Chapter 8

"You what?!" Johan said in shocked outrage.

"He's an ally. I don't see the problem," Yareli replied, defending herself. The blowback to her choice to bring Anderson into their little conspiracy had been greater than she'd expected. "We'll need his help to fight Ymir."

"She's got a point," Rebecca said. "With the Niflhel rampaging around, it was inevitable the law would get involved."

But Samuel in particularly wasn't even remotely placated. "Can you even trust this cop Anderson? What if Ymir buys him off?!"

"He seemed trustworthy to me." Yareli didn't appreciate the Jotnar's cynical tone. He was judging someone he'd never even met.

"Let's not fight." Gramps placed a tray of coffee on the table they sat around. "We should count ourselves lucky we've gained another ally. Ymir will win if we squabble amongst ourselves."

"Fine, sure," Samuel replied grudgingly, sipping his coffee to release his pent-up tension. The rest of the Jotnar ignored the offered coffee.

"Are we abandoning our plan to infiltrate Sköll?" Johan asked.

"No, we're continuing." While Yareli felt guilty for disobeying Anderson, they couldn't afford to stay idle. What if Ymir made another Ragnadriver?

"Good, I've gathered some useful information in that regard." Rebecca turned over her laptop to reveal a rough outline of a building. "It's only the original blueprint, but it provides us a rough layout. Underground is where the building is drawing the most power. I suspect it's for a computer system. Though, why they require that much energy is beyond me. Even their teleportation experiments didn't demand that much power."

"If they're creating dangerous, illegal technology, that computer must have the data we need," Johan said.

"Indeed." While Anderson would be furious with her, the stolen data would provide solid proof of the megacorporation's wrong doing. Besides, shutting down this mysterious computer seemed well worth the effort.

"Discover anything interesting about Sköll?" Yareli asked.

"Glad you asked." Rebecca pulled up a picture of a rather muscular scientist. What drew her attention most were his intelligent, piercing eyes. She stared at them, mesmerized. "This is Valter Halvorsen, Sköll's lead scientist."

"Wait, isn't the leader of the Valkyries an Ilma Halvorsen? Are they related?" Johan asked.

Rebecca nodded. "He's her father."

Yareli barely heard them, their words muffed as she continued to stare at the Halvorsen's photo. A pang of familiarity struck her as she stared at the burly scientist's face. Had she finally discovered a solid link to her past? Through her whirling emotion, Yareli finally got herself speaking again. "Who is he, anyway?"

"Born in Haugesund, Norway in 2010. At the age of 18, he enlisted in the Norwegian military. He earned quite a distinguished career as a soldier from all accounts, earning the rank of Sersjant, or Sergeant." Rebecca said, scanning her notes. "Then, out of nowhere, he dropped his commission to earn Computer Science and Engineering doctorates. A genius, from all accounts."

"Becca, your information-gathering skills are impeccable!" Samuel beamed with pleasure.

"Was there any doubt?" Rebecca replied smugly before returning to her computer. "Sköll's security seems light, but I doubt it will be easy once we're inside."

"We?" Samuel raised an eyebrow. "Since when are you willing to do dangerous stuff?"

Their hacker flushed with embarrassed outrage. "This lab contains advanced stuff. You'll need my help. Besides, we have a super-soldier aiding us."

"Super-soldier?" Yareli parroted, not partially keen about the label. But what was she then? A superhero? No, that didn't fit either. She was Yareli, she guessed. That would have to do. She didn't need to belong anywhere or needed any title. 

"We have the beginnings of an excellent plan. But this might help." Gramps opened a box Yareli hadn't noticed, placing its contents on the table. Rebecca's eyes widened in surprise as the device clanked against the hard wooden surface. 

"A Uhyre Key?" Rebecca poked a finger at the device, wary like it might bite her like a snake. The key bore the symbol of a boar.

"I haven't been idle. It's a replica." Gramps puffed out his chest. "I figure if one of you youngsters steals an Angra Armlet, Yareli won't have to fight alone."

"And become one of those monsters? No, thanks." Samuel made a face. "Why didn't you build a new Ragnadriver instead?"

"Young man, the Ragnadriver is the most advanced piece of machinery I've ever encountered. It must have cost Ymir millions of euros to develop. It's far beyond an old tinkerer like myself to crack. The Uhyre Keys, however, aren't as complex. They're meant for mass production."

"Right," Samuel replied, chastised.

"Count me out. I'm not the fighting type," Rebecca backed away from the device like it was unclean. 

"I'll take it!" Johan said, snatching the key from the tabletop before anyone could stop him.

"Are you sure? These fights will be dangerous." Yareli had seen how he'd handled himself in previous encounters. She wasn't sure if Johan had the aptitude to become a warrior. And who knew what weird side effects the Uhyre Keys might have?

