[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/IXuUWbR.png?1[/img]
[/center][color=darkgoldenrod][indent][sub][B]Location[/B] [COLOR=SILVER][I]Marville[/I] - [I]Oklahoma[/I][/COLOR][/sub][sup][right][b]Issue #2.04:[/b] [COLOR=SILVER][I]Weirdness on the Edge of Town[/I][/COLOR][/right][/sup][/indent][/color][hr][INDENT][COLOR=SILVER]|[/COLOR] [color=black][B][sub]The Present[/sub][/B][/color]

[INDENT]The welcoming aroma of freshly brewed coffee washed over Barbara like a warm summer’s breeze as she entered the kitchen. Blake was already seated at the island, sipping from his own mug as he looked up from the tablet in front of him, greeting his fiancé with a smile before rising to flip the bacon cooking on the stovetop.

[color=#b8860b]“Eggs?”[/color] He asked as he began to pour her a cup of coffee, stirring in her preferred portions of cream and sugar before passing her the mug. Sitting down on one of the barstools arranged at the kitchen’s island, Barbara cupped the warm drink between her hands, fending off the chill of the winter air.

[color=#4682b4]“Eggs sound perfect,”[/color] Barbara replied with a smile as the freshly cracked eggs fell into the pan with a satisfying sizzle. [color=#4682b4]“Over easy though, please.”[/color] She added in her sweetest tone as Blake put two pieces of toast down.

[color=#b8860b]“So…”[/color] Blake mused aloud as he gingerly flipped the eggs in the pan. [color=#b8860b]“The Mayor wants you to take ‘Thor’ down.”[/color] He chuckled as Barbara crossed her arms defensively.

[color=#4682b4]“You don’t think I could?”[/color] She asked as Blake turned to look at her, his eyebrow raised in an exaggerated arch. [color=#4682b4]“Fine, but look, the Valkyrie isn’t supposed to ‘take down’ Thor.”[/color] Barbara explained as Blake slid her plate of food in front of her, resting an elbow on the opposite side of the island as he chewed on a piece of bacon. 

[color=#4682b4]“The Mayor’s idea, at least to my understanding,”[/color] Barbara continued, picking up a piece of her own bacon. [color=#4682b4]“Is for Valkyrie to tackle the threats before Thor can. The Mayor doesn’t so much want to take you down,”[/color] She paused, a small laugh escaping her, [color=#4682b4]“‘Cause I’m pretty sure most of the world doesn’t think that’s possible after the fight at the Raft,”[/color] Barbara scoffed as she continued. [color=#4682b4]“But, I do think he does want to make it clear that Marville doesn’t need or want Thor here.”[/color]

[color=#b8860b]“So Mayor Thomas wants to drive ‘Thor’ out of town?”[/color] Blake laughed as he dragged a piece of toast through the yolk of his egg, shoving it into his mouth as he swallowed before continuing. [color=#b8860b]“Does he think Thor will just pack up and leave out of boredom?”[/color]

[color=#4682b4]“I can’t say for certain,”[/color] Barbara retorted, her tone playful, [color=#4682b4]“But I do think that’s the end goal of his ‘devious’ plans.”[/color]

[color=#b8860b]“It’s a solid plan.”[/color] Blake scoffed as he finished the mug in his hand. [color=#b8860b]“So does the Mayor then expect you to do something about the Dire Wolves?”[/color]

[color=#4682b4]“Undetermined at this point, will I need to?”[/color] She asked with an amused tone.

[color=#b8860b]“No,”[/color] Blake replied with a chuckle, [color=#b8860b] “Heimdall and I are going to track down the rest of the pack later. He said they come from Vanaheim, so if we can lure them into a trap, we should be able to send them home through the Bifrost.”[/color]

The phones atop the island suddenly came to life almost in unison as Blake reached towards the vibrating device while Barbara held up her ringing phone with a forced smile. 

[color=#4682b4]“Roy,”[/color]

[color=#b8860b]“Lamb,”[/color] Blake replied with a forced smile of his own as the pair leaned over the island, touching lips before nodding their goodbyes as both answered their phones.

[color=#b8860b]“I can be there in ten,”[/color] Blake replied as he placed his phone to his ear, Sheriff Lamb’s voice detailing the situation in his ear on the other end of the line as he nodded along.

[color=#4682b4]“Yeah, I’m ready whenever you are,”[/color] Barbara responded to her own conversation as she caught the leather jacket tossed her way by Blake, watching as he slid into his own suede jacket before holding the door for her. Walking out ahead of Blake, Barbara dialed Agent Perry, putting the phone up to her ear as she waited for the line to pick up before speaking.

