Chapter Text
"See to the lifeboats."
Alarms were blaring, lights were flashing, people were screaming. The ship shook and somewhere something was burning. Probably many somethings. And Thor had apparently lost his damn mind. Valkyrie stared at him. "I'm coming to fight with you."
He shook his head and grabbed her arm. "Please. I need you to go with them. They'll need a leader."
The ship rocked again, and she crashed into him before righting herself. "How about you not die?"
"That's plan A, but just in case. Get to the lifeboats."
He absolutely did not believe that. "Thor. . ." she started, but what could she possibly say?
Squeezing her arm, he leaned close to rest his head against hers. "Please," he said softly.
"All right," she replied, just as quiet. "I'll see you on the other side." Even though that other side might be Valhalla.
"I look forward to it," he told her. Then he dropped a fast kiss on her mouth and turned, running back towards the bridge.
That. . . she didn't have time to process now. She had an evacuation to handle.
Surviving a massacre really ought to be a once-in-a-lifetime event, but Valkyrie was on her second, or maybe third. In the end Thor was right about the evacuation, because their ship was blown to pieces before they could finish the full loading. She didn't have a count of how many made it off, but it was. . . not nearly enough.
Asgardians could survive in a vacuum for far longer than most beings, and once the attacking ship had left without showing interest in the escape pods, she took the one she was driving back to scan the wreckage for survivors.
Her scans picked up one life sign. And—miracle of miracles—the signature of ship. She hoped they were answering the distress call and not scavengers. She didn't think she had any guns.
Maneuvering carefully through the wreckage, she got close enough to see a body - she could tell it was Thor from the clothes - hit the front of the ship. She winced in sympathy and tried to spot a path to get closer. Before she could, the people in the ship managed to pull him inside. At least he wasn't at risk of suffocating or imploding anymore.
She opened up the frequency connecting her to the other escape pods. "There's a ship here," she said. "Looks friendly. The King went aboard,"--they didn't need to know about him hitting the windshield--"So if you all could lock on to my signal and try to get over to where I am, that should make this go faster."
Her sensors told her they were responding, slowly but surely. She sent out a call to the other ship, but there was no response. Probably everyone was distracted by the six feet of debris they'd just pulled inside.
One of the pods got stuck behind a large piece of hull, and it's pilot, who was not at all a pilot, had panicked. Valkyrie had to go help them, and by the time she got back to her original rendezvous point, the ship was gone.
For a moment, she just stared at the empty spot where it had been. The escape pods didn't have systems advanced enough to track anything, so she had no way of knowing where it might have gone.
"What should we do?" asked the woman who had come up to help her pilot.
Valkyrie swallowed hard and blew out a very long, slow breath in an attempt to buy time. "I suppose. . . we keep heading for Earth. That was the plan."
"These things have a weeks worth of emergency rations. At most."
She looked at the stars, and the enormous swath of wreckage beyond her view screen, and sighed. "Don't suppose those rations include any booze?"
"I don't think so, ma'am."
The Commodore, the Grandmaster's orgy ship that they's escaped Sakaar in, floated by. It had been docked on the top of the big ship, and clearly had been dislodged during the explosion. She wondered if it was still space worthy. It was their best hope anyway.
"Help me maneuver closer to that," she said. "It'll be better supplied."
Luck was on her side. By the time she got inside it—which did take a while—she found all its systems running. It had, of its own accord, recorded data about the ship that stopped and took Thor. Enough she could track the damn thing. It also was much, much faster than the pods.
And, hey, it was the Grandmaster's, so there absolutely was something to drink.
She programmed in the coordinates, left her lieutenants in charge, and found a bottle and a quiet place to sit with it.
Drowning a horrific day wasn't the best coping mechanism, but it was the only one Valkyrie had. If she could get drunk enough, she would have to see the dead bodies, or hear any of the screams.
When she woke up, she orbiting a deserted and devastated world, with no sign of the ship. She stat for a while, contemplating her hangover and her fate. She needed to find Thor. Because she owed him. Because she liked his company. And because she did not want to be the leader of the scant remnants of her people.