Johan studied his Uhyre Key in his hands before giving an emphatic nod. He bristled with equal parts dread and anticipation, hefting the device like it bore the weight of the world. "Positive. I want to fight too. What about you, Samuel?" Johan gave his friend a curious glance. "Didn't you swear revenge on that Dino guy?"

"Don't worry about that." Samuel withdrew his handgun. "I have this. It's more than enough. I don't need some fancy, high-tech weapon to be a badass."

"Okay." Though Johan sounded less than pleased. 

"Are you sure you can do this, Johan?" Yareli asked.

"I can." Johan said, nodding. He was serious about this, and Yareli found she couldn't argue. If he wanted to fight, it as his choice. She admitted his courage, and hoped he had the strength to see this through. 

Rebecca slapped her hands together. "Let's be about it. We have some bad guys to bust!"

---

"Was it wise informing the public about the Valkyrie System?" Lauper asked. "This goes well beyond our original plan. It might interfere with Ragnarök."

"It won't. In fact, it will be beneficial." Wilson steepled his hands. "It proves Ymir has the power to protect them. Besides, the Valkyrie System is one of our lesser, weaker projects. Halvorsen is fond of it, but it has limited potential."

"The Uhyre Keys have potential we haven't even dreamed of yet." The memories of his fight with Fenrir flashed through Wilson's mind. His transformation's power was beyond even his predictions. He'd felt invincible. Perhaps he'd overestimated the Ragnadriver's capabilities?

"If you say so, sir. But I still fear the trouble the Niflhel might cause us," Lauper said, her expression pensive.

"Agreed. But we've wounded him. Searching for him should keep the police busy."

Still, he wasn't pleased about those two officers that helped Fenrir escape. It might cause problems later on. But Wilson also saw opportunities. The detective, Berthold Anderson, hadn't raised a fuss about encountering an unknown rooster monster or mentioned anything about the person in wolf armor. The detective also hadn't taken Fenrir into official custody, which only worked for Ymir's benefit. Anderson's higher-up likely knew nothing about the skeletal warrior.

His contacts in the Bifrost Police Department were ready to suppress Anderson if he caused a fuss. However, he intended to leave the detective alone for the moment. Someone had to investigate and arrest the Niflhel. Besides, he suspected Anderson would eventually lead Ymir to Fenrir, wherever she hid. The detective would serve his purpose.

"President!" a familiar voice said. Wilson raised his head to discover a distressed Reine standing by his office door. He broke into a smile, his worries temporarily forgotten.

"Reine, whatever is the matter?"

Ymir's idol hesitated to speak before finally gaining her courage. "What's this talk about monsters, President? People are saying horrible things about Ymir online! The message boards are full of conspiracy theories and accusations."

"It's a secret project we've been developing for some while," Wilson replied. "Ymir has been looking into expanding its horizons."

"People are saying we're creating weapons of war." Reine's expression turned pensive.

"We aren't arms dealers. We are pioneers of the future. It's our purpose."

When he started his company almost twenty years ago, Wilson swore an oath to leave the world a better place. Ymir had already created several marvels in technology. However, it still wasn't enough. War and poverty were still humanity's greatest problems. Experience had taught him only force could exact change.

The idol glanced down, her expression turning more worried. "With those hooligans running rampant, people are terrified. They're worried Ymir will turn against them next."

A scowl appeared on Wilson's face. Public opinion had soured worse than he'd expected. He was lucky to have Reine watching out for these dangers. Once Ragnarök began, people needed to understand they could trust Ymir. He doubted his company's stock price had improved much, either.

"Actually, I think I might have an idea," Reine said, interrupting Wilson's brooding.

"Go on."

"The monsters scare people, but the Valkyries intrigue them. I could do a piece to boost people's confidence in them."

After some consideration, Wilson nodded, warming to the idea. "A little PR stunt wouldn't hurt. Do you have any ideas in mind?"

Reine tapped her chin, considering the question, before nodding. "How about I train as a Valkyrie? Show people what they can do? The public will eat it up. I could even showcase it in my next album!" She winked, showering Wilson with her dazzling smile. 

"Yes, excellent idea. I will speak with Halvorsen right away." Wilson smiled, grateful for Ymir's idol's foresight. Another distraction for the public wouldn't hurt.

"Thank you, sir. You won't regret this." Reine made a battle pose. "I've always wanted to go to boot camp."

---

Johan grunted in irritation as he pushed a bookshelf aside, uncovering nothing behind it.

Like the others, this office held no hidden passageways like the warehouse with the secret lab. Bypassing the security and sneaking past the token guards was simple, but the place seemed barren. Not that it wasn't suspicious. Despite appearing like your typical manufacturing company, Yareli sensed something off.

"We're standing right above the power sucker. The entrance should be around here somewhere." Rebecca studied the building's blueprint of her computer for the hundredth time, striving to divine the building's secrets from it.