[color=#4682b4]“I’m on my way.”[/color]

[b][color=#7b68ee]“I’ll be there.”[/color][/b] Came the Agent’s reply as Barbara ended the call and slipped the phone into her pocket. Nodding to Blake, the pair climbed into their respective vehicles before quickly pulling out of their driveway.[/INDENT][/INDENT]
[color=darkgoldenrod][indent][sub][B]Location[/B] [COLOR=SILVER][I]Morton Estate[/I] - [I]Marville[/I][/COLOR][/sub][/indent][/color][hr]
[INDENT][INDENT]A black sport utility vehicle sat parked on the side of the road as Barbara pulled her truck over, coming to a stop just behind the other vehicle. Climbing out of her vehicle, Barbara quickly zipped her jacket up as a cold Northerly wind blew over the flat plains on either side of the road, whipping around the long tails of Agent Perry’s peacoat as she climbed out of her own vehicle and walked towards Barbara, her hands buried deep into the pockets on the exterior of the coat.

Withdrawing a hand, Agent Perry held a small package out towards Barbara as the deputy reached out to accept it. Turning the black metallic case over in her hand, Barbara ran a finger along the seam before slowly lifting the lid to reveal a small subtle earpiece and contact lens inside. With a nod from Agent Perry, Barbara fitted the earpiece to her ear before placing the lens in her left eye, blinking a few times before looking back at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent.

[b][color=#7b68ee]“I’ll be on contact with you the whole time you’re in Lady Elaine’s home,”[/color][/b] Perry stated matter of factly as Barbara heard the earpiece come online, [b][color=#7b68ee]“The minute you’re near the signal, I’ll let you know. Work it into your conversation, see if you can find out how much she knows but make sure you get a good look at the asset. At a minimum, if we get visual confirmation, my agents can move in for extraction.”[/color][/b]

[color=#4682b4]“Understood,”[/color] Barbara nodded as she turned to walk back to her truck before Agent Perry spoke again.

[b][color=#7b68ee]“Deputy,”[/color][/b] She called as Barbara paused, turning to look back at her, [b][color=#7b68ee]“Good luck.”[/color][/b]

[color=#4682b4]“Appreciate that,”[/color] Barbara replied as she climbed back into the truck, pulling away as Agent Perry watched her tail lights disappear. Returning to her own vehicle, she activated the satellite uplink watching the ominous, blinking, red dot staring back at her from the screen as it hovered over the Morton Estate. 

Continuing on her own way, Barbara approached Lady Elaine’s home, the automated gates opening for the large pickup truck as she slowly drove up the cobblestone driveway towards the pristine Colonial-style home. The cobblestone path led up a small hill into a roundabout that circled around a large fountain decorated with the smiling stone forms of several cherubs. Four white pillars suspended a balcony above the large double doors as numerous windows stared out of the white siding-clad walls towards her. The black shingled roof was adorned with two dormers on either half of the front facing slope as Barbara marveled at the sheer size of the building.   

Marville proper was filled with a few small apartment buildings, nothing beyond three stories. Several townhouses dotted the town and the suburbs were filled with split-level bungalows. Outside of the town, two-story farmhouses made up the majority of the buildings with barns being far and wide the largest structures in the small mid-western community.

But the Morton Estate easily dwarfed all of the aforementioned as Barbara put her truck into park, climbing out of the vehicle and standing in front of the mansion. In front of her truck sat the Mayor’s BMW as Barbara quickly looked around for the Mayor, the sound of the door opening caught her attention as she turned her head to notice Roy as he exited the house through one of the large adorned double doors. Walking out onto the porch, the Mayor lit up a cigarette, taking a long drag and exhaling as he, in turn, looked around before glancing at his watch, obviously waiting for her.

[color=#4682b4]“Mr. Mayor,”[/color] Barbara greeted Roy tipping her head forward before lifting her sunglasses up from her face, placing them atop her head. The Mayor in turn nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned to face her. Roy had obviously been here a while and looking at the Mayor, it was becoming clearer to Barbara by the second why Lady Elaine was putting up for the funds for Valkyrie. 

The Mayor’s hair was ruffled and lipstick had stained the collar of his otherwise cleanly pressed shirt that was peeking out from beneath his blazer. The black tie around his neck had been hastily tied as he quickly took another drag of the lit cigarette before returning Barbara’s greeting, extinguishing the butt as he moved towards her. 

