Legendary

Clark Andrews caught sight of me and motioned me over to the table where our lawyers congregated. Thor was there, in Asgardian dress although not in armor, and Serena had beaten me to the room. She too had a hoody and we slipped our masks on. They were products from Wayne Enterprises, opaque from the outside but almost transparent from the inside. I just hoped I didn't have to sneeze or anything that would necessitate taking off the mask in court. The filmmaker and her lawyers were at the other table setting up. Before long, Carol and Dagny came in; Dagny had a veil over her hair similar to the ones really devout women still wore to the most traditional churches, and Carol put her hair up under a hat. We took our seats, knowing what to expect. Precisely on time, the judge entered the courtroom, cleared the room of spectators, and requested that the four of us come up to her, one at a time, to remove our masks and affirm our identities to her. This identification was not part of the record but for the judge's satisfaction that we were who we claimed to be. When it was my turn, I joined Andrews before the judge and lifted my mask long enough for her to compare to a still taken from the film. She nodded and accepted my designation as "Donna Doe" for the purposes of this trial.

Then the bailiff brought in the first group of prospective jurors. Despite our preference for a bench trial, it was the right of defendant to choose a jury trial and she did. It surprised me, though; while most potential jurors were interested in the existence of the film and wanted to see it, few expressed opinions about Asgard or the filmmaker. A few who didn't feel that aliens from another planet had any right to Midgard due processes were challenged by our side and a couple of real law-and-order types who felt that trespass was wrong regardless of the reason were dismissed by defendant. It didn't take very long to seat and swear in a jury, and by the close of the day the judge also subjected the jury to the gag order and dismissed us for the night.

The next morning the opening statements began. Amelia Early stood before the jury; she had a warm, compassionate voice and a talent for connecting with jurors, or so I was told. "You've been selected to the jury of a very unusual case," she said, her voice as thick and smooth as eggnog. Eggnog. That sounded good.

"For the first time, questions about the sovereign rights of an extra-planetary political entity--in this case, the kingdom of Asgard--and how they relate to the United States are being asked in court. Asgard exists on a completely separate planet, shares no boundaries with any country on Earth, and has its own culture and legal system, independent of ours. While it is true that the gods of Asgard used to visit the Nordic region, that was well over a millennia ago and have not been been since, up until fairly recently. Since King Thor's first visit to Earth, much has happened. There is an embassy here and there have been a few limited cultural exchanges through Columbia University, overseen by King Thor's brother, Prince Loki. Some tentative trade agreements have been agreed to, and it appears that we are on the verge of a greater partnership with other worlds.

"But this is more than new case law," she continued. "You're going to hear accounts of events that sound more like a fairy tale, a sword and sorcery epic rather than reality. But I can assure you that the events that we're discussing here did happen. The basic facts are not in question.

"I'm sure you all remember the Great Return, when those who were deceased were returned to life and body." I'm sure they did, especially a few of the jurors who were returned themselves. "It was a shock and a surprise to everybody. What you may not know is that this was one of the first signs of Ragnarok, a Norse version of the apocalypse." She paused to let that sink in, and a the jurors looked at her even more attentively. "There was a prophesy that the dead would be returned to life prior to a great battle on Asgard. The prophesy claimed that Asgard would be invaded and that the invaders would cause destruction and death across all the worlds, effectively ending our existence. The problem with prophesies, apparently, is that they aren't very specific. It wasn't know until it happened that when the Norse dead returned, the dead from all the other faiths would return as well." Although, come to think of it, perhaps we shouldn't have been so surprised. If all life was to be wiped out, the sea rising, all that, across the Nine Realms, perhaps we should have realized that the dead returning could have a similar wide-reaching effect. I mentally shook my head. We'd all been too intent on the exact prophesy, even those of us who were looking to subvert it. "But they were, and nothing could have stopped it. The next thing we knew, a great wave of fear shook the world." The jurors' faces reflected their memories of that terror, as did mine, under the mask. I didn't like to remember that either. "That was the signal that Ragnarok was beginning. At that point, Asgardians at the embassy and their human associates gathered at the embassy and were returned to Asgard for the battle using the Bifrost." She paused. "I don't really know how to explain the Bifrost, but I'm not sure it matters how it works, just that it does. It's akin to transporter beams like you see in Star Trek movies, but different. The effect is the same, however, it allows people to go to and from Asgard quickly. And it takes a lot of energy to power the Bifrost, so it isn't something that is done on a whim. Access to and use of the Bifrost is controlled strictly on Asgard. It is, for all intents and purposes, a closed kingdom, with access granted to only a few at the directive of its king, which currently is King Thor, the lead plaintiff in this case.

