Legendary

Damian, Daniel, Steve, Tony, Bucky, and Bruce rose as Serena and I entered the conference room. "He's cuter than I remember," Serena whispered to me as Damian held a chair for me. I smiled smugly. He sure was. Awkwardly, Bruce did the same for Serena. I adjusted the swords automatically as I sat.

"We don't come armed to meetings," one new guy I didn't recognize said to me critically.

"I do," I said briefly. "The end of the world's coming, and it takes awhile to pick up everything if I'm in a hurry."

"How much could you possibly be carrying?" Another guy I didn't know. I shrugged, took off my sword belt and cestuses, took the dagger out of its holder in my boot, pulled the thin short straight sword from its sheath along my spine, removed five knives from my person, and tossed a handful of shuriken onto the table.

"That's not much, Alex," Serena said critically. "What happens if you get in a real fight?"

"Work off some stress?" I asked, shrugging. I meant it for a flippant answer, but it actually sounded pretty good. The ever present niggling feeling that the end was coming sooner than I'd like created an almost everpresent tension. It wasn't often that there was something that could distract me. I'd get tired hauling around everything that I wanted to carry with me all the time; this was a compromise. She just shook her head at me, and I collected my little stash and made it go away again. It wasn't much of a collection, but it did shut up the two bozos.

"We were just discussing the integration of the old and new Avengers," Daniel said, taking control of the meeting. "We've reached a compromise that nobody is particularly wild about, so it's probably a pretty good one." I smiled at him. "Given that our original Avengers have commitments to our allies on Asgard, there's not really a question of them resuming their roles immediately, and there's a learning curve for the modern world, anyway." I heard Steve snort. "The two teams will begin to integrate, however; the originals will provide leadership and experience to the newer team, who will in turn help the others to acclimate. Bruce will be working with Tony in the labs seeing to tech and equipment as they get up to speed. Serena, I wanted to make you the same offer as I made the original Avengers--a spot on the team if you'd like, with a new identity. We could devise a patriotic identity like Liberty, or you could do something completely different. And G- Alex, a position with Bucky as a trainer." Serena and I flicked looks at each other.

"It's not that that doesn't sound like fun," I said to Daniel carefully. "It's just that I'm answering to both Thor and Odin these days and there's not a lot of free time available. " Serena agreed. Daniel smiled.

"I'm working on the presumption that you manage to blunt the worst effects of Ragnarok," he said. "That there will be an 'after.' That's primarily what this meeting is for, to lay the ground for future work. The Senators who provide oversight with me are on board with this plan. You just missed them, they had to go to a committee meeting. They're very excited with the possibilities."

"They're not the stuffed shirts I imagined that they'd be," Bucky said cynically.

"No, I had to work hard, planting suggestions, hinting, to get those three on the oversight panel. They're rising stars, and equally important, they all come from different parties, so there is a wider range of perspectives and ideas. They're also committed to public service and put country before party, so we're pretty lucky. A few years ago we were stuck with an old fossil who wanted to use the Avengers as a political tool." He shook his head.

"Well, this meeting was to get the ball rolling. I'd like everyone to think about it and when you have an answer, let me know. There's no rush. Ask if you have any questions." And with those words, a chef from the kitchen pushed in a cart with tea and coffee and snacks. Yum! I realized that I was pretty hungry after the morning workout. Maybe I could persuade Damian to go to lunch with me after this. There was some socializing and I made an effort to meet the new Avengers, sizing them up a little as potential pupils. They weren't terribly happy with the return of the older Avengers and I couldn't decide whether they were just concerned that they'd take over or whether they just didn't want to share the spotlight. Or some combination thereof, or something completely different. I worked my way over to Tony, who looked complacent.

"So what's up, Sparky?" I asked and he was momentarily smug.

"Wayne and I had a chat about Stark last night. Not about me getting the company back, you guys bought it fair and square and it would cost too much anyway, especially since I have no money. But he did offer me a leadership role once things settle down. I don't want to run it, so it's looking like I'll be getting a new lab. Once I get up to speed and there's time." He sighed.