Yareli scanned the files on the desk, ascertaining anything interesting about them. They contained production schedules, but nothing that exciting. One point caught her attention, however. The company was far outproducing what they were selling to other companies. Almost a three-to-one ratio. How suspicious.

"Should we just break our way inside?" Samuel asked, losing his patience. "If we smash enough things, it should reveal something." 

"Let's not get hasty and draw unwanted attention," Rebecca waved her hands in the negative. They ducked as a bored security guard passed the room with a torch, scanning the surrounding area before disappearing down a hallway.

"Hello," Rebecca said after gazing out a window.

"What is it?" Johan whispered, still wary with guards about.

"The guards are showing an unusual interest in that shack. Watch." Rebecca pointed towards the seemingly uninteresting building in question. A guard surreptitiously checked that the shack's door was secure before moving on. While he attempted to pass the action off as another routine check, he wasn't as attentive to the other doors he'd passed.

"It's out in the open, though," Samuel observed. The shack stood in a wide-open area, well-lit by spotlights. It would be impossible to approach without being seen by the security cameras.

"That's a problem." Yareli watched the shack, trying to divine a way to sneak in without drawing a commotion. 

Once the battle started, how long until Ymir sent reinforcements? After her disastrous fight with President Wilson, Yareli was more cautious. She'd learned the hard way the Ragnadriver didn't make her invincible.

"Is that the only entrance? Any air ducts we could slip through?" Samuel glanced around, frowning as he spotted a duct too small for any human to fit through. That way won't work.

"It would be a major oversight if we could," Rebecca replied, tapping her chin.

Suddenly, the shack's door opened, and three girls exited the building. The first stood a meter above the others, her hair chestnut. Her body was lean and muscular from years of hard labor. Yet, instead of coming across as intimidating, her face was open and friendly. The next appeared to be Indian, her hair tied in a tight braid with a nose ring whose color matched her striking golden eyes. Ilma, the leader of the Valkyries, stood among their number. While they laughed and talked, their leader only responded with a stoic nod.

"Hello. Ymir sure knows how to pick them." Samuel's mouth spread in a wide grin, giving the girls an appreciative glance. "Shame they're on the wrong side."

"Sure." Yareli rolled her eyes, but still studied the Valkyries with interest. They were wearing civilian clothes, casual, the type you'd expected to see in a club or bar. They must be going out. Much to her surprise, the trio seemed like ordinary girls. The news made them sound like super soldiers.

At least they'd confirmed it was an entrance to the secret lab. There must be another way inside. For fire safety, at least. 

"Let's keep searching around." No point in drawing attention to themselves yet. The night was still young. They could afford to be patient. They'd use that entrance as a last resort. Yareli froze as Ilma's ears perked up, staring directly at her.

"What the—?" Had the Valkyrie leader noticed them? But how?

The other girls furrowed their brows in confusion when they caught their leader's expression. Ilma pulled out a device, pressed a key combination, and attached it to her waist.

"Transmetal, modify." Her body glowed with brilliant light, like she'd become cloaked in divine light, like an angel. Metal spread across her body, becoming more like a second skin than armor. Wings of jagged metal formed from her back, which took flight as the Valkyrie sprang toward them. A spear formed in her waiting hand, aimed at Yareli's throat. The Jotnar screamed in fright as glass rained upon them, the warrior woman leaping through the window.

"Found you." The Valkyrie thrust her weapon forward, and only Yareli's quick reflexes saved her. A spear tip ripped through Yareli's biker outfit, exposing her skeletal ribs.

The Jotnar scattered as Ilma swung her weapon around for another thrust. Yareli kicked the desk they stood over to intercept the attack. A single blow shattered it into pieces, but the delay allowed her to attach her Ragnadriver.

"Henshin!" Metal clashed against Yareli's armor, deflecting the weapon. A second later, Ilma would have impaled her before the transformation ended.

"Her speed's incredible." Yareli cursed as the other Valkyries flew into the scene, though not as destructively.

"One warning," a Valkyrie, the tallest one, said. "Surrender, or we'll use force."

Before Yareli could reply, the impact from a spear hurled her across the room into a filing cabinet.

"What are you doing?" the other Valkyrie asked her leader in confusion, her thick Indian accent coming through the suit's speakers. 

"This is a battle. She won't surrender, so why bother asking?" Ilma replied after a moment's pause. The other Valkyries only shrugged and moved to surround the prone Yareli.

How had their plan gone south so quickly? Thankfully, the Jotnar had disappeared before the other Valkyrie had arrived. She'd serve as an excellent distraction while her friends found some way to break into the lab.

Did Ilma notice the Jotnar? After some consideration, Yareli decided she had been too focused on defeating Fenrir. While this would make her friends' mission easier, she still worried about getting them caught up in their battle. A sudden idea struck her—she leapt out the window the Valkyrie leader had entered. This sudden change in the battlefield caught her opponents by surprise, and they chased after her. Yareli landed on all fours and turned to face her foes.