"What happened is this: when warriors and support staff were taken back to Asgard for the battle, someone saw an opportunity to make a name for herself. She grabbed a camera and joined the people going into the embassy and managed to be transported by the Bifrost to Asgard, and hid in a forest, capturing scenes from the battle in a recording from where she concealed herself in a tree. You will be viewing this film as a part of the trial." I stared down at the table, disappointed that they'd been unable to suppress the film, but the judge had ruled that the jurors should see it in order to understand the magnitude of the issues at trial. She had, however, decided that the rough cut, without narration or soundtrack, would be shown. That was slightly better; the filmmaker lost a little bit of influence without the effects of a theater, the swelling music, or any self-serving narration. I felt, however, that even in its stripped-down state, that screening the film meant that it was inevitable that the film would be released. The jurors would talk about it after the trial, and public interest would be high.

"You're being asked to decide several issues here. The first is whether the film, made illegally, should be released to the public. The filmmaker has already pled guilty to misdemeanor criminal trespass, which is a person knowingly entering or remaining in a place where they have no right to be." Yeah, she'd gotten a year of probation, suspended, in lieu of two months in jail. Big whoop. "In this trial, Melanie Kipp is also being sued for civil trespass, which is a tort, a violation of a property owner's right to maintain exclusive control over his property. It is the position of King Thor that Ms Kipp should not profit from her trespass. Life is different on Asgard and they don't have mass media like we do, or movies for entertainment, which is what this film is. They take going to war very seriously. It is not a decision to be entered into lightly, and avoided where possible, but there exists a sacred belief that those who fight and die should be treated with honor. It has never occurred to them to exploit their service and sacrifice for money and a momentary thrill. What is on that film, ladies and gentlemen, is a war against beings we have never seen before. People fight and die, sometimes gruesomely. You will see both Asgardians and humans give their last full measure of devotion to the cause of preserving life as we know it. And among those humans are the valkyries. " She gestured toward us at the plaintiff's table.

"Valkyries are... made, I suppose you could say, in Valhalla, where the honored dead spent the passage of time until they were returned in time for the battle of Ragnarok. They were created by Odin, father of King Thor, to bring the souls of those heroes fallen in battle to Valhalla, and it was always prophesied that they would be by Odin's side in Ragnarok. Their badge of office was a cape of swansfeathers, which, when they were returned, turned into actual wings that they could use in flight. You will see this on the film. To give you an idea of the brutality of the battle, almost four dozen valkyries took to the sky at Ragarok. You will see them shot down with spears and arrows, pulled out of the air and dashed against the ground, kicked and pummeled. After the battle, less than a dozen remained, all injured, and one of those so gravely wounded that she almost died." There was a gasp from the jury. "Yes. This is serious business. King Thor is asking that Ms Kipp be prevented from releasing the film due to her criminal and civil trespass, violation of the laws and mores of Asgard, and out of respect for the dead. The four valkyries who remain on Earth are asking that if the film is released, that the frames showing them be removed from the final picture and those images destroyed--in all copies and original materials. For when Odin died, the valkyries lost their wings because of the bond they had with him. I'm sure you've seen the news; older returnees are having trouble accepting mutants as unnatural and there's been a good bit of violence against them. Far more violence in more conservative countries than in America, but there's been enough violence against those who are different that these valkyries want protection. They are asking you not to out them and put their lives at risk. Again." She went on to discuss a little more law, then wrapped up neatly and sat down.