But for now, she was responsible for them. She couldn't just chase this ship around the galaxy. So, for the moment, she moved on to what was next. Namely, finding somewhere to hock the luxury toy of a ship she was in and buy something uglier but larger, and lay in supplies for a long journey.
"Okay," she said aloud, cracking her neck and setting at the controls. "Where the fuck are we and how far away is civilization?"
The Asgardian Ark, Part II, was purchased from a shady salvage operation where she had to win a drinking contest and flash her tits at someone to close the transaction. But, as someone who had once mined giant garbage piles for scrap for a living, she knew what she was looking for better than those guys did. She got a good deal.
It took her two days to stock up and get back to the pods. When she got there, she discovered half the people on board had turned to dust and vanished.
"What the fuck?"
People we shell shocked and grieving all over again. Val really didn't know where to start with this, other than go back to the salvage ops bar and stay there forever. These people were still counting on her, though. So she herded them on board and set a course for Earth. With no other way of finding Thor - or even knowing if he was alive or dust - it was the closest thing to a lead she had.
She tried to contain the bender she went on once the course was locked and there was nothing to do but be alone with her thoughts. At least she kept it mostly private. She did, at least, choose to share with her passengers. They could all be drunk and hungover together.
It had seemed silly, at the time, to program the mystery ship's frequency into the new ship and keep scanning for it. Wishfully thinking, anyway. Earth was pretty out there, and absolutely nobody went to visit. There was no chance that ship would be on a course anywhere near theirs.
And then one day, it was.
She stared at the screen a moment, almost unable to believe it. Then she hailed them.
A blue-skinned woman appeared on her viewscreen. She didn't look Kree, which was probably for the best. Valkyrie didn't need trouble. Without even a greeting, she opened with, "What is the atmosphere on your ship?"
Now she really wished she was less hungover. "I'm sorry?"
"The air. On your ship. Our scanners can't tell and I need oxygen."
That ship was much smaller than hers, but it had guns on it. The rust bucket did not. There hadn't been money for that. She really hoped this wasn't about to go sideways. "And I need our King, which you took."
The blue woman looked nonplussed, then turned around to talk to someone off screen. "Are you a king?"
A man came into the frame. He looked absolutely like death warmed over. "Lady, I will be whatever you damn want for some O2."
Valkyrie had her ship scan theirs. Their engine output was fluctuating, and at a level far lower than would be expected, and the hull was damaged. They weren't going to shoot her. In fact they were probably barely keeping the feed on. They were probably adrift, and if that guy was human like he looked, about to suffocate based on their internal atmosphere. There was no one else on the ship. Whatever had happened to Thor, he wouldn't want her to leave them like that.
"I don't know you, I'm not docking with you. I will send over an escape pod, you can get on it and come here. We do have oxygen/nitrogen to breath here. Same as on Earth."
"Oh, thank God," the guy said.
The woman nodded stiffly. "Acceptable."
Valkyrie returned the nod and let the feed drop out.
She did as she'd said, sending one of their pods over to dock with the ship. She went down to the loading bay to meet them when they returned.
The blue woman looked wary and somewhat displeased. The man looked like he was considering hugging her. And also in worse shape than she'd guessed from the video. "We don't have any healers," she said, hoping he wasn't about to keel over.
"Air and food would go a long way," he offered, finally sitting on the metal of the bay before his feet went out from under him. "Who are you people?"
"Asgardian. Who are you?"
"Tony Stark. Human. Uh, Terran?" That was directed at the blue woman, who gave him a little nod. "This is Nebula. She's not a talker."
Valkyrie knew that name, and she stared back at him in surprise. "I. . . there are maybe half a dozen people from Midgard I have heard of, and. . .you are one of them."
He looked back at her, squinting. "Wait. Do you know Thor? Is that the king you were talking about?"
"Yes! What happened to him? I saw him get on your ship."
He looked at Nebula, who shrugged, then back at Valkyrie. "No idea. I think the people we got this ship from—stole, borrowed, I don't think it matters because they're all dead—said something about him going to see a dwarf about an axe."
"He went to Nidavellir?"