"That's great news, Tony," I said, smiling in relief. I was going to have to find out what kind of cake Daniel liked and make him one. "It doesn't feel like Stark without a Stark. What about Bruce?"

"I'll be bringing him with me," Tony said. "Wayne said he'd negotiate directly with him." I grinned. Make that two cakes for Daniel. "So what will you be doing?"

"Honestly, I can't think that far ahead," I confessed. "I'll probably accept the training offer if I survive Ragnarok, but I'm so focused on that that there isn't a lot of time for anything else. I just have this sense of urgency that won't go away. It's distracting." Tony was silent a moment.

"You're listening to it, that's good," he said. "But if any of us survive the end of the world, Tiger, it's going to be you. You're just that good." Daniel joined us, kissing my cheek.

"Grandma, do you want to take a tour while you're here?" I agreed with pleasure, and discreetly pressed a crystal plate into Tony's hand, throwing him a wink before collecting Damian, Serena, and Bruce. Bruce had already taken the tour, but where Serena went, so would he.

"What did you give Tony?" Serena whispered to me as we walked toward the stairs.

"Stark Tech is owned by Wayne Enterprises now, but it's a publicly traded company. I bought some stock and gave it to him. He should have a stake in the company," I told her quietly. I scooped up a decent chunk of stock, costing just over a million dollars. He could sell some if he needed money, shares were trading at just over a thousand, and I had no doubt that he was considering his options.

The floor under Avengers territory was still guest quarters; the floor below that mostly storage; it made me a little nostalgic and sad to see my former lab used to park boxes and things. Most of the rest of the tower was IT, with the nodes that had taken the place of servers offsite. There was two floors of a clinic, the floor with the cafeteria, and the bottom five floors still had stores and restaurants. There was the regular parking garage, an upgraded secure parking garage. The first subbasement had the clinic for street heroes. The shooting ranges had been changed; they could be converted between straight target practice and a shooting range with popup targets for firearms or arrows, or anything else, for that matter. The training rooms had been upgraded as well; weights were in a separate room and there were devices like the one in the manor that could be configured to be a treadmill, stationary bike, rowing machine, ski trainer, stairclimber, or moving climbing wall. But most of the space was just open space for practice, with unbreakable mirrors along the wall. Shower facilities and locker rooms had been moved to the same level as the weights. Looking around, I could almost see Pietro on his treadmill and Natasha stretching in the corner where the barre used to be.

"So if you want to take me up on my offer, Grandma, you can see that the facilities are pretty nice," Daniel said craftily, and I smiled at him.

"That they are, sweetie," I said affectionately. Serena was unfamiliar with the aerobic machines, so we stepped aside so I could demonstrate how to switch modes and select intensities and the recordings of real outdoor biking routes, ski slopes, hiking trails, cross country ski trails, and mountains for climbing.

"I'd sign on just for access to those machines," Serena told Daniel when we rejoined the group. He grinned.

"Feel free to drop by any time," he invited her. "We'll get you access, but don't make up your mind just yet. Take some time to consider." He then proposed lunch, and we went back up to the cafeteria. It was still excellent. Afterward, I had some things to do at the embassy. "Will you be free the afternoon after tomorrow?" Damian asked me, and I thought about it.

"Yeah, nothing's come up, anyway."

"The Smithsonian promised us a tour," Daniel said, so it was agreed that after I got back from Asgard, we'd take a shuttle down to Washington and see the Wayne collection with the curator. Damian excused himself and we walked over to the embassy, making a quick stop at city hall first. He came inside the embassy to say hello to Loki, who was delighted to see him. The boys chatted a bit, and I had the opportunity to introduce Torunn. We set up a dinner at the mansion for the next week--disaster dependent, of course.

