. And then there's Doctor Doom."
From the way he said that last name, Korra could tell there was a lot of history there. She also noticed the way Ben clenched his fists.
"I've been doing my job for more than a decade, busting up bad guys from Yancy Street to the furthest reaches of the multiverse and there always seems to be another battle around the corner," he said sadly. "And before that, I fought in the war. I feel sometimes like all I've ever done with my life is fight. No matter where I go or what I do, there's always another fight."
"Always the next threat," Diana agreed.
Korra stayed quiet for a moment before looking back up. "I was identified as the Avatar when I was just a kid," she said. "The Avatar is a person who can master all four types of bending," she explained to Diana who nodded in understanding. "And all the years I trained, I didn't really understand what I was training for. I thought I did, that I would just arrive on the scene and everything would just fall into place. That I would take out the bad guys easily and bring balance like my predecessor did. But it all fell apart almost instantly and I realized it was all more complicated than I ever imagined. And since then I've had to deal with one threat after another. Some harder than others," she rubbed her shoulder, remembering the years she had spent recovering from Zaheer's attack and the dark places she had gone to. "And sometimes it feels like it won't ever let up."
"Yeah, that's something we can all understand kid," Ben muttered.
Diana smiled though. "I remember some advice a good friend of mine once gave. She said not to focus on the endless series of conflicts, but the moments of calm in between. The good moments that make life worth living. If you only focus on the bad, that is all you will ever see."
Ben smirked. "She sounds very wise."
"Yes, she is," Diana nodded.
Korra thought on that for a second and then thought back to all the other moments. Pro-bending as a Fire Ferret. Playing airball with Tenzin's kids. Finding the other airbenders out there. Going on vacation with Asami. Just hanging out with her friends. Diana was right. Those were the moments she treasured the most.
"Hey!" They all looked up to see Liza glaring at them. "Why is creepy horned lady the one leading us here?" she asked. "Maybe less gabbing back here and more walking. Come on, hustle it up!"
"Alright, alright, we're coming," Korra told her, picking up the pace a little more. She did realize then that Hela was outpacing them by far, striding right for the city which was getting closer and closer, beginning to tower above them. Korra frowned at that but was quickly distracted as there came a loud crashing sound. They all hurried forward a little to see that Hela had conjured up a large black hammer and was using to clear the debris in front of them to make way. She then walked right on through.
"So, do you recognize her from either of your worlds?" Korra asked. That still felt a little weird to say. She was used to there being only two worlds. Now, there were so many more.
Diana studied Hela a little. "The name suggests she is from the Norse pantheon and I do not have many dealings with them. The closest was only recently when I encountered Thor and the Valkyries."
"Oh yeah," Ben nodded. "We got Thor on my world too. Great hero and great friend. Noble and true to the end. And I do remember him mention Hela once or twice, an old foe of his. Goddess of death, I think."
"Yes, in myths she was known as the goddess of death," Diana agreed.
"Oh wonderful. A goddess of death on our side," Korra muttered. "What could go wrong there?"
"Well, you are the one who made the deal with her," Liza pointed out.
"I'm sorry, did you want to keep fighting her?"
"No, guess not. Still, she can't be trusted. And we definitely shouldn't be letting her lead us like this. It'll make her think she's in charge."
"It's better than having her behind us, ready to stab us in the back at a moment's notice," Ben grumbled. "If she wants to go ahead and believe she's leader, fine with me. She'll soon realize how wrong she is. I ain't following any order I don't like, goddess of death or not."
"Still, Liza is right," Diana said. "If she thinks she is leader, then she will-"
Korra didn't find out what Hela would do as there was a crashing sound ahead of them and then a loud yell of alarm. They all started running for the noise. Korra arrived first, metalbending some of the debris out of the way as she arrived on the scene. Hela was wielding dual dark blades against a kid a few years younger than Korra who also had a sword and was desperately parrying Hela's blades. And it was clear he wouldn't last the next few seconds.
So just to clear a few things up, yes that is Hela from Thor: Ragnarok. She was such an awesome villain that I had to bring her in and I didn't want to make her a straight up antagonist which makes the character dynamics that much more fun to write.
Also, that is Wonder Woman but this is a version from the comics, not the films, so if you read the comics, this Wonder Woman comes from right after she returned to Earth after dying in Death Metal.
If you don't know who some of the Korra characters are, they're from the comics and I highly recommend them.
Til next time, please leave a review. And for those who have given character suggestions, thank you and I will do my best but also don't hold your breath as I'm not too familiar with all of them and it'll take time. But some are already on their way.