"Sure. But that was a while ago. Before the. . . dust thing."
"That happened to you, too?"
"It happened to everyone, everywhere," Nebula said. "Thanos filled the Infinity Gauntlet and used it to kill half of all life."
Valkyrie blew out a breath, not knowing what to think or feel. "Oh."
Stark made a sympathetic noise and they all shared a moment of silence. Finally, he asked, "I don't suppose you could drop me on Earth?"
"Seeing as that's where we're going. . . sure."
He grinned widely at her, then flopped back. "Great. I'm just going to take a nap and hope this wasn't a delirium dream."
"If this was your dream, I wouldn't be in it," Nebula said.
"That's a good point," he said, sticking a finger in the air. "I am reassured."
"Come on," Valkyrie said. "I'll find you some quarters."
They trudged along after her and get settled. She brought them both rations from the galley and headed back to the bridge. Onward. To Earth.
Stark slept so long that Valkyrie had the computer regularly checking the he was still alive. He looked less like death when he finally emerged. "We're towing your ship," she told him.
"Thanks." He rubbed the back of his neck and sat in the chair next to her. "I guess I've officially inherited it."
"Thor told me once that you were an engineer."
"I am. Though even I haven't gotten to reliable space travel yet."
"None of us left are that kind of mechanical, and this ship is a hand-me-down." She shrugged. "If you were looking for something to keep yourself occupied."
His brows went up and he glanced around. "Where would you like me to start?"
"Engine? Life support? The electrical system? Take your pick. It's a shitbox." She paused. "I'd really love cupholders.
"I love cupholders," he assured her. Then he stood again. "Which way to the engine?"
When she'd bought the ship, they'd told her the secondary engine hadn't worked in years. A week later, Stark had it running. She offered him some of her very precious alcohol supplies in thanks.
"I'm not entirely sure what flavor I'm tasting," he admitted. "But it burns like a whiskey."
"It was cheap," she told him. "I didn't ask."
Seemingly unfazed by that, he lifted his glass. "Here's hoping ti doesn't kill me."
"Hasn't killed me yet. Though that may not be saying much." She swigged her drink. "You got stuff to live for?"
"Hopefully. Find out when we get to Earth, I suppose."
"Family?"
"Fiancee. Woman I've promised to marry," he clarified. "And a few good friends."
"Betrothed is the word we'd use." She refilled his glass, and hers. "I had people. Lost them. Lived alone a long time. Finally found more people. Now they're all dead, too. Well, Thor might still be alive."
"Yeah. That sounds. . . familiar. Feels like eventually you don't have the energy to rebuild."
This was a man who understood. "But then you have all these people depending on you. . "
"Right. And if you don't get up and do it, who will? And if they fuck up, is it their fault or yours?"
"I was kind of dragged out of my hiding," she said. "So some of this is Thor's fault."
"Throw an inspiring speech at you?"
"Told me he ran towards his problems and not away from them. Because that's what heroes do." She said the last line in a fake deep voice.
Stark chuckled. "Yeah. That. . . that sounds like him."
"if he's alive—and that's a big if—I may kill him when I find him." She put the cap on the bottle and closed it, because she had to ration it. It was going to be long journey. "He just got on that damn ship and left me with a bunch of life pods."
"When the hero bug gets you it's easy to forget everyone else." He held up his hands. "Not that I'm defending him."
"No, but that does sound like the voice of experience."
"If my betrothed is alive, she will happily tell you stories."
Valkyrie chuckled. "She's the woman you sent your message to? We picked up the transmission," she added.
He nodded. "Pepper. Not my first 'sorry I'm dying' message to her. Though I really thought it was going to be the last."
"Will she forgive you when we turn up?"
"I hope so. She has every other time."
She considered that. "What's the longest she's thought you were dead before?"
"I was stuck in a cave for a couple months once but that was technically before we were dating."
"I think this will clock in at about the same."
"Maybe she'll count the whole 'destruction of half the universe' as extenuating circumstances."
"Love does funny things to people."
He glanced over at her. "You going to forgive him after you kill him?"