The next morning, Odin showed up at valkyrie practice, observed our practice with the wings--I felt I was coming along nicely--as well as our weapons practice, and took the opportunity to clarify our chain of command. Serena was named as our battle captain; she would be in charge of our tactics and work with Odin and Thor on the strategies that would use our abilities to their fullest. I was named as our leader for all other matters. It wasn't entirely unexpected to anyone, although some of the newer valkyries, who didn't all like me much, were displeased. Odin set them straight, praising my abilities, my integrity, and my toughness. He looked around at the ones who were still defiant.

"I have no wish to force anyone to do anything," he said. Although his words were mild, power ran through his voice and it made my wings itch. "If in good conscience you feel that you cannot subject yourself to Alex's authority"--he'd given up using the valkyrie names he'd given us--"I will release you from your obligations." He shrugged, an odd mannerism on him. "I only want the best. Alex has a strong understanding of my goals and desires and I trust her to implement them in the most effective way. She has proven herself the strongest advocate the valkyries have possessed. Consider your choices. I will return tomorrow and any who want to resign may do so then." He turned and left.

Serena looked at me with wide eyes and a smirk. I rolled my eyes, and we picked up with our stretching again. Everybody was whispering, and valkyries began poofing away, going on to other responsibilities. "Congratulations," I said to Serena as we began walking back to the citadel. "You're obviously the best choice for our field command." She smiled.

"It's nice. It's what I like doing. It's what I'll miss the most if I rejoin the Avengers. Steve will be taking that over."

"If I were you I'd negotiate a role in that," I advised. "Especially if you're successful leading us, you'll have a pretty potent argument for why you should have at least tactical responsibility in some situations."

"You think it's possible?" she brightened. I shrugged.

'Never hurts to ask. Daniel's reasonable and he looks at results. His opinion counts for a lot with the Senators on oversight. Steve's got the advantage of getting to know Daniel better, but we can counterbalance that. We're having a dinner at the house next week. You're invited. Bruce will also be there," I mentioned, smirking. She shoved me, laughing.

"Do you think anybody's going to quit?" she asked more soberly.

"Geeze, I hope not. We need everybody. I know I can be too blunt and that offends people sometimes, but I just can't shake the feeling that we're running out of time."

"You could be more tactful sometimes," she agreed, "but you say what people need to hear, even if it's not what they want to hear or are expecting to hear. You'll change your mind if presented with evidence, but if you think you're right, you won't back down. These aren't bad qualities. Some of these valkyries don't have the same grit."

"Aren't you the old lady now?" I asked, amused.

"You know what I mean. But the one I'm really worried about is you."

"I'm not going anywhere," I protested.

"Because you can't. When you linked up again, didn't you tell me once that Odin said the bond couldn't be broken again? So what happens when he meets his end by the jaws of Fenrir?"

I'd forgotten all about that. "Shit. Way to harsh my mellow."

"You don't have a mellow these days. You're tense, just waiting for an earthquake somewhere to call us to action."

I sighed. "I don't know. I don't think anybody knows. Maybe I should visit the Norn. I can't for a few days, though. Got stuff today and tomorrow's that family obligation. Daniel wants to take me to the Smithsonian to hear stories about the jewelry Damian gave me. He's even gotten a curator to join the fun. I'm not that excited, but it will make him happy, and he's been kind of depressed, I think. I love the Smithsonian, but it doesn't look like there'll be time to see any of the rest of it. "

"It's nice of you," she said. "It sounds like it's a family legend. Probably wonders if he can find a woman that will suit him as well as you and Damian suit each other."

"I'm working on that. I've got Damian looking around for likely women; not in the company, that's too awkward and pressuring and a possible lawsuit, but he's meeting people who do business with the company."

"Matchmaker."

"Not really, I'm just expanding the pool of potential dates for my grandson. If you weren't seeing Bruce, I'd have chucked you into the mix. And I'm looking around for Tony too. Not at Stark, but the rest of Wayne Enterprises is ok for a hunting ground, I think. She's got to be brilliant, able to keep up with him, have a good sense of humor, and pretty or striking. Let me know if you meet anybody like that."