One of Kipp's lawyers, who I would say looked weaselly except that would be an insult to honest members of the weasel family, got to his feet after Early sat down. He had a vastly different approach to the jury than she did. "The facts of this matter are undisputed. The old stories of Ragnarok seem to have been true. There was a big battle on Asgard against horrifying monsters that meant to wipe out life as we know it. These things were defeated by individuals identified as Odin, former king of Asgard, and Thor, the current king, assisted by the armed forces of Asgard and humans who were returned from the Norse afterlives. This will be filled in in more detail during testimony. It is true that Melanie Kipp went to Asgard without getting permission, and that she filmed this great battle. We are not disputing this. However, it is Ms Kipp's contention, one we think you'll share after seeing the film's rough footage, that this is a seminal event in history. It needs to be seen, so that all of us can appreciate the sacrifices that the forces of Asgard made to preserve the way of life in all of what the Asgardians call the "Nine Realms" and to fully appreciate the magnitude of the threat that was faced. We know that not all aliens are like the Asgardians--we've faced and defeated the Skrulls and the Kree, after all-- but this shows something different. This threat didn't just want to exploit the population and resources of Earth, they wanted to end it. So we owe a lot to those men and women, and you will see just how much when you watch the film. Thank you." And he sat down. That was...brief.

The judge inhaled deeply, and started off by reading the law to the jury and giving them instruction that had been agreed to by the lawyers of both parties regarding the interpretation of the law. The bailiff handed each juror a pad of paper and a couple of pens so they could make notes during testimony, no electronic devices being allowed in the courtroom due to the gag order. There was an adjournment for lunch, provided by the court for everybody and for which I had no appetite, then when court was called back in session, Early called Thor to the stand and he was sworn in.

"Thor Odinson, please describe for the record how you came to be the king of Asgard."

"I am the natural son of my father, Odin Borson, king first of Asgard and now Valhalla, and his wife, the Lady Frigga. I succeeded to the kingship by the decision of Odin and took it up upon his death."

"How did you become aware of the story of Ragnarok?"

"It was never a tale, as you suggest by calling it a story," he corrected her. "It was always understood to be a thing that would come to pass. Every child of Asgard grew up knowing of the signs that would herald the battle. Certain outcomes were predicted, including the destruction of almost all life in the Nine Realms, and hope for the eventual reestablishment of the gods and man."

"It's my understanding that you were not meant to survive the battle yourself."

"This is true. It was foretold that I would perish after slaying the great serpent Jormungandr." Thor shrugged.

"I'm going to ask you to define some terms and make some identifications so that everyone has the same understanding before we go farther." Thor nodded. "Now, what exactly are the Nine Realms?"

"They are nine planets that can be linked by the Bifrost," Thor explained. "There is Asgard, where dwell the Aesir and some of the Vanir, and Midgard, what you call Earth, Alfheimr, the home of the elves, Jotunheim, home of the frost giants, Muspellheim, the place of the fire giants, Nioavellir, where dwell the dwarves, Niflheim, the realm of the dishonored dead, although this place is not accessible to the living, Svartalfar, which was once the place of the dark elves but has since been claimed by groups of returnees from Midgard, and Vanaheim, home of the Vanir gods. What you Midgaridans call gods, anyway."

"And what is the difference between the Aesir and the Vanir?"

"Their planet of origin, mainly. The Aesir are what Midgard followers termed warrior gods but who are just the principle gods found in Norse mythology, and the Vanir took more aspects of the natural world." When pressed, Thor continued, "The Aesir include Odin, the All-Father, me for my control of lightning and thunder, Baldr, beauty, although he is more renowned among our people for the creation and propagation of a race of dogs, Bragi, poetry and eloquence, Forseti, justice, Freya, also fertility, and my brother Loki, who has always been the personification of tricks." The look on his face was mostly fond, but with traces of frustration. "The Vanir were principally wild nature and fertility beings with abilities on the level of those of Asgard. Our two races warred for some time, but eventually there was peace, secured by the exchange of hostages, and some of the Vanir came to Asgard permanently. Freyja, revered for her influence on fertility was of Vanir as was her brother Freyr and their father Njord, associated with the wind and sea."

