Freya turned to leave the sparring area. Allison, Sam and CS-01 were still catching their breath. âIâm heading back for the evening. Make our new guest feel welcome. And stay on your guard while Iâm gone,â Freya said to the young couple and their new cyborg friend.
âLook, weâre not kids, Freya. We can take care of ourselves, just fine thank you,â Allison huffed, blowing a strand of red hair out of her face.
Sam took Allisonâs hand, âWeâll be careful, Freya. You do the same. Itâs been a few weeks since weâve seen anything from Fractal. Heâs probably waiting for us to let our guard down.â
âHa! I hope he does try something. I still owe him for last time,â Freya replied, cracking her knuckles.
CS-01 spoke up, âInviting an isolated incursion from such a formidable adversary is a most unwise tactic.â Her metallic skin shone in the Sanctumâs bright light.
âIâve been doing this far longer than any of you. I know to handle myself,â Freya answered.
âWell, just be careful alright? Weâll all be here if you need us. Weâre going to show CS-01 the library,â Sam said as he turned away. The three of them headed off down the hallway. Freya smiled. Sam and Allison had both warmed up since they started spending so much time together. Still Freya was eager for some time to herself. She enjoyed training the new team, even if they still had a ways to go. But after a long day of drilling them and answering their questions, she just wanted a few hours of quiet.
Freya entered the hall of mirrors, where Twister and Saphira waited for her. A seemingly endless series of tall, gilded mirrors lined the walls of the white marble chamber. The endless reflections made the towering hall appear to reach into infinity. âTheyâre coming along nicely, Saphira. Weâll need a name for our group at this rate,â Freya joked as she approached.
Saphira turned to face her old friend, smiling.âYes I suppose youâre right. Perhaps you could all share my title and we could be The Guardianâs of the Mortal Realm,â The dark skinned woman said in her sing-song voice.
âNo offense, but that doesnât exactly roll off the tongue,â Twister replied. âHow about The Freedom Force? Or Alpha Team? Or maybe Super Squad?â
âNo, I donât fancy any of those. They feel too cheap,â Freya answered. Perhaps she shouldnât have mentioned naming the group. Maria seemed far too excited about it.
âWeâll have plenty of time to think of something. But if we want to get you two home before sunset, we need to hurry,â Saphira said. She turned to face one of the mirrors and placed her hand on the reflective surface. A soft glow emanated from her palm and radiated across the glass. It rippled the reflection like a stone thrown into a calm pond. And as the ripples settled, the image had changed to one of Twisterâs gymnastics studio. Balance beams and Pommel horses were silhouetted against the orange of the sunset.
âWell this is my stop. See you tomorrow.â Twister gave a quick wave and then stepped into the mirror. The reflection bubbled around her like liquid mercury. As the surface stilled again, Freya could see Maria standing within the image.
Then Saphira turned to a mirror on the opposite wall and repeated the process. This time the image displayed the San Angeles skyline as seen through sweeping windows. Freya gave Saphira a nod before stepping through. The surface of the mirror felt strangely warm pouring over her skin. She closed her eyes as she walked, and when they opened again she was standing in her penthouse apartment, wreathed in a warm light.
Even after all these years, Saphiraâs abilities amazed her. Freyaâs apartment looked just as she had left it. Newspaper clippings of her heroics covered the walls. Piles of unread fan mail flooded across her dark wood coffee table. Her heavy, wooden furniture reminded Freya of her own time. The modern age certainly had its conveniences, but a touch of home did her spirit good. Maybe that was why she chose to spend the nights here rather than at the sanctum.
Freya looked out over the city skyline and wondered if this era would ever feel normal to her. She certainly appreciated the luxuries of modern life, but a part of her yearned for the simplicity of her original time. She missed the feeling of testing her strength with the other Valkyries on a real battlefield. Hero work had some of the same appeal, but couldnât quite scratch the itch. Oh well, there was nothing to be done about it tonight. She turned away from the silhouettes of towering glass and headed to the kitchen.
The valkyrie opened her fridge and found it mostly empty. She would have to do something about that later. But first sheâd earned a warm bath. Freya walked through the spacious master bedroom and to the door of her luxurious bathroom. Still the othersâ words nagged at her. She mumbled to herself as she walked, âAs if I need protecting. These youths have never seen anything like the battles Iâve fought in.â
She was eager to soak in her massive tub and forget the day. Not having a secret identity had a few perks, she thought as she placed her hand on the cool door knob. She paused for a moment. Hadnât this door been open when she left?
The door exploded in a shower of splinters as a yellow blur shot forward. The figure stabbed out in a flash of steel. The blade scraped off Laevateinn. Freya had barely raised her own sword in time. She parried, sending the figure stumbling back. In that moment, Freya caught sight of her attacker.
She wore a yellow jumpsuit, emblazoned with white accents. A yellow helmet shaped like a lionâs head covered the womanâs face. This was the yellow Dyna-Trooper, part of a group of heroes. The attacker whirled around, angling her blade for a long strike across Freyaâs torso. Freya stepped backward and knocked it away. Laevateinn could probably cut the womanâs sword in half. It was an ancient relic itself after all. But the yellow trooper could be helpful if Freya could just free her.
Her mind raced to put the pieces together. The Dyna-Troopers were heroes, a team of five. They would never attack her, not of their own will anyway.
Someone had to be controlling her, but who? Mr. Mesmer should still be in prison. The yellow figure stabbed again, but Freya deftly deflected. The Xondor mind worms should all be extinct. This felt too clumsy for Fractal. Whoever it was must have a grudge against her specifically. That was it!
The yellow-clad assassin stabbed forward. This time Freya dropped Laevateinn. It clattered to the floor as Freya stepped to the side. She quickly wrapped her hands around the womanâs outstretched arm. Then heaving over her shoulder, Freya flipped the trooper into the air. She hit the ground with a thud. Her helmet shattered on impact, revealing a womanâs face with ebony skin and a glazed expression.
The woman tried to stand, but Freya pounced, pinning her to the ground. Quickly, Freya reached a hand to the back of the womanâs neck. She felt it there, just as sheâd expected, a small bump. The hero crushed it between her two fingers.
The life returned to the other womanâs features. She looked around hesitantly for a moment. Then she seemed to realize that she was lying on the ground with Freya on top of her, face just inches from her own. âOh. Um. Hello. Iâm sorry, I donât remember how we got this way. Not that Iâm . . . Um complaining or anything,â