"Not likely, I'm just dealing with Asgardian men these days."

"And that's not Daniel's preference. Ok, well, keep your eyes open anyway."

We soldiered on. When I went back to the embassy, planning to relocate groups to the abandoned planet was in full swing. Preliminary survey results were back and the food chain in about half of the habitable areas had been discovered, bacterial samples were being analyzed, and testing was being done on the native flora for toxicity. The work was being fast tracked all over the planet by universities and public health organizations. Corporations were donating equipment (for tax writeoffs, at least in the US) and governments were accumulating supplies to send with the colonists. The Asgardians were assembling the supplies into pods to be put down when colony sites were finalized. It was really busy and there wasn't even a place to work out with Torunn. So we went out to the house.

Torunn was charmed by Alfred--who isn't?--and we went out into the back yard to practice. It was nice to do it on grass rather than an artificial surface, and reminded Torunn that Vigrior won't take place in a parking lot. We need to move our practice onto grass more, and that goes for her brothers, too. The idea went on my list. We were still at it when everybody came home. We were going almost full tilt, in fact, and I had to call a halt as the onlookers were too close. She greeted Damian and I introduced her to Daniel, who promptly invited her to dinner with us after practice, and she'd met Steve, Bucky, and Emma at the embassy. Tony and Bruce would be along later; they had gotten caught up doing research. We'd had a good practice and called it quits after she took my notes on the practice. Bucky had no criticisms, but he did ask me to clarify reasons I did some of the things that I did.

"It's what works best for Torunn," I said. "It's different for her brothers." After quick showers, we assembled in the library for pre-dinner cocktails. Daniel had a million questions for her about her training, when she started, if she liked it.

"I was begging my parents to let me learn for as long as I could remember. My father wasn't that enthusiastic, but Alex taught me a few tricks, he saw that I was good, and he let me train. Mama was always on my side, but women don't have as much influence on Asgard as men do. It's why I'm happier here on Earth."

"She was a bloodthirsty little imp," I said, smiling at her. "She picked up a lot of the ninjutsu skills very easily. Makes her a good bodyguard for her uncle; she can blend into crowds easily and make it look as if he's alone when he wants to be incognito."

"That practice was pretty intense," Daniel said.

"Alex is one of the few who can keep up with me," Torunn said. "She's still better, though."

"You're closing the gap," I said to her encouragingly. "I wouldn't be nearly as good without my mutations, but your gifts are natural."

"You're not my grandfather's best valkyrie for nothing," she shrugged. "Doesn't matter how you developed your abilities, just that you have them."

After that, the conversation moved on to the others, and we heard how everybody's days had been. Tony and Bruce showed up toward the end and joined us. Alfred had made trifle for dessert, a new confection for Torunn, and damned tasty. There was coffee afterward, then Torunn excused herself when a guard from the embassy showed up. The message was for me, though; Odin was calling for all the valkyries to attend him in the Great Hall of the citadel on Asgard the next morning. Bemused, I offered the guard some dessert while he was here; he accepted a small portion dubiously, but the wonderousness of Alfred's confections won another convert.

Torunn went back to the embassy with him, and we all scattered to do other things. Emma, Tony, and Bruce put time in at the workspaces that Daniel had set up for them, and Bucky asked if I'd work out with him. I accepted with pleasure; Bucky was the one person I could go all out with. Steve, Daniel and Damian decided to postpone whatever they were going to do in order to watch. Alfred, after clearing away the remnants of dinner and dessert, joined us too. Bucky and I did hand-to-hand almost exclusively since we were pretty much at the same level. There was never any holding back although we were slightly sluggish after the excellent dinner. I remembered, belatedly, that I tended to eat too much of Alfred's cooking and I couldn't afford to put on any more weight if I wanted to fly. After the fight was over, I felt a lot better for having had the opportunity to work off the tension that gripped me most of the time. Bucky'd almost broken my nose and the bout had ended when I dislocated his shoulder, so we repaired to the batcave for some quality time with the tissue accelerators, now even more effective than they had been.

