Asgard Arrives
It was hard not to gape at the fleet of small ships bearing down on the large plot of land Tony had set aside for the Asgardian refugees. The moment that Thor had sent a deep-space message informing them that he had found his people and he and the Guardians were bringing them to Earth, the billionaire had worked ceaselessly to prepare everything for their arrival.
He had built a massive tower of living quarters for over two hundred refugees, an entire facility dedicated to helping the aliens adjust to life on Earth, including a space where they could practice using currency while shopping for food, clothes, and necessities. There was a school for the younger Asgardians, an outdoor park, and Tony had also designed a system to train them to run everything in their new homes themselves. He knew that they likely wouldn’t be satisfied to live off of his generosity forever.
They now also had an embassy in the works for Earth-Asgardian relations, and Rhodey and Hank had been working with the President on ensuring that they would be welcome on their planet.
Their headship, the craft built by the combined efforts of Tony, Rocket, Shuri and Hank, lowered itself to the ground moments before the rest, and Evelyn lifted her hand to cover her eyes as the dust and grass blew outward from beneath the engines. When the dust had settled, the ramp began to lower and Thor appeared, a bright, happy grin on his face.
“My friends!” he cried, planting his axe in the ground at his side before he hurried forward and gathered both Tony and Evelyn up in his arms in a tight hug.
“Alright, big guy, watch the spine,” Tony groaned, and Thor dropped them with a loud, cheerful laugh. Behind him, the Guardians exited the ship, followed by a golden-armored guard, what looked like a man made out of rocks and a dark-skinned woman in white armor. Bruce and Steve approached then, and after exchanging greetings with the god, Bruce turned to the newcomers with relief shining on his face.
“Man, it’s good to see you guys. We weren’t sure you had made it out,” Bruce said, stepped forward to pat the rock-man and then hug the woman. Evelyn raised a brow at the uncharacteristic display of affection from the scientist, and her father looked ready to blurt out something offensive, so she quickly spoke up.
“We have a team of aides over here to show your people to the home building. The apartments are organized into single, double and family size, so they’ll be able to have the space they need,” Evelyn explained, and Thor dropped a hand on her shoulder.
“Thank you,” he replied solemnly, and then looked to Tony, “You cannot know what this means to us. With Asgard destroyed, we never thought we would have a home again.”
“Yeah, well. I had the space,” Tony replied with a shrug, and Evelyn pressed her lips together at his inability to accept gratitude from others. She doubted he would ever be comfortable with these kinds of serious experiences. She caught a sudden flicker of curiosity from the darkforce, and her eyes snapped to the guard, who was watching her in turn with intense green eyes. A chill passed down her spine, and she got the sense that this wasn’t just any ordinary Asgardian.
“Thor, it’s good to see you again,” Steve said, interrupting her scrutiny of the guard as her fiancé stepped forward only to be pulled into Thor’s serious embrace, the god clapping him on the back so hard that Evelyn saw him wince.
“And you, my friend,” Thor replied, and then motioned to the newcomers, who were standing with Bruce and the Guardians. “This is Korg, a warrior who helped to defend my people when we escaped from Asgard. And Brunnhilde, a Valkyrie of legend.”
The woman, Brunnhilde, rolled her eyes and then looked at Evelyn with a calculating gaze.
“I’ve been stuck on a ship with no alcohol and no fun for almost eight months. You look like you can handle me, care for a fight?” Brunnhilde asked her, and Evelyn only needed a fraction of a second to process her blunt offer before she grinned widely. If Thor was any indication, fighting an Asgardian would be a welcome challenge. She stepped forward and offered her arm, and the Valkyrie gave her a pleased smirk as she took it.
“We’ll be in the training room,” Evelyn called over her shoulder as she led Brunnhilde away from the landing area and towards the facility.
“Is it just me, or is anyone else a little scared about them being friends?” she heard Bruce say from behind them, and Evelyn turned to the Valkyrie and was met with a sly, amused smirk that matched her own.
“They should be scared, right?” Evelyn quipped, and Brunnhilde tilted her head back and laughed for a short moment before tilting her head towards Evelyn and arching a brow.
“Terrified.”