The wind was somewhat chilly and, the stench of the garbage was too much. Hela, bruised and battered, looked at the mysterious woman who had just saved her life. This "Catwoman" seemed calm, unaffected by the brutal scene she had just left behind. There was something familiar about her—a sense of rebellion and independence that Hela once carried with pride.
"Alright, let's get out of here before anyone else shows up," Catwoman said after she looted the dead bodies before giving a small shrug. "Cops don't usually bother with places like this, but no need to attract unnecessary attention."
Hela nodded, following Catwoman out of the alleyway and onto the streets of New York. The city was bustling with people, cars honking, and loud music blasting from speakers attached to buildings. Noticing how everyone was looking at them, Catwoman pulled Hela into another alley and removed her mask.
"Well, we can't go around like this. Oh, I'm Selina by the way. After suiting up, Catwoman," Selina said as looked at her bracelet. Although her suit's nanites were damaged and were in repair mode, the emergency storage Bruce gave her was still functional. She tried to contact the AI, but it was offline. 'Figures. Gotta find Bruce and Harley... Yeah, especially, Harley.' Activating the manual controls, she changed her tight suit into casual clothes and then touched Hela's arm. The nanites flowed over her body, changing her ragged outfit into a pair of jeans, boots, and a leather jacket.
"What's this?" Hela asked with curiosity.
"Nanite technology. It helps me change my suit to normal clothes when needed," Selina explained as they left the alley. "We gotta find a motel to rest. Your condition doesn't look very good." She said noticing how Hela was clutching onto her stomach and trying to put up a normal face despite the pain she was feeling.
"I'm fine..." Hela hissed painfully as she staggered forward. The pain in her gut still throbbed from the earlier beating, but what hurt even more was the bitter truth: she was no longer a goddess.
Selina sighed, placing one of Hela's arms around her shoulder and helping her walk. She could tell that Hela was stubborn and wouldn't accept help easily, so she decided not to argue with her. "Come on, let's get you somewhere safe first, then we can talk."
Hela gritted her teeth as she looked at her surroundings. This place, this Earth, was nothing like the grand halls of Asgard. It was dull and dreary, full of mortals, and her immortal senses were no longer sharp enough to detect much beyond the obvious. She was weak now, just like them.
"So, where are you from?" Selina asked while walking down the street.
"Asgard... I'm from Asgard," Hela replied.
"Hmm? Never heard of it. Is that in Europe?" Selina asked curiously.
Hela sighed deeply. She didn't want to explain herself to this mortal, but she also needed information about this world. Maybe she could use her as a guide. "It used to be... but it was destroyed."
"Destroyed?" Selina raised her brow.
"Yes. By Ragnarok..." Hela said in a cold voice as she remembered her defeat.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that..." Selina said awkwardly as they walked toward a cheap motel.
"Don't be. It was a long time ago..." Hela said in a distant tone as memories flashed through her mind—memories of how she lost everything. "And I'll have my revenge one day. You can bet on that."
Selina looked at Hela with concern. This woman sounded crazy, but Selina decided to ignore it for now since she was injured anyway.
The motel was as dingy as the alley they'd just left. The neon sign buzzed faintly, casting a sickly glow over the cracked pavement outside. Selina paid for a room, and they made their way inside, the musty air hitting Hela's senses like a punch to the face. She grimaced but said nothing.
As Selina closed the door behind them, Hela collapsed onto the bed, staring at the stained ceiling above. The dull throb in her ribs was a reminder of just how far she had fallen. She raised her hand, flexing her fingers as if to summon the Necrosword, but all she felt was the emptiness of her mortal form. No shadows answered her call. No power surged beneath her skin.
"Gods…" she muttered under her breath. "I was a goddess…"
Selina, peeling off her gloves, glanced over at Hela. "So, you really were some kind of goddess, huh?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. There was no mockery in her tone—just curiosity.
"Yes," Hela replied, her voice low and cold. "I ruled over death itself. All of Asgard trembled beneath me."
"And now?"
Hela clenched her fist, her nails digging into her palm. "Now, I am nothing."
Selina leaned back against the headboard, crossing her arms. "Well, you're still something. You're alive, aren't you?"
Hela scoffed. "Is that supposed to comfort me? I was the Goddess of Death. Mortality is a prison."
Selina's green eyes flicked toward Hela as she said, "Maybe. But prisons can be broken out of." There was a sly smile on her lips. "You just need to learn the right tricks."
Hela gave her a sharp look. "And what tricks would a mortal like you know?"
Selina chuckled. "Oh, I've gotten out of plenty of tight spots. It's all about patience. Play your cards right, and you'll get what you want."
For the first time, Hela found herself considering Selina's words. She had been rash in her quest for power before, and it had cost her everything. But now… now she had time. Time to plan. Time to learn. Time to strike when the moment was right.
"Maybe you're not as useless as I thought," Hela muttered.
Selina grinned. "Aw, thanks."
"Haa... You really believed everything I said?" Hela asked with a small laugh.
"Well, I've seen enough weird shit these last few months to believe pretty much anything," Selina said with a shrug. "And I took a read at your body, your DNA ain't that of a human, so yeah..."
"Oh, so you're not completely stupid," Hela said while lying down. Her body ached from the beating she received, but she refused to show weakness.
"Heh, I guess not," Selina said as she got up and approached the small fridge in the corner of the room. Opening it, she grabbed a bottle of water and tossed it to Hela. "Here, drink. Your body needs rest to heal."
Hela caught the bottle and stared at Selina.
"So, what's your story? I saw you coming down like a meteor. You attacked by someone or something?" Hela asked out of curiosity. She knew that it wasn't a coincidence that Odin sent her into danger without a plan and when she was in danger, Selina arrived just at the critical moment to save her. 'Old man, just what are you planning?' She thought as she opened the bottle and drank.
Selina scratched her head awkwardly and said, "Well, a crazy woman opened up a dimension ripper and we were sucked into it. Then we fought a freaking God... Darkseid. Then we fell into another dimensional crack along with that freak of nature. And here I am. Pretty crazy and hard to believe, right?"
Hela's eyes widened as she heard the name of Darkseid. Odin also warned her about the New Gods and Darkseid was one of them. 'So, it's true. The multiverse is collapsing, opening up a way to another multiverse...' She thought as she recalled what Odin told her before sending her to this Earth. "This Darkseid, how strong was this God?"
"Stronger than anyone I've ever faced," Selina replied seriously. "That guy is like a freaking giant. Even Bruce had a hard time holding him back. If he wasn't looking for information on the space cracks from us, well, he thought we were the reason behind it and wanted to gain some info, he might have gone all out. But we got lucky."
Hela wanted to compare this Bruce guy's strength with hers and Thor's, but considering how Selina wasn't from this world, she wouldn't know who Thor was. So, she decided to help Selina find Bruce and then see for herself how powerful Bruce was.
"Do you have any idea where this Bruce guy is?" Hela asked while lying down on the bed.
"Nope," Selina stretched her arms as she slumped on the nearby chair. "You get some sleep. I'll figure something out."
Hela nodded, closing her eyes as she drifted off to sleep.
Selina watched Hela for a moment before getting up and going to the bathroom. Turning on the faucet, she splashed water onto her face, sighing deeply.
'I hope you two are all right, Bruce... Harley... Just don't do anything stupid in this new world, Harley.'
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