Chapter 859

The heavily armored woman stood ready, her expression caught somewhere between vigilance and profound discomfort.

Her name was Sigrun.

Evenson had resurrected her from Hela’s prison, but resurrection had not erased the life she had lived before. She had once been one of Asgard’s greatest warriors, fighting at Odin’s side as he conquered and secured the Nine Realms. Later, she had died on the battlefield amid the power struggles of the royal family.

And now she was standing on the Rainbow Bridge again.

She could already imagine her fellow Asgardians appearing in the distance.

Sigrun had no idea what she was supposed to feel about any of it.

Then there was another problem.

She raised a hand and pressed a button mounted on her shoulder.

The music that had been blaring ever since she jumped off the motorcycle finally stopped.

The song was called Ride of the Valkyries.

Sigrun stared ahead in silence.

Who the hell installed that?

She was going to have a very serious conversation with whoever had designed the damn thing.

The multicolored radiance of the Bifrost faded, taking the clouds of dust with it.

A familiar warrior stood in the center of the ruined roadway.

Sif.

The Asgardian warrior was dressed somewhat differently than usual. She still carried her sword and shield and wore silver armor designed for battle, but instead of her customary bearskin cloak, she now wore a short red cape draped diagonally over her right shoulder.

A silver insignia was fastened to it.

Sigrun’s expression hardened.

"Who are you?"

Her tone was blunt enough to be almost hostile.

Sigrun had died a very long time ago. Sif had probably still been a child back then, so there was no reason for Sif to recognize her.

Sif, meanwhile, studied the heavily armored woman with equal caution.

Years of warfare had taught her to read an opponent at a glance.

This woman was dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Sif couldn’t explain exactly why, but every instinct she possessed was warning her that the armored stranger could become a formidable enemy.

"This is Lady Sif," McKenna said, stepping forward. "She’s one of Thor’s companions and an ally of Earth."

Sigrun didn’t even look at her.

"I didn’t ask you."

McKenna blinked.

Then she spread her hands and quietly stepped aside.

She wasn’t offended.

There wasn’t much point in being offended by someone who could probably fold her into a pretzel.

Among the agents of the Black Badge Division, Luther—Doomfist—had once been considered the undisputed strongest combatant. The Eredar Twins had personally modified him, and his uppercut was powerful enough to send people into another dimension.

Everyone except Moira called him that man.

That remained true until Sigrun arrived.

The Valkyries had been Odin’s elite warriors during his campaigns, an organization built from some of Asgard’s deadliest fighters. Sigrun had been one of their best.

Her strength was therefore beyond question.

If one absolutely had to compare her to Thor, she might lose in a straight fight.

But Loki?

Sigrun could probably beat him without breaking a sweat.

McKenna had never fought her herself, but she knew enough to understand the difference between them.

For example, there was what had just happened.

Sigrun had jumped off McKenna’s motorcycle and immediately sprinted forward.

At a glance, someone unfamiliar with the machine might have assumed the two exhaust pipes blazing behind the motorcycle had somehow propelled her.

They hadn’t.

The company hadn’t spent the money to install anything that sophisticated.

The exhaust pipes were mostly for show.

Sigrun had simply run.

Under her own power.

That was the kind of monster they were dealing with.

At this point, the Black Badge agents had quietly adopted another title for her.

That woman.

"All right. Everyone can relax. She isn’t hostile."

Melinda stepped away from the vehicle, finally breaking the increasingly tense atmosphere.

She gave Sif a polite smile.

"It’s been a long time, Lady Sif. Whatever brought you to Earth this time, why don’t you come with us first? Maybe I can help."

Melinda and Sif had met before.

Sif had even spent some time at SHIELD headquarters, so the two were hardly strangers.

"Of course."

Sif nodded and prepared to follow her.

Several ordinary SHIELD agents accompanying Melinda exchanged discreet smiles.

Everyone knew that SHIELD and the Black Badge Division maintained a polite relationship on the surface while competing fiercely behind the scenes.

There was a certain satisfaction in seeing the difference between them.

The Black Badge Division might have all the fancy technology and terrifying operatives it wanted, but when it came to dealing with Asgard, SHIELD still had the advantage.

They had relationships with the Asgardians.

They understood them.

They had Thor.

The Black Badge Division couldn’t compete with that.

At least, that was what the SHIELD agents were thinking.

"Stop."

Sigrun’s cold voice cut through the group.

Sif halted.

"You still haven’t answered my question."

Sif turned around.

Out of respect for someone whose strength was clearly formidable, she faced Sigrun directly.

"Your companion already answered it. I am Sif, of Asgard."

"What other positions do you hold?"

Sigrun’s gaze moved toward the red cape.

Then to the silver insignia.

Her eyes narrowed.

"That cape... and that insignia."