"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen," Daniel said quietly as I gingerly poked my nose after treatment. I heard the sound of my uncle's shoulder going back in and winced. "Either of you could have killed the other."

"It's always a possibility," I conceded. "But as long as we're so evenly matched, it's highly unlikely." I looked at him and tossed bloody gauze into medical waste. "You keep your edge, become better, by pushing yourself as hard as you can. Bucky is the only one I trust enough to fight with like that, but even with him, I'm holding something back because I'm not trying to kill him. He's not trying to prove anything either. Hogun's my match with the swords, but he's lost a step. He's getting older." I sighed. It would be awhile before I had to start pulling back in our bouts, but we could both see that day approaching. I looked over to see Alfred putting Bucky under an accelerator panel. The good thing about this reboot of mortality was that Bucky and I were chronologically about the same age. Aging together would allow me to have as much time as possible with my adored uncle. "But if you'd like training, either Bucky or I would be happy to work with you. Damian should be your first stop, though; he's tricky and elusive and knows the demands of being Batman very well. He can help you with acrobatics--he trained with Dick Grayson, the finest acrobat I've ever seen--as well as the kind of fighting that leaves your opponent alive afterward for questioning." Damian came over while I was speaking. He didn't like watching me fight on a personal level, but neither Bucky or I got many strikes in. He did enjoy watching from a skills standpoint, though. He asked some questions about some of the things he'd seen, and as usual, I offered to show him how to do it.

"I don't understand how you can just watch Grandma fight like that," Daniel said to Damian. "That was absolutely savage."

"I don't like to see her hurt, but I appreciate the skill involved. It helps to keep her safe, son, which is my highest priority. Bucky's essentially her guardian angel, a very unique one; he knows when to help and when to let her act on her own. They have perfect trust in each other."

"Huh," Daniel said, and then Bucky came over, good as new, for his post-fight hug. I made a note to look for some flannel shirts for him. There was just a hint of fall in the air, and I knew how much he hated the cold. Fimbulwinter had been the hardest on him of anyone I knew. Daniel asked him a few questions about how he'd trained me, and we all went back upstairs. Bucky and I didn't fight like that very often; it was really draining, and despite what I'd said to Daniel, dangerous. Accidents happen. So it wasn't something that even Steve had seen often, and we were a lot better than the last time Damian or Alfred had seen us go all out. We said good night on the ground floor, and Damian and I went up to our suite. He drew me a bath and gave me a massage after that left me almost unable to move.

The next morning I felt sensational. I'd managed to shrug off the tension, and although it was creeping back, I still felt carefree. I kissed Damian goodbye, got my breakfast to go, and popped into the observatory to say hello to Heimdall before going across the Bifrost to the citadel. Odin stood in front of the great golden throne. Although he didn't sit in it anymore--Thor was king, there was no point in confusing anybody--he could have, and his authority was reflected by his appearance before the seat of power. His ravens roosted on the arms, watching us closely. I stood with Serena, Irene, Holly, Carol, and Dagny. After greeting us, Odin said that while he hoped we would all stay, now was the time to speak up if we wanted to be released from our service as valkyries. "This will be the last time that this offer is made," he said sternly. "Consider carefully."

There was a moment of silence, then Alyson, a troublemaker, stepped forward and dropped her cloak on the ground. Odin's eyes narrowed. I stepped forward, picking up the cape, shaking it off, and carried it over to Odin, standing to his right. Serena walked over and stood at his left, and then valkyries filtered through to stand beside Odin or face him.

"We lost eleven," I fretted after the choices were made and Odin had taken them away to break their bonds. "Eleven out of thirty-two. That's really going to hurt."