"And who are the Norn?"

Thor laughed. "There is one among us who can explain that better than I."

Early nodded. "We'll get to that in time. But as an introduction, who are they and what do they do?"

"There are three Norn, originally frost giants, known as Skuld, Urd, and Verdanti. They came to tend the World Tree Yggdrasil and have become... something else by association. They reveal destiny as twined by the flow of time."

"And they're the source of Ragnarok?"

"They provided the basic facts," he said. "It turns out that they were embellished somewhat over the passage of time." She asked him for the prophesy as it had been passed down to him, and he told the whole thing, starting with the subtle signs of fierce battles motivated by greed, where kinship made no difference and mercy was not shown, progressing into Fimbulwinter, followed by the cocks that crowed to release the dead. There had been a massive earthquake, an almost incomprehensible release of energy from tectonic action on Vanaheim that had significantly damaged a mountain range there, the sheer terror that had wracked the World Tree and affected all beings in the nine realms. How Heimdall was to blow the horn Gjallarhorn to kick off the battle, the arrival of the fire giants and the destruction of the Bifrost, the arrival of the dishonored dead, how the wolf Fenrir was to kill Odin, the serpent kill Thor, all the deaths of the gods, how Sutr was supposed to destroy worlds with his blazing sword, the land sinking into the seas, steam, smoke, and flame reaching up to the heavens, but how a few gods would survive or be reborn, and the race of man rebuilt by a couple who sheltered in the roots of Yggdrasil. A new, happy age was predicted.

"And how does that differ from what happened?"

Thor smiled slightly. "For one thing, I live."

"Yes. How did the outcome of the battle come to differ so radically from the prophesy?"

"I think it can be best expressed as a change in belief, that the outcome wasn't necessarily set. There were those of us who thought to try to change the outcome. We felt there was nothing to lose; either the prophesy was fixed or it could be altered by judicious changes. Fortunately, the sons of Muspell--the fire giants led by Sutr-- apparently felt that the outcome was set and made no changes of their own."

"Can you give us examples of the changes you tried to make?"

"Loki and Heimdall, guardian of the Bifrost, were supposed to kill each other. We attempted to circumvent that by keeping them far apart during the battle. Odin sent Loki and one of his bodyguards to kill the dragon who was chewing on the roots of Yggdrasil. The dragon would have killed the World Tree, which would have assisted the destruction of the Nine Realms. I was supposed to be killed by the great serpent, but I wore protective attire over my armor when I went to battle Jormungandr. My father, on the other hand, did not believe the prophesy could be altered and he met his end by the wolf Fenrir rather than simply changing tactics." He paused. "I believe his death could have been prevented had he kept the valkyries with him. They were some of our best warriors, highly skilled and proud of their arts of war. But he sent them away, that they not witness his end." He cleared his throat. "And they provided decisive action. They helped defeat the great serpent, provided effective battlefield leadership, and the last few helped to bring down Sutr. Their sacrifices were great."

"And so here we are." Thor inclined his head. "Can you tell us what your objections are to the film in questions, why you don't want it released?"

"Certainly. Aside from the illegal and immoral actions of the one who made it--"

"Objection to the characterization, Your Honor," the defense attorney spoke up.

"Overruled. The plaintiff was asked for his opinions. Continue."

"Aside from the illegal and immoral actions of the one who made the film by sneaking onto Asgard in violation of our sovereignty, we of Asgard do not use technology to record such events. It is unseemly to sit while others fight and die, and cowardly to cower in a tree." His voice was rich with disgust. "Not everyone on Asgard fought, but most participated and others had their own solemn duties to discharge in the gathering of the dead and arranging their sendings. It dishonors the sacrifice that others may gawk at their endings. Battle has a sacredness about it; when two forces face each other over the swordpoint, it must be treated respectfully and with full acknowledgement of the sacrifice that all are prepared to meet. The pain and suffering and death must not be cheapened. It is not entertainment for the masses!" He bellowed the last sentence and almost everybody in the courtroom flinched.