She stared at the emblem as though examining evidence in a trial.

"You’re a member of the royal court and hold a senior military command. Those aren’t positions normally granted to one of the Crown Prince’s retainers."

The smugness that had just appeared on the SHIELD agents’ faces vanished.

Even Melinda looked surprised.

She had never heard Sif mention any of this.

How did this woman know?

Had she simply guessed?

Sif smiled faintly.

"My position has changed recently."

She adjusted the red cape over her shoulder.

"By the trust of the King and Queen, I was appointed to the royal privy council. I also serve as commander of the Valkyrie Corps."

Melinda stared.

It was true.

She glanced at Sigrun again.

Black Badge really went all in on their intelligence operation, didn’t they?

Identifying an Asgardian’s rank from nothing more than a cape and a badge was an impressive feat.

Where had they obtained information that detailed?

Melinda knew there were people on Earth who possessed extensive knowledge of Asgard.

Her gaze drifted toward the vehicle.

Evenson was still sitting in the passenger seat.

He certainly knew a great deal about Asgard.

He had even been there once.

But remembering the exact details of Asgardian military insignia?

Melinda wasn’t convinced he was capable of that.

Then she remembered someone else.

Years ago, there had been an elderly Spanish professor whose research into Asgard was considered eccentric by the academic establishment.

His theories had contradicted almost everything the mainstream believed.

Then Thor arrived.

And the professor had been proven right.

The man had died in a bizarre automobile accident shortly afterward.

His body had been cremated and his ashes scattered into the sea with suspicious efficiency.

The timing?

Not long after Thor first appeared in New Mexico.

Melinda’s eyes narrowed.

So the professor’s death might not have been an accident at all.

Perhaps the Black Badge Division had secretly recruited him.

Or abducted him.

The Black Badge Division itself hadn’t officially existed at the time, but organizations like that didn’t appear overnight. Someone had been preparing for it long before its public formation.

The professor could have been one of those preparations.

And SHIELD had failed to recognize the importance of the incident.

They had allowed an invaluable intelligence source to fall into Black Badge’s hands.

Melinda glanced toward the passenger seat again.

Their own resident Asgardian expert was considerably less reassuring.

Technically, Evenson shouldn’t have been unreliable.

Somehow, he still managed to give her that impression.

"Wait."

Sigrun’s expression changed.

"Asgard has a Valkyrie Corps now?"

For the first time, genuine confusion crossed her face.

The Valkyrie Corps had died with her.

Every member.

Everyone except the one woman she had loved.

The organization had never been rebuilt, at least not to Sigrun’s knowledge.

And now there was suddenly another Valkyrie Corps?

With a commander?

Was she supposed to salute this woman?

Sif noticed the change in her expression.

"What do you mean?"

Earth had always had a habit of calling every female Asgardian warrior a Valkyrie.

Even Evenson had made that mistake when he first met Sif, repeatedly referring to her as one.

But Sif knew the truth.

The Valkyrie Corps had been an ancient and honored military order.

Its members had sacrificed themselves fighting evil, and their entire corps had perished.

The title Valkyrie had been preserved in their honor.

No new Valkyrie Corps had been formed afterward.

Not until recently.

Which meant this woman knew the history.

Sigrun didn’t pursue the matter.

For one thing, she had begun to realize that the Valkyrie Corps of the present had nothing to do with her anymore.

So she changed the subject.

"Nothing."

Her eyes remained fixed on Sif.

"I was simply curious. Someone of your rank doesn’t come to Earth without a reason. What exactly are you here for?"

"That’s not something you need to concern yourself with."

Melinda stepped in before the conversation could drag on any longer.

"We’ve already wasted enough time. SHIELD will handle this from here."

"That isn’t going to happen."

Sigrun gave a cold laugh.

She drove her shield into the pavement with a heavy clang and rested both hands on its rim.

"The Valkyrie Corps was Odin’s vanguard. One of the two most feared military organizations in Asgard."

Her gaze swept across the assembled agents.

"When the Valkyries appear somewhere, there is only one reason."

She paused.

"War."

The mood immediately changed.

"And now the commander of the Valkyrie Corps has come to Earth."

Sigrun’s eyes hardened.

"Do you really think something like that can happen without involving the United States government?"

Melinda slowly turned toward Sif.

Her expression said exactly what she was thinking.

Please don’t tell me you’ve brought another alien crisis to Earth.

Before the tension could escalate further, the vehicle behind them opened.

Evenson finally stepped out.

"I don’t care how important this is. You can’t exactly discuss an international incident in the middle of the road."

He looked toward Sif.

"Long time no see, Lady Sif."

Sif smiled.

"Hm. I was wondering when you’d finally get out of that metal box."

"I was waiting until I knew you weren’t here to drag Thor back to Asgard."

Evenson grinned.