We were glum, but Dagny shrugged. "At least we got rid of the dead wood. Those of us who remain are committed. I know that I can trust you, my sisters, to stand with me on the battlefield." I nodded, taking heart, and asked Holly for her recommendations for the medical corps, which she would direct. We were having a meeting when Odin returned and looked at us benignly.

"Take heart, my valkyries; things are not as grim as they appear." He gestured, and I turned to see a collection of women approaching. I started to grin. We were saved. I stepped forward and greeted Eir, Brynhildr, Runa, Gretchen, Gefn, Hildr, all the rest, plus a few I didn't know, who had resigned before even Dagny had joined. There were forty-four former valkyries who were rejoining our ranks. I introduced the new valkyries whom they did not know, and the ones who had returned to Valhalla after our labor dispute greeted old comrades.

"The numbers are good," Serena said quietly to me as we watched the dignified reunion.

"Better than good," I told her with conviction. "These women are the reason why we have stories of valkyries. They are as legitimately bad ass--and more--as you can imagine. Don't make the mistake of underestimating them in any way and be open to their considerable expertise, and you'll do well. But you'll see."

Odin got our attention again and reiterated our chain of command. The older valkyries made no complaint, and following that, he dismissed us and we went to a meeting room where we explained our work to this point and what our plans were. "How are you for armor?" I asked.

"We have been to the smiths," Eir said briskly. "We have our shields, and they still had most of our helmets, other armor, and our weapons. What we lack, they will be supplying in short order."

"Excellent. Serena will need to work with you to see where your skills are and how they can be developed. Holly is in charge of an effort to provide medical assistance on the battlefield. We are all taking the class to enable us to fix up minor wounds training or on the battlefield, and some will get further training. Our basic class has been set up for tomorrow, so we'll need a second one to accommodate all of you. We are constructing an obstacle course to help with our training, which we will be discussing in greater detail tomorrow. We have daily training meetings to work on group cohesion, sharpen our skills, and develop tactics, as well as address any other issues that arise. I'll let Serena and Holly speak and get things arranged so that we're a unified group again," I said, stepping back and gesturing to Serena. Serena set up a schedule for individual testing and dismissed the rest of us for the next few days from bouting. She was going to watch the old-school valkyries scrimmage to better understand what they had to offer and how to integrate their tactics into ours. I volunteered to set up another first aid class, after which Holly would choose additional members for her team. Then the meeting was over and we listened to them describe how they'd changed their minds after being released from Helheim, wanting back in on the action. Frigga had broached the subject on their behalf with her husband. And here we were.

"Not going to lie, I'm really relieved," I said. Gretchen smiled. They were staying in Asgard.

"We are out of practice," Brynhilr said factually. "We must work hard, but we will be by your side on the plains of Vigrior." I left them to their planning when Odin summoned me. They had located the winged horses and were bringing them to Asgard. I was relieved that we'd have another resource. Thor had a warning for me as well.

"The other aspect of Hela's domain contained villains, the scum of the Nine Realms. They were also released at the cock's crow and he do not know where they are although Heimdall is searching when he can." He sighed. "Hela has always had that duality of her nature, watching over two afterlives, shifting between two forms. But when the cock crowed and released her charges, she had... an episode. She morphed between her two forms uncontrollably. She finally stopped, and when she did, she had stabilized in the form of Hel, the guardian of the place you never saw. The aspect of Hela, your benefactor, has not been seen since. The prophesy says that she will lead the dishonored dead of Niflheim at Ragnarok. We were holding her here, in the cells, but somehow she has escaped. We do not know how; there were no surges in the power that guarded her cell, no fluctuations at all. So she is a free agent and we are concerned that those of Niflheim will be scheming somehow. Be alert." Great. Something else to worry about. I felt the tension start to coil between my shoulder blades and they dismissed me.

I had enough time to go down to the embassy, request that they set up a second first aid course, fill in Loki about what had happened and drop off the diplomatic pouch before going home and getting ready for the afternoon's jaunt.