Defense had no cross for Thor.

Loki was brought in to corroborate aspects of Thor's testimony regarding the difference between prophesy and reality and the views of the morality of the film. He was dressed today as a prince of Asgard in his customary green and black, intricately pieced clothing, leaving behind the suits he usually wore as a department chair of Columbia University and internationally recognized alien expert. The defense did have a few questions for him in cross examination.

"You once led an invading army of Chirauri warriors, did you not?"

Loki nodded serenely. "I did."

"And now you're all friendly toward the people of Earth? How did that come about, and did you manipulate that in any way with your godly powers?"

Loki chuckled. "It is the last part of the question that is amusing, not the invasion, I assure you. At the time of the invasion, I was younger and lacking experience but full of pride and hubris. I am the adopted son of Frigga and Odin. That had been revealed to me just prior to those events and in error I set myself against my brother. Over the decades I have tried to make recompense for my actions and have devoted my time here to increase understanding between our cultures both as the ambassador for my brother and at the university. My loyalty to my brother is absolute. My godly powers, as you put it, are limited to chaos. It is what I am actively trying to prevent here."

One question on redirect: "Why did you stop trying to overthrow your brother, then?"

Loki answered, gently. "I grew up."

And with that, we recessed for the night. The next morning, Dagny, as Ann Doe, was called to the stand. She testified about her life in England during the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, a worker in a textile factory. "I was a Luddite," she said simply.

"I thought Luddites were anti technology," Lee, who was handling this testimony, said.

"It's a mischaracterization," Dagny said. "The war against Napoleon seemed endless, and the ordinary Englishman--and woman--felt the hard pinch of poverty. Food was terribly scarce and when it was found, it was expensive. So in March of 1811, a group of us protested in Nottingham, which was then a textile manufacturing center, demanding more work and better wages. Most of us just wanted to feed and clothe our families. We weren't extravagant; we had none of your electronics or other luxuries available to us. It was simply a matter of food and shelter, providing for our families. Troops broke up the protest, but the idea took hold, and soon there were waves of protest around the area. Thousands of soldiers were brought in to defend the factories, confine the unrest to the area rather than having it spread, and Parliament passed a measure to make machine-breaking illegal. There were few if any worker protection laws at the time; the law favored the owners, who had friends in Parliament and were wealthy. But we weren't organized, or even particularly violent. Machines to assist textile production had been around for some time by then, a knitting machine one of the oldest. We didn't want to abolish the technology, what we wanted were safe conditions and protections for our jobs, training for those of us who operated the machines, apprenticeships, fair wages. We targeted mill owners who operated fraudulently and deceitfully to get around the customary labor practices. We broke their machines. The soldiers were far more violent than we were. They fired into crowds, killing and wounding us. A mill owner, who had bragged about riding up to his britches in Luddite blood, was killed, but for the most part, we weren't interested in killing anybody or even wrecking the machinery. That's not to say we didn't have a little fun, though," she conceded, smiling slightly.

"We invented Ned Ludd to be our General, an imaginary head to the movement. We expressed our anger with a certain amount of what you might term swagger. It captured the public imagination, to a degree. I've been told that it tapped into a vein of anxiety about the increasing importance of machines in the lives of the Englishmen. I didn't care about that. One night, I hit a soldier over the head; he was aiming his rifle at a friend of mine. Another soldier struck me hardwith the butt of his rifle and I fell off balance, falling against the corner of the factory, crushing my temple and falling down an incline. It took awhile to die," she said sighing in the silent courtroom. "I found, then, that I was descended from Viking raiders. This ancestry and my actions entitled me to a place in Valhalla, where Odin offered me a place among his valkyries."

"And what did you do as a valkyrie?"