"I don’t have that man’s contact information."

He paused.

"Though he did leave me an email address."

His expression became increasingly amused.

"Very thoughtful of him, except he doesn’t own a computer."

Sif’s lips curled upward.

"You’re still just as insulting as ever."

"Am I?"

Evenson continued talking to her as though the rest of the group didn’t exist.

Then he glanced down at the damaged roadway.

"Oh, and I have a message for Heimdall."

He pointed toward the ground.

"Next time he sends someone down here, tell him to pay the road maintenance fee."

The Bifrost had left a spectacular mess behind.

"The man can’t drop the Rainbow Bridge a few feet to the side?"

Sif gave him an amused look.

Evenson turned toward the others.

"Let’s get back on the bus. We can properly discuss why Lady Sif is here."

He then looked toward Sigrun and McKenna.

"You two should come as well."

Melinda immediately moved closer to him.

"Are you serious?"

She lowered her voice.

"You’re inviting Black Badge agents aboard SHIELD’s most advanced command center?"

"Do you honestly think they’ll just forget about this if we leave them behind?"

Evenson whispered back.

"It’s better to bring them with us than let them run around independently and cause trouble."

Sif considered the two Black Badge agents.

Then she nodded.

"That’s a reasonable suggestion."

She looked at Melinda.

"Bring them. Their presence may actually make my mission easier."

Melinda sighed.

"Fine."

She wasn’t thrilled about it, but she could see the logic.

If something serious was happening, SHIELD would probably need the support of the U.S. government anyway.

So the entire group boarded the Bus.

Evenson regretted that decision almost immediately.

"Seriously? This is a SHIELD aircraft. Nobody’s going to steal your motorcycle."

McKenna ignored him.

The first thing she had done after boarding was take a roughly twenty-two-pound chain lock and secure her motorcycle to the wheel of a nearby Jeep.

She stared at Evenson with an expression of deep resentment.

The motorcycle had been purchased with her own money.

If someone stole it, was he planning to reimburse her?

Evenson apparently understood the message.

He wisely said nothing.

The second surprise came when they returned to the aircraft.

Coulson was already there.

Sif froze when she saw him.

Her expression became instantly wary.

"I heard from Thor that Loki killed you."

She looked sideways at Evenson.

"Did you use some kind of dark magic again?"

Evenson gave an awkward laugh.

"That’s a pretty unfair way to phrase it."

He shrugged.

"As if I’ve ever used magic that wasn’t dark."

Coulson smiled.

"It’s complicated."

He calmly explained, "I was only dead for a little while. And Loki isn’t the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve. SHIELD has some of its own."

Sif relaxed.

"Thor will be happy to hear that."

She looked at Coulson warmly.

"He considers you a friend."

"So do I."

Coulson nodded.

Then he added, "If possible, I’d like to tell him myself."

The implication was obvious.

Please don’t tell Thor yet.

Coulson had already realized the problem.

He had allowed Thor to believe Loki had killed him.

If Thor discovered that Coulson had deliberately fooled him by pretending to be dead, there was a very real possibility that the Asgardian god would respond by smashing him in the chest with Mjolnir.

Coulson was probably worrying too much.

After all, Thor had to figure out the deception first.

"Black Badge."

Coulson finally noticed McKenna and Sigrun.

He didn’t comment on the rivalry between their organizations.

Whatever friction existed between SHIELD and Black Badge was insignificant compared to the matter of Asgard.

"I owe you two a favor," he said. "Hopefully, we can work together this time."

Then he turned back to Sif.

"Lady Sif, what exactly is your mission?"

"By order of the Queen, I have come to apprehend a fugitive."

Sigrun’s eyes narrowed.

Evenson’s expression also shifted.

That answer was strange.

Sif’s current position wasn’t exactly that of an ordinary field agent.

Sending the commander of the Valkyrie Corps to arrest a fugitive was like sending the commander of an entire military theater to deal with a single escaped criminal.

Something didn’t add up.

Evenson kept that thought to himself.

Instead, he asked another question.

"The Queen. Frigga?"

He had always heard Odin addressed as the All-Father, the King of Asgard, or simply the King.

Frigga, however, was normally referred to as the Queen.

Not the ruling Queen.

Not the Queen Regent.

Something had clearly changed.

"Yes."

Respect filled Sif’s voice.

"Since the Dark Elves invaded Asgard, the All-Father has suffered an illness that has left him unable to see."

She paused.

"All matters of state and military affairs are now being handled by the Queen."

Evenson listened carefully.

"So Asgard is currently ruled by two sovereigns in practice—the Queen exercising authority while the King remains incapacitated."

Sif nodded.

"For now, yes."

The implications settled over the aircraft.

Asgard had changed.

And whatever had brought Sif to Earth was clearly connected to those changes.