"I think you are assuming more of our relationship than there is," she said immediately. Probably too immediately, based on the head tilt she got in response. She opened up the bottle again. "I don't do things like feelings. I'm a professional bitter drunk."
"As a former professional drunk who caught feelings, you have my deepest sympathies."
"It's easier without them," she said.
"Easier, yeah. Lot lonelier, though."
Lonely was something Valkyrie knew plenty about.
Their ship was slow, even with his modifications, and took several months to get to Midgard. Stark, and eventually also Nebula, spent most of it trying to get the long range comms working, without a lot of luck. Apparently, their arrival would be a surprise.
Several weeks still out, when they were still in the middle of nowhere, she ran out of alcohol. That proved and exceedingly unpleasant experience.
"Withdrawl?" Stark asked, putting a damp cloth on her head when he found her napping on the bridge.
"That, or I'm dying." She squinted up. "Thanks."
He patted her arm companionably. "Hydration and pain killers."
"If we had any painkillers, I would definitely take them."
"Ah. Sorry, I can't help you there."
She closed her eyes again. "The pain isn't even the worst," she muttered.
"Vomiting? Nightmares? Fuzzy tongue?"
She nodded, then added, "My nightmares'll put hair on your chest."
"I have plenty of my own." He sat in the co pilot's seat. "I'm told it's our brain's way of coping with trauma."
Well, she certainly had that in spades. "Does it get better eventually?"
"Yeah. It helps to talk to someone about it. Verbal processing is more efficient."
"Did you?"
"I did, at several people's insistence. It was uncomfortable and I hated it, but I did it."
"Asgardians don't really do that sort of thing. Talking about your feelings is a weakness."
He nodded. "You do seem more the drink and punch things types."
"And look at where it got us? Blown up world, our people down to a handful of refugees on this rust bucket."
"My therapist would say that's a good time to start over."
"Sounds like that's happening whether I like it or not."
Clearly unable to argue that, he just nodded. "If she's still alive, I'll put you in touch with my therapist when we get to Earth."
She cracked an eye open. "Thanks, Stark."
He patted her shoulder again. "Go get some rest, I'll watch the window."
They couldn't contact Midgard until they were in orbit, by which time Valkyrie felt a whole lot less like death. The last few days of the trip, Stark didn't sleep.
"Been doing good not thinking about it. What if she's gone. But now we're almost there."
They watched the planet grow larger in their view screen. Nebula lurked behind them, but she wasn't chatty. "Last woman I loved died in my arms," Valkyrie told him.
Stark looked over at her. "That the beginning of the bitter drinking?"
"Yeah." She paused. "My entire unit did also die in a pointless battle."
Nodding slowly, he glanced back at the planet. "I've been there."
"This goes sideways. . . you want me to promise to keep you from drinking yourself into a coma?"
"Not sure. Coma might be preferable."
"I've been there, too."
Behind them, Nebula made an exasperated noise and came forward to the comms panel. "How about we call down and ask before you to start with the suicide pacts." She tapped some buttons. "Someone is scanning on the frequency of the other ship." More tapping.
A voice came on a moment later, a voice came on. "Who the hell is this?"
Valkyrie looked at Stark, who shrugged, clearly not recognizing the voice either. "We're Asgardian refugees, and one human." She'd skip explaining Nebula for the moment. "Who is this?"
"Name's Rocket. What the fuck are you doing with my ship?"
"I found it drifting in space," Valkyrie replied. "Running out of air."
"This is Nebula," she piped up. "Mr. Stark and I were the only survivors of the battle with Thanos."
There was a moment of silence. "You guys home in on my signal. We got plenty of room to land."
She could hear Stark chuckle. "He's at the Avengers compound." He hesitated a moment, then apparently decided he'd rather be prepared. "Rocket. Who survived?"
"Your girl is just fine."
He exhaled and bent his head and you could see his shoulders relax in relief. "Thank you. Who else?"
"Is here? Bunch of 'em." Rocket listed them off while Valkyrie piloted the ship into the atmosphere. Thor had apparently made it through after all. That made her happier than she wanted to admit.
"Looks like I get to kick his ass after all."
"So we're both having a good day," Stark said with a grin.