"Our mission was to bring the honored dead to Valhalla or Folkvangr. Folkvangr is an afterlife that was overseen by Frigga, Odin's wife. Almost the same thing as Valhalla, just with less PR, as you would say. Odin told us who was eligible for Valhalla or Folkvangr and we retrieved their souls. We usually used one of the flying horses; it's hard work to retrieve a soul, and quite draining to make our picks from the battlefield. But when we weren't retrieving souls or engaging in the scrimmages between Valhalla and Folkvangr, we were responsible for making cloth, from the shearing of the sheep and preparation of the flax for linen to the weaving. Our highest calling, of course, was to ride at Odin's side at Ragnarok."

"And you fought at Ragnarok, didn't you?"

"Yes, along with all my sisters. I was lucky, though, I made it through with only flesh wounds. It was a terrible battle." The lawyer had her describe her experiences in battle and the aftermath. "And what happened after the battle?"

"Since I was in pretty good shape after having the slashes and punctures healed and getting a meal and water into me, I helped the folk of the citadel collect our dead, discovering a few who were still alive. There were so many dead. The fire giants turned to cinders and ash when they fell, so that was a blessing. I helped to move the dead; ships were built for a version of the traditional funeral. There were so many bodies that larger ships were built and many were placed in each one. The valkyries got their own ship, going on together although we were offered individual small boats for each. After a time, our wings grew insubstantial and disappeared; we believe that it is because we had a bond with Odin, who made us valkyries, and he died at Vigrior."

"How do you feel about the movie? You've seen it, haven't you?"

"Twice," she said, shuddering. It was a mercy not to see her face. "Once in the original showing, then I had to watch it again with all the lawyers present to identify myself. I had such nightmares for weeks. I saw things, horrors, I didn't see during the actual battle. It's disgusting. We never agreed to be filmed and we wouldn't have. To think that a greedy opportunist is exploiting everything that my sisters and companions suffered makes me sick. She's a coward and too weak to ever sacrifice herself." Dagney's voice took on a sneer. "All she could think about was exploiting the situation for her own gain. She's disgusting and should be shunned by any decent person."

There was no cross examination for Dagny.

Carol, as Betty Doe, was up next, and explained how she met her end in campus riots against the Vietnam War as a young professor. She'd slapped a police officer who had pointed a rifle at students, and the officer, on edge and inexperienced, struck her sternum with the butt of the rifle. It was one of those really rare things you hear about; the blow stopped her heart. Because it was dark and no one was looking, he quickly stepped away and the coroner gave a cause of death by misadventure. It wasn't pursued farther.

"But if you were an anti-war protester, why did you join the valkyries, knowing that you'd end up on a battlefield?" Lee asked, sounding genuinely baffled.

"Oh, I'm not against all wars," Carol assured her. "But our presence in Vietnam was illegitimate, immoral, and illegal. Our soldiers were being asked to do horrible things--it was our first big exposure to guerilla warfare, and civilians were killed. The International Criminal Court convicted the US of using banned chemical weapons--napalm and Agent Orange--and accused the military of torturing civilians and captives. It was an utter, if you'll excuse my language, clusterfuck. But I believe that there are times when it is morally justifiable to go to war, and the circumstances of Ragnarok ticked those boxes."

How did the movie affect her? "When you're fighting, your focus is pretty narrow, and for the most part I only saw what I was focused on, my job. So I missed a lot of things. Odin's death, the deaths of my sisters. Seeing them killed and beaten and tormented. Seeing members of the guard subjected to that as well. There were a few fire giants that could spew fire, like a flame thrower, burning people. That brought back memories of the monks who immolated themselves, the use of napalm." You could hear her gagging a moment, then she got herself under control. "I found a therapist to help me deal with the the memories, let me sleep at night. I kept feeling the sensation of blood on my hands. I'd been beaten pretty severely and you can see that on the film. Every now and then I felt those blows again. It's really sick that she wants to profit off blood, suffering and death. Not much of a human being, in my estimation."

And that was it for Carol, too. No cross. And then they called Serena, as Cathy Doe, right after lunch.