"They can fly?" She marveled as the Valkyries spread their wings and hovered in midair. One dove at her at blinding speed, Fenrir just ducking away. 

Another spear thrust caught her from behind, and Fenrir caught herself midair as it sent her flying. Another flew to skewer her, but the attacker screamed as Yareli ducked under the blow and raked her with her claws. Much to her surprise, she'd ripped through a significant portion of the Valkyrie's wing. These suits were more fragile than Yareli had expected.

"Abbey! Are you okay?" The Indian Valkyrie said in shock. They hadn't expected Fenrir to be this powerful.

"I'm fine, Pihu. I can still fight." Abbey flipped back to her feet, unsheathed a sword attached at her waist, and tossed her spear aside.

"Three vs. one, not good," Yareli thought. Ilma swooped down with her spear, aimed with deadly precision. Yareli dodged, but Abbey's sword tip catch her mid-leap. 

"I'll join you." The Valkyrie leader's wings folded as she unsheathed her own sword and landed. Abbey and Ilma's blades worked together to overwhelm their foe, while the last Valkyrie distracted Fenrir with swooping attacks from the air.

In the distance, Yareli spotted her friends conversing, arguing about how best to proceed. A sly idea popped into her head. Metal sparked as her claws caught an incoming spear thrust from the aerial Peru. Her opponents' skill impressed her—each attack well-coordinated to keep Fenrir off-balance. But she used their coordinated combat style against them, positioning herself, so the flying Valkyrie had trouble thrusting her spear without endangering an ally.

Steel clashed as Ilma engaged, the warrior deflecting Yareli's every attack with her own blade. Her opponent's swordsmanship was impossibly skilled, predicting Fenrir's every move with incredible ease. The taller Valkyrie took advantage of the distraction, sparks flashing as she delivered another nasty slash across the chest. Before Pihu could strike a stabbing blow with her spear, Fenrir darted back, switching her weapon to gun mode. The Valkyries retreated a step as Yarelu peppered them with random bolts. But that wasn't her intention.

Her helmet hid a pleased smile as a seemingly stray shot obliterated the door protecting the shack's secrets. That would make it easier for her allies to sneak inside. Satisfied with her work, she fled the scene with the Valkyries on her tail, luring them toward the main building.

---

"Is she trying to get herself killed?" Johan gripped his Uhyre key tight enough to hurt as Yareli lured the Valkyries away, taking on three opponents alone.

Samuel put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She's giving us the opportunity to complete the mission. She's strong. We'll catch her up later."

"We better hurry." Rebecca glanced around anxiously, expecting an attack at any moment. They ducked behind a wall as two guards approached.

"What the heck is happening?" a guard asked. "Are we under attack? Is it the Niflhel? I thought I saw the Valkyries fighting a wolf creature."

"Possible," the other guard replied before cursing. "Their fight exposed the lab's entrance. Halvorsen will kill us if anybody discovers it. Watch the entrance while I get reinforcements."

The first guard nodded while the second pulled out his phone. Before he could enter a number, he froze when he felt a barrel pressed against his neck.

"Harvey!" the first guard cried out in alarm.

"Press a single button and a bullet will go through your spine." Samuel kept his voice low and menacing. Harvey trembled and nodded, dropping his phone to the ground. The other guard froze, throwing the Jotnar a silent glare.

"Guards in the secret lab—how many?" Samuel asked.

Harvey hesitated, but a jab of Samuel's gun made him reassess the wisdom of not answering. "About five, maybe? It's unusually empty at this hour."

"Security inside?"

"Just cameras. Please don't shoot me. I have a family!" The man trembled harder, expecting death at any moment.

Too terrified to lie, the man answered Samuel's questions to the best of his ability. Meanwhile, Johan restrained the other guard with zip ties. After Samuel got the answers he sought, they repeated the process with Jim. They deposited the guards into a janitor's closet for later discovery.

"Hopefully, we won't meet much resistance down there," Rebecca said. In the background, Yareli's desperate battle raged on. They watched as a piece of roof exploded, spewing dust everywhere.

"Let's hurry. We can't afford to waste any more time," Johan said, dashing toward the half-destroyed shed. Thankfully, Yareli had destroyed the security camera along with the electronic lock.

What remained of the shed was basic supplies for maintaining the building's grounds, but otherwise appeared unremarkable. They found the hidden lever the security guard had mentioned. It opened to reveal a concealed elevator. After some hesitation, Johan pressed the lone button on the panel. This was it. Whatever dangers they encountered, they faced them alone. Samuel gripped his gun hard enough to make his dark knuckles pale. He prayed to God whatever they discovered in Ymir's secret lab would be worth it.