[color=#ff0000]“Mornin’ Miss Norris.”[/color] The Mayor replied as he extended a hand, grasping Barbara’s as he gave it a shake while reaching into his jacket for a second cigarette.[color=#ff0000] “Glad you decided to accept my offer.”[/color]

[color=#4682b4]“I have two conditions though,”[/color] Barbara stated as she pulled her hand back, holding up two fingers. [color=#4682b4]“One, this will be my squad, I will call the shots, not Lamb, not you and definitely not our ‘generous’ sponsor.”[/color] She smiled as Roy’s face flushed slightly at the mention of Lady Elaine, his hand moved to his belt as he shifted his pants.

[color=#4682b4]“Second condition,”[/color] Barbara continued, holding her finger up to Roy as he opened his mouth. [color=#4682b4]“I’m choosing my team and it’s not going to be an all-female team. I don’t care how clever you and Lamb think naming the unit, Valkyrie, is.” [/color] 

[color=#ff0000]“So you aren’t using the name?”[/color] Roy asked, pausing as his hand wrapped around the doorknob.

[color=#4682b4]“I am going to use the name.”[/color] Barbara smiled, [color=#4682b4]“But only because it’s kickass.”[/color]

[color=#ff0000]“Hell yeah it is.”[/color] Roy scoffed opening the door as the pair entered into Lady Elaine’s home.[/INDENT][/INDENT]
[color=darkgoldenrod][indent][sub][B]Location[/B] [COLOR=SILVER][I]Golden Age Trailer Park[/I] - [I]Marville[/I][/COLOR][/sub][/indent][/color][hr]
[INDENT][INDENT][color=#b8860b]”Sheriff Lamb,”[/color] Blake said with a forced smile as he climbed to the top of hill, wading through the waist-high yellowed grass as the crisp snow crunched beneath his boots. [color=#b8860b]“Is this going to become a regular occurrence?”[/color] He asked lifting the aviator style sunglasses from his face as he pulled the sherpa covered collar of his suede leather jacket tighter around his bar neck. 

[color=#cccccc]“Only when fuckin’ weird animals keep causing trouble in my jurisdiction, son.”[/color] Lamb responded as he motioned for Blake to follow him. 

[color=#cccccc]“Couple of the residents reported hearing howls the last couple of nights.”[/color] Lamb started as he nodded his head back down the hill towards the trailer park. [color=#cccccc]“Last night we down at the station got a call from one concerned resident who felt the howls were getting a little too close for comfort. Nonetheless, we didn’t respond. Had hoped the last wolf was something of a freak incident, but I did some digging on the internet there and found that er, giantism-”[/color]

[color=#b8860b]“Gigantism,”[/color] Blake corrected as the Sheriff chuckled.

[color=#cccccc]“Yeah that, gargantuism, I read it’s a possible mutation. Figured the wolf was a freak of nature and why not? Y’all got mutants runnin’ around New York, why not here?”[/color] Lamb shrugged as Blake motioned for him to get to the point. Waving a hand dismissively, the Sheriff continued. 

[color=#cccccc]“Couple of kids were up here playing, told their parents what they found and well,”[/color] Lamb paused lifting the broad-brimmed hat off his head and placing it against his chest before nodding forward with his head. [color=#cccccc]“Probably just better if I just show you.”[/color]  The Sheriff said as he placed his hat back atop his head as Blake followed behind him. Walking through the snow, a foul scent washed over Blake’s nose as the pair walked several yards, the snow turning from white to a glistening red in the morning sunlight. 

Laid out on the ground in front of Blake was the remains of the rest of the Dire Wolf pack. Their bodies maimed and dismembered as they were laid out dead across the cold ground. Each carcass nearly as big as the first, easily rivaling the size of the bison they had originally attacked. 

[color=#b8860b]“There’s always a bigger fish,”[/color] Blake muttered nearly beside the nearest carcass as the Sheriff scoffed behind him.

[color=#cccccc]“I don’t know if y’all do much fishin’”[/color] Lamb retorted, [color=#cccccc]“But ain’t no fish did this.”[/color] 

[color=#b8860b]“Figure of speech, Sheriff.”[/color] Blake replied in a flat tone as he hovered a hand above the wound. Deep lacerations covered the creature, fur and flesh cleaved apart but the bones still held despite showing signs of repeated damage. Standing, Blake walked to the next carcass finding the wounds consistent with the first as he knelt down to examine it. Each subsequent wolf carcass showed the same injuries as Blake shook his head, over the course of his schooling and his career he had never seen injuries consistent with these.

But Thor had.[/INDENT][/INDENT]