The Many Adventures of the Avengers and Friends

💙 Ragnarok (Part 2)

A couple of days later, Thor was in Hulk's suite (as he had been) when Valkyrie came in to train with Hulk.

"Angry girl!" He said excitedly.

"What's going on? What do you...?" She started, but then noticed Thor in the room. "You're so thick-headed that you can't tell when someone's hiding all the way across the universe and wants to be left alone?"

"We need to talk." Thor said.

"No, you want to talk to me." Val said, turning to leave.

"I need her to stay." Thor said to Hulk, who promptly ripped the headboard off if his bed and threw it to block Val's path.

"Stay! Please?" Hulk asked. Val sighed and turned around, walking over to a shelf with drinks lined up on it. She pulled a rather large one off the shelf.

"Okay, here's the deal: I'll listen to you until this is empty." She said, opening the bottle and starting to chug it.

"Asgard is in danger and people are dying. We need to get back there. I need your help... Wow." Thor started, but was cut off when he saw how fast Val had downed the bottle.

"Finished. Bye." She said, dropping the bottle to the ground with a crash. She started for the door.

"Odin is dead!" Thor blurted. That got Val's attention. "Hela is back and has invaded Asgard."

"If Hela is back, then Asgard is already lost." Val replied quietly.

"I'm going to stop her." Thor said confidently.

"Alone?"

"Nope, I'm putting together a team. It's me, you, my brother and sister, and the big guy." Thor said, gesturing as he explained.

"No team, only Hulk!" Hulk cut in from across the room.

"It's me, you, my brother, and my sister." Thor retried.

"I think it's just you. Your brother and sister seem happy here, and I sure as hell aren't going." Val replied.

"The Valkyrie are legend, elite warriors of Asgard. You are sworn to defend the throne." Thor protested.

"I'm not getting dragged into another of Odin's family squabbles." Val said dismissively.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your sister, Hela I mean, her power comes from Asgard, same as yours." Val said. "When it grew beyond Odin's control, she massacred everyone in the palace and tried to seize the throne. When she tried to escape her banishment, Odin sent the Valkyrie to fight her back. I only survived because... Look, I've already faced her back when I believed in the throne, and it cost me everything. THAT'S what's wrong with Asgard. The throne, the secrets, the whole golden sham."

"I agree." Thor finally said, moving to put a hand on her shoulder. She drew a dagger and pointed it at his throat.

"Don't get familiar." She warned.

"I agree with you, that's why I turned down the throne. But this isn't about the crown, this is about the people. They're dying and they're your people, too." Thor continued. Val shoved him back.

"Just forget it. I have." Val said.

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Good, great."

"Great."

"Thank you, by the way."

"For what?" Val asked, suspicious.

"For this." Thor said, waving the tazer he took from Val. He pressed a button and deactivated his disc. "Didn't see that, did you? You know, go ahead, stay here and get drunk, and enslave people for that lunatic. Keep drinking, keep hiding, but me..." He gestured for Hulk to pass him a little red ball. "I choose to run towards my problems, and not away from them." He threw the ball at the window.